9th Libraries Today National Forum:
literacy, access AND civic participation
Location: Toplocentrala Centre for Contemporary Arts – 5 Emil Brezinski Str, Ivan Vazov 1408, Sofia
Part of the Global Libraries Bulgaria Foundation’s core mission is to improve quality of life in Bulgaria and to include its people in the broader global information society. To this end it has worked for over ten years through its network of public libraries, and in partnership with government, public and private organisations, to ensure access to information, knowledge, non-formal education and culture, with a focus on the use of technology.
At this year’s forum, one of the main topics of discussion was the role that libraries play in developing literacy and reading habits. Making the connection betwen reading, literacy and sustainable development can change attitudes and lead to whole-of-society investment in support of culture, science and education, which in turn can be guarantors of stability and democracy. No less important is the development of various technologies and the introduction of artificial intelligence into activities for which equal and free access to information is essential. As information intermediaries, librarians play a key role in helping to raise levels of public information and media literacy, which in turn supports informed and active participation in public life.
The annual Libraries Today forum is an opportunity to draw sustained attention to the fundamental role that libraries play in reading and literacy, lifelong learning, access to education and culture, and national and European development.
NATIONAL FORUM 2024
LIBRARIES TODAY
LITERACY, ACCESS AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION
14 OCTOBER 2024 | TOPLOCENTRALA, HALL 1
13.00 – 13.30 | OFFICIAL OPENING
13.30 – 15.00 | SESSION 1 – READING AND LITERACY. PROMOTING READING AND CHANGING READING HABITS?
Moderated by Val Stoeva from the Children’s Books Foundation
- Reading Marathon – Silvia Pavlova, board member of the Bulgarian Library and Information Association
- The March of Books – Desislava Alexieva, Bulgarian Book Association
- Reading Day – Victoria Biserova, Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski”
- Mobile Libraries – Desislava Ivanova, Mihalaki Georgiev Regional Library, Vidin
- Green Libraries – Julia Tsinzova, Sofia Metropolitan Library
- Bibliotherapy and story therapy in libraries – Dima MIhailova, Zachary Knyazheski Regional Library, Stara Zagora
15.00 – 15.30 | Coffee break
15.30 – 16.30 | SESSION 2 – TECHNOLOGY AND ACCESS
Moderated by Justine Toms, New Bulgarian University
- Digital and green skills for the labour market – DigiBreaker Plus project (Erasmus+) – Spaska Tarandova, GLBF
- Information and media literacy for librarians – NEDLib project (Erasmus+) – Marina Encheva, Faculty of Library Science and Cultural Heritage, UniBIT
- Following the green line to Varna Library – Radka Kalcheva, Pencho Slaveykov Regional Library, Varna
- AI literacy for all: strengthening communities through literacy and access to public libraries – Plamen Miltenov
16.30 – 17.30 | SESSION 3 – DEMOCRACY AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION
Moderated by Spaska Tarandova, GLBF
- National Library Week – Vanya Grashkina, board member of the Bulgarian Library and INformation Association
- The National Reading Pact – Val Stoeva, Reading Foundation
- Libraries and Chitelishta, the modern public forums – Emilia Lisichkova, AGORA
- Interdisciplinary approaches to overcome deficits in access to culture – Yanina Taneva, Idea Factory
19.30 – 22.00 | 8th ANNUAL glbf awards
Drinks reception
Rubin Hall, Ramada Hotel
15 OCTOBER 2024 | TOPLOCENTRALA, HALL 1
Day 2 of the National Forum is dedicated to the final event of the 2023-2024 Information Matters project, which was coordinated by GLBF with the financial support of the EU.
For more information about the programme and speakers, click here.
Official project website: informationmatters.eu
session 1 – reading and literacy, encouraging reading and changing reading habits?
Valentina Stoeva - Moderator
Valentina Stoeva is the Chairwoman of the Children's Books and Reading foundations. She graduated from the St Constantine and Kiril the Philosopher National High School for Ancient Languages and Cultures, and has a Bachelor's in Political Science from Sofia University "St Kliment Ohridski"and a Master's degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from the New Bulggarian University. She has been involved in promoting children's reading since 2008, and founded the Children's Books Reading Promotion Foundation and the detskiknigi.com website. She has been recognised with awards from the Bulgarian Library and Information Association ("Ambassador of Libraries)"and the Bulgarian Book Association ("Knight of the Book"). She is currently a doctoral candidate in Theory of reading at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, Sofia University "St Kliment Ohridski".
