KBR is part of a broad network connecting all European national libraries. As Belgium’s national scientific library, international collaboration is not only a legal mandate on paper but also a key part of our daily work.

The recently published animated movie “Flow” is not the only connection between Latvia and Belgium. Our national libraries – the National Library of Latvia  (NLL) and KBR – are committed to user-centric services, digital transformation, cultural and educational engagement and collaboration. We also face similar challenges as we receive several thousand books via legal deposit each year, while preserving an increasingly diverse and multilingual heritage. In a rapidly changing world shaped by digital transformation and evolving user needs, both institutions are actively adapting by integrating new technologies, fostering curiosity, and putting users at the center of their services.

KBR welcomed Matiss Bolsteins (Head of Data Management Development) and Marta Kivkule (Data Usability Expert) from the National Library of Latvia between March 24 and March 26, 2025, as part of the Skills and Knowledge Exchange Programme from the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL). Hosted by KBR Data Manager Sven Lieber, the visit focused on sharing institutional workflows, with a particular emphasis on AI in cataloging, improving metadata quality, and sharing best practices in authority data management.

During the visit, both teams introduced their respective institutions and key projects in several one-on-one meetings. But there was also time for more. Next to a small tour through the facilities of KBR’s Google Books team, our Latvian colleagues also visited the Coins and Medals department of KBR, where, to the surprise of our visitors, we also have Latvian coins.

This skills and knowledge exchange was a breath of fresh air! It was a great privilege to share the work of the National Library of Latvia and learn about KBR’s projects and workflows. We were proud to present our initiatives and truly inspired by the insights and practices shared by our colleagues at KBR.. – Matiss Bolsteins , NLL

The one-on-one meetings focused on a variety of topics, but mainly on improving the cataloging processes. Whether by supporting cataloging experts with AI or using more traditional computer science techniques to improve the data quality in the library catalog. For example using the ISO certified International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) to uniquely identify contributors to creative works.

One interesting presentation focused on the Latvian Linked Data platform “Rainis and Aspazija”, related to Digital Humanities (DH) research. This serves as inspiration for KBR, because facilitating DH research is part of our action plan and is actively pursued by our researchers. For example, at KBR we currently work on the DH-related project BELTRANS where we study the untold history of literary translation flows in Belgium between French and Dutch in the period 1970 – 2020. Next to make the results of this project available to KBR’s readers, we also plan to publish a research dataset for DH researchers.

It was truly inspiring to see the inner workings of key projects at KBR and to hear from the dedicated people behind them. Linked data plays a crucial role in making information accessible, and exchanges like this remind us how important it is to learn from each other and keep improving our services in a rapidly changing world – Marta Kivkule, NLL

The exchange led to a deeper understanding of shared challenges and potential collaboration opportunities. For example, the current KBR-lead project MetaBelgica to set up a publicly accessible reference database of cultural heritage entities from different Belgian Federal Scientific Institutes has a Latvian counterpart, the ATS system.

We must stop reinventing the wheel! Such knowledge exchanges are a great way to talk to each other and learn from each other. – Sven Lieber, KBR

We thank CENL for funding this knowledge exchange. This visit reinforced the importance of international collaboration. You can learn more about CENL and its activities on their website.