OUR YEAR 2023

A REVIEW OF THE YEAR AT TIB – LEIBNIZ INFORMATION CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
An AI-generated image of Firefly

DEAR READERS,

Our TIB Report provides you with interesting information from the world of TIB. I particularly recommend the interview with Dr Irina Sens, our Deputy Director. In her interview, she talks about the importance of libraries in today’s world and why TIB is more than just a library.

Many new projects were launched at TIB in 2023. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research alone funded five new projects to create a vibrant open access culture. By establishing the “Future Libraries & Research Data” Joint Lab, we are stepping up our collaboration with Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

The digitised prints and drawings from the Albrecht Haupt Collection went online and are now accessible to researchers and other interested users around the world. The “Documenting Ukrainian Cultural Heritage” (DUCH) project involves the photographic documentation of war-threatened buildings in Ukraine. In the event of their destruction, the photos will provide a solid basis for their subsequent reconstruction. Since 2022, local photographers have taken more than 3,700 interior and exterior photos of some 250 culturally valuable monuments, often in very difficult conditions.

What else? In 2023, BiblioCon was held in Hannover at long last, attracting 3,500 visitors. The conference was due to take place in 2020, but the pandemic threw a spanner in the works. As a virtual alternative, the Berufsverband Information Bibliothek (BIB) and TIB joined forces back then to create #vBIB: the virtual conference for digital library and information topics. The new format proved so popular that a fourth edition of #vBIB was held in 2023.

Yours,

Sören Auer / Director of TIB

QUICKLINKS

A MASTODON IN A CHINA SHOP TIB THEMENCAST: SEVEN EPISODES ON THE TOPIC OF “FEDIVERSE AND SCIENCE” WITH LAMBERT HELLER

Is social media in crisis? Whatever happened in 2022? Especially – but not only – with the short messaging service Twitter (now X)? These are the questions addressed by Lambert Heller, Head of the Open Science Lab, in our first TIB Themencast “Fediverse and science”.

In seven episodes, he covers a wide range of topics: from the importance of open science for academia, to the beginnings of Twitter in 2006, the decentralised web, Mastodon and science communication.

We also provide additional information about each episode on the TIB-Blog.

You can find the episodes of our themecast on the TIB AV-Portal and wherever else podcasts are available.

Enjoy watching and listening to our themecasts!

WHAT IS THE TIB THEMENCAST?

The TIB Themencast is a standalone, temporary video format produced by TIB. In several episodes, TIB experts comment, critically and constructively question and discuss current issues.

Go to the TIB Themencast

MORE OPEN ACCESS IN TIB-LED CONSORTIA TIB SIGNS NEW OPEN ACCESS AGREEMENTS WITH GERMAN INSTITUTIONS

For 2023, TIB has signed five new consortium agreements with an open access component. The agreements with professional societies and publishers Public Library of Science (PLOS), Optica, VDI Fachmedien, the American Chemical Society and the Royal Society enable researchers to publish (and read) articles in academic journals free of charge.

By participating in these consortia, institutions cover the Article Processing Charges (APCs) for their researchers that they would otherwise have to pay themselves if they were to publish open access. This brings the total number of TIB-led consortia this year to 44, of which 16 include open access elements. The consortium offer is used by more than 300 institutions across Germany.

 

→ Go to article

DIGITISED HISTORICAL TREASURES FROM THE ALBRECHT HAUPT COLLECTION ARE ONLINE

More than 6,000 digitised works from the Albrecht Haupt Collection, including pen and ink drawings and copperplate engravings from countries such as Italy, Germany and France, are now available online at https://sah.tib.eu. The special collection comprises some 6,200 individual graphics on paper, including drawings by Albrecht Dürer, Gianlorenzo Bernini and Friedrich Weinbrenner. The works, mostly from the 16th to 19th centuries, cover a wide range of subjects including architecture, horticulture and crafts, and were collected over decades by the architect, building historian and university lecturer Albrecht Haupt (1852-1932).

In 2019, as part of the GESAH project, work began on digitising the graphics in this special collection. The project, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG), involved TIB staff and researchers from the Chair of History of Architecture and Urban Development at Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) working together for three years in an elaborate process to make the graphics accessible.

The outcome of this work can now be viewed: 15,000 high-resolution digital reproductions, including more than 1,000 unique hand drawings, are now freely accessible online for the first time to researchers and other interested users from all over the world. The digitised graphics and drawings can be freely used, distributed and processed, including for commercial purposes.

