Libraries in Networks: Creating, Participating, Co-operating Local and international partnership network for reader s community Laima Dumsiene Head of Information department Fridrichas Bajoraitis Public Library of Silute District Municipality The Library was founded in 1945 and was granted the name of Fridrichas Bajoraitis, the poet and founder of the first portable bookshop in Lithuania Minor in 1995. Fridrichas Bajoraitis Public Library of Silute District Municipality is an attractive place with in open public spaces where besides traditional library services available offer large scale of digital and interactive information for the region s community. In 2006 library settled in reconstructed characteristic for land of Klaipėda old architecture building. There are modern adult and children internet and periodical reading rooms, school of art creation, exhibition gallery. There is a Book museum in the library. Valuable collections of authorized and dedicated books, original art works, icons. At present, the Library system consists of a public library, 1 city and 22 village branches. Combination of all services at the library has the main goal: promote reading, inspire creativity find new solutions and innovative forms of work methods. I would like to present our Fridrichas Bajoraitis Public Library practices and experience local and international partnership network, as one of the ways to cooperate, to promote reading, encourage the community come to the library and enjoy reading by offering guidance of information and other services. Local partnership is the most appropriate form to bring together community members, encourage their participation in cultural life. Mobilization of people skills promotes innovative solutions for library activities and investment in better services to the local community. Fridrichas Bajoraitis Public Library holds in average about 150 different events and visualexhibitions yearly and attracting nearly fifty thousand visits. All events are part of library services promotion tool, which creates publicity, visibility, efficiency, image and communication with city community and library users. However events arrangements at the library are playing important role of local community interests especially children and older people. Community members are the most users and readers in our library. The community probably will get help if it will need for a library. 1
Shared objectives and partnership with the community for library is the primary reason for its existence. Library has partnership agreement with Silute city kindergartens, schools and gymnasiums. Cooperation with schools and kindergartens are open to continuous learning and community change. According to different countries experience the maximum effect of reading promotion could be achieved when reading habits and skills reinforced at very young age. Tendency to read and reading provisions could be already formed in childhood, at home or by immediate surroundings. The ability to read is a necessary cultural competence. Without good reading skills will be difficult find attractive position on the job market and hard to control over own life. 1 Reading promotion activities are carried by the long-term campaign in cooperation together with library partners. Has been arranged an unusual event train Silute - Klaipeda Reading train trip for children, parents and grandparents." During fifty kilometres trip all participant has chance learned about new books, authors, read stories. Three generations of people as equal partners communicate and spend time together. Preschool children come to library 2-3 times per week and participate in educational-creative lessons ("Creative Carousel"). A necessarily change of the traditional library space into an interactive playing-learning-knowledge space attracts more children. Children express their artistic experience, technical works, by using the feature puppets, reading fairy tales, together with librarians preparing theatre, arranging exhibition of own made works. During audio readings children are introduced to new published children books. Such activities are proven to pay off - attracting new customers, small readers find the way to the library, have opportunity to communicate with each other and share experience with older children. Most of these activities are integrated into a virtual IFLA international project. Two librarians visited our library from Brasov (Romania) George Baritiu County Public Library and invited Silute Library to join into IFLA Project "Sister Libraries". It is a new program of IFLA Section Libraries for Children and Young Adults : a program for children s libraries to build a partnership, exchange views and experiences, collaborate and develop joint programs for children s and reading. "Sister Libraries" the concept is not new and has been seen to be very beneficial and rewarding for many libraries. The exchange of knowledge, information, resources, experience and good ideas on library work for children and Young Adults with colleagues abroad opens one up to new possibilities and can even help overcome difficulties faced. Silute library began to collect information about our partner and the country of Romania. This year two librarians take part in international conference in Romania. 1 http://www.splq.info/issues/vol39_1/01.htm Jens Thorhauge. Children a constant challenge - also to the library. 2
Romania received presentations from us about Lithuania and Silute. At present we are waiting materials from the project partners of Romania. Long-term event for kids with idea to continue International children s books fair organized and initiated by our library. Participants - authors, illustrators, publishers of children books from Baltic countries (Latvia, Estonia), Russia, Croatia. Event organized every second year since 1998. The International Children book fair exhibition event attracts around 500 participants. The main activities at the book fair: children books presentation, trade market of the books, educative arrangements for the kids, meeting with children book authors, theatre performances and other entertainment activities in relation for the reading promotion, leisure and fun. Are developing relations and cooperation between the library and education community. The Library has signed partnership agreements with local educational and cultural institutions, government and business institutions, with non-governmental organizations and newspapers. Library promotes good relations with the cultural centres: Silute cultural and entertainment Centre, Kintai cultural centre of Vydunas, centre of Old rural traditions, Samogitian region ethno cultural centre, Rusne s Island ethnic and Information centre. Are signed joint activity contracts in Lithuania with Lithuanian Writers and Artists Associations, Universities of Vilnius and Klaipeda, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Association of Lithuanian Ex- Libris Club, Lithuanian Press Photographers Club. Every year since 2005 the Library in cooperation with University of Vilnius invite people for University Day in Silute. There are arranged lessons at four gymnasiums, where deans presents University profile and provide all necessary information related to studies at the University. Second part takes at Deans from different faculties of Vilnius University participates for the round-table