SILVIA PAVLOVA
Silvia Pavlova is the Director of the Hristo Botev Regional Library in Vratsa. She has a Master's degree in Library Management and is amember of the managing board of the Bulgarian Library and Information Association. As Director of the Vratsa Regional Library, Silvia has developed and implemented national and international projects, and initiated and organised professional forums, round tables, conferences and exhibitions. The library also hosts author meetings and runs programmes that promote reading among children and young people. Silvia is the founder of "Vratsa - Book City", the first literary festival in Northwest Bulgaria.
Desislava Alexieva
Desislava Alexieva is the founder of FOX Book Cafe, a cultural centre and bookshop, and is the creator of a methodology for earl childhood development through reading. She is a publisher and hte Chair of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Book Association. As part of her support for books, reading and literacy, Desislava focuses on policy development, promotes reading among childre, encourages parents to read more, and works to expand access to books, culture and knowledge. Desislava believes that books have the power to change people's futures and lives.
VICTORIA BISEROVA
Victoria Biserova is the ofunder of the Enthusiast (2010) and Apostrophe (2011) publishing houses. Since 2012 she has managed Greenwich Book Centre, the largest book shop in Bulgaria. In 2013 Victoria initiated the first free beach library in Europe and in 2022 launched the Old Paper for a New Book national campaighn, for which she won the b2b Media 'Green Person of the Year' award. In 2023 she founded the Books and Reading Association and, in partnership with the Children's Books and Reading Foundations, initiated the first Reading Day in Bulgaria and created a National Reading Pact. Victoria received a PhD in Book Studies from the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communicatino at Sofia University "St Kliment Ohridski", where she is currently a senior assistant professor and teaches classes on INtroductino to Book Publishing, Contemporary World Book Publishing and Production of Publishing Products. In 2023 Victoria was awarded a Keeper of the History of the Holocaust Certificate of Remembrance from the Shalom Hebrew Organisation of Bulgaria.
Desislava Ivanova
Desislava Ivanova holds a Master's degree in Library and Informatino Sciences and Cultural Policy from Sofia University "St Kliment Ohridski"and a Bachelor's degree in Library Science and Bibliography from the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (UniBIT). She is a PhD candidate in Public Communications and Information Sciences in the Department of Library Science, Scientific Information and Cultural Policy at the Faculty of Philosophy, Sofia University "St Kliment Ohridski". Desislava is the Director of the Mihalaki Georgiev Regional Library in Vidin. She has participated in numerous professional conferences and forums with reports on topics related to cultural policy and contemporary forms of library and information services. She has published many articles in professional journals and collections. Desislava is a member of the Bulgarian Library and Information Association (BLIA) and a member of the editorial board of the Biblioteka journal. Her main interests lie in the field of modern methods and technologies for the preservation and protection of literary heritage, including restoration, conservation and digitization.
Dima Mihailova
Dima Mihailova holds a Bachelor's degree in Book Publising from Veliko Tarnovo University "St Cyril and Methodius", and a Master's degree in Library and Information Sciences and Cultural Policy from Sofia University "St Kliment Ohridski". She has been working at the Zachary Knyazheski Regional Library in Stara Zagora since 2015. In 2018 Dima was appointed as a librarian-expert at the Children's Department and Teen Zone. The same year she won the Bulgarian Library and Information Association Young Librarian of the Year award. Dima works actively to attract young readers to libraries and to modernise their department spaces. She enjoys communicating with children and encourages reading from an early age. Dima is a bibliotherapy consultant.
session 2 – TECHNOLOGY AND ACCESS
Justine Toms - Moderator
Justine Toms is a Bulgarian of Armenian origin with Master's degrees from Sofia University in Pedagogy, French Philology and Philosophy. Justine was a pioneer in the early days of the Bulgarian Internet, has created numerous websites and web competitions, and is an expert in online communication. As an early specialist in online media and marketing, Justine founded the ABC Design & Communication digital agency in 1998. Since 1999 she has directed the competition for the best Bulgarian Website of the Year. Justine is a university lecturer at the New Bulgarian University, Sofia University and at SoftUni Digital. For many years she has been an activist and volunteer for numerous initiatives involving children's reading, digital competencies, online safety, Wikipedia and open source, and the environment.
