Specialised Information Services
The funding program "Fachinformationsdienste für die Wissenschaft" (Specialised Information Services) is an advancement of the DFG funded system “Sondersammelgebiete” (Special Subject Collections, SSG) that has existed since 1949. This program aims to provide scientists and scholars from all disciplines with quick access to specialised literature and information relevant to their research, regardless of their location. The Specialised Information Services are based on subject-specific and regional criteria and developed in close dialogue with the scientific community. The long-term goal is to improve and strengthen the necessary information infrastructures.
At the Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut (Ibero-American Institute, IAI), the Fachinformationsdienst Lateinamerika, Karibik und Latino Studies (Specialised Information Service Latin America, Caribbean and Latino Studies, FID) has been funded by the DFG since 2016 The establishment and further development of the FID takes place in close cooperation with professional associations, universities and research institutes. In the first funding phase (2016-2019), the program focused on fulfilling and securing current and future information needs of the target communities, taking into account the broad spectrum of different disciplines, regional orientations and media types. In addition, new communication formats to strengthen the exchange between academic libraries and the corresponding disciplines were tested.
In the second funding phase (2020-2024), the FID focuses on two complementary fields of action: information and networking. The former focuses on the demand-oriented, supra-regional and location-independent supply of the specialist communities with print and e-media. Following an e-preferred policy, the FID prioritizes digital resources when acquiring media. In the second field of action, the FID promotes networking processes with the subject communities, between scholars themselves as well as between the various regional and subject-specific FID related to Latin America, the Caribbean and their trans-regional interconnections. The central objective is to identify development potential at the intersection of science and information infrastructure, and to develop joint approaches for adjusting information services to the needs of regionally oriented research.
The FID Lateinamerika, Karibik und Latino Studies has replaced the former Sondersammelgebiet 7.36 Ibero-Amerika (Special Subject Collection 7.36 Ibero-America, SSG). It further ensures the acquisition and nationwide provision of printed, electronic and audio-visual media for scholarly needs by improving their electronic accessibility. All new acquisitions are immediately available in the online catalog (OPAC) and in the discovery system IberoSearch. In close dialog with researchers, the FID also develops digital platforms and tools to promote national and international networks.
The services of the FID can be found on the FID-website or on the new web portal LACARinfo, currently under construction.
We regularly announce current developments and new services on the FID blog and on Twitter.
In case you have any suggestions or requests, please feel free to send us an e-mail.