The project Libraries for Innovation...

The projectLibrariesfor Innovation 2report 2014

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Turinys

Parengė ir išleido Lietuvos nacionalinė Martyno Mažvydo biblioteka Spauda Print Hause

Projektą įgyvendina:

Lietuvos nacionalinėMartyno Mažvydo biblioteka

Lietuvos Respublikoskultūros ministerija

Parengta ir išleista įgyvendinant projektą „Bibliotekos pažangai“www.bibliotekospazangai.lt

BIBLIOTEKOS PAŽANGAI:POKYČIAI BIBLIOTEKOSE IR VISUOMENĖJEPoveikio vertinimo tyrimų 2010 m. ataskaita

The project Libraries for Innovation 2report 2014

Edited and published by Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania

Prepared and published during the implementation of the project Libraries for Innovation 2

The project implemented by:

ISBN 978-609-405-107-4 (online)ISBN 978-609-405-108-1 (printed)

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania

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The projectLibraries for Innovation 2

report 2014

4 Partners

5Table of Contents

Libraries for Innovation 2: Introductory conference

Professional development for library employees

Using modern tools of communication in libraries

Attracting famous faces and community activists to libraries

Getting communities involved with libraries

Studies conducted under the Project

An action plan for 2015

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Libraries for Innovation 2 seeks to establish libraries as sustainable community institutions capable of improving quality of life for communities in Lithuania and presenting the library as a third space where people can meet their needs for creativity, communication, self-expression and learning. The project aims to develop the competencies of library employees in order to help them attract new visitors and retain existing ones. Thus far, training courses covering various topics were organised for staff, and the knowledge they have gained can be directly applied in both their daily activities and in preparation for community projects.

The implementation of project activities helps foster co-operation between public libraries and business, local authorities and non-governmental organizations. What is more, it helps unite public libraries across Lithuania and im-prove the skills needed for the development of projects and services dedicated to satisfying community needs as well as creating sustainable community hubs.

In this day and age, the library cannot limit itself to tra-ditional competencies if our goal is to create a sustainable and modern library. It must develop new competencies related to leadership, managing change, effective commu-nication and digital technology if the library is to remain via-ble, in touch with the changing needs and trends in specific communities and society in general. Rapid social change forces libraries to continually look for new ways of attracting visitors and retaining existing ones.

In 2014, two initiatives – Rediscover Your Childhood Library and Bibliobattle – were launched with the involvement of both Lithuanian public libraries and their partners. The pro-jects created a community of libraries now ready to engage in new activities and famous faces as well as community ac-tivists attracted many new visitors.

With this project we aim to demonstrate that libraries are modern and open to new ideas and different forms of cooperation with different kinds of partners, which is why we place a lot of importance on partnership. Last year we organized a live broadcast from the Martynas Mažvydas

National Library of Lithuania together with the Ministry of Fi-nance, dedicated to the introduction of the euro in Lithuania. Furthermore, we began to collaborate with the electricity distribution company LESTO and the mobile services opera-tor BITĖ Lietuva as well as the National Radio and Television of Lithuania. The Innovative Products and Services for Libraries broadcasts attracted global companies such as Samsung Electronics Baltics, Microsoft, APPLE and partners from Lithu-ania itself: TEO, Robotikos Mokykla, Investiciju ir Verslo Garan-tijos, and Mokslo Technologijos BMK. During the Bibliobattle initiative, organised in partnership with Gaminu, we were able to involve people with visual disabilities by creating special 3D models for them.

We hope that the project slogan – Discovery Begins at the Library – will inspire people to discover and explore libraries as leaders of social and economic change and as dynamic community mediators.

