United in fostering patriots: how librarians from Vitebsk and Smolensk regions work with youth

During the round table on patriotic education, held at the V.I. Lenin Vitebsk Regional Library with the participation of guests from Smolensk, joint cultural and patriotic projects for border regions were discussed.

The cooperation of the Vitebsk Regional Library with similar cultural institutions from the regions of Russia has been practiced for many years. The closest ties have been established with the nearest neighbors - the libraries of the Smolensk and Pskov regions. In pre-COVID times, librarians exchanged visits, then contacts were maintained in a virtual environment, and now guests from the border region of Russia have arrived in Vitebsk to discuss a plan for joint events.

The heads of the Vitebsk Regional and A.T. Tvardovsky Smolensk Regional Universal Library signed an agreement on cultural and informational cooperation in the field of civic-patriotic and spiritual-moral education. "The agreement is aimed at joint activities of libraries in this direction. A plan of events for 2024-2025 is currently under development. It will outline various events, joint meetings, development of joint programs and projects aimed at patriotic education.

e education and enlightenment of the population. Smolensk is a hero-city, and patriotism is in our blood, in our traditions; it is one of the main areas of work for the employees of the library system, just like in your region, we are united in this. We actively cooperate with the education sector and youth organizations. Schoolchildren and students always eagerly attend our events, and we see a response from the younger generation," said Olga Maltseva, head of the Smolensk Regional Library.

Among the most prominent and significant events are youth library campaigns and exhibitions, such as "My Region Was Not Spared by the War," which was exhibited in various institutions of the Smolensk region and was also shown in Vitebsk and the border regions of Vitebsk. As for joint events with the Belarusian side, they include the creation of joint electronic resources and exhibitions aimed at a wide range of readers.

At the joint round table "Patriotic Education of New Generations of Citizens as a Strategic Priority of Library Activities," Vitebsk residents presented their projects, which this year have a thematic focus - many of them are dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders.. Among the novelties of the regional library of the northern region, an electronic resource of local history theme was presented - "Librarians of Vitebsk Region in the Fight for Victory". It contains documents and memoirs about the participants of the Great Patriotic War who worked in the libraries of Vitebsk and Vitebsk region at one time or another, and those who, after the liberation of the occupied territories, helped restore the library collection, a large part of which, including ancient and valuable historical copies, was lost. The resource contains information about 40 individuals.

Librarians from two friendly regions of Belarus and Russia also focused on educating not only young people but also older people. For educational purposes, regional libraries will hold joint competitions, quizzes, and campaigns, and organize programs involving residents of Vitebsk and Smolensk regions. As noted by the meeting participants, these two regions are united by a common history and pain from losses during the Great Patriotic War, therefore, under no circumstances should any of the descendants of the victors forget the price at which freedom and peace were won.

 

Source: vitebsk-region