Vilnius University Library

Vilnius University Library

Sukurta: 09 April 2024

mkic3 Universiteto Str., Vilnius, LT-01122
5 Saulėtekio Ave, Vilnius, LT- 10222
E-mail:
https://biblioteka.vu.lt/en

 


Director General Irena Krivienė
Phone: 268 7102
E-mail:

Director of Information Services Department Dr Marija Prokopčik
Phone: 268 7101
E-mail:
Director of Heritage Collections and Research Department Nijolė Klingaitė-Dasevičienė
Phone: 268 7111
E-mail:
Director of Scholarly Communication and Technologies Department Dr Žibutė Petrauskienė
Phone: 219 5090
E-mail:

Vilnius University (VU) Library is the oldest institutional library in Lithuania and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It dates to 1570, when the Jesuit College and its library were founded. The Jesuit College was transformed into a university in 1579, and its library became the University’s Library.
The Library collection contains 4.9 million physical items. Almost a million of old prints, manuscripts, and graphic works dating from the 13th century up to the present, stored in the library are an important source of scientific research.

Collection Development
The development of Vilnius University Library's information resource collections is determined by the University's research focus and the study programs implemented. Each year, increasing attention is devoted to the development of electronic information resources collection. This method of accessing scientific information is the most relevant, convenient, and fastest for contemporary scientists, researchers, and students.
In 2023, the Library provided user access to 96 subscribed databases (the number from the previous year has grown substantially by 45% (66 databases in 2022)). Additionally, to the subscription, Vilnius University Library provides an opportunity for its users to access electronic publications of the best world publishing houses through Evidence Based Acquisitions model and electronic books borrowing and acquisition service, based on ProQuest Ebook Central platform. This service allows users to get immediate access to individually requested electronic book titles, for short-term loan or perpetual access.
The Library invests in evidence-based decisions in developing information services. The Library’s staff applies analysis of information resources used by students and researchers in studies and research activities. Results of analysis allow monitoring if the resources are relevant to students and researchers and improving both printed and electronic collections.
With rising popularity of interactive teaching and learning methods, modern scientific workflow each year the Library provides access to more new interactive tools and platforms such as the Reaxys chemistry information tool, 3D medical database Complete Anatomy (3D4Medical), and the JoVE video journal of experimental methods.
Aiming to provide high-quality, modern services and ensure efficient access to electronic information resources, the Library began implementing a new generation library management system ALMA (Ex Libris Group) in 2023, with completion expected in 2024. This new library management system will improve efficiency by automating routine tasks, enhance discovery and access with seamless search experiences, ensure future-readiness with regular updates and cloud-based infrastructure, and support comprehensive resource management for electronic, digital, and physical materials in a unified manner.

Open science and scientific communication services
Open Science Policy Development and Implementation
In 2022, Vilnius University Open Science Policy Guidelines were approved. This was one of the activities of the strategic plan of Vilnius University under the responsibility of Pro-Rector for Research Professor E. Sužiedėlienė. After the guidelines were approved at the University in 2022, the working group led by the Library's general director I. Krivienė as well as other specialists from the Library and other University’s departments, developed the implementation plan of open science policy guidelines of Vilnius University for 2023–2028, prepared and launched in 2023, a team of open science specialists was formed at the Library.
Scientific Communication Services
Access and Dissemination. The Library ensures access to scientific publications and theses, disseminating them via the eLABa system and promoting Open Science/Open Access (OA) through various channels including OA journals, International OA Week events, and researcher consultations.
Research Data Management (RDM). The Library coordinates RDM services, including promotion, training, assistance, and consultancy for researchers in utilizing the National Open Access Research Data Archive (MIDAS), open data, DMP plan preparation, and maintaining a DMP writing tool.
Training and Consultancy. The Library provides consulting and training for researchers and staff on editing and entering publications and metadata into the eLABa system.
Scientometric Analysis. The Library Conducts scientometric analyses of VU and its subdivisions, offers individual scientist training, disseminates information, and provides consulting on scientometrics issues.
Since the inception of the eLABa system, 92,510 VU scientist publications and over 26,000 graduation papers have been registered. Additionally, since the MIDAS archive's launch in 2015, over 114 datasets have been published.

