Twenty-Four Oblasts Welcome New Training Centers

Oblasts across Ukraine inaugurated new librarian training centers throughout June and July that will be used to train public librarians in technology and new library services. Here’s a sampling of some of the events and activities that libraries included in their celebrations:

In Dnipropetrovsk, the oblast library produced a newspaper insert called How to Find the Library detailing the locations and services provided by libraries in all districts of the city, while in Kharkiv, library staff put posters advertising the training center in the library windows facing the street. In Donetsk, Volyn and Mykolaiv librarians printed and distributed cards with the address, contact information, and working hours of the training center.

Many libraries used the new equipment to establish Skype connections with other OUNBs or other Bibliomist program participants in their respective oblasts. In Ivano-Frankivsk, library director Lyudmyla Babiy conducted a Skype demonstration with colleagues in Zakarpattia, showing local officials how modern libraries can offer their residents practical communication tools.

Some opening ceremonies featured patrons who have benefited from using internet at the library. In Volyn a folk artist who paints traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs called pysanki shared how he uses internet in the library to find patterns and information about fairs and seminars he can participate in. A patron from Poltava shared how she goes to the library to use Skype to talk to her children who live abroad.

Several library openings also highlighted how NGOs and civil society organizations they partner with can use internet in the libraries. The Head of the Chernobyl veterans’ association in Vinnytsya described how his organization protects citizens’ rights using internet resources. In Zakarpattia, local volunteers spoke about how they will use the training center to provide IT skills and social integration training to youth from a local orphanage.

Nearly every library demonstrated how the training centers will be used by scheduling trainings for librarians and other target audiences as part of the opening ceremonies. The OUNB in Zhytomyr organized a basic computer training for the cadets of the local police academy, while in Mykolaiv local government officials were among the first to receive training at the new training center. The Kharkiv opening featured training in online communications tools for senior citizens.