AN ASSET FOR ARCHITECTURAL AND ART HISTORICAL RESEARCH

“Previously, people could only view these materials by making an advance appointment and going to TIB in person. Now that the works have been digitised and made available, they can be used digitally by researchers of architectural and art history from all over the world,” enthused Dr Irina Sens, Deputy Director of TIB.

After all, this was what Haupt had intended when he bequeathed his extensive collection to TIB during his lifetime: The collection was to be preserved in its entirety and made available for use by students and scholars.

→ More on the TIB-Blog

NEWLY ESTABLISHED JOINT LAB “FUTURE LIBRARIES & RESEARCH DATA”

Hannover University of Applied Sciences and Arts and TIB are pooling their expertise in the field of research data, among other things: Early April 2023 saw the launch of the Joint Lab “Future Libraries & Research Data”, which the two partners are establishing and developing together. The Joint Lab enables the two institutions to step up cooperation between them: The focus is clearly on the topic of research data and data science, as well as the future-oriented development of scientific libraries. This also includes targeted training to attract young talent from the relevant Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes offered at the HsH.

 

“We are delighted to be able to consolidate the successful cooperation between the HsH and TIB. Thanks to our joint focus on data-oriented issues, we are closing a gap in Lower Saxony’s scientific landscape when it comes to applied information science,” stated Professor Dr Ina Blümel, Deputy Head of the Open Science Lab at TIB and Professor for Linked Data in Information Science at the HsH.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND LIBRARIES 6 QUESTIONS PUT TO PROFESSOR DR SÖREN AUER

Will specialist libraries be eclipsed by AI portals in the future? Or will their status as guarantors of reliable information increase? In a six-minute interview with the Technik-Salon, TIB Director Professor Dr Sören Auer explains the importance of libraries when it comes to artificial intelligence.

In his interview, he explains the role of artificial intelligence at TIB, which is conducting its own research into AI – for example, how it can be used to create new services for digital libraries. Sören Auer also explains how so-called large language models like ChatGPT work and where their limitations lie.

 

 

“VORWÄRTS NACH WEIT” 111th BIBLIOCON 2023 IN HANNOVER

A special kind of meeting with time for intensive exchange: A total of 3,500 participants from 18 countries were present when the 111th BiblioCon 2023 opened its doors on 23 May 2023 under the motto “Vorwärts nach weit”. For four days – from 23 to 26 May 2023 – the Hannover Congress Centrum (HCC) was the meeting place for library and information professionals.

There was ample opportunity for exchange: 400 or so lectures, workshops and poster presentations, a trade exhibition with 130 company stands and an extensive social programme. The latter included a big opening event, a reception for international guests in the town hall, a congress party, guided tours of Hannover’s libraries, an open access rally, readings and much more.

Six thematic circles were set up to address issues such as shaping working life, education and skills, digital and analogue infrastructure, community building for libraries, and data and publications.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EVERYDAY LIBRARY WORK HOW CAN STUDENTS USE CHATBOTS LIKE CHATGPT FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND HOW CAN TIB PROVIDE THEM WITH THE NECESSARY SKILLS?

Almost everyone is familiar with ChatGPT by now. It is almost impossible not to have heard of the chatbot from US developer OpenAI. Just two months after its release in November 2022, it is said to have already attracted 100 million active users. This rapid development is of course of interest to TIB, where internal applications, privacy and copyright issues, and implications for the development of the TIB Portal and other TIB tools are being discussed.

There is also a special focus on teaching information literacy and how ChatGPT can be introduced and used in targeted ways, such as search training. The dialogue between students and teaching staff is important in this context. After all, the impact of the introduction of ChatGPT at universities has been immediate and has already led to many changes, for example in the way exams are designed.

Key questions include: How is academic work changing? When does it make sense to use AI, and when does it become problematic? What skills will students need in the future to perform well academically?

→ Find out more on the TIB-Blog

JENS OLF TALKS ABOUT TIB DOCUMENT DELIVERY FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE, IDEAS AND WORK AT TIB IN THE TIB-PITCH

TIB uses its TIB-PITCH format to present different departments, topics and projects – and, of course, the people behind them. 

In just over two minutes, Jens Olf, Head of Full-Text Provision at TIB, introduces TIB’s document delivery service. TIB provides fast and reliable access to key resources and unique information for scientists not only at universities and research institutions, but also in industry and business.

For example, did you know that TIB has over 66,000 journals from all over the world? Or that 62 per cent of TIB’s holdings are so-called grey literature, such as research reports and conference proceedings, which are not available in commercial bookshops?

All these items can be ordered worldwide via TIB document delivery. TIB Customer Services staff are on hand with their search expertise to help customers find the right resources even in the remotest corners of TIB – and other libraries, if required.

