Screenshot of KinderundJugendmedien.de (February 2016).
In keeping with our blog’s goal to present projects, publications and events in the German-speaking area which may be of interest to scholars of book, print, publishing and reading history, we would like to introduce you to the internet resource “KinderundJugendmedien.de”. “KinderundJugendmedien.de” is the largest scholarly internet resource for children’s and young adult literature and media in the German-speaking area. The resource serves as an informative database for scholarly research on children’s and young adult literature and media. While it offers researchers the opportunity to exchange ideas and network, parents and other gatekeepers (teachers, librarians, etc.) can use the resource to stay informed about trends and new publications in the field.
The main elements of the resource are an encyclopedia of literary terms, a glossary of specialist terms, book reviews (as well as reviews of other media) and essays on historical developments regarding children’s and young adult literature and media (e.g. the history of children’s TV programming). The glossary is currently being updated to include more book history- and publishing history-related terms. One of the current projects of KinderundJugendmedien.de is the establishment of a more extensive encyclopedia of literary terms, using examples from famous children’s and young adult literary works. For instance, for the term “alliteration”, examples are taken from Joanne K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series (Bertie Bott’s Beans or countless names such as Severus Snape, Peter Pettigrew, etc.). As an added bonus, taking examples from literature students are well-acquainted with makes literary terms easy to remember.
Hundreds of reviews consider children’s classics as well as new publications, from picture books to children’s and young adult novels. There are also reviews of children’s films and reviews of new scholarly publications about children’s and young adult media. Additionally, in the categories “institutions” and “publishers”, organizations, institutions, societies, fairs, publications and publishers in the children’s and young adult area can be presented. There is also a linkography as well as a news section. The news section contains all sorts of additional information on children’s and young adult books, films and other media. Furthermore, the news section also contains a calendar of relevant events and features such as interviews with authors. Recently, editorial team member Sabine Planka met Ursula Poznanski, a German author, for an extensive interview about her work. The comprehensive resource comes full circle with bibliographies for the following topics: children’s and young adult literature, children’s and young adult films, comics, picture books, fairy tales and legends and fantasy.
Tobias Kurwinkel and Philipp Schmerheim, who both work at the University of Bremen, direct the interdisciplinary editorial team. Tobias Kurwinkel was recently interviewed about the resource by the newspaper Weser Kurier. The entire article (in German) can be read here. The occasion was the acquisition of special funding for a PhD candidate. The funding comes from the University of Bremen’s funds for “Forschend studieren von Anfang an” (ForstA), which supports research-led teaching. Students in Bremen are involved in KinderundJugendmedien.de from the beginning, and some become reviewers or join the editorial team.
Tobias Kurwinkel, Philipp Schmerheim and the editorial team are constantly on the lookout for possible contributors and contributions. If you would like to get involved, please contact them at info[at]kinderundjugendmedien.de.
Book History and Print Culture Network 