Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why is the media library called „Media library“?

The media library is called “media library”, because existing information on the topic of degrowth is available in various media formats. Here you find not only texts, as would be expected in a library, but also images, videos and audio data. [faq title="more information" opened="no"]One origin of the word “Media” is the ancient Greek word “έσov méson“, which refers to “the middle” and also “the public”, “common good” or “public way”. In a more recent understanding one can also understand it as something which carries a massage.
“Library” comes from a Latin word “librarium” which means a “bookcase”. So the media library would be an extended bookcase and the degrowth media library a common case full of degrowth information materials. (Source for the Etymology: Wikipedia and Wiktionary)[/faq]

How did the media library develop?

The media library developed from the wish to collect the large amount of existing content on the topic of degrowth and to make it more easily accessible.[faq title="mehr Info" opened="no"]After the conference in Leipzig there were just from that event alone almost 200 scientific publications, as well as videos from panel discussions and a documentation of the art programme. As a list somewhere on the web page this content would have been lost quite quickly. With the ordering and tagging of the material the content becomes easily accessible.[/faq]

Where do the themes come from?

The list is not meant to be perfect neither can the distribution of the themes to the entries ever be perfect. It's a list of themes, which the editorial team of the degrowth web portal has developed with the help of some external experts.[faq title="mehr Info" opened="no"]It contains themes which are highly represented in the media library, but there are also such themes which are not represented by many entries. In these cases we hope and wish that discussions will develop in such direction. Examples of such themes are “Care” or “Migration”.[/faq]

Where do the media entries come from?

Every entry is filled in manually, which is also why it sometimes takes a while until suggested entries appear. We add such media which are related to degrowth, which belong to the sources for degrowth or which develop meaningful critique.[faq title="mehr Info" opened="no"]New media we find through own research, via newsletter or email lists we are on and through our tight network. Some of the media also comes from users who make suggestions.
Content which is racist, sexist or in other ways discriminating are not added to the library. If you come upon something in the media library which you experience as such, please let us know: Email.[/faq]

How do the entries get their themes?

The person adding the entry into the library first engages with the content and then selects the themes.[faq title="mehr Info" opened="no"]It can always happen that another theme would have been more fitting or that something doesn't fit very well. You are welcome to contact us (email) if you are very familiar with an entry and/or have a different understanding of it and would therefore select different themes. [/faq]

How do I make suggestions, how can I add media to the media library?

In case you disagree with the selected themes for an entry or if you find a description isn't fitting, please send us an email at info@degrowth.de.[faq title="mehr Info" opened="no"]If you would like to add something to the library you can make a suggestion in the group „Degrowth Mediathek“ on the Portal “Wachstumswende” (only possible for members of the platform) or you write a mail.[/faq]

Why are many scientific publications and books not accessible?

For copyright reasons we can not make all media available in the media library.[faq title="mehr Info" opened="no"]We can only provide publications published with an appropriate Creative Commons licence. In case publications are published with copyright, we can only link to the publishers. We still want to record these entries and provide information about their existence. Many books are for example available in public libraries or can be ordered there.[/faq]

You have further Questions? - Feel free contact us!