Spaska Tarandova
Spaska Tarandova is the Executive Director of the Global Libraries Bulgaria Foundation (GLBF). She has always worked in the library field, and has a particular focus on development and modernisation. Before leading GLBF, Spaska worked at Sofia City Library where from 2008 to 2014 she was Deputy Director for Library Activities and Automation. She specialises in library practices in the United States and is part of the International Group for Innovation in Public Libraries (INELI), a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation initiative. She is a member of the Public Libraries Section Standing Committee of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Library and Information Association (BLIA) and is on the editorial board of BLIA Online. Spaska was part of the team that implemented the successful Fun Summer Reading children's campaign, and was an active participant in the Read With Me campaign sponsored by the office of the President of Bulgaria. She initiated the Early Childhood Development Room at Sofia City Library in partnership with IKEA Bulgaria.
Marina Encheva
Assoc. Prof. Dr Marina Encheva is a lecturer in the Department of Library Sciences at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (UniBIT), teaching classes in Electronic Information Resources, Information Analysis, and Electronic Learning. She was a librarian at the American University in Blagoevgrad and at the Centre for Academic Studies in Sofia. She has also worked as an expert at the Centre for Information Technologies in Education at the Ministry of Education, and at the National Centre for Information and Documentation. Dr Encheva was a member of the board at the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation from 2018 to 2024, and since August 2023 has been a member of the Education and Training Section Standing Committee of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutes (IFLA). Between 2017-2014, Dr Encheva coordinated three international projects funded by the Erasmus+ programme: NAVIGATE: information Literacy - Game-based learning approaches to avoid unreliable content; TLIT4U: Enhancing transliteracy skills through serious games; and NEDLib: Digital competences and information literacy for librarians. Dr Encheva is a member of the European Commission Group of Member State Experts working on the programme "Building Bridges: Strengthening the multiple roles of libraries as gateways and disseminators of cultural works, skills and European values", part of the Work Plan for Culture 2023-2026.
Radka Kalcheva
Radka Kalcheva has been working in the field of information and communication technology at the Pencho Slaveykov Regional Library in Varna for over 20 years. She has been the Head of the IT Department since 1999. Coordinator of European projects since 2005, and Library Director since 2017. Under her leadership, the library has developed catalogues of periodicals, book and non-book media, and has also implemented the Varna Digital Library. The library has also become one of the main Bulgarian multidisciplinary data aggregators for the Europeana digital culture portal. Over the past few years, Varna Library has developed and implemented several digital services such as a digital library card, a user-friendly "My Library" space, the Eli chatbot (a virtual assistant librarian) and Bibliomat, a 24/7 service for depositing books. Radka has successfully implemented over 15 projects funded under various European programmes concerning lifelong learning, ICT and education. Radka has a Master's degree in Library and Information Sciences.
Plamen Miltenov
Plamen Miltenov holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and Master’s degrees in History and Library and Information Sciences from the United States. He also has a Master’s degree in History from Austria, and a PhD in Pedagogy and Psychology and a Master’s degree in History from Bulgaria. Plamen has worked in American academic libraries for over 25 years as a lecturer and information specialist. He is interested in educational technologies such as multimedia, interactivity, social media, virtual and augmented reality, digital literacy, information literacy, media literacy and artificial intelligence. Plamen is currently a researcher at the Research Institute at the University of Economics, Varna, where he leads courses in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Literacy for teachers and students alike, and participates in a peer group that was formed to prepare directives for the digitalization of educational activities in Bulgaria.
