Koostöö, usaldus ja eluterve valmisolek muutusteks: TÜ raamatukogu aastatel 2022–2023

Abstract

Cooperation, Trust and Common-sense Preparedness for Changes: the University of Tartu Library in 2022–2023

The last two years, 2022 and 2023, have been very specific in the life of the library. In 2022, the library celebrated its 220th anniversary. Feeling the weight of its dignified history, our task is to act wisely, so that the university’s research library can adapt to the expectations and demands of the information and digital turn without losing the dignity accumulated through its history.

The International Vision Conference held in 2022 sought to answer questions about the role of research libraries in the coming decades. Although there was no single right answer, the important role of libraries as the sharers of knowledge, supporters of intellectual life and keepers of links between the past and the future was emphasised.

The jubilee year was overshadowed by Russia’s launching of a full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022. This made the library prepare for possible emergency situations, including the reorganisation of the shelter, which is ready for emergency use starting from the beginning of 2023.

The library has become livelier and more flexible, taking into account the changing preferences and needs of its users. It is important to be continuously aware of different cultural spaces and to offer diverse services and experiences.
In terms of sustainability, the library has invested in solar energy production and implemented innovative solutions such as robotic cleaners. The library has also committed to comply with the sustainability agreement and continues to improve the energy efficiency of the building.

The library is open and attentive to its users, trying to maintain its democratic nature and offer services to all interested parties. In 2022, the library’s very diverse activities were throughout the year introduced to the public in the series of articles „Utlib 220”, which appeared in the newspaper Postimees once a month. A painful lesson in collection security encouraged the library to map the threats related to the movement and preservation of collections and to start eliminating them in a modern way.

Finally, it is necessary to emphasise the importance of library cooperation and mutual support. The jubilee year, vision conferences, solar energy investments, sustainability agreement and security reflect the library’s multifaceted development and adaptation to the changing environment.