Librarians in Crimea Promoting Literacy with Tech

For several months, the Children's Library of Feodosiya in the Crimea has implemented a project called "IgroLand (GameLand): A Place for Imagination, Fun, and Games." According to coordinator Elena Stepanova, the project has attracted many young people to the library, in particular Azerbaijani children of recent immigrants. Online games and new technologies have enticed these children—many of whom have very limited means and struggle to communicate in Russian—to effectively integrate, access new resources, and even improve their language skills.

For 12-year-old Kenan Kuliyev, what first attracted him to his local library was the "Fantastic Football" game offered as part of "IgroLand." The experience was transformative. Kenan developed new friendships with Russian-speaking young people, and his Russian began to improve. Almost immediately, he and his Azerbaijani peers noticed that their improved language skills had an impact on their performance in school.

In addition to playing games, Kenan began to explore other resources at the library thanks to the librarians' encouragement. Kenan learned about the Internet, computers, and social media, and began reading football magazines that the librarian suggested. He became an avid reader of books on football strategy and methodology, which helped him win a "Fantastic Football" tournament at the library. Thanks to his enthusiasm for the material and the support of the librarians, Kenan is now a frequent patron who continues to borrow Russian-language books from the library.

According to Stepanova, the librarians are delighted to have helped Kenan and the other Azerbaijani boys, many of whom initially found it hard to believe that these services are provided free of charge. Although introducing them to gaming was an important motivator, Elena is most proud of improving the kids' language and communication skills through a creative combination of gaming, the Internet, and books. "Working with the regular patrons is easy," she says. "However, there are children in the community who do not attend the library and have no idea that it is modernized and offers a wealth of opportunities for their development and just fun. It is the successes of boys like Kenan that we are most excited about!"