 

→ Play video

→ All episodes

LAUNCH OF 5 NEW OPEN ACCESS PROJECTS FEDERAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH PROMOTES VIBRANT OPEN ACCESS CULTURE

Open access (OA) – free access to scientific and scholarly publications – should be the norm in scientific publishing. Most researchers, scientific institutions and funding agencies agree, because OA is a requirement for fast scientific progress. To achieve this goal, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding various projects that support the transformation of the publishing landscape and accelerate the establishment of a vibrant OA culture in German research and academic practice.

Five new BMBF-funded OA projects were launched at TIB in September 2023. The projects, some of which are being implemented by TIB in collaboration with partners, address different aspects of OA.

The projects involve

  • an exploration of the inequalities in OA publishing opportunities for specific groups of researchers, and recommendations for improvement,
  • alternative funding opportunities for OA publishing,
  • improved visibility of OA journals,
  • the efficient machine-based reuse of OA publications, thereby improving the searchability and comparability of research results,
  • the development of a price comparison portal for publishing services.

The open access projects at a glance

All five projects were launched on 1 September 2023 and will run for 24 or 36 months. A detailed description of the projects can be found on the TIB-Blog (in German only).

“As different as the five projects are, they have one thing in common:
Each of them brings us one step closer to establishing a lively open access culture and a more diverse,open and equitable publishing culture, which we at TIB have been working towards for many years.”

Professor Dr Sören Auer, Director of TIB

FOCUS ON OPENNESS: AN INTERVIEW WITH DR IRINA SENS A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF LIBRARIES IN TODAY’S WORLD AND WHY TIB IS MORE THAN JUST A LIBRARY

24 October is the Tag der Bibliotheken (Day of Libraries). A day that focuses on the role of Germany’s more than 9,000 libraries, be they academic, public, children’s/youth’s, specialist, archive or digital libraries.

We take this occasion to talk to Dr Irina Sens, Deputy Director and Head of Library Operations at TIB, about the current importance of libraries in general – and of TIB in particular.

Ms Sens, let’s start our conversation with a key question: Why do we still need libraries in the digital world? Aren’t libraries superfluous in an age when so much information is readily available on the internet?

Clearly, libraries are relevant in the digital age because they are much more than just collections of books. They are far from superfluous, given their role as places of knowledge and education. It is true that the internet provides an infinite amount of information, but it is disorganised and unreliable. “We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge” – this quote from the author John Naisbitt illustrates the problem of turning information into knowledge: information is abundant, but is it all relevant and presented in the right context? Libraries are trusted filters and neutral spaces, providing broad access to quality-controlled physical and digital information.

Over the last few years – or even decades – libraries have changed, evolving in and with the digital world. When it comes to openness – openness in science – for example, libraries are essential. In today’s digital world, libraries play a vital role in providing access to information and research findings for all.

We are committed to ensuring that all information is accessible – not only freely available but also fee-based information. But not only that – TIB is also a major player and pioneer when it comes to freely accessible publications, data and educational resources, as well as transparent and collaborative methods in the research process.

As a public information centre, we have been committed to openness in all its facets for many years, whether in the context of Open Science, Open Access, Open Data or Open Educational Resources (OER). After all, when researchers share their results, it also leads to better dissemination of knowledge and greater collaboration between scientists.

→ more

DIGITAL PRESERVATION OF FEMINIST HISTORY TIB AND THE DIGITAL GERMAN WOMEN’S ARCHIVE COOPERATE ON DIGITAL PRESERVATION

Printed books, photographs, leaflets, posters, films and audio recordings documenting the history of women’s and lesbian movements: The Digital German Women’s Archive (DDF) makes these and other materials available online. The materials are being indexed and digitised by the feminist remembrance institutions of the i.d.a. umbrella organisation as part of the DDF funding for digitisation projects. To ensure that these historically and culturally valuable materials on topics such as women’s suffrage, abortion, and women in the arts, culture and media are preserved for future generations, the DDF, as the aggregator of these extensive digital collections, also offers i.d.a. institutions the option of digital preservation. It is cooperating with TIB on this project.

 

 

“TIB is a reliable partner for us throughout the entire digital preservation process. TIB’s continuous support and high degree of flexibility with regard to the different requirements of the materials to be archived enables us to provide such a wide variety of formats for digital preservation,” remarked Anke Spille, research associate in the Digitisation and Standard Data Department of the DDF.

