New Library Services at Western Balkan Universities: Results of Tempus Project N.L.S.W.B.U.

Abstract

Tempus project “New library services at Western Balkan universities” intended to provide technological modernization, functional integration and institutional expansion of academic library systems in Serbia (University of Belgrade, University of Nis and University of Kragujevac), Montenegro (University of Montenegro) and Bosnia nad Hercegowina (University of Sarajevo and University of Tuzla). This project provided:

• Installation of new servers in library system`s nodes and inclusion of new faculty libraries in the library-information system of their universities;
• Implementation of new library services for establishing complete integrated library system (ILS);
• Establishment of the system for archiving and use of digital university documents and their linking to library-information system and system of communication in science. 
• Implementation of new library services started with modul COBISS3 – holdings data and afterwards COBISS3 – acquisition and interlibrary loan. 
• In the frameworks of the Project, six institutional repositories were established, one for each partner university, with coresponding web interfaces. 
• University of Vienna, our EU project partner, proposed installation and use of their system Phaidra for archiving and permanent usage of electronic documents and objects, being used by several universities in Austria and at the University of Padua.
• Tempus project enabled universities – project partners to be the first in the region to realize the complete automation of library information system, which enables students, teachers and other users of the academic libraries to effectively use and exchange conventional and electronic library materials. Project importance is increased by the selection of regional network as the fundamental technological and organizational model of the library system. Regional network provides direct flow of scientific information and documents in the region, and also effective educational, professional and cultural cooperation among universities in the region.