Literature, Library Processes, and Market was a subject I approached as a complete unknown. Since I came to KISK mainly for the design specialization and hoped to only skim through literary courses, I was a bit alarmed when I discovered we’d need to complete an editorial project in a team of people I’d never met before. It was an entirely unfamiliar area, with unfamiliar teammates, and much of the organization was left up to us.

Although the course topic wasn’t among the most exciting for me, I did learn some fascinating facts about how libraries operate both in the Czech Republic and globally, what challenges they face, and the significant transformation this field is currently undergoing. The assigned projects, which offered several options for how they could be approached, were particularly helpful in broadening my understanding. Initially, I was pleased that alternatives to traditional essays were available, but due to my workload, I ultimately opted for an essay as the simplest and least time-consuming option. Writing it encouraged me to dive deeper into the topic and gain a better understanding of it.

On the downside, I have to mention the course’s lack of organization. For a long time, I wasn’t sure how the assignments were supposed to look or even when they were due. This was particularly problematic with the editorial project, the details of which were only shared shortly before we were expected to start working on it. Even then, most of us were still unclear about what exactly the project should include or how it should be presented. For a student working full-time alongside their studies, this level of disorganization was a nightmare—I couldn’t estimate how much time I’d need for the assignments or plan ahead to set aside a less busy period at work.

Another challenge was the team-based nature of the editorial project. In our combined-study program, our group consisted of people who didn’t know each other and had different professional focuses. Coordinating a joint project and finding a mutually suitable schedule on short notice was particularly challenging.

From an organizational standpoint, I believe this course would benefit greatly from clearer instructions and a well-defined timeline.

What stood out to me as unusual was the instructor’s willingness to extend deadlines based on students’ requests. Coming from an economics background in my undergraduate studies, I couldn’t have imagined such an approach before. This flexibility likely helped compensate for the slight disorganization of the course, though the deadline extensions were often announced relatively close to the original submission dates. As a result, the primary beneficiaries were likely students who hadn’t initially planned to meet the original deadlines.

That being said, I genuinely appreciated this approach. It alleviated the traditional academic stress and fostered a more open and accommodating atmosphere for learning.

At the end of the day, I enjoyed the course and what I enjoyed most was the final presentation of the editorial project. It was open, creative and I've met a lot of interesting people - eventually found out we have some talented authors among us.