Eugenijus Stratilatovas, Project Manager for Libraries for Innovation 2

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Libraries have become contemporary, modern,

information, culture and community centres. We are now like centres

of innovation. *

Libraries for Innovation 2 was launched with the Intro-ductory Conference, which took place on 25 February 2014, at the Government Office of the Republic of Lithuania. An audience of representatives from Lithuanian public libraries, their partners and state as well as local authorities were intro-duced to the project’s goals, objectives and planned activities. The international conference was opened by Prime Minis-ter Algirdas Butkevičius, and attendees were congratulated by the Lithuania Mi-nister of Culture Šarūnas Birutis and De-borah Jacobs, director of the World Library

programme of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.Presentations were given by experienced professionals

from Lithuania and abroad. Guest speakers included Kari Lämsä (Finland), in charge of Helsinki’s Li-

brary 10 and the Meetingpoint centre, which brings together departments of the Helsin-

ki City Library that provide physical and digital services, and Carl Bärstad (Swe-den), who is the author behind many educational interactive projects. Simo-nas Gaušas, who is a head of research at

and partner of Visionary Analytics, a com-pany that specializes in education and inno-

vation, talked about opportunities offered by educational and other social welfare technologies.

Saulius Šukaitis, director of the international media planning agency Creative Media Services, spoke to the participants of the conference about how to present services to the public.

Libraries for Innovation 2: Introductory Conference

The library is a place for socializing. We commu-nicate with other institutions by maintaining an active partnership with each of them. Our

library has 39 partners – from churches to NGOs. *

* Answers of the participants in studies conducted under the project

People come to us for a variety of reasons: to learn, to socialize, to pay taxes, to use the computers. They spend their free time here. *

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Giedrius Ruseckas,Public Procurement lecturer:

Great audience and people.I was inspired by active

communication that was feltin different cities

during the training.

TRAININGFrom June to November 2014, Libraries for Innovation

2 organised training courses for employees of Lithuanian public libraries. The participants acquired new competencies, built on their prior knowl-edge and began the process of prepar-ing and submitting applications for library projects in their respective communities.

Training courses covered 7 topics. Qualified specialists, consultants, ac-credited practitioners, experts and university lecturers shared their expe-rience and knowledge. During Theoreti-cal and Practical Project Initiation Training, lecturer Ernestas Sysojevas introduced librarians to project initiation processes and the practical skills necessary for preparing and exe-cuting projects.

Lecturer Benas Adomavičius delivered a lesson in Con-sumer and Partner Needs Analysis. Innovation Implementation, providing participants with detailed information on how to

identify the needs of the consumer and potential partners or interested parties, how to satisfy

these needs better and more efficiently, to analyze how innovations are developed

and implemented within an organi-zation and to understand the impor-tance of innovation enculturation.

In his course on Advocacy and Fund-raising, lecturer Mykolas Lepeška instilled the idea that in order to suc-

cessfully advocate one’s library and at-tract investment, it is necessary to know

what kind of influence one is going to exert on whom. Library employees improved their

knowledge of how to successfully advocate their li-braries in order to raise funds more effectively, establish new partnerships with other organisations and gain the support of the local government and community.

Dr. Agnė Tonkūnaitė-Thiemann spoke about Impact Assessment and how to develop competencies for conduct-ing impact assessment studies that could be applied in prac-tice for public library projects oriented towards communities. The lecturer gave a detailed explanation of how to carry out an impact assessment and how such assessments provide evidence of the benefits the community receives from an ongoing activity, thus proving the need for library activities and facilitating decision-making.

Indrė Radavičienė’s course on Public Relations re-vealed why the concept is so important, even though it

Professional development for library employees

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is often overlooked. The lecturer taught attendees how to present ongoing projects, activities, services, goals, courses and results to the public (or a target group). Listeners found out how to shape public opinion (or the opinion of a target group) on certain topics, how to reveal current problems and promote new library services and activities.

In his course on Public Procurement, Giedrius Ruseckas shared his knowledge about participating in the tender pro-cess. Not only did the lecturer help listeners understand the requirements set out by Lithuanian contracting authorities, he also taught them practical skills for conducting public procurements.

