The eighth county conference for the Libraries in Norrbotten
This year's overall theme for the conference was Enthusiastic reading promotion – challenges and opportunities. – Our library collaboration in Norrbotten is largely completely digital. The county conferences strengthen the collegial community in the region, says Birgitta Markusson, Regional Library Manager.
The Norrbotten Regional Library and the public libraries in the county have a long-term and close collaboration. Together they form the organization Biblioteken i Norrbotten. In order to follow up, look ahead and gain inspiration for development, a county conference is organized every two years. The first took place in 2007 in Luleå in the newly opened Kulturens hus. On June 1–2, it was time for the eighth in the series, the location was Boden and had attracted just over 100 participants.
What is the value of a recurring county conference?
– Our library collaboration in Norrbotten is largely completely digital. The regional working groups meet in digital meetings and communicate via our regional intranet. But occasionally physical meetings are needed to meet and share knowledge. The county conferences strengthen the collegial community in the region, says Birgitta Markusson, Regional Library Manager.
Enjoyable reading promotion
This year's overall theme was Joyful reading promotion – challenges and opportunities. After Catarina Ask (MP), chairwoman of Boden's culture, leisure and youth committee, gave the opening speech, the day continued with the Swedish Arts Council. Project leaders Ann Catrine Eriksson and Annika Hermele presented the national initiative Läsfrämjandelyftet for library staff, where the work will focus on children's and young people's reading. The goal of the initiative is that everyone should be given the opportunity to develop good reading skills and have access to high-quality literature. The project will run until 2023.
Here you can read more about The reading promotion campaign
Annika Hermele and Ann Catrine Eriksson, the Swedish Arts Council, are project managers for the national initiative Läsfrämjandelyftet.
Working to promote reading with digital media and tools
Jenny Edvardsson is a teacher, author and reading promoter. She showed the opportunities and challenges of digital reading promotion, and also raised the question of what digital reading promotion can be. She gave practical tips on simple and interesting digital tools that can be used to reach children and young people, even for those who cannot find their way to the physical library. After these two lectures, the library staff had the opportunity to reflect on and discuss based on three questions:
- What from the lectures do you want to continue working on in your work?
- What obstacles are there to digital reading promotion work?
- What further training do you need for digital reading promotion work? The results from the discussions will be compiled and used for continued development work.
The 2022 Aurora Fellows in Norrbotten were also announced on the first day. Jenny Johansson, librarian at Piteå Library, is receiving the award for many years of work promoting reading with a focus on inspiration and a love of reading. Read the article about Jenny Johansson: Jenny Johansson in Piteå is the 2022 Aurora Fellow
Share and learn
The second day began with the regional working groups introducing themselves and their work. The day then continued with reading-promoting and creative environments. The libraries in Norrbotten work with several methods to reach different target groups. To inspire each other, the staff shared with their colleagues how they work with:
- Talking book meetings and social reading promotion
- Digital library tours for preschool classes
- Digital book circles for 9-12 year olds
- Dancing a Book – about taking storytelling to a new level
- Friday fun with digital technology.
Anna-Karin Luttu, Tornedalens Library in Övertorneå, talks about how she dances a picture book for preschool children
Creative reading environments – library and crafts in beautiful harmony
The closing lecturers Anna Persson, Library Development Blekinge Kronoberg, and Else Österberg, Slöjd i Blekinge, have worked on the Creative Rooms project for the past four years. The project has been about creating reading-promoting and creative places in seven smaller libraries with little funding. They should be inviting environments that make people want to be at the library and that welcome everyone. They have worked with citizen dialogues and recycling. It was a journey through different rooms that is not just about painting a few wicker chairs.
“Many small libraries have barely changed in decades. It is high time to make libraries relevant to today's society,” say the duo.
About Norrbotten Regional Library
The Regional Library is a hub and a unifying actor for the development of public libraries in Norrbotten. The region and the municipalities cooperate within the organization Biblioteken i Norrbotten for residents' access to library services. Together, Biblioteken i Norrbotten runs the digital libraries Bibblo.se and Polarbibblo.
Want to know more?
Please contact Birgitta Marcusson, Regional Library Manager, Norrbotten Region if you have any questions.
birgitta.markusson@norrbotten.se