We wanted to know how the education model for librarians is structured (at the national and local level); to find out if and how the professional training offered by the National Library needs improvement and to determine what additional training is in demand in Northern Europe. We also wanted to learn how the provision of in-service training is organized (within the organization, across the library network and in cooperation with organizations outside the field). In addition, we wanted to familiarize ourselves with the teaching methods and solutions used by colleagues in Northern Europe, in order to apply them, if possible, to the training of Estonian librarians. Based on the above, we can introduce Northern European teaching methods and solutions to library workers across Estonia, who can in turn take them to their own community. In addition, the goal was to get input into the reconstructed building of the Estonian National Library to create a new educational environment, paying attention to the technical and spatial solutions that support educational activities in the best libraries of Northern Europe.
The National Library acts as a development center for Estonian libraries and a developer of nationwide library services, playing a leading role in training librarians. The aim of our project is to learn from the best practices in the most innovative libraries in Northern Europe, which are leading the way in the world of librarianship. The building of the National Library is also undergoing renovation and should in 2026 open to all interested parties. Right now, we are looking especially intently at the future - what needs our renewed areas should support, both technically, spatially and in terms of content. Within the project, we wanted to learn from the experience of Danish-Norwegian libraries in order to understand what was successful, failed or unexpected in the case of cardinal and large-scale innovations. We also wanted to know what are the skills that 21st century librarians need and what are their activities? Based on the above, we would like to reevaluate our existing professional training program, continuing education portfolio, and design the services of the reconstructed building based on the best practices of the best libraries in the world.