International interaction is traditionally of great importance for the library of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute: the exchange of experience with foreign colleagues is a major factor in creating a modern, dynamic institution that embodies current trends and meets the needs of its readers. Today, in the conditions of a full-scale russian military invasion of Ukraine, cooperation with the foreign library community has acquired new meanings and has been enriched with new vectors.
"One of the most heartbreaking keynotes I’ve ever heard. But also full of resolution, bravery, and ultimately, hope," – Executive Director of Research Libraries UK David Prosser tweeted after the first keynote speech at this year's Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER). The speaker was Oksana Brui, director of the library of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the President of the Ukrainian Library Association. She focused in her speech on the functioning of Ukrainian libraries during the war, as well as various manifestations of support for the activities of domestic libraries by foreign colleagues. The report "Survive and win. The library community in its resistance to russian aggression against Ukraine" officially opened the conference, which was held from July 6 to 8 in the Danish city of Odense, at the University of Southern Denmark.
This 30-minute Oksana Brui’s speech became an important channel for spreading information about the current situation in Ukraine among the European library community, which expressed full and comprehensive support for our struggle for freedom. The conference also became a source of new plans and ideas regarding the development prospects of the library of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute itself: in particular, in the issues of its potential membership in the Association of European Research Libraries and the development of open science.
Open science is a movement designed to make scientific data as accessible as possible to the general public. In today's world, this initiative is very relevant. Due to interaction with the library of the University of Sheffield within the framework of cooperation of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the University of Sheffield (Great Britain), the H.I. Denysenko Scientific and Technical Library got the opportunity to study the practical experience of foreign colleagues on this issue.
In September, a series of zoom meetings of the librarians of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the University of Sheffield starts, at which, in particular, the topics of implementation and support of open science, development of institutional repositories, functioning of open educational resources, etc. will be discussed. A total of six meetings are planned. However, we believe that this is only the beginning of a long and fruitful cooperation between the two libraries.
Another important achievement of this year is getting access to the RapidILL international interlibrary loan, which allows you to order and receive materials in electronic form from more than 500 libraries in Europe and the USA really quickly.
This has broadened the horizons of our users, and we will stop at nothing to ensure that the community of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute has access to the best modern library practices, services and achievements.