Katre Riisalu

Director of Viimsi Public Library

Katre Riisalu is the Vice Chair of the Estonian Librarians’ Association Board. She has participated in the development of the national cultural development plan and the librarian professional standard. Since 2021, she has been the Chair of the professional committee at the association. Since 2020, she has led the Council of Public Libraries at the Ministry of Culture, which has also been a working group for the Public Libraries Act reform. Starting in 2025, she represent Estonia in the IFLA Europe regional division. In 2023, the President of the Republic of Estonia recognized her contributions with the White Star Order, 5th Class.

Professional Librarian in a Changing World

Katre Riisalu can introduce the Estonian occupational qualification system, how the Estonian Librarians Association has created occupational standards for librarians, and how we, as the librarians’ association, are working with standards, evaluation, and certificates. Why is the professional standard important to the association? Like other professions, the profession of librarian also meets today’s demands; that educational institutions have a basis for organizing training for librarians; that the state has a clearer picture of what to expect from librarians; that the public can better understand the nature of a librarian’s work; and that employers have something to rely on when drafting job descriptions. It is a continuing process, so standards and evaluations are up to date all the time.

Date and time: 2025-12-03, 09:50-10:10 (20 min)

Hall: GAMMA