“We are delighted to be able to make an active contribution to the preservation of these extraordinary collections,” commented Thomas Bähr, Head of Preservation and Digital Preservation at TIB. “We estimate that we will digitally preserve over 30 terabytes of data for the DDF in the future. As part of this role, we advise the DDF on the delivery and transfer of items to be preserved, metadata enrichment, and archiving and preservation actions,” stated Bähr, describing the work undertaken at TIB.

 

TIB Blog series:
“Digital preservation of feminist history”

Which digital collections of the Digital German Women’s Archive are being digitally preserved at TIB? What particular gems, some dating back to the 18th century, are included? What stories do the digital reproductions tell? How do the DDF and TIB collaborate and what are the challenges of digitally preserving the items? Several articles in the TIB Blog series “Digital preservation of feminist history” (in Germany only) explore these questions and the DDF’s various collections. We start by presenting the DDF and the Helene Lange Archive in Berlin.

→ More on the TIB-Blog

Statutes of the Association for the Organisation of Grammar School Courses for Women and for the Establishment of the Helene Lange Foundation, 1901

 

Petra Mensing, Head of Education and Training at TIB, presented the book in the TIB Blog.

→ More on the TIB-Blog

YESTERDAY AND TODAY: WOMEN THROUGH THE AGES AT TIB

More than a century ago, Elisabeth Boedeker was one of the first women to work at TIB, then known as the “Bibliothek der Technischen Hochschule” (Technical University Library). Today, more than 600 people work at TIB, almost 60 per cent of whom are women. Dr Andreas Lütjen, Head of Media and License Management at TIB, explains the role that women have played and continue to play at TIB in an article on the TIB Blog.

In his book “Bibliothekarische Frauenbiographien zwischen Weimarer und Bonner Republik” (Librarian Women’s Biographies between the Weimar and Bonn Republics), published in 2023, he outlines the biographies of two women – Elisabeth Boedeker and Dr Elisabeth Weber – who spent part of their working lives at TIB and how they contributed to the development of the library. After all, women have always made an important contribution to the development of the library.

TIB IN DIALOGUE IN CONTINUOUS EXCHANGE WITH SCIENCE, BUSINESS AND POLITICS

TIB offers a wide range of opportunities for networking and information exchange within the scientific, business and political communities. In 2023, TIB was involved in 31 events and exhibitions, attracting more than 5,500 people.

The year began with a workshop on the B!SON recommendation tool for open access journals developed by TIB. Many other events followed, including some organised by and with Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) – such as Ph.D. Networking Day, Essay Campaign Day, the University Summer Festival, and A Night Out With Science. The year ended, almost as a tradition, with #vBIB, the virtual conference for digital library and information topics, which entered its fourth round in December with almost 600 participants.

VARIOUS EVENT FORMATS:
FROM CONFERENCES AND COLLOQUIA TO BARCAMPS AND A FEDIPARTY

 

→ The “University Collections on Architecture and Graphics as a Challenge for Research and Teaching” colloquium focused on making architecture and graphics collections at universities valuable as important study material.

→ The WikiRemembrance Barcamp in November explored digital interaction in the culture of remembrance. For an entire day, TIB offered a space for all those active in remembrance work to talk specifically about the role of online platforms in their work on National Socialism.

→ The twillo conference Open Up addressed issues related to visions, strategies and implementation concepts for the digitisation of Lower Saxony’s higher education landscape. Participants discussed aspects such as the support structures needed for open education in universities and how to organise them.

→ In September, TIB’s Open Science Lab and the Lower Saxony Section of the Deutscher Journalisten-Verband (German Federation of Journalists) invited all interested parties to the aufhof to introduce them to the Fediverse that everyone was talking about in 2023. What is the Fediverse and how can you join it? Answers about Mastodon and co. were provided at the #FediParty.

→ The biggest event in 2023 was BiblioCon. This conference, which attracted 3,500 visitors, was organised by TIB together with other Hannover libraries as a member of the local committee.

MINISTER FALKO MOHRS VISITS TIB RETHEN

Falko Mohrs, Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science and Culture, visited TIB Rethen on 1 September 2023 as part of his summer “Culture Tour”. Dr Irina Sens, Deputy Director of TIB and Head of Library Operations, gave the minister an insight into the wide range of TIB’s activities, from information provision and in-house research to the preservation, digitisation and dissemination of cultural heritage.

During the tour, Dawn Wehrhahn, who is responsible for the Rethen site, provided the minister with some interesting facts and figures: TIB’s closed stacks, formerly a carpet warehouse, hold around 5 million items over 17,000 square metres. Since 2008, the site has also housed the TIB Archives/Hannover University Archives.