Lecturing on the subject of Project Management, Aivaras Subačius systemised and strengthened the participants’ knowledge about projects, project portfolio and program

management for the purposes of successfully implement-ing community projects under Libraries for Innovation 2.

At the end of each course, participants were given home assignments that were directly related to the applications they would need to submit for their community projects. Thus, participants and libraries had the opportunity to con-sistently familiarise themselves with the process of prepar-ing applications for real projects in their communities.

It is estimated that the training courses – which were pro-vided at a regional level across the cities of Kaunas, Klaipė-da, Vilnius, Šiauliai, Molėtai, Utena and Druskininkai – were attended by a total of 837 librarians from all over Lithuania.

From the 31st March to 20th April 2015, a survey was conducted with library staff in order to examine how librar-ies’ partnerships, additional sources of funding and project

Represent your library

Formulate a message for the public

Choose appropriate publicity channels

Formulate project goals

Define project objectives

Explore users‘ needs

Map shareholders

Define goals and objectives of

an impact assessment

Fig. 1.1 Comparison of evaluated skills required to carry out tasks: staff who participated in Libraries for Innovation 2 and staff that did not (percentage: N (all respondents) = 231, N (attended training courses) = 148, N (did not participate in training) = 83).

7982

7479

8266

7176

6064

7447

6471

5164

6562

4250

27373737

0 20 40 60 80 100

Did not atttend Libraries for Innovation 2 training

Attended Libraries for Innovation 2 training

All respondents

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(79%), conveying a message to the public (74%), and selecting appropriate dissemination channels (71%). As much as 64% of staff believed that they had very satisfactory or satisfactory abilities in formulating project goals, defining project objec-tives and investigating the needs of library users. The ability to map shareholders (42%) and define the aims and objectives of an impact assessment (37%) were rated slightly lower (Fig. 1.1).

Empirical research shows that the library staff who took part in the Libraries for Innovation 2 project assess

their ability to carry out assignments more favourably than colleagues who did not participate in training (Fig. 1.1).

The great majority of the respondents (96%) acquired and applied knowledge from the Libraries for Innovation 2 project training in practice: 33% of the surveyed apply what they have learned on a regular basis, 45% admitted to mak-ing use of it from time to time, and 18% have only applied it several times (Fig. 1.2).

Statistically significant differences were not observed.

Yes, I regularly apply the

knowledge and advice gained

during training

Yes, I sometimes apply the


during training

Yes, I occasionally apply the


during training

No, I have not used the knowledge

and advice gained during training yet,

but I plan to do so in the near future

No, I have not used the


during training yet

96% have applied the knowledge acquired during Libraries for Innovation 2 training

Fig. 1.2 Knowledge acquired during training and applied in practice (percentage; N = 148)

79 pct.

45 pct.

18 pct.

3 pct. 1 pct.10

20

30

40

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Benas Adomavičius,Consumer and Partners Needs Analysis.Innovation Implementation lecturer:

I was surprised how open to new ideas was the audience and it is difficult to surprise me as I meet many different audiences.

activity contribute to the development of library activities. The survey was carried out by means of the standardized CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) method using a standardized questionnaire. A total of 231 librarians from across Lithuania were surveyed.

The results demonstrated that library staff evaluated their abilities positively. The most favourable (very satisfactory or satisfactory) ability was related to representing the library

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CONSULTINGThe process of preparing libraries for carrying out com-

munity projects involved both training and individual con-sultations as well as meetings with the head of Libraries for Innovation 2 and other project coordinators and consultants. Consultation was provided for 66 libraries with a total of 116 advisory visits. During these meetings, representatives of the libraries themselves, municipality governments, com-munities, local businesses etc. came together. The meetings aimed to establish long-term relationships with new partners, strengthen relationships with existing ones and engage them more actively in projects targeted at communities.

Consultation was provided to libraries in two ways:Stage I. Motivation and information (January-July, 2014).

