„SHIFT TO INCLUSION” Workshop at the National Library of Romania
SHIFT project has recently been presented during several events in Romania, organised by consortium member the National Association of Public Librarians and Libraries in Romania (ANBPR). ANBPR is the most representative professional association of librarians in Romania, including over 3,300 members in 41 county branches.
On 27 May, 2024, a presentation of the project was held in the National Library of Romania during the „SHIFT TO INCLUSION” workshop, with the participation of vulnerable groups of people. The event brought together 30 people with hearing and sight impairments, people with locomotor disabilities and people belonging to the autistic spectrum, interested in the latest SHIFT technological solutions aimed at improving access to cultural heritage in libraries and museums.
Executive director Ioana Crihana presented the goals of the project, the relevant use cases, the ongoing developments and the planned exhibition to be organised in 2025. Approximately 70 videos are to be produced as digital storytelling examples, consisting of paintings and photographs collected from libraries or shared by citizens. 50 books will be produced with the technologies developed in the SHIFT project, with supplementary information compiled from online sources. Furthermore, several historical books are planned to be „translated” from old to contemporary Romanian language, to make these writing more accessible to the newest generations, too.
SHIFT Technical Demos within the BiblioNEXT National Conference in Targu Mures, Romania
The Mureș County Library, with the support of the Mureș County Council, and in partnership with ANBPR, organized and hosted the spring edition of the BiblioNEXT National Conference of Public Librarians and Libraries in Romania, held between 29-31 May 2024, in Târgu Mureș, titled „Information. Innovation. Inspiration: Building Connections”.
In the plenary of the Conference, which brought together over 170 participants (directors of libraries and presidents of branches, librarians, local officials concerned with the development of the communities they represent, as well as representatives of NGOs and the business environment), SHIFT project was presented, among other impactful initiatives from ANBPR portfolio, as an example for sustainable approaches that can serve as best practices for libraries.
The main focus of the presentation was the SHIFT technology demonstrations, which highlighted the key role of modern technologies in supporting access for people from vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on the visually and hearing impaired library users.
Participants were encouraged to explore the technology demonstrations presented in detail and identify potential obstacles they might encounter in using these technologies. This presentation aimed at increasing the impact of these SHIFT technological solutions in the library environment, as well as maximizing access to the cultural heritage of libraries and museums for all users, including people belonging to vulnerable groups.
The presentation was met with great enthusiasm by the audience, generating intense debates during the networking sessions and thus strengthening the collaboration and exchange of ideas between the SHIFT representatives present at the event and the library professionals.
Challenges Regarding the Accessibility of Library Services – at the 12th European Conference on Education in London
A presentation, held by ANBPR during the International Academic Forum (IAFOR)’s 12th European Conference on Education on 11-15 July in London discussed the multifaceted challenges inherent in ensuring accessibility to library services for the preservation of cultural heritage, with a particular focus on understanding user consumption behaviors from a lifelong learning perspective.
The objective of this presentation, which will be followed by an extensive article, is to analyze the complicated facets and various factors associated with the preservation of cultural heritage from the perspective of the cultural consumption behaviors of library users.
Capitalizing on the information analysed within the SHIFT project, the present work illustrates how advances in AI technology can be capitalized to adapt personalized solutions in library ecosystems. These solutions are designed to increase the accessibility and the attractiveness of modern library services and favor the inclusion of different user types, especially vulnerable groups, thus strengthening the value, relevance and degree of monetization of cultural assets in library collections.
