UBT Library and the Knowledge Center With Over 100,000 Books Inaugurated
25/05/2015The Library and Knowledge Centre, established with the support and financing from the American citizens, namely through International Book Project organization, has been inaugurated at the UBT. Prof. Dr. Stacy Closson of Kentucky University, who is also a board member of the International Book Project, representatives of National Library of Kosovo, lecturers, and students of the UBT, attended the inauguration ceremony.
The UBT library, which will be based at the new campus of the institution, has about 100,000 books. It seeks to become the biggest library in the country and the region. Besides them main library, the UBT has its library branched in Prishtina and two others in its branches in Ferizaj and Prizren, respectively.
The UBT’s goal is not only to set up a library where the students and other interested persons will be able take the books to read, but also to transform it into a center of knowledge, which would serve to all interested persons in literature and other possibilities that it offers.
Speaking on the occasion of the inauguration of the main library, UBT Rector Dr. Edmond Hajrizi said this is an important moment for UBT and Kosovo, because one of the biggest academic library in Kosovo is being established and a new concept is being created with the Center of Knowledge.
“Our concept is that is will not be only a mere library as a system of knowledge. This comes as a result of a longer project, many years of the work at the UBT, which involves several elements, such a systemizing the books, training of the staff, creating the infrastructure, and others,” Dr. Hajrizi said.
“This library has considerable quantity of books. We have managed to have 100,000 electronic and printed books, which I believe means a lot in Kosovo. Through a system of registration of all these books, as is the “Koha” system, the students and the staff will be able to get to the right information quickly and at the right place,” said Hajrizi, recalling that this is referred to as the central library because the UBT has also its branches in Prishtina, Prizren, and Ferizaj.
“The UBT considers that the aspect of knowledge needs to be addressed more and to be promoted further. Managing the knowledge is a requirement of the time. For the first time ever, we have organized Master courses on the knowledge management and the system of library information, in order to have bigger effects and higher productivity in terms of knowledge in general,” Hajrizi added.
Mr. Hajrizi noted that none of these would have been possible without the huge support from the American people, the donations by the International Book Project, whose mission is to help with literature worldwide. He appreciated the undisputed contribution of UBT professor Ridvan Peshkopia who explored, selected, and made it possible the provision of professional books for the UBT, which is very important for students and scholars in general.
Professor Dr. Stacy Closson from the University of Kentucky, who is member of the International Book Project board that helped the UBT library, noted that she felt very pleased to be in Kosovo and at the UBT to launch the library and the Knowledge Center. She praised the UBT for the good work in concluding a project of building the library and noted that it was professor Peshkopia the one who established contacts between the International Book Project and Rector Hajrizi and then the plans were developed in the direction of finalizing an idea about the library which is being inaugurated today.
“For our organization, this is the first cooperation in Kosovo. The UBT is the only higher education institute which possesses the Knowledge Center and is the only one with such a good library with different tittles. The cooperation will continue in the coming years,” said among other things Dr. Closson.
Bukurie Haliti from the National Library of Kosovo, who was involved in training the staff during the preparatory phase, congratulated the UBT staff for the good professional job from the beginning to the finalization of the library and its structure.
Professor Dr. Ridvan Peshkopia announced that by the end of the year a big contingent of books for the UBT students would arrive. He also announced setting up a library with literature from the field of medicine, noting that he and the UBT would continue working to provide literature on architecture, computer sciences, sociology, and other areas.
Egzona Luboteni, the head of the UBT Library, and Betim Gashi, who did the IT part, which is a very important aspect of making the library functional, also spoke at the ceremony.
UBT Rector Dr. Edmond Hajrizi presented recognition letters to Professor Dr. Stacy Closson, the International Book Project, Professor Ridvan Peshkopia, and Egzona Luboteni and Betim Gashi.