Library and Information Management
Access to various media, information and data are central to information equality and participation in a democratic society, as well as to an open, networked and lively learning and research culture.
The Bachelor’s degree course in Library and Information Management produces specialists who create information systems and architectures for academia, business and society and who promote participation and inclusion based on the maxim of lifelong learning.
The degree course focuses on activities related to the curation, organisation, provision and mediation of media, information and data. This includes the analysis of information behaviours; knowledge management and knowledge representation concepts; and the design of (digital) search, learning and research environments in the information infrastructures of libraries, educational and research institutions, and companies in the information economy. Digital transformation processes require the agile management of innovation, human resources and change.
Users’ media, information and knowledge literacy is equally relevant. Information and media literacy with a view to ethical and legal questions are promoted as part of library studies. The central focus of the degree course is people’s interaction with data, information and knowledge.
The degree course is based on the concept of guided learning and supports students’ self-guided learning in workshops, labs, projects and digital learning scenarios, and through research-based learning in regular discussion with instructors and diverse practitioners. The knowledge and know-how are always aligned with the newest academic findings and the requirements of professional practice.
Your future career
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Information specialists’ expertise is equally in demand in academic and public libraries, cultural and educational institutions, research institutions, and companies in the information economy – for example, information centres, media companies, publishing houses, search engine operators and other information intermediaries.
The professional setting is characterised by multifaceted and dynamic fields of work which, in the public-use context, focus on the freedom of opinion, information and research. Overall, management- and service-oriented activity is key. To keep pace with societal and academic developments, libraries in particular work closely together – not just in Germany but around the world – exchanging ideas and knowledge and making data, information and knowledge jointly available.
Course content and structure
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Guided learning means that academic knowledge and practice are closely intertwined and the development of students’ subject-related, methodological, social and personal skills is promoted in three areas of activity:
- Individual: strengthening of personal skills and capacity
- Professional: development of subject-related skills for practical and academic activities in the professional realm
- Societal: reflection of social responsibility in understanding of the tasks and roles of information producers, mediators and consumers
In the first year of study, the orientation phase and the Media Pedagogy, Metadata and User Experience workshops enable students to acquire the subject-related and academic foundations and develop their personal and social skills.
In the second semester, students have the opportunity to pursue a specialisation in one of three areas:
- Participation in the Information Society
This area focuses on methods and concepts that support lifelong learning and participation in a diverse society and guarantee an optimal supply of information and media in modern spheres of interaction and discourse. It produces experts qualified to deal critically with questions related to information ethics, society and culture, and to develop both programmes for cultural and educational work as well as library sciences concepts that support reading skills and information and media literacy.
- Digital and Open Academia
This area focuses on digital transformation processes in research and teaching. The subject-related emphasis is on libraries’ publication and information services via the preparation, development, design and publication of information and research data. It produces experts qualified to plan, develop and manage information infrastructures and services, as well as to design open-science initiatives to actively promote the availability of information resources in the academic community and society.
- Search and User Experience
This area focuses on the user-oriented design of search and information systems in libraries, information facilities, and companies in the information economy. It produces experts qualified to understand and evaluate the search and information processes of digital information systems and to optimise these for users based on valid academic findings.
The university-organised internship in the third semester provides the opportunity for intensive engagement with the professional world. In the fourth semester you will apply the skills learned during your studies in an independent project specific to your area of specialisation and will develop solutions to projects from professional practice. In the fifth and sixth semesters (digital and research semesters) you will focus more deeply on your specialisation-specific knowledge and skills. The degree course consists of the mandatory foundational courses and of required electives in the specialisations. It comprises six semesters and concludes with your Bachelor’s thesis.
Your interests and skills
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Information and media specialists are interested in people and media. They need interpersonal competencies such as empathy, teamworking skills, the ability to handle and resolve conflict constructively, and a customer service mindset. They should also be motivated to think adaptively, critically and innovatively. You’ll do best in this degree if you have a good grasp of structure in data, content and text and are drawn to IT.
Interested – but not quite sure yet whether this is the right course for you? Our self-assessment test can help you make up your mind. Take it here: HAW Navigator
Admission requirements
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Higher education entrance qualification
You can apply directly for this course if you hold one of the following qualifications:
- Fachhochschulreife
- Allgemeine Hochschulreife
- Fachgebundene Hochschulreife (subject-specific HE entrance qualification)
- Meister*in (vocational qualification – master tradesperson)
- Fachwirt*in (certified specialist)
Applicants who do not hold a higher education entrance qualification but have completed vocational training (Berufsausbildung) and at least three years of subsequent work experience can apply under Section 38 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act, which sets out special provisions for these applicants (Besonderer Hochschulzugang für Berufstätige).
Find out more atAdmission requirements for a Bachelor's degree.
Pre-course experience
We do not require you to have completed pre-course experience for this course.
International applicants
If you completed your schooling outside Germany and want to study here for a Bachelor’s degree, you need to hold an academic school-leaving qualification which entitles you to admission to higher education; that is, it needs to be comparable to a German Abitur or Fachhochschulreife. The organisation uni assist will check your certificates from school and any degree-level studies to establish comparability. Please note that you are also required to have proof of German at level C1 – for example, in the form of a TestDaF certificate – in order to apply for all Bachelor's degree courses (except Information Engineering and International Business).
You can find more information about HAW Hamburg’s application criteria at International applicants.
Application process
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We only accept online applications. Before applying, applicants must register with www.hochschulstart.de. During the application period (for the winter semester: 1 June–15 July) you can find the online application and detailed information about the application process on the Applying for a Bachelor's degree course page.
You can find information about the selection process and the numerus clausus (NC) from the previous semester here: Applying for a Bachelor's degree course/Selection criteria.
International applicants are also required to apply during the application period.
To make the process easier for you, we have compiled a step-by-step checklist: International applicants
Questions about selecting a course, applications, admissions and degree courses
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Applications and admissions
Student Admissions and Registration Office (Studierendensekretariat)
Stiftstraße 69, 20099 Hamburg (ground floor)
T +49.40.428 75-9898
studierendensekretariat (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de
Contact us with your questions about applications and admissions
The Information Point is open at the following times:
Monday–Thursday: 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Friday: closed
In-person office hours:
Thursday: 2:00 pm–4:00 pm
Telephone office hours:
Monday and Tuesday: 9:00 am–10:00 am
For general queries about HAW Hamburg degree courses and course choice
Student Counselling Team (Zentrale Studienberatung)
Stiftstraße 69, 1st floor, room 122
20099 Hamburg
T +49 40 42875 9110
Contact form
Office hours
Contact person for applicants with disabilities or chronic health conditions
Meike Butenob/Dieter Röh
Stiftstraße 69, Haus 3, room 37
Tel. +49.40.428 75-7220
inklusion (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de
Contact the department
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Specifically subject-related queries
Student advisory service
Prof. Christine Gläser
Finkenau 35, room 253, 22081 Hamburg
T +49.40.428 75-3630
christine.glaeser(@)haw-hamburg.de