Jaanika Anderson will be the new Director of the University of Tartu Library

According to Mari Moora, chair of the expert committee and Vice Rector for Research, Jaanika Anderson, who was elected the Director of UT Library, stood out for her scientific approach, and the concept she presented for the library’s development was the most specific. “She has an excellent understanding of the role of a research library in the university context. In addition to her knowledge of memory institutions and experience in managing them, Anderson’s strength is the versatility she has previously demonstrated in administration, teaching and research,” Moora added. 

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In her presentation to the senate, Jaanika Anderson said that the library is the university’s heart, where people from different specialisations and study levels meet. She believes it is essential to find a balance between supporting the library’s IT development to cope with information sharing and storing while at the same time constantly modernising the physical environment to improve accessibility and meet the users’ needs. 

Anderson defended her PhD in Classical Philology at the University of Tartu in 2015. From 2021 to 2023, she was the Acting Director, and since 2018, she has worked as the Director of Research at the University of Tartu Museum. Anderson has published a number of research articles and has been active in several international professional networks in addition to her work at the museum. She has been actively involved in academic work, teaching courses at the UT Department of Art History and supervising students’ theses at the Institute of Foreign Languages and Cultures.  

Jaanika Anderson will start work as the Director of the Library on 15 August.