Team Library Services

The Library Services team offers a comprehensive range of services designed to facilitate open access to information as the foundation for transparent, efficient, and high-quality research processes, as well as for the transfer of research findings from academia to society and policy-making. It combines the management and expansion of the library collection with new information science services, such as research data management and support for open-access publications at the HBI.

Although the HBI Library is one of the smaller libraries, its collection focus on media and communication research continues to set it apart in northern Germany. Its facilities not only serve as a repository of up-to-date knowledge but also offer attractive learning spaces, which it provides—in cooperation with other institutions—as a venue for generating knowledge for students and researchers.

The Open Access Office within the Library team also serves as the central point of contact for all publication-related matters—ranging from the administration of transformation agreements, publication funds, and licensing issues, to advising on publication pathways, license selection, and third-party funding applications for open access, as well as publication monitoring, reporting, secondary publication services, maintenance of the OA and Open Science policies as well as the information budget, and AI-supported assistance with bibliometric analyses.

Contact Person: Cindy Hesse

Overview

Leaders

Last update: 24.09.2026

Blog Articles, News, Projects, Publications, Podcast Episodes

Cover der Zeitschrift KIR
Published on Beck-online

Freedom of Expression in the Age of AI

In their article in a journal on artificial intelligence and law, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schulz and Moritz Wiechert analyze the first German case law on automatically generated content. In doing so, they highlight the fundamental challenges facing traditional freedom of expression law in the age of AI.

Junge Familie posierend vor einem Ringlicht.
Interview on WDR5

Family Influencers: Is This Real Life?

The WDR5 program on "Curiosity Is Enough" explores family influencers, examining the insight they provide into their daily lives and how they portray their children. Stephan Dreyer offers a media law perspective on the topic. He discusses the results of the HBI study, "Portrayal of Babies and Toddlers in Monetized Social Media Profiles," published in spring 2026.

Portrait Julia Behre vor Bücherwand
Julia Behre on NDR

Why More and More People Are Avoiding the News

Why are more and more people avoiding the news, despite being generally interested in world events? The NDR Info report from July 19, 2026, explores this question. Julia Behre provides a scholarly analysis of news avoidance. The report was part of the NDR television program DAS! Rote Sofa."

Cover der Publikation "Avoiding the News But Still Feeling Connected? The Role of News Use and Avoidance Practices in Different Public Connection Repertoires"
Recently Published!

Avoiding the News But Still Feeling Connected?

How are different forms of news avoidance related to various types of individual public connection? The article by Julia Behre, Lisa Merten, and Uwe Hasebrink suggests that avoiding the news does not necessarily mean turning away from public life.

Portrait Stephan Dreyer
Statement for the SMC

EU Extends Voluntary Chat Control

The European Parliament voted to allow online platforms to continue automatically scanning unencrypted private messages for child abuse under an expedited procedure. In his statement to the Science Media Center Germany, Stephan Dreyer explains why he considers the Parliament's expedited process to be legally controversial and why controlling chat messages constitutes a significant infringement of privacy rights.

Wegweiser mit Beschriftung KI im Journalismus
Interview on radio3 (rbb)

What Can and Is AI Allowed to Do?

Can AI produce positive results in journalism? When does its use threaten journalistic credibility? Antonia Eichenauer addresses these questions in the project "Journalism: The Automation of News and Journalistic Autonomy." In an interview with radio3 (rbb), she discusses the opportunities, risks, and seemingly limitless possibilities of this technology.

Eine Frau im Gespräch bei der ARD-Dialogaktion "Was Deutschland verbindet.
Post on the Media Research Blog

Staying in Conversation Despite Different Opinions? Two Examples

Whether at a family dinner or during a lunch break, differing opinions are a part of everyday life. But what happens when people continue to engage in conversation despite holding controversial views? This article introduces the dialogue formats “What Unites Germany” and “Context Collapse” and shows how such spaces for interaction can contribute to the formation of shared opinions and social cohesion.

Personen bei der ARD-Dialogaktion "Was Deutschland verbindet"
Blog Article on the Dialogue Project "What Unites Germany"

How Conversations with People Who Think Differently Can Make a Difference

On the ARD talk show “What Unites Germany,” people from a wide variety of backgrounds engage in conversation with one another. As part of the project, the HBI is conducting research to determine how these discussions influence the participants’ attitudes. The initial findings are now available.

Cover Organizational Research Methods Journal
Open Access Publication!

Argument Mining for Organizational Research

How do organizations justify their decisions, establish legitimacy, and engage with their environment through communication? This article introduces aspect-based argument mining (ABAM) as a new method for answering these questions. ABAM can identify patterns of argumentation in large text corpora, such as the Twitter debate on nuclear energy in Germany.

Cover des Arbeitspapiers
Available for Download

Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026: Findings for Germany

Since 2012, the Reuters Institute Digital News Survey has conducted annual, representative surveys in 48 countries to examine general trends and national differences in news consumption. As a cooperation partner, the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut is responsible for the German sub-study. The 2026 findings are now available for download.

Cover des Berichts
Open Access Publication

Social Cohesion – Experiences and Expectations of People with Disabilities Regarding Participation

Jan-Hinrik Schmidt and Milena Braun conducted a study on behalf of Aktion Mensch examining how people with disabilities perceive social cohesion in Germany. The study allows for a comparison with the general population and reveals that, despite being more likely to participate in politics and volunteer work, people with disabilities experience less social cohesion.

Expertenkommission mit Bundesministerin Prien vor einer blauen Wand mit den Flaggen der Europäischen Union und Deutschlands
Protecting Children and Youth in the Digital World

Protection, Empowerment, and Participation: Recommendations for Action from the Expert Commission

The independent expert commission "Protection of Children and Youth in the Digital World" submitted its recommendations to Federal Minister of Education and Family Affairs Karin Prien. Dr. Claudia Lampert's expertise was incorporated into the commission's work.

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