MUST Week 2026

In the second week of June, Masaryk University hosted seven librarians from abroad who came to Brno to share their professional experiences as part of the Masaryk University Staff Training Week: Library Edition. The program focused on topics that are currently shaping the landscape of modern librarianship: innovation, artificial intelligence, education, technology, Open Science, services, and the legal framework governing library activities.

This year’s edition was organized jointly for the first time by the libraries of the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Education, and the Faculty of Informatics at MU. Colleagues from various departments at Masaryk University (including Brno University of Technology) contributed to the program’s preparation. The result was a compact program consisting of a three-day mini-conference, followed by consultations and targeted library tours based on participants’ interests.

The conference portion was opened by Monika Foltánová, head of the Central Library of the Faculty of Education at MU. She was followed by Jiří Poláček, who presented the organization of MU’s libraries and the scope of their services and activities. After a tour of the Faculty of Law, where this year’s event was held, a session dedicated to artificial intelligence followed. Marian Nevrlý demonstrated its practical applications in cataloging, Vojtěch Velísek outlined the questions that should precede the implementation of new AI projects, and Martina Kampichler focused on how AI can be integrated into academic writing without undermining the fundamental principles of scholarly work.

The second day focused on education in libraries, particularly in doctoral programs. Tereza Schwarzová Matýsová, Pavla Vizváry, and Tereza Šmilauerová opened the discussion on the role of libraries in the development of academic skills. Věra Redrupová added a perspective on internationalization, and in the afternoon, Martina Dvořáková discussed diamond open access with the participants. The day concluded with a tour of Brno’s historic center and a group dinner.

Wednesday’s session covered a range of current topics: the transition to a new library system (Miroslav Bartošek), digital libraries (Vlastimil Krejčíř), identifying predatory publishers (Jiří Kratochvíl), makerspace workshops (Pavla Ukropcová and Kateřina Rajsová), and the e-attendance service (Marcela Mečlová). The session concluded with legal issues related to the day-to-day operations of libraries, explained by Ondřej Woznica.

An important part of the program was also the presentations by the participants themselves, who introduced their home institutions, shared examples of best practices, and outlined their future professional visions. Participants organized the last two days individually—choosing from a selection of library tours and professional consultations based on their areas of interest.

We would like to thank all our colleagues from Slovakia, Hungary, Portugal, and Trinidad and Tobago for their active participation and open sharing of experiences. Our thanks also go to the speakers who contributed to creating a stimulating and content-rich week, which reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation in the field of academic librarianship.