On April 2-3 this year, the "Reading Poland" Coalition held its deliberations in Olsztyn, during which Provincial Public Library presented the first one in Poland Provincial Reading Development Program, which is being carried out at the request of the Marshal of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Marcin Kuchciński, and in partnership with the Universal Reading Foundation.
The program primarily assumes going beyond the comfort zone. We are going broader: from supporting readers we are breaking away to building effective mechanisms that invite people who do not read to the culture of books. We will cooperate with doctors, teachers, social welfare centers and businesses. All these elements are important – she emphasized Anita Romulewicz, coordinator of the Provincial Reading Development Program.
As a provincial library, we are responsible for reading in the entire region. Promoting reading is one of our basic statutory obligations. We decided not to reinvent the wheel in this matter; based on the publications of the Universal Reading Foundation and in cooperation with its representatives, we have prepared an ambitious strategy for achieving sustainable development goals through investing in reading, and now – thanks to the Marshal's support – we are starting to implement it. It is an incredible adventure. - she said. Adrianna Walendziak, director of the Provincial Public Library in Olsztyn.
– We promote reading, so let's start with a quote – "Whoever reads books lives twice" – that's Umberto Eco - says Marshal Marcin Kuchciński. I joined the Provincial Reading Development Program with great enthusiasm, because as a provincial government we have something to be proud of. We have our provincial libraries, we support the work of county reading rooms, the doors to these institutions are wide open and I encourage everyone to take advantage of it. I am glad that the "Reading Poland" program involves not only libraries, educational and cultural institutions, but also numerous local governments, foundations, associations and even companies. This will benefit us all.
The two-day workshop in Olsztyn was the eighth meeting of an informal network of organizations from all over Poland operating under the name "Czytująca Polska" and working together on effective strategies for popularizing reading. The work revolves around several topics. One of them is joint reflection on a nationwide strategy for reading, the conclusions of which are presented by participants to the appropriate ministries.
The second is defining a model "reading commune". The first results are already there. In March 2024, the agreement was signed The Zabrze Declaration, in which Zabrze was the first city in Poland to commit itself to comprehensive work for readership: in all city departments, including reading training and workshops for office employees.
The third topic is reading in education. The reflections of the coalition representatives on the change in the functioning of books in schools were published in the brochure "Reading School" and became the starting point for talks and joint seminars with the Institute of Educational Research and the Ministry of Education.
The next two topics are developing a methodology for inviting businesses to invest in reading and building the “Reading Poland” Coalition network, which would effectively reach all regions with its message.
We are very happy about the cooperation with the Warmia-Masuria region. This is another example of excellent leadership in the service that understands the need to invest in the foundations of development. Because investing in reading is exactly that – building the foundations on which education and professional opportunities, critical thinking and resistance to manipulation, social inclusion, agency and entrepreneurship will grow. We are constantly impressed by the successive local government officials who see this infinite potential of reading and decide to invest in it – summarized Maria Deskur, president of the board of the Universal Reading Foundation.
The National Centre for Culture has been actively participating in the work of the “Czytąca Polska” coalition for several years, which is a great inspiration for us in the implementation of the National Programme for the Development of Reading 2.0, including its communication. We see the enormous value of this partnership with non-governmental organisations, but also with local governments and businesses. The multitude and diversity of our perspectives teach us all to perceive a wide range of needs and expectations of other stakeholders, which translates into better mutual understanding and cooperation, which ultimately builds our joint greater effectiveness in action. This is a great experience- concluded Michał Rydzewski, deputy director of the National Centre for Culture.
Representatives of numerous organizations participate in the work of the “Reading Poland” coalition:
Institutions: National Library, National Centre for Culture, Book Institute, Ministry of National Education – operators of the National Reading Development Programme 2.0, Gdynia Cultural Centre, Wrocław House of Literature, Krakow Festival Office, Goyki 3 Art Inkubator;
Local governments and local government organizations: Gdańsk, Kraków, Lublin, Poznań, Strumień, Warsaw, Wrocław, Zabrze, Zakopane, Union of Polish Metropolises, Read agglomeration;
Provincial and Municipal Public Libraries: WBPiCAK Poznań, WBP Olsztyn, MBP Zabrze, MBP Wrocław, MBP Choszczno, MBP Dąbrowa Górnicza; MBP Zakopane, MBP Wisła;
Business: Mamania Publishing House, Nowa Era Publishing House, Mamy To Bookstore, Legimi, Lubimyczytac.pl, OSDW Azymut, Poznań International Fair, AstraZeneca, Poznań Publishing House;
Foundations and Associations: Universal Reading Foundation, CzasDzieci Foundation, Edico Foundation, Center for Civic Education, Capital of the Polish Language Festival, University of Warsaw and Polish AfW School of Education, Polish Chamber of Books, Association of Literary Translators, Dom Książki Foundation;
Education system units: Regional Methodological and Educational Centre Metis, Educational Psychology, Primary School No. 33 with Bilingual Departments named after Stanisław Ligoń in Katowice, General Secondary School No. VII in Wrocław, Centre for Education Development;
The work of “Reading Poland” is coordinated by: The Universal Reading Foundation, the Office of the Mayor of Gdańsk for Culture, the Polish Chamber of Books, the Wrocław House of Literature / Wrocław UNESCO City of Literature and the KBF and the Book Institute.
