As of September this year, the position of Director of the UG Main Library has been taken over by Roman Tabisz, whom we asked what will change at BUG and what will remain the same? 

Marcel Jakubowski: - What role should library space play in our university?

Roman Tabisz: - In addition to its primary role of providing access to knowledge, the University of Gdańsk library should function as a meeting and integration place for students, PhD students and staff. It would be worthwhile for the BUG to open up more widely to the academic community of other Tricity universities, especially the Gdańsk University of Technology and the Medical University of Gdańsk, due to their close cooperation within the Association of Fahrenheit Universities. I would like the BUG to be a space where people feel comfortable and where they are happy to spend their time not only acquiring knowledge, but also having fun; to be a library that is vibrant and the centre of the campus, not only topographically, but also in this way perceived by the academic community.

- In recent years, the BUG building has hosted vernissages, film screenings and now the Erasmus+ InnHUB will soon be operational. Is this the 'life' that is vibrant in the library?

- It is beginning to pulse. And that is something I am very pleased about, especially after a recent period marked by onerous pandemic restrictions. However, it is worth emphasising that the library's most important function remains the provision of up-to-date sources of knowledge and modern tools to support the acquisition and consolidation of knowledge and the research and teaching activities of academic staff. This will be our primary focus. At the same time, however, I am keen to ensure that people come to BUG not only for knowledge. I am very pleased that the Andrzej Wajda Film Centre of the University of Gdańsk is located in our building. This is such an element that attracts not only the academic community to the library but also people from outside. On September 5 the Erasmus + InnHUB was officially opened, and at the beginning of the academic year, we are planning to open a Welcome Centre - a place intended for foreign students. I would like the University of Gdańsk Library to be the organiser of various events as well.

- You just mentioned this concept of a lively library, but the library is rather associated with a quiet place. Is there enough space in the BUG space for both visions?

- Absolutely yes. As a library, we need to look at all our readers and their needs. There are those in this group who like things to be happening and then they feel comfortable, but also those who like peace and quiet. We are also thinking about the latter group. This academic year, we are opening a new space on the fourth floor - the quiet reading room - where we will create a comfortable environment for people who need silence.

- Where do you see the potential for change or new initiatives at the University of Gdańsk Library?

- I would like the University of Gdańsk Library to follow the path of continuation of previous activities initiated and then successfully carried out by Director Grażyna Jaśkowiak. However, it will be necessary to distribute the accents differently. Above all, I believe that attention should be paid to the availability of library services also after library opening hours through additional facilities for self-service lending and return of books. For UG employees, I want to offer the possibility to pick up collections ordered from different locations in their own departments.

I am keen to develop electronic resources also in collaboration with the other two FarU libraries. I also plan to expand access to the Legimi service and thus to literary bestsellers and new releases. However, it will be important not only to shape the enriched collection itself but above all to promote it effectively.

The library should change from a passive to an active mode of operation, but first and foremost it should listen to the needs of its readers, ask them what they expect from the library and meet those needs.

- The University of Gdańsk is also forging closer ties with Gdańsk University of Technology and the Medical University of Gdańsk as part of the Association of Fahrenheit Universities, can we expect a joint library system?

- Yes. One of the recommendations developed by the Library Team, of which I was a member, working under the project 'Supporting university consolidation processes' was the joint implementation of a modern library system. We obtained the favour of the rectoral authorities of the three universities and were thus able to start preparations for this task. Implementation of the new system is planned for 2023.

- What is the situation regarding the expansion of traditional resources?

- The University of Gdańsk Library is in a very favourable situation in this respect. We are one of fifteen libraries with legal deposit rights. This means that publishers operating in the country are obliged to send us one copy of each of their publications. On this basis, we are building up our print collection, currently having the richest collection in Tricity. I hope that this state of affairs will continue for years to come.

- Do you plan to continue social activities such as the library assistant and cooperation with the Office for Persons with Disabilities? 

- We try to make sure that all readers, including people with disabilities, feel comfortable with us. So far, the cooperation with the BON, which includes assistants for people with disabilities in the library, has been excellent, and this is mainly thanks to Ms Justyna Rogowska, head of the BON. Further initiatives will soon follow.

- What challenges do you still see ahead of you as director of the University of Gdańsk Library?

- There are many challenges facing me as Director, but also the Library as a whole. One of them is to improve the visibility of the library on campus, as well as outside our university. I plan to achieve this in several ways. Firstly - I would very much like to strengthen cooperation between the library and other UG units. So far, cooperation with the University of Gdańsk Publishing House, as well as other units, has worked very well. Cooperation with the UG Archives also looks very promising.

Another challenge is to maintain, at a high level, the support provided to UG research staff. The recent evaluation of scientific activities has shown the importance of the library in this process. I believe that we have fulfilled our task very well. We will do our best to ensure that this will also be the case in future years. But we are not going to stop there. I would like to set up a team that will focus on developing open science and supporting academics in doing so. We want to develop our repository of open publications and create an institutional repository of open research data.

However, all of this cannot be done without a team of librarians and IT specialists who are open to new challenges. I count on their commitment, support and trust.

- These are your first days in your new position. How do you feel about this role?

- I am proud to be the director of the University of Gdańsk Library - the largest library in Pomerania. I feel a lot of responsibility, but I have confidence that we will be able to achieve these tasks and challenges that the future holds. I say plural because I won't be able to do it alone, without the library team. But together we will certainly succeed.

- Thank you for the conversation.