discussions. Vilnius University Days provides an excellent opportunity for high school students and their parents to get the latest additional information about the study programs at Vilnius University. Non-traditional events are the "face" of library whish sees our readers. Events reflect the identity of the library, great ideas in establishing new relations with partners and service users. The Library implements successful projects with foreign partners: Bauska Central Library (Latvia), Viljandi Central Library (Estonia), Kaliningrad children Library, Reza, Vydunas Lithuanian societies (Russia), Zadar Public Library (Croatia), the George Baritiu Public Library in Brasov (Romania), Khashuri Municipality Library (Georgia), Punsk (Poland) Lyceum school and others. Since 2005 Fridrichas Bajoraitis Public Library organized traditional literary autumn "To tame the word, bird, cloud Every three years event encouraging literary lovers, various artists present works of literary. During the event books writers, publishers, illustrators, translators and literary critics presenting own work at the public library, as well in small towns around Silute at local library branches. There are presents own works book authors, illustrators, publishers from neighbouring 3
countries such as Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Croatia. The local community has an opportunity to interact with authors and their works. All presented books are displayed during the autumn exhibition. The final part of literary autumn event nomination of the best author and election of top ten best and most important books. The event attracts hundreds of people from Silute and attracts tourist visitors. Lithuanian Embassy in Georgia and Khashuri municipality Library (Georgia) invited participate our library as a partner in the project "Open Library. Library Performed Partnership Agreement in Khashuri, Gori and Surami libraries in Georgia. Objective of the project by using partner s Khashuri and Gori library technical and human resources reach society use modern technologies and it s provided possibilities for information exchange and communication purpose. During Educational workshops librarians made the practical exercises together, conduct interviews at the round table, creating models of open library. F. Bajoraitis Public Library is constantly looking for new opportunities for their services and their quality. Library wonted to maintain the quality of services. Library does not always have sufficient funds for activity so tries to attract partners to Library. The library is ready to go far for cooperation, partnership and good ideas road. A mutually useful form of partnership is support. Library has idea of setting up publishing house, but did not have the funds. Library used the opportunity to establish cooperation with the business community. To help come business partner and Library publishing house Prussia was found in 1996. At present library publish 9 books prepared by librarians and exhibited in book sales in Frankfurt, Leipzig, Tallinn and Vilnius. In 2011 was initiated campaign "Christmas Books" by President Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania in which joined librarians. This campaign has given a clear result is seamless links to connect different areas of Silute people from business, politics, culture. Library readers may enjoy the updated collections of books. In the campaign participated district leaders, local politicians, civil servants, journalists of electronic and traditional newspapers, businessmen, non-governmental organizations, public library and its branches, readers, students, kindergartners and their parents. A total participated in the campaign 129 sponsors and now Library readers may enjoy the updated collections of books. Already for three decades Fridrichas Bajoraitis Public Library collect and store information about people, who were born in Silute or otherwise associated with Silute city and its region. Since 1988 the library taking part as the main organizer to prepare meeting for the all fellow of Silute "To bring the light, to do good things... " who lives in Lithuania and in abroad. The main objective of event gather people to the homeland for intellectual discussions unite various generations together to be initiative inspire them generate new ideas, share experience and own works. There were preselected art exhibitions, musical programs and creative night readings. In 2011 Silute city celebrated 500 year 4
anniversary. Nearly ninety fellow participants from Lithuania all ethnic regions and from Germany, USA, Russia, Belgium, Australia, Latvia and attended at the library event. Library has become a fellow embassy for Silute people who live in Lithuania and abroad. This is a great youth development and intellectual achievement of knowledge, demonstration of respect for their land. This is presentation of fellow countrymen good s works in today's Pomeranian community. This event was supported by business institutions and individual businessmen and people. Permanent and regular contacts with our partners are the key to any successful search process of support. There is one event (so called Benefish ) dedicated to library promotion. The main goal develop respect for the best library traditions, pay attention to library users, potential sponsors. Each year library elects the best librarian. The best librarian title is recognized by librarian personal work performance and library customer s evaluation. Usually Benefish organized according to the playful script include good sense of humour. The library has established a good relationship with local and national press. Has become a tradition to celebrate the day of Press restoration, language and book. Event named Goats from Pamarys, participants local journalists and local politicians and business people. Every year the library held the event Goats from Pamarys. Final part of event traditional awards the worst most ridiculous achievement of the year. Press is a major mediator between the library and the society. It helps the community to understand what the library is, which community it connects. Press is witnesses of all the works of library. Local and international partnership networks are serving for our reader s community. Reading is very important as a part of human activities, helping to integrate into society, builds awareness, encourages creativity. Reading develops and improves thinking, feeling, form and develop human knowledge of the individual world model concept, multi-cultural interaction and integration. The library will never be lonely. It will be surrounded by community, social and business partners. Local and international partnerships provide new service development perspective for library, trust of community and potential sponsors brings together a wider audience and improve the image of the library, provides best practices, increase awareness of the library outside. From our work depends if the persons and partners are going to come back to the Library again. When you cannot go it alone and succeed, collaboration becomes a prerequisite to effectiveness ; it is natural for institutions to come together to assemble sufficient collective confidence, knowledge, financial resources or political power to enable them to be effective (pointed out by James E. Austin, 2000, Harvard Business School). 5