With its dual role as both the national library and the central library of the University of Zagreb, the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) faces numerous challenges in development planning, trend monitoring, and fulfilling its diverse responsibilities. These tasks are made more complex by the absence of similar institutions within the country, limiting opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange within the national professional community.

Recognising international cooperation as one way to address these challenges, NSK developed and implemented a short-term Erasmus+ staff mobility project focused on adult education. The primary goals of the project were to enhance the participants’ competencies in information literacy education and to strengthen their social and intercultural skills.

Five NSK staff members – Ana, Hrvoje, Tamara, Tatjana, and Jelena – participated in job shadowing programs at the national libraries of Spain, Finland, Estonia, France, and Poland. They returned with valuable insights, new knowledge, and a strong motivation for continued professional growth. They also expressed deep appreciation for the hospitality and support of their host institutions.

During their visits, the participants analysed and compared information literacy education programs across the host libraries and NSK. Based on these comparisons, they proposed new services and improvements to existing programs at NSK, aiming to raise the quality and relevance of its educational offerings.

This Erasmus+ project has not only empowered NSK staff with new skills and experiences but has also opened doors for future collaboration, aligning NSK more closely with European best practices in national library education and services.

NSK will continue to design new programs under the Erasmus accreditation in adult education with the objective to improve the staff’s competencies in order to activate and reuse our printed and digitised collections and treasures via new forms of heritage interpretation.