Announcement | 16. September 2024

FID Media – the specialised information service for communication and media studies launches

By Friederike Kramer

Specialised information service expands its spectrum and is operated cooperatively by Leipzig and Marburg

The specialised information service (FID) for communication and media studies is entering another funding phase: ten years after its foundation, the successful FID adlr.link is being transferred to the FID Media. Previously developed and offered by Leipzig University Library (UB), the FID is expanding its profile through cooperation with the Institute of Media Studies and Marburg University Library, the operators of the established media studies repository media/rep/.

Specialised information services such as the FID Media develop subject-specific services independently of location in exchange with the research community, which are available to users free of charge. The services range from the acquisition and reference of printed books to special FID licences and open science services. The specialised information services are funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

In future, the services of the previous FID for communication and media studies, adlr.link, will be supplemented by publication services of the specialised repository media/rep/. This will provide members of the research community with a publication platform on which materials can be made permanently accessible free of charge, including academic articles and monographs as well as blogs and research data.

By merging these two established infrastructures into the FID Media, researchers in communication and media studies will have a central point of contact for specialised information and open access publishing. This significantly increases convenience for users. The direct involvement of the research community ensures that all services are tailored to the needs of users and are conveniently provided.

The DFG is funding the FID Media of Leipzig and Marburg for three years with a total volume of 2.6 million euros. The project starts in September 2024.

Profile and goals

The FID is the first port of call for finding resources in a specialised search engine and obtaining uncomplicated access. As a new data source, it would like to make research data visible in the portal. Primary sources will also play a greater role in the future. On the one hand, this concerns digitised newspapers, and on the other hand, the indexing of collections from cultural institutions that are important to the discipline, such as computer games.

At the same time, licences for special databases and e-book packages that are not available at all university locations will be made available. At the same time, the FID Media will offer services in the field of open access publishing that are specifically tailored to the specialist community, such as the digitisation of academic literature, support with legal issues and advice on secondary publications.

There is also a feature aimed at internal networking, visibility and documentation, which users can use to announce scientific events, for example. In the area of research data, the FID also sees itself as an intermediary between the overarching National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) with its services and the stakeholders in the disciplines. The aim is to optimally support the open science transformation of communication and media studies.

Strong project partners

‘The overarching aim of the new concept for the FID Media is to ensure a comprehensive supply of subject-specific information that goes beyond basic requirements and to support the open science transformation of the subjects. With our strong partners in Marburg and Leipzig University Library's many years of FID experience, we offer academics attractive, research-supporting services,’ says Dr Anne Lipp, Director of Leipzig University Library.

‘Philipps-University Marburg's participation in the reorganised FID Media is a great success against the backdrop of the digital transformation of the humanities and social sciences. With the MA programme in Cultural Data Studies, the Marburg Center for Digital Culture and Infrastructure (MCDCI), its participation in NFDI4Culture and its coordinating role in the HERMES data competence centre, Marburg has developed into an important address in the field of cultural data in recent years,’ says Prof. Dr Malte Hagener, one of the three applicants to FID Media.

‘The FID Media will be the central point of contact for researchers in communication and media studies in research and publication-related matters. We look forward to making the services of media/rep/ available to the communication and media studies community together with our partners and to contributing our expertise in the field of open access publication services and repository operations to the system of cooperatively operating specialised information services in Germany,’ says Dr Andrea Wolff-Wölk, Director of Marburg University Library.

(Text: Caroline Bergter, Leipzig University Library)

Contact:

Dr. Kai Matuszkiewicz, Institute for Media Studies, coordinator of the media studies repository ‘media/rep/’ (kai.matuszkiewicz@uni-marburg.de)

Dr. Lydia Riedl, Marburg University Library (lydia.riedl@ub.uni-marburg.de)