Library on the timetable 

What is artificial intelligence? What role will robotics play in the future? How will cars drive in 2035? These questions are both pressing problems of the future and current topics of W seminar papers by pupils. In order to prepare for university studies, the young people in W seminars are supposed to deal with scientific questions and methods and apply them themselves in the context of a first written paper.

To enable teachers at schools in Upper Franconia and the northern Upper Palatinate to support them with suitable strategies for researching information and literature, the Teaching Library team at the University Library (UB) has been offering multiplier training courses several times a year since 2013 in cooperation with the Teacher Training Upper Franconia. The events entitled "W-Seminar and Library" are very popular.

The last online workshop took place under the direction of Katharina Lehner on 5 December 2022 with eleven teachers from all over Bavaria. The location-independent format enabled participation outside the Bayreuth region. In the run-up to the workshop, the participants were asked about their expectations and wishes for the training on an online noticeboard.

To start with, the library's offers for individual students, but also a portfolio of suitable variants for W seminars were presented. The team of the Teaching Library is happy to help with all questions regarding library use, information research, procurement and administration, both in training courses and in the context of individual consultations and self-study courses.

In the workshop, the participating teachers were not only taught how to effectively use the media stock on site, but were also introduced to further possibilities of external literature procurement (e.g. inter-library loans). Another focus was the critical questioning and evaluation of information from the World Wide Web. This was contrasted with academic and free search engines and subject databases. 

Individual questions, collegial exchange and a final evaluation rounded off the successful workshop: The training gave a helpful insight into modern literature research," summed up one participant. A colleague added: "Today's contents can be used one-to-one in practice with the W seminar!

For its commitment in the area of schools, the university library was awarded the quality seal

"Libraries - Partners of Schools 2022 - 2024" for its commitment to schools. It is awarded every two years by the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts and the Bavarian State Ministry for Education and Cultural Affairs. The award is given to libraries that cooperate with schools in an exemplary manner. You can find more information about the seal of approval in the latest press release.