50 Years 50 Faces
M. A. Dipl.-Bibl. (FH) Jens Renner
Head of the FHWS Library
At FHWS since 1 August 2019
FHWS is
the dream that finally came true for me.
What do you appreciate about FHWS?
I have worked in this profession for 25 years. I have seen everything the world has to offer in terms of human greatness and lack of organisation, I have known hundreds of colleagues and hundreds of libraries. But nowhere has it been possible to work as collaboratively, in such a relaxed manner and at the same time with such concentration as at FHWS. I have got to know all of my colleagues as people who are extremely professionally competent and very likeable on a human level. That's priceless. If you can't even find anything bad to say about your boss, then it must be some kind of paradise. But: There still is an improvement occurring to me - see below.
What was the best decision in your professional career and why? What has changed since then?
The best decision has two parts.
Part one was taking on the role of library director at the newly established Ansbach University of Applied Sciences instead of becoming a small cog in a big machine at the Würzburg university library. In Ansbach, I was able to create the building, technology, services from nothing to form a great library. Finally, I was “incidentally” also personal advisor to the president for six years and able to let off steam as much as I liked. But all at the price of a long commute to a far-off place which was never my home.
That was the reason for part 2 and the switch to FHWS in 2019. A new challenge, lovely colleagues and finally coming home. People say "if you love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life". That's how it feels at FHWS: it’s easy to get up every morning because I look forward to seeing the team, the students, the lecturers, my colleagues. And most days, I’m still happy at the end of the working day. What more could you want?
What do you think has shaped FHWS the most over the last 50 years?
Although I have only been on board for two years: the transition in a library from card indexes and printed books to international IT networking with masses of e-books and e-journals and hundreds of training courses in a year - that’s turned our work upside down. Digitalisation, internationalisation, professionalisation were and are the core elements. The only constant is change. This upheaval has also shaped other areas of FHWS, teaching and research. FHWS leads the way in all this, recognises future trends, helps to shape and mould the future.
My motto: "If you are looking for the top, just look for FHWS and you'll know."
What is your vision of the future for FHWS? What might FHWS look like in 50 years’ time?
If the fairy godmother threw a few million down from the sky, then I would build the most magnificent library in the universe at FHWS.
A place where all students can find a safe and comfortable home 365/24/7 and can learn, live, laugh, lounge together.
Write final theses, sing together, do laundry and find a personal contact person for any questions about their studies and about life in general.
It already has a name: "The Paradise". I can see it in front of me. Now where is that vexed fairy … ?
What is your insider tip for the cities of Würzburg or Schweinfurt and why?
Over the Käppele to the Annaschlucht. Wild nature, just a stone’s throw from the city. Back via Steinbachtal to the beer garden at Zollhaus.