MASTER’S DEGREE PROGRAM FOR LIBRARY AND COMPUTER SCIENCES
„Die Bildung wird täglich geringer, weil die Hast größer wird.“
Nietzsche
The first RFID workshop took place in Wildau in 2006. Since 2013, this two-day workshop takes place twice a year. Up to 24 participants take part in this course in basic computer science skills for librarians. They wanted to learn even more!
Lifelong learning also applies to the field of Library Sciences. There is not really anything that adequately suits the needs of employees in a learning resources center as such, especially in the area of software. That is why we decided to develop a curriculum from the workshop and course, which was offered for the first time in September 2015 to the first nine students in the Master’s of Science in Library and Computer Sciences Degree program . With this in-service degree program, a first of its kind, we can meet the challenges of digital technology today and allow librarians to face these challenges with expertise and competence.
„The knowledge and skills I learned help me at my place of work, especially in analyzing IT problems and finding solutions. Due to the variety of the content in different courses and practical programming exercises, I am now much more competent in fulfilling the interface function I have between duties as a librarian and system technology. Even though the workload was very demanding, I found the degree program exceptionally enriching. It’s a shame it’s over now.“
Uschi Klute, Verbundzentrale des GBV (VZG), Library and Computer Sciences student
This extra-occupational Master’s Degree Program is a two-year (four-semester) degree program, which gives graduates the competence to fill the gap between IT experts, technical librarians and librarians. through what they have learned.
Building on the library expertise that is a prerequisite for the degree program, this second degree program builds on, giving students and helping them develop, a solid foundation in hard- and software skills. The aim of the program is for students to be in charge of IT projects that have to do with learning resources centers. They should be able to take care of a project from start to finish as well as be responsible for installing and maintaining other open source solutions. Moreover, graduates should be able to use other tools available on the internet, interface functions, make adjustments to software programs already in use, install easy-to-use software programs and so on and so forth. It should be more than just a quick glimpse backstage.
This extra-occupational program demands active participation from within the library sciences community within the digital world. To put it in a nutshell, librarians need be active and speak out as representatives of the field. Librarians need to face the challenges posed by computer hardware and software in this day and age. Students need to build state-of-the art expert knowledge in order to work self-determined as individuals within learning resource centers and at the same time keep up with developments in computer science and communications technology.
Keynote speech at the BibInfo-Tag 2017
The degree program in Library and Computer Sciences is offered by the Wildau Institute of Technology (WIT), which is part of the Technical University of Applied Sciences Wildau. The university offers internationally orientated postgraduate degree programs.
About the Master’s Degree Program
In: BuB 7/2015, S. 419-421.
In: b.i.t. online 03/2015, S. 264-266.
