Start-up seminar “Modern library in modern society”
The start-up seminar of the second module of Municipal project / Library component was held in Kaliningrad on 6-7.10.2011. The main themes of the seminar were “Information communication technologies” and “Work with collection”, their interaction and development.
Among the participants of the seminar there were 36 librarians from Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad region (Gusev, Mamonovo, Svetly), Denmark (Tårnby), Iceland (Reykjavik, Akureyri), Norway (Bærum) and Finland (Helsinki, Mikkeli).
The first day of the seminar consisted of the theoretical part – the speakers both from Nordic and Russian sides talked about integration of new information technologies in the library work and their usage in different library work processes connected with collections – developing electronic catalogs, information data-bases, RFID technology, providing free excess to information resources for remote users etc. Nowadays these two spheres of library work (Information communication technologies and collections) are very close and it is nearly impossible to separate them.
The second day of the seminar was devoted to the group work. Two groups “Information communication technologies” and “Work with collection” discussed the process of library modernization considering these two themes.
Group work
The main attention was paid to the following questions:
- improving the qualification of the library staff: development of ICT (Information communication technologies) has made big changes in the library working processes and thus in demands to librarians' skills and competences.
- working with focus-groups: individual work with different groups of library users, widening the range of library services according to interests and needs of the modern society.
- measuring the quality of library work: the standard library statistic shows only the traditional range of library figures and doesn't give a full picture of the effectiveness of the library work. Measuring results of the library work should include both quantitative and qualitative aspects.
- changing of the library role in the modern society: wide spreading of the new information technologies has changed nearly all library work processes. The modern libraries are turning from repository of the printed materials into electronic information centers.
All these questions will be discussed more detailed within the study visits in Finland, Iceland and Sweden in November, 2011.
The final seminar based on the results of the second module of Library component-2011 will be held in Kaliningrad in December.
Contact information:
Tatyana Typota
Centre of scandinavian literatur
Kaliningrad centralized library system
