Raamatukogu on ülikooli süda

Abstract

Library is the heart of the university

For the two recent years, the life of the University of Tartu Library has been full of developments, innovations and collaboration. As the heart of the university, the library supports learning, teaching and research by providing access to information sources and teaching the skills of finding and using knowledge. The role of both electronic resources
and physical space is important – the number of visits has increased and the library has remained an important place for individual learning and group work. Based on user feedback, we renovated the library lobby, set up a modern dining room for
users and formed the Department of the Cultural Environment to improve services and the users’ spatial experience.
The library makes its collections visible through digitisation, publications and exhibitions. We
published a voluminous book on the history of the library, which received several awards; library staff members published research papers and prepared exhibitions, including the exhibitions of historical materials on alchemy, and of the development of Estonian-language educational resources. Two doctoral theses, defended in 2024–2025, dealt with the management of academic libraries and Estonia’s early book culture.
Our focus was on both national and international cooperation. The LibOCS project, aimed to raise awareness of citizen science in research libraries, was completed and we started the CAELUM project, which should improve libraries’ capability for crisis response and skills in providing support services in different types of crises. The Year of Estonian Book brought several joint activities, including the festive opening event and conference at the University of Tartu Library. We also participated in the conducting of a national reading survey.
In the changing academic and technological environment, expectations for library staff involvement are growing, adding new roles concerning data management, open science, and artificial intelligence literacy. The library started to prepare its new development plan, involving the entire staff in shaping a common future.