admin – LibOCS

03/03/202503/03/2025

Award for “Best Initiative in a Research and Special Library”

On February 28, the Estonian Librarians Association recognized the best librarians and achievements in libraries from the past year. The award for “Best Initiative in a Research and Special Library” was given to the Estonian team of the international Erasmus+ project LibOCS for successfully promoting the concept of citizen science and introducing the topic in Estonian universities and libraries.

The recognition was given for their work within the international Erasmus+ project LibOCS, which aimed to strengthen collaboration between researchers and citizen scientists while supporting the development of librarians’ skills in this field. The working group included Liisi Lembinen, Lilian Neerut, and Svea Kaseorg (University of Tartu Library), as well as Tuuliki Tõiste, Kaarin Birk, and Janelle Kirss (Tallinn University of Technology Library). As a result of the project, guidelines, an online course, and a toolkit were created, opening up new opportunities for Estonian libraries to support citizen science.

19/12/202419/12/2024

LibOCS Project Featured at Biržiška Readings ’24

The LibOCS project was presented at the international conference “Biržiška Readings ’24: Culture and Citizen Science,” held on December 2–3 in Panevėžys, Lithuania.

Organized by the Lithuanian Librarians’ Association, the conference focused on the role of libraries in advancing citizen science initiatives. It highlighted the untapped potential of public libraries to engage with these projects actively.

The conference which was held at the Stasys Museum featured speakers from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Iceland, and Spain. The event was opened with a discussion involving researchers and professionals from higher education institutions, libraries, and library associations, emphasizing libraries’ critical roles in introducing citizen science to both professional communities and the public.

Representing the LibOCS project, Svea Kaseorg and Lilian Neerut from the University of Tartu shared their experiences implementing citizen science at the university. They proposed ideas for fostering collaboration with public libraries. Aistė Pranckutė from the Kaunas University of Technology Library spoke about the skills needed for successful participation in citizen science projects and strategies for building these competencies. As part of the event, participants were introduced to the open self-paced course “Citizen Science for Librarians: Self-Paced Learning Course,” designed to help library professionals engage with citizen science initiatives.

“Biržiška Readings” is an annual conference for library and information professionals in Lithuania, celebrating the legacy of Vaclovas Biržiška, a renowned bibliographer and book scientist.

The conference recording, including an English translation, is available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8t4mnCQKoo

18/06/202418/06/2024

LibOCS presented to ERASMUS+ guests

Every year the Library of the University of Latvia hosts guests from ERASMUS+ mobility programmes. This year, in May and June 2024, guests were welcomed on several occasions, from different countries: Sweden, Romania, Germany. Guests were given demonstrations of the work processes in the library and briefed about collaboration in an academic environment. During the visit, the library also presented its services and development plans in the context of open science, including LibOCS. The guests were very interested in the idea and results of the LibOCS project.

The latest LibOCS development and output is the Citizen Science Toolkit for Librarians.

Read more about other results in Zenodo’s LibOCS collection.

31/05/202431/05/2024

Strengthening the Role of Libraries for Rising Citizen Science: LibOCS shares knowledge and experience at KTU

How to encourage public engagement in citizen science projects in the Baltic countries? What is the role of the libraries in implementing citizen science projects and promoting public engagement? Are the libraries prepared to initiate and/or carry out citizen science projects?

As the Erasmus+ project “University Libraries Strengthening Academia and Society through Citizen Science in the Baltic States (LibOCS)” comes to an end, it is time to take a closer look at the results achieved, the challenges overcome and the lessons learnt. We are eager to share our experiences and ideas on citizen science with colleagues from academic and public libraries. On June 11th of this year, at 11:00 AM, we invite librarians and everyone interested in citizen science to the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) Campus Library (Studentų St. 48, Kaunas) to celebrate the work done and share best practices and future insights.

31/05/202431/05/2024

Reflections on the University of Tartu Library’s Citizen Science Seminar

On May 22 2024, The University of Tartu Library organized a seminar titled “Science for All: How Society Makes Science Better,” which focused on citizen science and public engagement.

With over a decade of advocacy for open science, the library emphasized the importance of citizen science, involving public participation in scientific research. The seminar explored how universities and libraries could engage citizens in scientific projects and highlighted various methods for volunteer involvement.

06/05/202406/05/2024

Seminar, “Science for All: How Society Makes Science Better”

The University of Tartu Library is organizing a seminar, “Science for All: How Society Makes Science Better”, which will focus on citizen science and public engagement. The seminar takes place on the 22th of May at the University of Library conference hall.

The library has been a strong advocate for open science and has supported researchers in this area for over a decade. One of the cornerstones of open science is citizen science. Citizen science, also known as amateur science, can be described as the voluntary participation of members of the public in scientific research.

We invite you to discuss how universities and libraries can involve citizens in scientific projects and why this is important. The seminar will introduce different ways to involve volunteers.

The first half of the training day will be in Estonian, followed by an English-language workshop on science shops after the coffee break, which will explore why and how universities could involve civil society in both research and teaching.

Who is invited?

Researchers, students, project managers, librarians and all other interested parties are welcome!

05/04/202405/04/2024

Conference “Citizen Science in Latvia” at the Library of the University of Latvia

On 14 March 2024, the Library of the University of Latvia in collaboration with the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Arts of the University of Latvia and the Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences of the University of Latvia hosted citizen science enthusiasts, implementers, researchers, and other stakeholders at the conference “Citizen Science in Latvia”. The conference was organized within the framework of the 82nd International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia.

01/04/202401/04/2024

LibOCS project and results introduced at University of Latvia’s 82nd Scientific Conference – Library Science and Information section

On March 8, 2024, the 82nd International Scientific Conference of the University of Latvia – Library Science and Information section was held at the Library of the University of Latvia. During the conference, researchers, experts and students covered and discussed a variety of topics relevant in the library and information field, among them – citizen science and LibOCS project results.

04/03/202404/03/2024

Citizen Science initiatives and LibOCS project presented at Vidzeme Innovation Week

In Latvia from February 26th to March 1st people were encouraged to recognize the potential of innovations in Vidzeme Innovation Week. During this week, in several locations across the region, various events were organized, including the seminar “Open Science and Innovation Interaction”. In this seminar, participants learned more about citizen science initiatives as well as the LibOCS project and its activities, such as, research about citizen science potential in Latvia and upcoming webinars and results – reports, e-course, and others.

07/02/202407/02/2024

LibOCS project presented at Open Access Week

During the Open Access Week, on October 24 in 2023, University of Latvia Library staff and members of the LibOCS project gathered more than 80 participants in the webinar “Citizen science: interaction between researchers and the public in the research process”. Attendees had the opportunity to learn what citizen science is, why it is needed, and see examples of citizen science projects, as well as learn more about the LibOCS project.

More (in Latvian) here.