Research and Publications
In 2023, the publishing activities of the Library included research of printed heritage, publications about Vilnius University academic community as well as those dealing with the Library services and activities. Members of the Library staff prepared and published 9 scientific articles and 15 conference proceedings for international or national scientific conferences.
Scientific staff, research areas:
Since September 2023 two positions of researchers were introduced in the Library. The introduction of these positions once again confirmed the status of the Library as a research unit of VU and encouraged their development. There are two researchers currently working in Library’s Heritage Collections and Research Department: Dr. Ina Kažuro and Dr. Veronika Girininkaitė; research areas: VU scholars’ manuscript heritage; the 18th century institutional printing houses of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Additionally, aside from the mentioned areas of study, the Library conducts research on documentary heritage in other scientific fields, such as restoration and collection maintenance.
Main publications:
1. Kažuro, I. (2022). Senojo Vilniaus universiteto tezės: pagrindiniai bruožai ir sklaidos ypatumai. LMA Vrublevskių bibliotekos darbai, 11, 56–75. https://elibrary.mab.lt/bitstream/handle/1/30500/Doi_7.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
2. Rankelienė, S. (2022). Teodoro Narbuto asmeninės bibliotekos fragmentas Vilniaus universiteto bibliotekoje: nuosavybės ženklai, viršeliai ir marginalijos kaip savininko asmenybės bruožų atskleidimo įrankis. Archivum Lithuanicum, 24, 239–318. https://www.istorija.lt/data/public/uploads/2023/03/2022-archivum-lithuanicum-t.-24-8-s.-rankeliene-publ.-teodoro-narbuto-asmenines-p.-239-318.pdf
3. Girininkaitė, V., Kleinert, A., Sznajder, R. (2023). An Update of the Paper, ‘On known and less known relations of Leonhard Euler with Poland’. Studia Historiae Scientiarum, 22, 293–299. https://ojs.ejournals.eu/SHS/article/view/8832/7397
4. Rusteikaitė, I. (2023). Puošnu ir praktiška: XVI a. viduryje – XVII a. pirmojoje pusėje Italijoje ir Abiejų Tautų Respublikoje spausdintų knygų įrišai Vilniaus jėzuitų akademijos bibliotekoje. Knygotyra, 80, 228–262. https://www.journals.vu.lt/knygotyra/article/view/30214/31461
5. Baublytė, M., Kupčiūnaitė, J., Liubinienė, M., Beganskienė, A. (2022). Hydrogels – a desirable alternative to water paper restoring procedures: impacting paper properties. Chemija, 33 (4), 136–147. https://www.lmaleidykla.lt/ojs/index.php/chemija/article/view/4807/4138

Public Engagement: exhibitions, events, guided tours 
Exhibitions presenting cultural heritage are usually based on the findings of current research and they combine data from both manuscript and rare prints collections. 
In 2023, Vilnius University Library hosted 101 public events and exhibitions.  
Most important exhibitions of 2023: 
1. “Burning for Love of God and Serving God – 400 Years for St. Josaphat's Martyrdom”, an old documents exhibition dedicated to Saint Josaphat Kuntsevych, the personality whose religious activities had a great impact on the society in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. 2023 has been declared the year of St. Josaphat in Lithuania so the exhibition was launched to mark the occasion.
2. Curriculum Vilnae. In May, in marking the special 700-year anniversary of Vilnius, the Library prepared an exhibition of valuable documents recording the history of the city, titled Curriculum Vilnae. Among exhibits, there also were the transumpt brought from Germany, i. e. copies of three letters written by Gediminas, a great significance for the history of both Vilnius and the entire Lithuania.
3. “Academic Vilnius: Culture of Theses in the Old University” (on the platform “Google Arts & Culture“). The Library presented a virtual exhibition based on the research project of the old Vilnius University theses and dissertations. The focus of the research was graduation papers from the Jesuit period covering nearly two centuries for the defence of which the University awarded scientific degrees or which were intended for public disputes.

In 2023, the staff of VU Library around University architectural ensemble and the Library organized 299 guided tours in five languages, which were attended by 3,997 persons from 25 countries.
The SCIC also has captured the attention of the public both as a symbol of modern architecture and as an organisation providing innovative services. In 2023, the Centre was attended by 113 visitors of numerous official delegations and groups both from Lithuania’s and foreign academic institutions, as well as representatives of businesses.

Membership in international organizations
1. Bibliotheca Baltica
2. Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL)
3. Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER)
4. Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR)
5. Academic Libraries Association of Lithuania
6. Lithuanian Research Library Consortium.

Ongoing projects
1. Research project Research of the Old Vilnius University's (1579–1773) Dissertations and Creation of the Database, financed by Research Council of Lithuania. The project was successfully completed at the end of March by organizing a scientific conference and presenting a digital story based on the results of the research conducted during the project on the Google arts and culture platform.
2. The Basilians of the Lithuanian Province between the years of 1617 to 1839 (Bazylianie prowincji Litewskiej w latach 1617–1839). The project has received funding from the National Science Centre, Poland. Objective of the project is to carry out the research of the Basilians (OSBM) in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the establishment of the Lithuanian Province to its suppression in the territories under the Russian rule in 1839.
3. EODOPEN: eBooks-On-Demand-Network Opening Publications for European Netizens. Throughout the EODOPEN project, 15 libraries from 11 countries are focusing on bringing 20th and 21st centuries digitally unavailable works to the public by digitising them and making them accessible at a Pan-European level, while fully respecting current copyright laws.

Facts and figures 2023
1. VU Library provided services to more than 41 thousand users;
2. They visited the Library more than 702 thousand times;
3. Usage of electronic and printed materials exceeded 4,5 million times.
4. The Library has 11 service locations across Lithuania, not only main buildings in Vilnius, but also in Kaunas and Šiauliai.
5. Reading rooms have 1 661 work and study spaces.
6. the open stacks in the Library reading rooms include nearly half a million publications.

Library users are encouraged to participate in improving the Library, expressing their opinion and contributing to changes. VU Library is using LibQual (survey instrument offered by the Association of Research Libraries) which helps to assess and improve Library services, change organizational culture, and market the Library.
The University promotes scientific collaboration, therefore joint doctoral students and even scientists, researchers from other institutions can access the unique resources and services of the Library free of charge.