Behind the Curtain - Radina Damyanova and Her Passion for Panitza Library

The impressive collection of more than 125 000 print books, 560 000 e-books, 85 000 e-journals, and the quiet study environment have turned AUBG Panitza Library into one of the best places to prepare for midterms and final exams. Having such a key role in campus life, it is important to know who ensures everything is handled properly.

Radina Damyanova is one of those people. She has been working at Panitza Library since 2018. "I not only enjoy taking care of the books but also looking after all this information. It keeps me motivated," she shared when asked about what the library means to her.

Radina is currently studying for a librarian degree. Her dissertation is on the topic of social media in academic libraries. "It is a rather unusual topic, especially in Bulgaria; that's why I chose it," she added. Her interest in the sphere is also the reason behind being one of the people responsible for the social media profiles of the library.

"We started the Instagram account at the beginning of the Fall 2021 semester. We try to do more engaging posts, including reels and memes. We want to follow the trends," she said. Radina also shared that the main reason for creating the Instagram account is the low engagement of students with Facebook. She added that she and her colleagues are fully aware that current students prefer different social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram. This is how the idea of creating the library's Instagram profile came into consideration. “I am very happy that the feedback has been positive, and we have plans to continue developing the account.”

While working at a library may seem like a straightforward job, it turns out that this is not the case. “I like that we don't have a certain daily routine. Yes, when I have a morning shift, I always open all the windows, go down to the basement and turn on the moisture absorbers, after which I check my email for urgent requests. Other than that, every day is different," she explained after welcoming a student to the library with a warm smile.

In a library as significant as the one on campus, there is always something important happening behind the scenes. Currently, the library’s storage is going through an expansion to have more open space for new books. “This is the thing with priority at the moment, so I will do other tasks when we finish with the expansion," Radina explained. 

Introducing new books into the library collection is no easy job. First, a librarian has to research what type of book would be suitable for the studies and interests of the current students. After ordering the book, another librarian has to go through the process of entering its information into the library catalog. Finally, before being displayed, the book gets a security tag, preventing it from being taken out of the library by mistake. 

Radina takes care of what comes after a book is introduced into the library. “I am one of the people responsible for the scanning and processing stages of the digitization process of books and articles in Panitza Library." 

However, Radina's favorite task is the creation of all the posters and infographics spread throughout the library floors. "The most fun activity for me is doing the designs, collecting the information, and presenting it in an engaging way,” she shared.

When talking about the move to the first fully on-ground semester, since the beginning of the pandemic, Radina noted that she has noticed a positive effect on the library. "I am very happy that there are so many students using the library. I hope this continues to be the situation. Honestly, this is the first time I have seen so many people here since I started working at AUBG. Keep it up, guys!"