Berlin and the Bibliothekartag

Again, apologies for not posting in a while. My next entry will discuss the week I spent in Berlin, during which I attended the 100th annual Bibliothekartag, which is the joint conference of several regional and national library associations in Germany. More than 4,500 librarians from Germany and all over the world attended the conference.

First, I will discuss a bit about the conference itself, after which I will talk about Berlin, a city with which I have, well, an interesting relationship.

Bibliothekartag Conference

This was the first library conference I have ever gone to that targeted libraries and librarians in general, rather than specifically law libraries/librarians. There were very few programs that expressly related to my work as a law librarian, which was a bit disappointing. However, I attended some other programs that focused more on international issues, which was also relevant to the work I do and a chief area of librarianship interest for me.

One entire program discussed how librarians and library students can find opportunities for practical training in foreign countries. Much of the discussion focused on finding opportunities in the United States, and it was a point of great pleasure to me when it was mentioned that American libraries and library organizations are more helpful and receptive to the idea of supporting foreign exchanges and internships for foreigners than those in any other country. This was not a surprise to me, to be honest. American librarianship has, in my view, much to be proud of, not the least of which is a keen interest in learning from and sharing with others about how we can serve and work more effectively.

Academic training for librarians in Germany generally involves a period of study that includes at least one practical internship. One of the internship placements must be in a German library; however, students can also intern in foreign university or public libraries. I know from my own experience at library school that this kind of practical training is not required, although it may also be encouraged in some programs. I felt most fortunate that I was able to work in a library while earning my library degree - I think I got a lot more out of the program this way.

One full afternoon at the conference was spent at the program organized by Germany's professional organization for law librarians. This was definitely a highlight of the conference for me. We had an educational session, in which a librarian from the European Union presented information about doing research with various EU databases. Then there was a business meeting for the organization, followed by a dinner out. At this dinner I sat across from a delightful man who is the head reference librarian for law at the University of Hamburg. He (and his colleagues who I happened to meet later during the conference) strongly encouraged me to attend the conference in Hamburg next year. This is an interesting proposition, since I have never been to Hamburg before. But one day at a time for now - I can always decide later if that is something that would interest me.

I also attended a program, sponsored by the Goethe Institute, in which various foreign and German librarians talked about the future of academic and scientific libraries. I was most impressed by the librarian from a university in Malaysia, who has done a lot of work with faculty outreach and electronic archiving of the university community's academic, scientific, and artistic publications. I honestly wondered how he had so much time to establish and maintain all of the initiatives he talked about. Super impressive! It was interesting to hear that faculty outreach is a common problem, and that many librarians approach it in a way that suggests optimizing faculty/librarian teamwork and collaboration.

I also toured two law libraries in the city of Berlin - the law library at the Freie Universitaet Berlin and at Humboldt Universitaet Berlin. These are two very different universities and libraries (the first is relatively new, while the other has been around for a long time), but they have problems common to all academic law libraries, including space and money issues. We are all trying to serve our users the best we can, with limited resources and the constant changes to who our users are and what they need.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that I received a grant from Bibliothek and Information International to attend the conference in Berlin (as well as an additional grant for the week I spent in Passau - more on that later). I am extremely impressed with the generosity of this organization and its willingness to sponsor librarian exchanges.

All in all, the Bibliothekartag was an interesting and valuable experience, and I'm glad that I went, even though I had to go to Berlin to do so...

Berlin

This was my third time in Berlin, and I can say now with confidence that I have given the city more than a fair shot.

I greatly admire the efficiency of the public transportation system, and I feel that some of the features and tourist attractions merit a certain amount of admiration. For example, the Reichstag, which houses the federal parliament (and of which were fortunate enough to get an English language tour) is historically and aesthetically pleasing. Like many buildings in Berlin, it tells an interesting story. The main parliamentary chamber also provides a non-obtrusive and restrained environment to the business of lawmaking, which I particularly enjoyed.



However, I can finally admit with confidence that I don't like Berlin, and if I have anything to do with it I will never go there again.

I know that sounds harsh. But when the view outside your hotel room window is abandoned buildings with boarded-up windows and graffiti, you know you can't be off to a good start.



