The project 'Information and Communication – Promotion of Research Evidence and Technological Solutions' aimed at dissemination of the results of research in communication, media, and technology among librarians. This objective was achieved successfully.
Funding
The project was based on public funding under the 'Social Responsibility of Science' programme of the Ministry of Education and Science.
Realisation
Within the project, 12 open lectures were organised, developed, and presented by the communication and media researchers from the leading academic centres in Poland, followed by 12 podcasts recorded, directly related in scope to the lectures. One of the key elements of the project was making all the education materials available in an open access formula, on the bilingual website http://www.sbp.pl/ik. The users can find there recordings of lectures and presentations in Polish and English versions, as well as podcasts. The ease of access to the materials, their high quality and factual reliability were highly appreciated by the librarians.
Evaluation
The project, which was participated by nearly 900 librarians, was evaluated. Most of the participants who responded to the evaluation survey (80%) rated the lectures’ topics as very good or good. The lectures that received the best opinions concern current problems (fake news) or practical skills (management, marketing). The knowledge of the lecturers was very high (4.8/5 on average). According to the participants, the lecturers were competent, presented the issues in a clear and comprehensive way, and answered all the questions. The participants enjoyed the recordings of lectures, presentations, and podcasts. They positively evaluated the quality of education materials and their ease of access. The project website was clearly readable and easy to navigate. Participants appreciated the initiative of the project organisers. They emphasised the value of lifelong learning for librarians. The analysis of the results of the project evaluation survey shows that it was well received by the participants and was positively evaluated.
Results
- the librarians were provided access to research evidence and technological solutions: research results and examples of ICT applications were discussed during the lectures;
- set of educational audiovisual materials was developed, to be called an inspiration in improving library services for library users – presentations and lectures recordings, as well as related podcasts, are available open access on the project website;
- promotion of research of the Polish scholars – the presenters were academics from the leading research centres in Poland (among others: University of Warsaw, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, University of Silesia in Katowice, University of Wrocław);
- bridge the communication constraints resulting from the pandemic – all lectures were carried out in an online formula, the materials were archivised in digital form.
Project scope
Information on the project "Information and Communication" has reached a wide audience. The project website, the promotion on social networks, the journals of the Polish Librarians Association, and the PLA Publishing House promotional materials have ensured high visibility for the initiative. Publication of English version of materials and news at https://www.sbp.pl/ik-en/lectures/presentations i https://www.sbp.pl/ik-en, presentation of the project during the IFLA Workshop on Building a Strong and Sustainable Library Field in Europe, and mailing distribution of information via IFLA
Conclusions
In conclusion, the 'Information and Communication' project provided librarians with reliable knowledge, practical skills, and modern tools and enhanced their potential in the times of digital transformation. Open access to education materials, as well as the wide range of the initiative, guarantee its long-term impact on the development of Polish librarianship.
We encourage everyone to continue to use the diversity of educational materials provided by the project and to share them with other librarians!