The goals of such visits were:1. Introducing libraries to the goals and objectives of the Li-

braries for Innovation 2 project and the activities it supports;2. Motivating libraries to participate in the project and sub-

mit applications;

3. Helping libraries develop possible project ideas;4. Helping identify potential partners;5. Initiating and moderating discussions about possible

areas of partnership and project content.Stage II. Consulting libraries about initiating projects (Au-

gust-December, 2014). The main focus during meetings at this stage was on ensuring the support of potential library partners and local authorities:1. The goal of meetings with municipality mayors was to

ensure support for potential projects related to public libraries. During the meetings, the majority of mayors approved of the benefits the project would bring to the local community and promised to support and allocate additional funding for project activities;

2. Meetings with potential partners focused on helping li-braries find the best possible forms of cooperation;

3. During meetings with library teams, libraries were ad-vised on possible project planning scenarios.

Meilė Parnarauskienė,Tauragė Municipality Birutė Baltrušaitytė Public library:

All the lecturers were professionals. Personally I re-member Advocacy and Fundraising lecturer Myko-las Lepeška. He is a great lecturer who has perfect timing and group management skills and... is very encouraging.

Aura Banevičienė,Palanga city public library:

I have written down every piece of advice because all of it is extremely valuable when preparing any application. Whatever happens, I know that we have tried and that this is our first project.A MILLION THANKS FOR YOUR HELP AND PATIENCE!

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The Libraries for Innovation 2 team participated in five regional library council meetings (in Vilnius, Kaunas, Panevėžys, Šiauliai and Klaipėda; the county library of each region serves as a methodological resource centre for 12 municipal libraries). The main purpose of these visits was to present proposals for the future call to submit applica-tions, to discuss guidelines and project application forms, and thus prepare libraries for submitting projects.

The comprehensive consultations led by the project’s team and the aim of stimulating more active participa-tion among Lithuanian public libraries in the process of submitting applications benefited the libraries involved.

Non-governmental organisations (e.g., volunteer services, organisations that provide social services, etc.)

Other libraries

Schools

63 pct.

74 pct.

54 pct.

4 pct.

100 3020 5040 60 70

The media (e.g., the local or national press, radio, internet sites)

38 pct.Private individuals (e.g., writers, public figures etc.).

31 pct.Museums

25 pct.Health care institutions

23 pct.Local businesses

18 pct.Colleges

16 pct.Universities

12 pct.Publishers

12 pct.Bookshops

7 pct.Post offices

7 pct.National or international businesses

2 pct.Research agencies

19 pct.Other

Fig 1.3 Partners of the libraries (percentage; N = 155)

Rima Kairytė,Šilalė Public Library:

We hope to succeed in securing funding. If not, then writing up such a large project was an interesting experience. This experience will be useful when wri-ting other projects. At least, for me it has worked – I have won one important project, which will be fun-ded by the Culture Support Foundation. So far, this is one of the most generous sums the library has won from projects.

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The study mentioned above (in the Training section) re-vealed that the majority of respondents (67%) indicated that their libraries currently had partners with which they conducted joint activities. Libraries mainly partnered with schools (74%), non-governmental organisations (63%) and other libraries (54%). Further down the partners list were the media (40%), private individuals (38%), museums (31%), health care institutions (25%) and local businesses (23%). Even less collaboration was observed with colleges (18%), universities (16%), publishers (12%), bookstores (12%), post offices (7%), national and (or) international companies (7%) and research agencies (2%) (Fig. 1.3).

Almost one-fifth (19%) of the respondents mentioned that their library had other partners that were not includ-ed in the list: rural communities, cultural institutions and centres, kindergartens, municipalities, local authorities, na-tional parks etc.

The Libraries for Innovation 2 team:

Visited 66 Lithuanian public libraries during the consultation stage;

Organized 12 additional visits to Lithuanian public libraries;

Participated in 10 meetings with library partners;

Organized 7 meetings with local authority re-presentatives;

Participated in 16 meetings with library teams;

Participated in all regional library council meetings.

