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
