2024 Edition

The theme of the 2024 Erasmus Staff Training Week at ULiège Library is:

Opening up our Heritage: Challenges and Opportunities in Digitising and Promoting Cultural and Research Collections

Heritage libraries attach great importance to the conservation and preservation in good condition of the heritage collections for which they are responsible, and of the custodians. Ensuring that these precious collections are passed on to future generations sometimes conflicts with the need to make them accessible and presentable to current generations, whether for teaching, education or research purposes. Digital technologies now enable libraries and museums to enhance and promote cultural and research heritage without risking their precious and sometimes unique books, works of art or artifacts.

The 2024 edition of the Erasmus Staff Training Week at ULiège Library will focus on strategic and operational aspects related to the valorisation and promotion of cultural and research heritage collections.

When

From Monday June 10 to Friday June 14, 2024.

Where

University of Liège (Liège city centre and Liège Sart Tilman campuses), Belgium.

Call for Participation

  • The call for participation was open until December 31, 2023.
  • Applicants will need to supply a motivation letter, a CV and a list of publications and communications.
    • Junior applicants should not be impressed by the requirement to provide a list of publications. The committee’s decision will take into account the age of the candidates and their professional background.
  • The total number of accepted participants will be around 20.
  • Applicants will be notified of the decision of the Selection Committee on January 19, 2024.
  • Athough it is not mandatory to submit a proposal for this Erasmus Week, it is highly recommended so that participants can take an active part in the Week. In all cases, priority will certainly be given to candidates who submit a paper for a session.
  • Participation in the Erasmus Staff Training week is free, but participants will have to cover their travel costs, accommodation, and living expenses (incl. some lunches).
  • Participation of the home institution in the European Erasmus Mobility Staff Training programme is not a condition for applying.

Content and topics in the workshops

The Week will focus on strategic and operational aspects related to the valorisation and promotion of cultural and research heritage collections.

Suggested topics related to the theme of the Week and that presentations could focus on:

  • Collaboration and partnership with other libraries and institutions for better valorisation
  • Crowdsourcing to accelerate projects to promote heritage collections
  • Digital exhibition projects or creations by libraries and archives
  • Discoverability of digital heritage collections (metadata, harvesting, linked data, etc.)
  • DRM, license, copyrights, NFTs, blockchain, and copyright issues
  • Examples of successful collaboration between researchers and librarians
  • Exhibiting cultural and research heritage objects with a CMS/web-publishing platform (Omeka, Blacklight, DSpace, SobeckCM, etc.)
  • Improving the visibility and accessibility of archives using digital technology
  • Innovative value-added services for digital heritage collections
  • Integration with (inter)national harvesters and aggregators
  • Public policies for cultural and research heritage valorisation

Note that the following aspects will not be covered:

  • (Digital) conservation, preservation, restoration, and physical exhibition of heritage collections
  • Highly technical developments or purely IT aspects

For Whom–Target Groups

  • Library Managers
  • Digital Library Managers
  • Project Managers
  • Library Special Collections Curators

Practical Info

  • Presentations, discussions, and visits will be in English.
  • Presentations’ length can be variable (from 20 min. to 45 min.).
  • The Week will include:
    • more than 20 presentations (by the participants), followed by discussions
    • library visits
    • meetings and talks with ULiège Library staff
    • social activities
  • Announcement on IMOTION: http://staffmobility.eu/staffweek/opening-our-heritage-challenges-and

Publication

The Week’s proceedings will be published in Open Access and made available on e-publish in 2025. e-publish is a comprehensive editing and publishing service provided by ULiège Library that allows authors and editors to participate in all stages leading to the publication of their work, from writing through to its distribution on digital platforms like DOAB and Google Books.

The final articles for publication can be in English, French or German.

Example from the last edition: the 2022 edition resulted in the publication of these proceedings: Beyond the Library Collections: Proceedings of the 2022 Erasmus Staff Training Week at ULiège Library

Organization

Programme and Organization

Selection Committee

Administrative Aspects