Specialist for Media and Services Certificate Award Ceremony 2026: "Zitronenkurs" has made it

After two intensive years of training, the time has come: theSpecialist for Media and Services course 2024 has successfully graduated. 21 participants have passed the external examination - and thus officially completed their training as Specialist for Media and Services (FaMI). A great success!

What began in March 2024 as the first course at the FHP with a new training concept ended with a common goal: a recognised professorial recruitment qualification and a lot of new specialist knowledge. The "Zitronenkurs" was a real pilot project - fresh in its approach, challenging in its content and characterised by exchanges between participants from all over Germany.

Where does the name "Zitronenkurs" actually come from? The course, which we launched for the first time in cooperation with ZEW, was designed not only in terms of content, but also in a new format. The combination of longer attendance phases and virtual courses in particular was still untested at the beginning. Everyone involved was aware that a first run always brings with it challenges and "sour" moments. This is precisely why the tongue-in-cheek title "Zitronenkurs" was created - as a symbol of a bold new start in which people tried, learnt and developed together.

At the same time, the name harks back to an earlier FHP tradition: A first part-time archives course at the Department of Information Sciences was already referred to as the "Zitronenkurs" by the Dean at the time, Prof Dr Volker Schockenhoff.

The graduation was duly celebrated: in bright sunshine on campus, with time to arrive, exchange ideas, look back and, of course, celebrate. The joy at what had been achieved, the pride in their own achievements and also a little melancholy at the end of the time spent learning together were clearly palpable.

Over the past two years, the new Specialist for Media and Services have not only prepared for exams and learnt content, but have also dealt intensively with the basics and practice of archival work - from cataloguing and preservation to user services and public relations to archive management and business and social studies. This course was characterised by attendance phases, online teaching, excursions and many joint discussions.

A particularly nice detail at the end of the course: the course leaders - Prof Dr Michael Scholz, Sabine Stropp and Beatrice Jurth - were presented with a lemon tree (German: Zitronen-Baum). A fitting symbol for the "Zitronenkurs", for shared growth, care, patience and hopefully many more fruits in future training programmes.

The successful completion of the course marks the end of the training programme - but a new chapter begins for the graduates: as qualified professionals in archives and archive-related institutions, with increased self-confidence, expanded specialist knowledge and a growing professorial recruitment network.

We would like to congratulate all graduates and wish them all the best for their future professorial recruitment. May the freshness of the"Zitronenkurs" stay with you for a long time to come!

You can find more information about the training programme on our website.