In November 2025, our colleague, the head of the Study rooms, Ms. Barbora Horáková, visited the partner library Biblioteca Municipal Santa Maria de Feira, located near the Portuguese port city of Porto.
The primary goal of the visit was to gain hands-on experience and explore potential future cooperation within Erasmus+ projects.
The library in Santa Maria da Feira offers a wide range of services and activities for all age groups – from children’s corners and teen spaces to reading clubs, creative workshops, and film screenings. Special attention is given to users with limited mobility, and access to literature across the region is facilitated by three bookmobiles.
The internship demonstrated how to effectively combine modern technologies, digital catalogs, and traditional collections to make library services as accessible as possible. Barbora Horáková plans to implement some innovative approaches, such as individual user consultations and thematic shelf labeling, in the Pardubice library.
The experience confirms that inspiration from international collaboration can enrich Czech library services and bring new ideas for community and educational programs.
