New regulation governs uniform training of library staff at three universities

The Federal Minister for Women, Science and Research has issued the Ordinance on the Uniform Training for University Library Staff (University Library Staff Training Ordinance – UBPAV). It was promulgated in the Federal Law Gazette for the Republic of Austria, Part II, No. 291/2026, issued on October 2, 2026. It enters into force at the end of the day of promulgation.

The legal basis is § 101 Para. 3 of the Universities Act 2002 – UG, BGBl. I No. 120/2002, most recently amended by the Federal Act BGBl. I No. 62/2026. The ordinance regulates the vocational training of library staff at universities in accordance with § 6 Para. 1 UG and thus affects all university libraries. Simultaneously, the Ordinance of the Federal Minister for Science, Research and Economy on the Uniform Training for University Library Staff, BGBl. II No. 377/2014, ceases to be in force. The text is signed by Holzleitner.

Two training paths for highly and medium-qualified activities

The vocational training is structured in two stages. For highly qualified activities, the inter-university university course “Library and Information Studies” is provided, which is established at the universities of Graz, Innsbruck, and Vienna in cooperation with the Austrian National Library and comprises 60 ECTS credits. The admission requirement is general university entrance qualification according to § 64 UG; members of a university’s library staff are admitted with the approval of the respective rectorate after consultation with the library management, and persons from outside only upon the proposal of the course management.

Competencies in the areas of digitalization, library management, information organization, metadata, research, knowledge transfer, and library informatics are taught, supplemented by professional practice and a project. Further regulations are set out in the course curriculum.

The basic course “Library, Information and Documentation” covers medium-qualified activities and is conducted at the same three universities independently or in cooperation; the basis of cooperation is to be defined in a cooperation agreement. The theoretical training comprises 240 teaching units of 45 minutes each. The admission requirement is the successful completion of the 9th grade of school; a completion certificate is issued upon graduation. Comparable training from an EU member state must be recognized by the respective university.

Grants of 3,600 euros and 1,950 euros per person

To ensure high-quality and uniform vocational training, the Ministry grants the university a subsidy for the training costs. The requirements are:

• the trainee is already employed in a relevant capacity at a university library,
• the employment relationship is permanent with a scope of employment of at least 50%,
• the trainee is attending training in accordance with § 2 or § 3 of the regulation.

Overview of the amounts:

• 3,600 euros per person for the university course “Library and Information Studies”,
• 1,950 euros per person for the basic course “Library, Information and Documentation”.

Universities must report to the Ministry by June 30 of each year how many trainees are to be sent to the next university course or basic course. The number of subsidized training places is determined by the Federal Minister.

Working Group and Recognizable Apprenticeship Occupations

To ensure and further develop the training, the Working Group for Library Staff Training is established with a total of nine members. It is led by a chairperson appointed by the Ministry and consists of one member and one substitute member each from the universities of Graz, Innsbruck, and Vienna, as well as from the Austrian National Library. The term of office is five years; the constituent meeting is to be convened within three months after entry into force, and the rules of procedure are to be adopted by at least two-thirds of the votes of the members present, provided that at least half of the members are present.

The successful completion of the final apprenticeship examination in the occupation “Archive, Library and Information Assistant” according to BGBl. II No. 43/2020 or an equivalent foreign examination certificate according to § 27a of the Vocational Training Act – BAG, BGBl. No. 142/1969, replaces the training according to § 3.

With the new regulation, university libraries receive for the first time since 2014 an updated, nationwide uniform basis for the qualification of their staff. Employees already working at a university library benefit from fixed subsidies and clearly regulated admission paths; in the future, universities must report their training planning to the Ministry annually by June 30.

Source: Federal Law Gazette for the Republic of Austria, Part II, No. 291 of October 2, 2026, Regulation, p. 1 (official reference: BGBl. II No. 291/2026).