TIB – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology

Fact Sheet

Christian A. Schröder (ChristianSchd), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

• Name (English): German National Library of Science and Technology – Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology and University Library
• Name (German): Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB) – Leibniz-Informationszentrum Technik und Naturwissenschaften und Universitätsbibliothek

• Abbreviation: TIB
• Institution Type: Research institute; Central specialist library; University library; National library
• Governance: Public foundation; Federal State of Lower Saxony, Germany

• Institutional IDs:
  • ROR ID: https://ror.org/04aj4c181
  • Wikidata ID: Q2399120
  • GRID ID: 04aj4c181

• Parent Organization: Leibniz Association, Germany

• Primary Location: Hannover , Germany

• Website: https://www.tib.eu

Background

TIB operates as the world's largest specialized library for technology and natural sciences, serving as Germany's National Central Library for technology, architecture, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics. The institution plays a crucial role in the global library and information science ecosystem by:

• Providing comprehensive literature services for national and international research and industry
• Operating specialized repositories and digital services for research data, audiovisual materials, and 3D models
• Operating RENATE (repository for natural sciences and technology) and the institutional repository of Leibniz University Hannover
• Supporting open metadata initiatives like the Initiative for Open Citations (I4OC) and Initiative for Open Abstracts (I4OA)

Kula & TIB

Lambert Heller, head of the Open Science Lab at TIB Hannover, will serve as Kula: Library Futures Academy's first visiting fellow. During his fellowship, Lambert will contribute to UVic Libraries' and KULA's understanding and implementation of open science and citizen science, related practices and community engagement.

TIB, Open Science and Citizen Science

TIB's Open Science Lab actively supports citizen science initiatives and the digital opening of science and culture, helping communities adopt new methods and tools in practice. TIB's role in citizen science includes:

Primary Role: Research Partner, Training Provider, Technology Developer, Community Coordinator

Thematic Focus: Open research data, collaborative knowledge platforms, digital tools for citizen participation

Geographic Scope: Regional (Hannover/Lower Saxony) and International

Specific Activities:

• Participation in the annual "Citizen Science Day" at Leibniz University Hannover
• Project "Gestapo.Terror.Orte" that makes knowledge about Gestapo crimes digitally accessible with citizen participation
• Projects like "Coding da Vinci Niedersachsen 2020," "Orte des Gestapoterrors im heutigen Niedersachsen," and "Remember Me!" involving research and learning with open data
• Supporting other libraries in adopting citizen science approaches
• Active participation in open-source software communities and international collaborative knowledge platforms like Wikimedia, which play a major role in networking open research and citizen science initiatives

Open Science Integration: TIB's Open Science Lab, led by Lambert Heller and Prof. Dr. Ina Blümel, integrates citizen science with broader open science initiatives, including open access publishing, research data management, and collaborative annotation tools

Community Building: TIB organizes the Open Science Community Hannover meetups and co-hosted the first German Open Science Festival in 2022, creating networking opportunities for citizen science practitioners

Technology Development: Development of software services like Wikibase4Research, SemanticKompakkt, and Computational Publishing that support collaborative research and data sharing