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The first item on the agenda since the start of Libraries for Innovation 2 was launching www.3erdve.lt, a website de-dicated to librarians. The website contains all of the most relevant information such as the latest news, details on up-coming training courses and other activities, information about current projects, etc. For the convenience of library employees, registered users were automatically signed up for Microsoft Office 365 services. This software package allows the use of email services, the Office suite, document and data storage with various sharing options, messaging as well as the instant messaging and audio/video conversation sys-tem Skype for Business (i.e., LYNC). The website also has an integrated social network called Yammer, a private and se-cure communication space for all Lithuanian public libraries. Creating an account allows you to freely communicate with other registered users, create open and closed groups, wri-te to colleagues, and publish photos as well as videos. This platform was designed in order to make it easier for the Li-thuanian network of public libraries to share experience and best practices, exchange views and have discussions with colleagues from all over Lithuania.

Watching live broadcasts from the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania is also popular among the li-brarians of Lithuania’s public libraries. During such broad-casts, library staff and visitors are presented with various relevant topics, important in-formation as well as the expe-riences and know-how of their colleagues.

In March of 2015, an online survey was conducted for the purpose of finding out how often librarians used the www.3erdve.lt website and the Yammer communication space and improving the two platforms based on user feed-back and recommendations. A total of 447 librarians across Lithuania participated in the survey.

The results showed that the vast majority of respondents (84%) visited the www.3erdve.lt website. As much as 53% of respondents visit the website on a daily basis or seve-ral times a week. For the most part, the website is used for the purposes of the Libraries for Innovation 2 project. Other frequent types of usage, such as reading news (84%) and searching for information about other libraries (73%), as well as an analysis of open statements provided by participants have led to the conclusion that librarians need a platform where they can receive concentrated information about all the libraries in Lithuania, keep up to date with library news, news about libraries abroad and the latest studies.

The majority of respondents (77%) gave www.3erdve.lt positive evaluations. A positive attitude towards the website could also be identified in specific areas – 77% evaluated web-site content favourably, 69% of respondents viewed the web-

site as functional, 69% viewed it as convenient and 76% gave positive evaluations of the website design. These findings demonstrate that overall, libra-rians were favourably disposed towards the website project.

According to the survey, 37% of the respondents use the integrated Yammer plat-

Using modern tools of communicationin libraries

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form, but only 14% of respondents log on to Yammer on a daily basis or several times a week. A total of 60% of Yammer users noted that this virtual space provided a platform for finding answers to questions they had about the project. Yammer helped 78% of respondents become more familiar with events taking place in other libraries, helping 66% to come up with new ideas for improving their daily activity, and 55% to get to know librarians from other regions in Lithuania.

It is interesting to note that Yammer enabled 78% of res-pondents to become familiar with events taking place in other libraries, but only 38% shared their library information on the Yammer network themselves, and only 37% claimed

to have shared their experience with other Yammer mem-bers. This suggests that thus far, librarians have played the role of observers and passive users of information. They willingly read information from other libraries, but are often not bold enough to share their own information and experiences. Positive assessments of certain features of the Yammer network lead to the conclusion that librarians need such a space for communication. However, opinions expressed in the open statements indicated that effective use of the network is difficult due to certain glitches, and thus more active encouragement is necessary in order to turn the platform into a more active space.

Messaging and audio/video communication via the Skype for Busines (i.e., LYNC) instant messaging system resulted in over 400 chat messages and calls are made daily between library staff.

Document and file storage services are actively used by more than 500 library employees.

In 2014, the number of unique visitors on www.3erdve.lt reached 9,277.

1,045 librarians became registered users of the Yammer social network.

Fig. 1.4 Visiting the www.3erdve.lt website

100 3020 5040 60 70 80 90 100

Yammer communication space is visited

www.3erdve.lt is visited

84 pct.

37 pct.

14 pct.

60 pct.