The problem with Berlin is that SO MUCH of it looks like that. I know they don't have money to repair and remodel buildings, since the city is mainly comprised of people involved with the federal government, the arts, or the universities. There is not very much industry or business there to generate serious money for the city. However, the fact that so many people there live with so much dirt and graffiti, as if nothing is wrong - I could not live like that. Of all of the large cities I have been in, both in the U.S. and Europe, I have never had this feeling quite so strongly anywhere else.

Indeed, this picture sums up fairly perfectly what I don't like about Berlin:



This sign basically says that this is a protected building, and requests that leaflets not be posted on the walls. Well, the hoodlums did follow THOSE directions...but with their little antics with spray paint they failed to follow the spirit of the request, which is to respect the integrity of the protected building. This was so unbelievable to me that I had to take a picture. It was absolutely unnecessary to deface this building with these silly graffiti tags, and yet...there they are. Who knows how long they've been there? And who knows when/if anyone will bother to clean this building up, or the thousands of others just like it (protected and not) which have also been similarly defaced. If you can't get past this, then you won't like Berlin. And that's exactly what happened to me there.

After the week in Berlin, I was very happy to leave, I have to admit. Of course, I had no idea of what was in store for us as we travelled to Passau, a small city in southern Bavaria on the border with Austria, since I had only been through it one time on the train. Passau, to me, was everything that Berlin was not, and more.

My Work in Augsburg

I have not posted in the blog in a little while, obviously. I have been busy and having fun. So I will do a few posts now in a row to catch everyone up.

The first relates to my time working at the university in Augsburg. As I have mentioned previously, my main responsibility in Augsburg was to present two courses:

• An introduction to American law, in English, for German law students who will be exchange students in the United States (8 hours, spread over 4 course sessions)


• A training course in the Westlaw database, in German, for German law students and research assistants (approximately 90 minutes)

While I was in Augsburg, I was also asked to present on the HeinOnline legal database, for which the law library had acquired a trial subscription. I was mainly asked to provide information about the most important libraries within the database, and to compare Hein's contents with those resources available through Westlaw. I also did this presentation in German.

Overall, these courses and presentations were fairly successful. I did find, however, that the English-language sessions were, at two hours each, too long, even though I gave them breaks. I would have preferred to have six course sessions of 90 minutes each (two 40-minutes halves with a 10-minute break). I think it's just too difficult to pay attention for that long, especially if the lecture is delivered in a foreign language. I also would have made the class sessions more interactive, including a research exercise that the students could do in groups, rather than straight lecture.

In addition, by having six sessions instead of four, I could have delivered the information in smaller portions, which I think would have lent itself to better organization than I was able to manage. As it was - the four sessions were (1) introduction to American common law and legal language, (2) case law research, (3) constitutional law research and analysis, and (4) statutory research. I think it would have gone over better had I been able to break this down into smaller sections.

My other main issue was that I could never get the overhead projector to work. This was very embarrassing for me - it almost became a joke with everyone ("Will she be able to manage it this time?").

I did give the students reading assignments (cases, book chapters, and newspaper articles), and many of them did the reading. I also offered them the opportunity to complete a short case brief and an exam, which I reviewed and sent back to them with comments. However, although the course was mandatory for students who will be studying in the United States next year, I did not issue grades, so I could not make the assignments or exam mandatory.

The students were very appreciative of the Westlaw training. I had given a Westlaw training already, for law librarians, at the Bavarian State Library School in Munich. That was a 5-hour seminar, in which I not only covered several aspects of Westlaw research, but also provided an introduction to American law and legal principles that was appropriate for law librarians.

However, I decided early on that the law students needed training that was more interactive than the training I did for the law librarians, and that specifically showed them how to use Westlaw for their research. I decided, therefore, to lead them through a general research project using the various Westlaw resources, using punitive damages at the theme for the project. Not only is this a concept that is very important in American law but not in German law, but many of the law students at Augsburg are engaged in a combined study of business and law, and I thought this would be an interesting topic for them.

The best success story of my work in Augsburg was that one of the students in the introductory course has decided that she is going to analyze a case and statute that we talked about in our class (Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act) for some of her work in one of her German law classes. This makes me feel that what I did in Augsburg was worthwhile and helpful to the students, and that all my hard work in preparing the lessons paid off.