The Book of Your Life project completed successfully
At the end of 2023, the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) named the Book of Your Life concept, which aimed to support the integration of international students coming to ELTE, as one of the best projects. The Amsterdam-based foundation and its partners awarded EUR 10,000 – the highest amount available in the call – to the ELTE University Library and Archives implemented as part of the Europe Challenge. The project involved the creation of a new, comfortable community space and the organisation of events promoting the inclusion of international students. A collage of the transformation of the space is available HERE.
The final event of the project was held on 23 September in conjunction with the CHARM-EU library meeting. In her welcoming speech, Annamária Kulcsár Szabó, Director General of the ELTE University Library and Archives, stressed that the closing of the project is, in fact, the beginning of new challenges in the life of the library in its efforts to promote the integration of international students. Szilvia Szöllősi, Head of the University Strategy Office, gave a presentation on the achievements of the project.
The community space hosted numerous events in the past, including roundtable discussions, movie nights, creative workshops, and intercultural training sessions. It was visited by Frank R. Cimafranca, Ambassador of the Philippines, among others. The students could also participate in several online campaigns on ELTE’s community platforms, such as EENJOY. They could share their favourite books and reading nooks on campus. The project was also presented at the Tempus Public Foundation conference as an example for good practice.
The new community space is also available for student exhibitions. The photo exhibition Liminal Quarters by James Clifford Viloria PhD candidate (ELTE Faculty of Science), showing the dormitory life of foreign students studying at ELTE, was launched during the opening event. Presently, the exhibition Traditions Transcended – An Artistic Voyage by Kamila de Oliveira Sousa MA student (ELTE Faculty of Humanities) is on display.
It is a fundamental mission of The Europe Challenge initiative to provide funding, mentoring, and networking opportunities for participating European libraries and their communities. At the closing event, Flóra Szelestei, librarian at the University Library and Archives, presented the learning programme comprising online and face-to-face sessions.
The project in line with ELTE’s Internationalisation Strategy does not end here. The programmes launched will continue under the auspices of the ELTE International Strategy Office, the University Library and Archives, the International Student Advisory Committee, and the University Students’ Union (EHÖK). Eszter Knyihár, Head of the International Strategy Office, emphasised that the practices and pilot programmes developed in the framework of the Book of Your Life project may serve as a basis for further project proposals in the future. At the end of the closing event, the international student ambassadors who played a major role in the programme implementation were thanked.