Visit Not visit

In total, 90 groups were created, 3,900 messa-ges were sent, and 1,350 files were uploaded to the Yammer social network.

An extensive network of public libraries in Lithua-nia is being brought together by ICT.

More effective dissemination of professional and other relevant information is now possible.

Target audiences can be reached faster and more reliably.

Partners are attracted from the business, NGO and public sectors.

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Jonas Nainys,DJ, TV and radio announcer:

It was a great pleasure and an honour for me to join my hometown initiative.

(Marius Katiliškis Pasvalys District Municipal

Library)

Launched in the summer of 2014, the Rediscover your Childhood Library initiative is now well underway. Its main goal is to attract active and well-known individuals in the local community who are willing and able to contribute to the activities and projects organised by libraries, to share their experience and put forward their ideas.

Currently, 41 public libraries have their own ambas-sadors. An estimate puts the number of ambas-sadors at approximately 70 individuals from the fields of culture, business, politics, science and sports. The Trakai Public Li-brary has the largest number of ambas-sadors. Almost all of its branches have found an ambassador or even a few.

While discussing the initiative, both the libraries and the ambassa-dors point out the mutual benefits of cooperation as well as the possibility of sharing their own experience, knowledge, contacts and resources. The ambassadors help libraries make new contacts, look for partners, organize events, enhance library events by inviting special guests, donate books, support the libraries financially and help organize exhibitions and various meet-and-greets with famous faces. Furthermore, together with their ambas-

sadors, libraries generate ideas for future projects. The library becomes an inter-mediary between its ambassadors and the community, a place where people can meet and communicate. The am-bassadors admit that this role is very important to them as it gives them

the opportunity to collaborate with libraries in order to strengthen a sense

of community, contribute to promoting significant activities and ideas, get to know

their fellow countrymen, focus more attention on crucial issues and inspire others by setting an example.

Attracting famous faces and community activists to libraries: the Rediscover Your Childhood Library initiative

List of all libraries

and theirambassadors

Loreta Graužinienė,Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas:

I am honoured to be an ambassador of my childhood library as I believe that a book is the most valuable thing, and a library is not just a place for rea-ding, it is also a place of enlightenment. The status of ambassador carries great responsibility and I accept it with all my heart.

(Juozas Keliuotis Rokiškis District Municipal Library)

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We are very happy to have spent our evenings in a meaningful and fun way with library readers. We would like to have

more such remote events for our brain activity. The most important thing here was that older team members were happy to have some food for thought.

Opinion of Bibliobattle team members

In the last quarter of 2014, the Libraries for Innovation 2 project organised a unique quiz called Bibliobattle in order to strengthen relationships between local communities and libraries. It was attended by 136 Lithuanian public libraries that teamed up with the representatives of local communi-ties, public institutions, local government, educational insti-tutions and other institutions. Bibliobattle was attended by a total of over 1,200 library visitors and partners.

The quiz was carried out in three stages, during which teams were asked questions by means of live broadcast from the National Library of Lithuania. Team members had to answer questions based on the topics of progress, librar-ies, general knowledge as well as audio and video questions. The contest was specially adapted for teams from the Li- thuanian Library for the Blind (LAB), who also participated in

Bibliobattle. Unique 3D models were produced for the pur-poses of the quiz. By feeling them team members were able to recognize encoded objects and answer the questions.

Awards were given out to the winning teams during the Vilnius Book Fair. Team LABukai, from the Vilnius branch of the Lithuanian Library for the Blind, took first place and won a tablet device. Team Protų zona (Brain Zone), from the Pra-vieniškių branch of Kaišiadorys Public Library, was award-ed with a projector for taking second place. Placing third, team Lengvai (Easy), from the Ieva Simonaitytė Library of the Klaipėda region, won a camera.

A survey of Bibliobattle participants revealed that the game attracted great interest and was very successful. As much as 80% of the respondents said that they would par-ticipate in such initiatives in the future.

