How to tame and become a part of citizen science? How to get involved, involve others and what role the library can play in promoting the public’s knowledge of citizen science? Library staff could hear about this in specially organized 8 academic hour training “Citizen science for librarians: self-study course”, which took place on 25th April, 2023 at the Vytautas Magnus University (Kaunas, Lithuania).
At the end of April, the director of the Library of the University of Latvia, Mārīte Saviča, presented the LibOCS project and invited to use results of the project, including the e-course “Citizen Science for Librarians” to the colleagues of the public libraries of the Limbažu region (Latvia).
On April 12, 2023, Mārīte Saviča, director of the Library of the University of Latvia, presented the LibOCS project and introduced the e-course “Citizen Science for Librarians”, as well as invited representatives of academic and special libraries to participate in the workshop “The near future of libraries: project management and citizen involvement in science” organised within the framework of the LibOCS project. During meeting participants showed an interest in open science and citizens science actualities in Latvia and abroad.
Library of the University of Latvia participates in the International Library Week every year, offering its users a diverse program. This year, in parallel with the opening of the virtual exhibition and a series of planned webinars, the Library organized training workshop during which were presented the e-course “Citizen Science for Librarians” developed within the framework of the LibOCS project.
Full-day training session “Citizen Science Competences for Librarians”, organised by LibOCS project partner KTU Library and the associated partner Adomas Mickevičius Public Library of Vilnius County will take place on 28 April (Friday), from 9.00 a.m. at the Vilnius County Adam Mickiewicz Public Library (Trakų g 10, Vilnius). The training is dedicated for academic and public library staff, as well as for all people interested in citizen science and its implementation possibilities. The training session will be provided in Lithuanian language.
This is an activity of the international Erasmus+ project “University libraries strengthening the academia-society connection through citizen science in the Baltics” (LibOCS). The aim of the training is to introduce library staff to the basics and possibilities of citizen science and to guide librarians on how to participate in citizen science projects.
As part of the LibOCS project, citizen science trainings will take place in Tartu on May 3 and Tallinn on May 4, aimed at library employees. The training aims to provide a closer look at citizen science and open science and guide librarians on participating in citizen science projects.
“Citizen science is not yet as widespread in Estonia as in some other countries,” said one of the organisers, Lilian Neerut, Head of the Department of Subject Librarians at the University of Tartu Library. “However, this is a field in which we could all contribute, regardless of our education or profession. Libraries can be role models and advisers in this area.” That is why the libraries of the University of Tartu and TalTech have decided to offer training in this area to library employees.
In order to open science for a wider audience and share results and discoveries, a summary of the study report “The Transformative Role of Academic Libraries and Memory Institutions for Citizen Science and Open Science in the Baltic States” is available in the national languages of all the “LibOCS” project partners. Previously available in English, the document is now translated into Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, German, Greek languages.
University libraries traditionally have calmer working conditions in the summer and everyone’s thoughts are in the mood of the approaching vacation. The exception was last summer, when the second stage of the study “The transformative role of academic libraries and memory institutions for citizen science and open science in the Baltic States” was launched at the beginning of the summer, which was carried out in the form of a survey by the participants of the “LibOCS” project.
This summer, the members of the Latvian Library Council started work on the development of a new “Library Industry Strategy 2023-2027” of the cultural state, which will be completed in December and submitted to the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Latvia for approval.
In the webinar “Academic library – an assistant in the scientific research process” organized by the Association of Latvian Academic Libraries (LATABA), which took place on October 20, 2022, the topic of the role of libraries in the involvement of citizens in research was also presented.
