On the 26th of August, 2021, the ELTE University Library and Archives organized its ninth professional conference entitled Traditions and Challenges. During a roundtable discussion, our guests could be informed about the following topics: Academic Libraries and the Pandemic, Open and closed: Focus on the User, and Modern Library Management of Museum Documents.
The lectures were of great interest, more than 150 librarians, university students, service partners followed the events online or in person. The participants were greeted by Dr. Péter Sziklai, Deputy Rector of Science of Eötvös Loránd University.
After the opening speech, the audience was offered the opportunity to follow a roundtable discussion moderated by Gyöngyi Karácsony, President of the College of University Library Directors, Director General of the University and National Library of the University of Debrecen. In the frame of the discussion Péter Szóllás, Head of the Library and Archives Department of the Ministry of Human Resources, Dr. Kulcsár Szabó Ernőnéné Gombos Anamária, Director General of the Eötvös Loránd University Library and Archives, Gábor Szeberényi, Director General of the University Library and Knowledge Center of the University of Pécs, and Bea Winkler, Director of the Hutÿra Ferenc Library, Archives and Museum at the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest reported on the challenges of developing virtual services, the effectiveness of online meetings and good practices, such as online library management, self-rental desks, and safe and fair use of copyrighted materials.
The changed situation and event-driven work also had a significant impact on the organizational culture, encouraging employees to acquire new skills and abilities by inspiring independent decision-making and creative and innovative solutions. Strategies for higher education libraries and librarian training all focus on perpetuating change management, managing challenges flexibly and effectively, and ensuring continuous improvement and online availability of the full range of services. The future will open for services torn from library and electronic collections, and the door will open to new perspectives and needs in research and education support. During the discourse, the heads of libraries and institutions thanked the Ministry of Human Resources for its help, for the ongoing cooperation opportunities and regular online meetings led by Secretary of State for Culture, which encouraged the development of new platforms for joint problem-solving and meant support in the crisis.
The audience of the first section was able to hear presentations about user and customer-centric services. The guests of the second section could learn about the modern preservation of the museum documents.
The conference was supported by the National Cultural Fund, Monguz Information Technology Ltd., ProQuest, and the University Library Foundation. Abstracts of the lectures are available on our website. From the presentations of the professional day Traditions and Challenges IX., the ELTE University Library and Archives plans to publish a conference volume, which will also be available in electronic form in the ELTE repository.