The 19th ANKOS Annual Volunteer Workshop Took Place

The 19th ANKOS Annual Workshop was held between September 18–20, 2025, in collaboration with Artvin Çoruh University at the Alliance Palace Hotel Batumi/Georgia.

The opening was made with the speech of ANKOS President Mr. İsmail Çetinkaya; in his speech, the history of ANKOS workshops, the activities carried out in the last year, the sectoral importance of the workshops, and the potential opportunities and gains offered for volunteers were emphasized. In addition, the current list of ANKOS volunteers and task distributions were shared; information was given about the new members who joined the consortium and those who left.

In the first session, the activities of the Database Evaluation Group were addressed, opinions were shared on the evaluation processes, acceptance criteria, and product diversity of electronic information resources to be newly included in the consortium; furthermore, the current activities carried out by the Database Evaluation Working Group were presented to the participants.

In the second session, an exchange of views was held by the Electronic Resource Management System (ERM) Software and Statistics Working Group on the creation of a new ERM system and the modules that could be integrated into the system, and solution proposals were discussed by evaluating the data updating failures experienced in existing systems.

In the third session, the Licensing Agreements Working Group took the floor, situations encountered in the licensing agreement processes were addressed, and opinions were exchanged on the methods to be implemented. In this context, proposals were shared towards increasing transparency of the processes, developing standards, and creating sustainable models.

In the fourth session, the Collaboration Working Group focused on the Interlibrary Collaboration Tracking System (KITS), shortcomings experienced in the current system were expressed, and proposals for the development of a new model were discussed. In addition, preparations for the next National Academic Resource Sharing Workshop were brought to the agenda.

In the fifth session, the activities of the Academy Working Group were conveyed, in addition to the evaluation of the studies carried out so far within ANKOS processes, an exchange of views was held on the works foreseen to be carried out in the upcoming period. Especially, proposals for the development of artificial intelligence applications in libraries and strengthening academic collaborations came to the fore.

In the last session, preparations for the ANKOSLink2025 International Conference, to be held at the Presidential Nation’s Library between November 04–06, 2025, were addressed by the Public Relations Working Group, and evaluations were made on sponsorship processes, transportation, and accommodation.

The 19th ANKOS Annual Workshop, which ended with the general evaluation and closing session, not only shared the latest developments regarding the functioning of the consortium but also provided a productive environment that increased the motivation of volunteer workers. At the closing, plaques were presented; ANKOS President İsmail Çetinkaya presented a plaque of appreciation to Mr. Muhammet Kızıl, Head of Library and Documentation Department, representing Artvin Çoruh University, and then Muhammet Kızıl also presented a plaque to İsmail Çetinkaya on behalf of the university. As ANKOS, we thank all volunteers who contributed to the realization of the workshop and Artvin Çoruh University for their cooperation.