This summer, from June 27 to June 29, 2023, an important scientific event took place in Riga for the fifth time – the 5th World Congress of Latvian Scientists “Research Latvia”. In the sunny days of June, scientists from Latvia and the diaspora, young scientists, international and local cooperation partners, representatives of the government, state administration and foreign representative offices – gathered to honor the achievements of Latvian science and discuss the impact of scientific results both in society and in policy making.
„Citizen Science for Librarians: Self Paced Learning Course“ is a free, open access, self-paced learning course for librarians and anyone interested in citizen science, organising and facilitating citizen science projects. The course consists of 5 modules that you can study anytime, anywhere. If you want to not only develop your skills and knowledge but also receive a certificate confirming them, you are welcome to create a free personal account and complete course assignments.
On the 3rd and 4th of May, training sessions on the topic of “Libraries’ Role in Citizen Science” took place in Tartu and Tallinn, respectively. The training attracted over 40 specialists from academic and other libraries, creating a diverse and vibrant learning environment. The training aimed to shed light on the concept of open science and citizen science, explore the role of libraries and librarians in citizen science projects, and highlight the essential skills required to support citizen science initiatives, such as data management and stakeholder engagement.
In April, the event “Let’s play a game and learn more about the research process” took place, where the participants got to know Citizen Science, as well as learned about the LibOCS project. The event was organized by the library of the University of Latvia with the aim of giving library specialists and students the opportunity to learn more about the cycle of the research process and, within it, potential cross-references with Citizen Science. In the free atmosphere, several rounds of the game “Research Circle” with practical and research tasks were played out at the event. Feedback from participants was very positive and provided new ideas on how to further develop the game, as well as what to pay attention to when implementing the LibOCS project and promoting the popularity of Citizen Science.
The full-day training “Citizen Science Competences for Librarians” took place at Vilnius County Adomas Mickevičius Public Library (Vilnius) on the 28th of April, 2023. Training was organized by Kaunas University of Technology Library in cooperation with Vilnius County Adomas Mickevičius Public Library. Target group of this event – librarians, 22 library employees from academic and public libraries were participating in the event.
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.