Reflecting on my research project and process

It’s now about six weeks ago that I’ve started blogging and this will be my last post – so time to share my experiences with you!

The feelings I've been going through while working on my research topic about the “German National Library” can be compared to a rollercoaster:

On the one side I was excited to learn about this new web tool and once I got into it, I really wanted to keep going. It was good fun to set up the blog, to choose the layout and to download the images and videos. It was also interesting to see how the own blog and the blogs of fellow students were developing over the time.

But then on the other side there was also some frustration. First of all I found it really difficult to find a variety of different material about my topic, even if I have been using all the research tools we have learned in ‘Research Skills 1’. The main problem - in my opinion – was the language barrier. When I was searching through the catalogues of the “Victoria State Library” and “Libraries Australia” I found matching material in the form of books, but they were mainly written in German. My research on databases like “EbscoHost” had the same result; most articles were written in German or not available as a full text. So I ended up doing most of my research with “Google”. I have even consulted the German Google site and had some of the web sites I found translated into English which is probably not the first choice. My favourite web site - where I got most of my information from - is still the website of the “German National Library” itself. I was also a little bit disappointed that I couldn’t find a suitable video about the “German National Library”, but at least I found one that relates to my third post. Another thing that annoyed me a was finding out that some of my links didn’t exist any more when I checked them. Especially the online encyclopaedia “Reference.com” didn’t work for me. I think I have fixed this link at least five times, but then gave up and replaced it with “Wikipedia” which is more reliable in that sense. The web site of “The European Library” was also removed since I had saved the link, but it was easy to establish again.

Finally some thoughts on my reflecting skills during the research process. I have to admit that I found it quite difficult to write down my experiences and feelings during my research process, because I’ve been concentrating very much on the content of my blog. I’m obviously a quite organised person and I “couldn’t” start my blog, unless I had a clear structure about the whole thing in my head. Even if I knew that reflection was part of the whole project, it was hard for me to change the way I work.

In the end I have enjoyed this journey because I have learnt a lot about the “German National Library” and blogging.

Outlook - Extension of the German National Library in Leipzig

For my last entry about the “German National Library” I have decided to focus on the future of this institution. As the capacity of the Leipzig location is fully exhausted, the German Government decided in 2007 to extend the building for the fourth time. I found a lot of material, including facts and figures, the construction history, images, etc. on the website of the German National Library. The building process can also be followed via web cams.

I came across a press release of the German State Minister of Culture from 2007 on the German ‘Google’ site that I had translated into English.

Press release from the State Minister of Culture

Here are my findings:

The “German National Library” held a total of around 24.7 million media units at the end of 2008, growing by a further 1300 units every day at its Leipzig and Frankfurt locations. This represents a daily space requirement of roughly 24 metres of shelf space. In Leipzig alone roughly 14.5 million media units are stored. The magazines in the library building and in the "book tower" are fully utilized and alternative magazines have had to be rented.

The task of planning the fourth extension of the “German National Library” was set in a Europe-wide architecture competition; the first prize went to the design of a Stuttgart architect. The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media made 50 million euros available for the extension.

Through the new building about 14 000 square meters of space will be available, most of which the magazines claim. There are also plans for the permanent collection and the temporary exhibitions of the „German Book and Writing Museum“. The extension will also allow the relocation of the „German Music Archive“ from Berlin to Leipzig where new function and reading rooms will be part of the rebuilding. A recording studio and listening booths will also be set up. Thus the musical culture in Leipzig will receive a major boost.

Work on the extension started in late summer 2007 and is scheduled for completion and start of operation by the end of 2010.

The photo below shows the completion of the outside finish of the “German National Library” in Leipzig that was celebrated in March 2009.

Richtkrone / Photo: Norbert Bensch, Stephan Jockel
(Courtesy of German National Library)