Getting communities involved with libraries: the Bibliobattle initiative

20 Studies conducted under the Project

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH WITH DIRECTORS, THEIR DEPUTIES AND PROJECT COORDINATORS 2 FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS

In September and October of 2014, the Libraries for Inno-vation 2 team carried out a qualitative study involving the heads of public libraries, their deputies and Libraries for In-novation 2 project coordinators. This study was carried out in order to find out how participants assess the role of librar-ies in modern society and how that role should change so that libraries could become more relevant, sustainable and attractive for businesses, public institutions, communities, politicians and so on.

The research revealed managers’ opinions of the libraries as changing and adjustable to the needs of community in-stitutions. The main factors behind such changes were tech-nical progress, the changing composition of the community and the changing social situation. Focus group discussions revealed that libraries positively assess their relationship with the local community, but lack good working relation-ships with the business sector and local government insti-tutions. Research participants identified the same library tar-get groups: young people, retired people and people who belong to social risk groups. Attention was also drawn to the fact that each district had specific target groups. Project development was also discussed. There was no unanimous opinion on how projects could be effectively developed. Participants believed that a common strategy and the me-thodical management of all Lithuanian public libraries would be most useful for conducting nationwide projects. Libraries should form groups and pursue common goals in order to carry out regional projects. Participants suggested that libraries should undertake local projects themselves.

FORECASTING THE FUTURE FOR LIBRARIES WITH THE MODIFIED DELPHI METHOD

The information gathered during focus group discussions was used to forecast the future of libraries. The aim of the study was to find out how the heads of public libraries per-ceived future change to their own roles and the role of the public library, and to measure how their attitudes changed during the course of the project. 56 managers completed the online questionnaire.

Analysis of data made it apparent that some factors, which depend directly on the directors and (or) library staff, were assessed most positively. For instance, cooperating with the community and local authorities, promoting ac-tivity, applying the qualifications acquired during training, ranked the highest. Participants identified objectives that did not depend (or are less dependent) on them: increasing library staff salaries, changes in politicians’ attitudes towards libraries, creating new jobs for specialists with different qualifications and a more efficient system for motivating employees.

The table (fig. 1.5) presents the 5 most popular statements that are the most desirable according to library heads.

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STUDY ON THE IMPACT LIBRARIES HAVE ON THEIR USERS FUNDED BY THE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION

In 2014, an assessment of the impact made by public libraries in Lithuania was commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study was carried out by the research company TNS in cooperation with the Librar-ies for Innovation 2 team. The objective of the study was to investigate what effect library services had on locals’ quality of life after the completion of the Libraries for In-novation project (funded by the Global Libraries Program and the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture). The study aimed to investigate how library services contribute to improving quality of life for people in different social areas, such as culture and leisure, education, communication, e-govern-ment, economic development, health and digital literacy. The study was carried out in 2 stages:1. Survey of the general public. 1,018 interviews were con-

ducted with Lithuanian citizens over the age of 15.2. Survey of library users. 1,416 interviews were conduct-

ed with customers who visited the library and (or) used a public access computer or wireless internet at the li-brary in the past 12 months.The study revealed that Libraries for Innovation had a

positive impact on the residents of Lithuania, and its long-term effects can be observed after project completion. According to the study, more than 85% of library visitors identified this experience as positive while making use of library services for their own purposes. For 227 thousand people in Lithuania, the library is the only place where they can take advantage of free internet access. However, they do not just read the news, but also look for informa-tion on health issues and using e-government services. In addition to this, library visitors can take advantage of the educational opportunities available, which help one third of them find employment more easily.

STATEMENTS evaluated as desirable by library heads pct.

