The Provincial Public Library in Olsztyn has become the official Regional Partner of the Universal Reading Foundation.
One of the statutory tasks of the Provincial Public Libraries is to implement, coordinate and promote initiatives that serve the development of reading. At the same time, this is how the Universal Reading Foundation perceives and implements its mission. The Provincial Public Library in Olsztyn has come to a simple conclusion: why force open doors when you can join forces and use each other's "superpowers"?
We have looked at the well-thought-out strategy and wide range of activities carried out by the Universal Reading Foundation and came to the conclusion that establishing a partnership will be beneficial for everyone: we are able to translate the FPC strategies into activities in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and the Foundation is a professional partner in strategic talks on how to implement these activities, what arguments to use, what research to refer to – Adrianna Walendziak, director of the Voivodeship Office, emphasized Public Library.
We are delighted with this first Regional Partnership. It is a great honour and commitment – our several-year effort to create a strategy for changing the way of thinking about popularising reading has just brought an incredible effect: from creating a vision and trying to implement it from the office of a small organisation, we are entering a partnership in which, thanks to the involvement of a large institution, which is the Provincial Public Library, we will have the opportunity to cooperate systemically and broadly; share our ideas, but also, above all,
everyone to learn and be inspired by working with experienced people who often work in environments other than ours. It is hard to express how grateful we are for this opportunity – said Maria Deskur, president of the Universal Reading Foundation, firmly.
The first step of the partnership was a workshop meeting of the Foundation representatives with the team of the Provincial Public Library in Olsztyn and the directors of the Municipal Public Libraries of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. I am the director of the library
over twenty years, and yet this meeting was interesting and inspiring. I am leaving full of ideas – emphasized the director of the Municipal Public Library in Lidzbark Warmiński at the end of the workshop. We talked about strategies for including a wider group of decision-makers in pro-reading activities. For example: reading as a foundation of well-being should be in the circle of interest of doctors, as a tool for the development of future innovators it should be supported by business leaders. Our workshops concerned, among other things, this very thing, i.e. how to invite authorities from these fields to influence reading – says Katarzyna Konopka, project manager at the Universal Reading Foundation.
The Universal Reading Foundation has been building elements of a strategy to promote reading in Poland for six years: in 2019, it launched a programme Prescription Book. Recipe for Success, the aim of which is to permanently introduce the recommendation of reading into pediatric practice in Poland. In 2020, on the day of school closure, the Foundation created a campaign #Tere'sTimeToRead encouraging parents to take their children away from the screens. In 2021, together with coordinators Coalition "Reading Poland" published the first Polish guide to popularizing reading The Superpower of Books and The Superpower of Books in Kindergarten. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the # campaign has been underway.BookProtects, whose aim is to provide books to refugee children and help Ukrainian publishers. In 2022, in cooperation with the Union of Polish Metropolises, it launched a campaign #ReadingRules, whose aim is to engage authorities in favour of reading. In 2023, in cooperation with the Tatarak publishing house, the Foundation launched the first edition of the campaign #ReadingDad, also organized the first international conference Literacy for Democracy; runs a Christmas fundraising campaign every December #UFreeSuperpowerGood.
Provincial Public Library in Olsztyn is a cultural institution with a rich history and a wide range of activities. The library offers access to a rich collection of books, magazines, audiovisual and electronic materials from various fields of knowledge. As a public institution, its main goal is to promote reading, cultural education and support the development of the local community. The Provincial Public Library organizes various cultural events, such as author meetings, exhibitions, conferences and
thematic workshops, which aim to encourage residents to actively participate in cultural life. In addition, the library often cooperates with other cultural, educational and social institutions to promote reading and culture in the region. Thanks to the partnership with the Universal Reading Foundation, the Voivodeship Public Library can more effectively adapt and implement innovative strategies to promote reading, using the rich experience and support of experts from the Foundation.
