Virtual library services
About this good practice
The pandemic meant many challenges for the library. The most difficult time was the closing in March 2020, when the “Kájoni János” public library needed to shut down because of the restrictions. During this time, those projects and activities, which develop the online available and virtual library services, came into view. The development of the user-centered online services became even more important, thus the library started to make available new online services, shared and provided online contents and organized online library activities and programs, online quiz games, online competition serving the discovery of the cultural and natural values of the region. Furthermore, the library organized virtual walks around the towns and villages of Harghita county through digitization and online publishing of photos.
Since 2020 the county library provides free access to the big online databases for its registered users.
The stakeholders and the main beneficiaries of this good practice are the educational institutions, students, teachers, researchers, journalists, cultural heritage institutions, libraries.
Resources needed
The financial support of the Harghita Council assured to get new technical equipment suitable for digitization projects that require high quality: scanners, modern PC, OCR software (ABBYY Fine Reader).
The financial support received is aprox. 32.000 euro.
Evidence of success
In 2021, the users reached the online services of the library more than 190 000 times. Online communication and organizing various activities, thus involving the local people.
The online databases with local contents are used in school work or in educational work and outside of schools as well.
The Digital Archive of Harghita contains 67 000 digitally available pages from 40 years of publishing. Free access to the big online databases for its registered users.
Potential for learning or transfer
There was a need to change the work in the library as well as the public service to serve as many people as possible even during quarantine. The re-opening was done gradually and the precautions changed regularly. Thanks to the modern digitization, online promotion, the support given to its users and especially the continuous communication with local stakeholders, the library managed to upgrade its own online database and the most important to keep up with the online services, thus engaging more online users.
Further information
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.