More national-level politicians will realize that libraries are important centres of local com-munities

59

Public library staff will be paid more than they were paid 7 years ago 55

Most people in Lithuania will consider public li-braries as one of the most important public ser-vice providers in the local community

52

Libraries will be responsible for preserving read-ing as an important asset in local communities. 43

Your library will receive more financial sup-port from alternative sources of funding (such as projects, business support, funds) than it did 7 years ago

36

Public libraries will create more new jobs for specialists with different qualifications (e. g. IT specialists, psychologist, educology and mar-keting specialists, sociologists, communica-tion and public relations specialists and etc.)

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Most of the heads of libraries will work togeth-er seeking to strengthen Lithuanian public li-brary network

27

Much more people will be better informed about ongoing activities and services in li-braries

20

Your library activity and service development will be created according to relevant situation and ongoing projects/ opportunities

18

Your library will create more services online compared to services provided 7 years ago 18

Fig 1.5 Most desirable statements according to library heads.* The percentage of library heads who chose the statement as the most important and the most desirable for achievement; N = 56; multiple answers are possible, total exceeds 100%.

22 An action plan for 2015

IMPLEMENTING LIBRARY PROJECTS FOR COMMUNITIES

At the beginning of 2015, a call to submit applications for partial project funding was announced for libraries. Funding was to be granted to Libraries for Innovation 2 pro-jects. The projects that received funding will be completed by August 2016.

A total of 57 applications were submitted by libraries and their partners. The total sum of funding requested amount-ed to 1,507,578 euros.

Children and young people were most frequently indicat-ed as the target audience in applications. Many of the librar-ies that submitted applications also paid attention to seniors, social risk groups, remote communities and building rela-tionships between different age groups in the represented community.

Applications reflected the objective of meeting the growing needs of library target groups and using communi-cation technology. The planned measures will contribute to the informal education of young people and senior citizens, reducing unemployment in the local community, increas-ing youth employment and reducing social inequality.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR LIBRARY EMPLOYEES

In 2015, the employees of Lithuanian public libraries will participate in two training sessions, during which they will have the opportunity to build upon the knowl-edge they have, acquire new knowledge and exchange experiences and examples by communicating with col-leagues.

The aim of Impact Assessment training is to teach li-brarians about the goals, criteria and data collection methods of impact assessment through practical tasks.

Ignas Zokas, head of Spinter Tyrimai UAB, will share his experience in setting up studies using a variety of research methods, discuss common mistakes and show participants how they can apply research findings.

Employees from all libraries will have the opportunity to participate in Change Management training. The objec-tive of this course is to build on knowledge of project man-agement and change management in an organization in or-der to successfully implement library community projects. The course will be open to representatives of both libraries that were granted funding and those that were not. The course aims to provide a more consistent knowledge base among library employees, initiate dialogue and provide an opportunity to exchange experience.

FIRST PEER LEARNING MEETINGIn the third quarter of 2015, the first peer learning meet-

ing between the representatives of Lithuanian public librar-ies, the Lithuanian Library for the Blind and the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania and other interested parties will take place. The meeting will also be attended by Zola Maddison, a programme coordinator for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Participants will have the oppor-tunity to work in groups. There will be special workshops during which participants will present their experiences in implementing library projects for communities in detail and build upon their existing knowledge together with the moderators.

23Libraries for Innovation 2 project team contacts

Eugenijus StratilatovasProject Manager

tel. +370 5 239 86 30, mob. +370 608 14932e-mail [email protected]

Loreta BudrytėCoordinator for Small Grant Projects


Giedrė ČistovienėCoordinator for Small Grant Projects


Ieva DryžaitėImpact Assessment Coordinator


Mantas JanavičiusIT Support Coordinator


Donatas KubiliusCoordinator for Small Grant Projects


Monika KundelytėDissemination & Advocacy Project Coordinator

tel. +370 5 239 86 31, mob. +370 608 24170 e-mail [email protected]

Aidas SinkevičiusContracts Officer


Renata SurovecDissemination & Advocacy Project Coordinator


Irma VičytėEvents & Training Coordinator


Stanislavas ZablockisFinance Manager

mob. +370 698 22062e-mail [email protected]

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