session 3 – democracy and civic participation
Spaska Tarandova - Moderator
Spaska Tarandova is the Executive Director of the Global Libraries Bulgaria Foundation (GLBF). She has always worked in the library field, and has a particular focus on development and modernisation. Before leading GLBF, Spaska worked at Sofia City Library where from 2008 to 2014 she was Deputy Director for Library Activities and Automation. She specialises in library practices in the United States and is part of the International Group for Innovation in Public Libraries (INELI), a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation initiative. She is a member of the Public Libraries Section Standing Committee of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Library and Information Association (BLIA) and is on the editorial board of BLIA Online. Spaska was part of the team that implemented the successful Fun Summer Reading children’s campaign, and was an active participant in the Read with Me campaign sponsored by the office of the President of Bulgaria. She initiated the Early Childhood Development Room at Sofia City Library in partnership with IKEA Bulgaria.
Vanya Grashkina
Vanya Grashkina is a member of the Board of Directors at the Bulgarian Library and Information Association (BLIA), and was Chairwoman between 2002 to 2011. She is currently the Project Manager at the Association and Chairwoman of the editorial board at the BLIA Online magazine. She has been Executive Director of the National Centre for Information and Documentation since 2004. Her professional positions have also included Lecturer at the State Library Institute, Research Associate at the Scientific and Methodological Centre, and Head of the Economic Information and Library Collections Acquisition Departments at the Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Library. Vanya has been a part-time lecturer at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (UniBIT) and Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, where she developed the course in Leadership in Library and Information Management. She specialises in library practices in the United States, Britain, Germany, Finland and the Netherlands. Vanya is the author of over 50 publications which address contemporary issues in the library sector.
Valentina Stoeva
Valentina Stoeva is the Chairwoman of the Children’s Books and Reading Foundations. She graduated from the St Constantine and Kyril the Philosopher National High School for Ancient Languages and Cultures, and has a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski” and a Master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from the New Bulgarian University. She has been involved in promoting children’s reading since 2008, and is the founder of the Children’s Books Reading Promotion Foundation and the detskiknigi.com website. She has been awarded recognition as an Ambassador of Libraries (Bulgarian Library and Information Association), and a Knight of the Book (Bulgarian Book Association). She is currently a doctoral candidate in Theory of Reading at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski”.
EMILIA LISICHKOVA
Emilia Lisichkova is the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors at the AGORA Platform. Her professional interests cover community development, civic participation, culture for development, and capacity building for community organisations, with a particular focus on Bulgarian chitalishte (community centres). Emilia has many years of experience in network-building, social innovation, and exploring different approaches for community development. She has worked with several international organisations including the UN Children’s Fund, the Matra Programme, USAID, the Charles Stuart Mott Foundation, and the America for Bulgaria Foundation. At the European level, Emilia has worked in various European programmes including Youth in Action, the Black Sea Basin Programme and Erasmus+. She has led or coordinated over 30 projects. Emila has a Master’s degree in Philosophy from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
YANINA TANEVA
Yanina Taneva is an advocate for the right to access culture, and is a co-founder of the Ideas Factory, a platform for creativity and social change. The platforms’ main programme for the past 10 years has been the BABA Residency, an interdisciplinary programme for cultural innovation in rural areas in which young urban artists spend a month in a village collaborating with local people on creative projects. As a researcher, strategic communicator and facilitator with over 15 years of experience in leadership for social change, Yanina has initiated festivals and campaigns such as the Beglika Fest and the Let’s Save Irakli conservation programme. She was part of the civic initiative behind the creation of Toplocentrala, a major creative hub in Sofia, and is now a member of the public board. She is the co-author of the Right to Culture Index, which measures access to culture in Bulgaria, the Competendo handbooks for civic-action facilitators, and of EduCity, an index of neighbourhood communities which is part of the global Design For Change children’s network.
Partners
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS
- Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria
- Ministry of e-Government of Bulgaria
- “13 Centuries Bulgaria” National Endowment Fund
- the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria
- the Bulgarian Library and Information Association
- the National Chitalishte Union
MEDIA PARTNERS
- Bulgarian National Television
- Bulgarian National Radio
- azcheta.com
- detskiknigi.com
- kafene.bg
press RELEASES (Bulgarian Language only):
Here you will find images and recordings from the event.
Registration for participants in open until 15 September 2024.