Since the establishment of the position of a “Collections Officer of the Presidential Board of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin based at the Helmholtz Centre for Cultural Technology” in spring 2011, the Humboldt-Universität has had a central collections coordinator for the first time. The central collections coordinator keeps the contact to the teaching and research collections that are managed decentrally at the institutes. The person bundles their interests and represents them vis-à-vis the university. In addition, the postion represents the collections as a whole in science and society, both nationally and internationally.
The Collection Coordination supports the conceptual development of the collections and collection work with the aim of intensifying the usability and use of the collections as infrastructures for research, teaching and transfer. It is responsible for the joint visualisation of the collections within and outside the HU. For this purpose, the Collections Coordination operates a portal1 on which all necessary information regarding the collections can be accessed at a central location. Addresses and contact persons, further information, activities and projects as well as publications can be published here in a graduated publication model. In addition, it takes care of the regional and national networking of the collections, provides them with information and supports them in acquiring third-party funding.
Since 2014, Humboldt-Universität has had a collection regulation2 that defines which university holdings are considered collections and who is responsible for the respective collections as collection manager. The collection regulations also provide a binding framework for issues such as the expansion and separation of objects and collections as well as loan transactions. Through the resolution of the Academic Senate and confirmation by the Presidential Board, the Collection Regulations have the status of a statute of Humboldt-Universität.
The Collections Council is elected from among the heads of the collections of the Humboldt-Universität. The central collection coordinator or collection representative of the Presidential Board is a regular fifth member of the Collections Council. The Collections Council meets every six months.
The position of the central collection coordinator has been held by Oliver Zauzig since March 2022.