Tasks and fields of work

Training at DIPF

The Frankfurt Research Library and the Research Library for the History of Education offer project- and product oriented vocational training for the profession of information assistants (media). In Frankfurt, a focus is placed on "Information and Documentation", while training in the Research Library for the History of Education in Berlin is focused on librarian tasks.

An inclusive training for students with and without disabilities is offered, subject to a written agreement with the Frankfurter Stiftung für Blinde und Sehbehinderte (trust supporting visually impaired trainees).

Job Title

Fachangestellte/r für Medien- und Informationsdienste (information assistant, media and information services)
Recognised by ordinance of June 3, 1998 (BGBl. I S. 1257) and amendment of March 15, 2000 (BGBl. I S. 222)

Duration of Training

A third of the three-year training course takes place in one of the following five disciplines

  • Archives
  • Libraries
  • Information and documentation centres
  • Photo agencies
  • Medical documentation centres

The dual training course is conducted at shop floor and at a vocational education and training school.

Area of Work

Information assistants work in the public as well as in the private sector, e. g. in

  • press and media archives,
  • radio and television broadcasting services,
  • town and state archives,
  • public and scientific libraries,
  • company-based libraries,
  • information broking
  • information and documentation services
  • scholarly information centres and other providers of databases,
  • photo agencies
  • photo centres
  • museums,
  • hospitals and other institutions in the health sector,
  • pharmaceutic enterprises,
  • universities and research institutes.

Their main tasks consist of providing, indexing and abstracting, delivering and making accessible media, information and data as well as advising and counselling clients and users.

Professional competencies

I. Joint professional qualifications

Information assistants

  • provide and procure media, information and data,
  • index and abstract media, information and data,
  • secure media stocks and other information carriers,
  • utilise information and communication systems
  • search databases and networks,
  • inform, advise and counsel clients and users,
  • collaborate in public relations and marketing.

II. Professional qualifications in specialised disciplines

(only pertinent to libraries, information and documentation)

Information assistants in the discipline of libraries

  • utilise bibliographic information tools for the procurement of media,
  • control and process deliveries and bills,
  • process media following the regulations of bibliographic description,
  • collaborate in indexing and abstracting,
  • equip media in a library-technical way,
  • sort and administer stocks,
  • process lending, returning, notices of claim and reservations of media,
  • procure information and media for clients by means of electronic and conventional delivery services,
  • contribute to fairs and events.

Information assistants from the discipline of information and documentation

  • use information sources for the procurement of media, dataand facts,
  • process media following the regulations of bibliographic description,
  • structure and index data and facts,
  • collaborate in indexing and abstracting,
  • administer and maintain records and databases,
  • process requests from clients and search databases and networks,
  • procure information and media for clients by means of electronic and conventional delivery services,
  • process and collate information,
  • contribute to training and events,
  • contribute to the acquisition of clients.

(Source: Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training)

Contact

Frankfurt am Main: YXVzYmlsZHVuZy5mZmJAZGlwZi5kZQ== (Berlin: YXVzYmlsZHVuZy1iYmZAZGlwZi5kZQ== (Anne Danzmann)