Falko Mohrs also found out how TIB saves scientific films, what the colour Schweinfurt green has to do with arsenic, and why TIB is digitising historical travel sketches and valuable graphics on architecture and horticulture.

Science Minister Falko Mohrs (second from the right) and Dr Silke Lesemann (third from the right) learned how TIB preserves cultural heritage during a tour of the TIB Rethen site.

3 – 2 – 1: RESTART ON INSTAGRAM

To coincide with the start of the winter semester, TIB relaunched its Instagram feed. The result: more content about #DeineUniBib for students, answers to frequently asked questions, and lots of tips and advice on producing academic work.

DELEGATION TRIP TO VIETNAM

In October, TIB Director Professor Dr Sören Auer accompanied the Minister-President of Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil, as part of a 50-strong delegation to Vietnam. The trip focused on cooperation in the development of renewable energy, the recruitment of skilled workers, and visits to German-Vietnamese business partnerships.

 

IN EXCHANGE WITH THE COMMUNITIES

Events and exhibitions involving TIB in 2023 – a selection:
  • B!SON-Workshop
  • FID move: Data for Future – the repository for transport data
  • Press workshop: “What (artistic) installations, exhibits and interiors can we use to make our core work photographable and filmable?”
  • Ph.D. Networking Day
  • DPG Spring Meeting in Hannover
  • Essay Campaign Day
  • Colloquium “University Collections on Architecture and Graphics as a Challenge for Research and Teaching”
  • Volkswagen Foundation: “Shaping Data Spaces in Germany and Europe – Impulses from Science”
  • Open Science Community Hannover Meetups
  • Retro Digitization Workshop
  • BiblioCON in Hannover
  • Reading: Writing librarians
  • Open Up – the twillo conference
  • Leibniz Universität Hannover summer festival
  • GDCh Scientific Forum
  • PKP Software Sprint
  • Fediparty
  • A Night Out With Science
  • WikiRemembrance
  • #vBIB23

PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION OF CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT BUILDINGS IN UKRAINE IN THE MEDIA: HOW TIB AND DDK ARE HELPING TO SAVE UKRAINE’S CULTURAL HERITAGE

The “Documenting Ukrainian Cultural Heritage (DUCH)” project focuses on the photographic documentation of war-threatened buildings in Ukraine. In the event of their destruction, the photos aim to provide a solid basis for their subsequent reconstruction. Russia’s war of aggression has already destroyed many buildings in Ukraine, and more are at risk. Culturally significant buildings are vulnerable targets for a wartime enemy that explicitly challenges and attacks the cultural identity of a country and its people.

 

 

Impressive: The Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa before its destruction in the summer of 2023 // Photo: Oleg Kutskyi, CC-BY 4.0, 05.01.2023, Bildarchiv Foto Marburg, Inv.No. md1003333

The German Documentation Centre for Art History – Bildarchiv Foto Marburg (DDK) and TIB are jointly supporting the emergency photographic documentation of Ukraine’s architectural heritage. Since 2022, local photographers have taken more than 3,700 interior and exterior photos of some 250 culturally valuable monuments, often in very difficult conditions.

The photos document the buildings in their original state and, in some cases, after their destruction. One of the buildings documented with before and after photos is the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, which was severely damaged by Russian missile strikes in summer.

STRONG MEDIA RESPONSE TO THE PROJECT

The project and the commitment of the DDK and TIB have been covered by numerous media, including Der Spiegel, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Stern, Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Welt as well as many regional newspapers and radio stations such as NDR Kultur, MDR Kultur and WDR 3

→ Go to article

IMAGE CREDITS
Pictures and illustrations that are not marked are the property of TIB.

COVER IMAGE: Adobe Firefly
KEY FIGURE GRAPHIC + PORTRAIT: Jonas Hauss / TIB
DIGITISED: St. Peter’s, Rome (unrealised design by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger), ed. Antonio Salamanca, 1548, copperplate engraving
VORWÄRTS NACH WEIT: Picture gallery / Christian Bierwagen
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EVERYDAY LIBRARY WORK: Pixabay / Alexandra_Koch
DIGITAL PRESERVATION OF FEMINIST HISTORY: Digital German Women’s Archive (DDF) / B Rep. 235-06 – Helene Lange Foundation (HLSt)
TIB IN DIALOGUE / TWILLO CONFERENCE: Britta Beutnagel / TIB; BIBLIOCON + MINISTER FALKO MOHRS VISITS TIB RETHEN: Christian Bierwagen
PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION OF CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT BUILDINGS IN UKRAINE: Oleg Kutskyi, Bildarchiv Foto Marburg

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