Services

The library service of the Wissenschaftskolleg obtains all media and information that Fellows and their partners require for their research. The library team also carries out research on all topics and questions and mediates contact with experts, archives, museums, and other institutions.

Media will be provided electronically or in printed form. Our many years of collaboration with numerous libraries and information services in Germany and abroad mean that the media are rapidly available, usually within two days.

On the campus of the Wissenschaftskolleg, Fellows and their partners have access to a wide variety of electronic resource. Additionally, there is a reference library with handbooks and reference works in all disciplines, as well as the Fellow Library with publications by current and former Fellows.

The IT Services offer Fellows and their partners individual service and support during their stay. As desired, they provide Fellows a workplace with a Windows, Linux, or Apple PC. Indi­vidual hard- and software configurations will be realized on request, if possible; personal devices can be integrated in the network.

Network resources like data servers and backup servers, printers, scanners, Ethernet, and Wifi are available campus-wide. For video conferences, an H.323/SIP-capable system is on hand. The Wiko Board that we have developed serves as an Internet-based, protected-access collaboration platform for academic work and social interaction within the group.

The Fellow Services prepare the Fellows’ stay at the Wissenschaftskolleg and support them in all practical questions before and during their stay (planning and booking their trips, visa issues, regis­tration, residence permit, insurance).

Special attention is given to Fellows who come to Berlin with their children. The Fellow Services aid Fellows in seeking suitable schools and kindergartens. They mediate babysitters and organize childcare during Thursday dinners.

The Fellow Services also support the Fellows in preparing their Tuesday Colloquia and public lectures, in organizing seminars with outside guests, and in inviting scholarly guests; it also assigns rooms and coordinates scholarly events.

At the Wissenschaftskolleg, Fellows think and work in a number of languages, whereby communi­cation within the institute is conducted primarily in German and English.

Intensive preparatory German courses are offered before the beginning of the academic year. During the academic year, group German courses are provided on various levels of proficiency, and indi­vidual instruction can be given at hours that are freely arranged. A fee is charged for these courses.

Fellows who wish to lecture or write in a language other than their native tongue can contact the lan­guage service, where translators and style editors are available to translate or revise their texts.

The website of the Wissenschaftskolleg (www.wiko-berlin.de) contains information on the institute’s organization, structure, and goals. Information is also provided on Fellows past and pre­sent and on current events and projects at the Kolleg. In a special section of the website, accessible only to affiliates of the Wissenschaftskolleg, Fellows can access the library’s service pages. Here they can also find detailed information on living and working conditions at the institute as well as on the services it provides.