- O NAMA
- O PROJEKTU
- OLL/en
- Aktivnosti
- NMKolumna
- NMKalendar
- Okrugli stol
- FORUM
- PRIJAVITE SE!
- O NAMA
- O PROJEKTU
- OLL/en
- Aktivnosti
- NMKolumna
- NMKalendar
- Okrugli stol
- FORUM
- PRIJAVITE SE!
Organized by KUD Sodobnost International, Our Little Library project has been successfully encouraging love for reading among Slovenian elementary students and preschool children.
The project began in 2008 with only 2,500 participating schoolchildren. It expanded to Polish and Lithuanian schools in 2014 and further to Croatia, Estonia, and Latvia in 2018. In September 2024, Our Little Library will extend its reach to seven European countries; Italy, Estonia, Croatia, Greece, North Macedonia and Poland. The project has gained momentum in Slovenia as well, with approximately 34,000 Slovenian children actively participating in our reading activities.
The project is employing various methods and activities to ignite a spark of love for books, aiming to educate a generation of lifelong readers. At the beginning of the school year, students receive so called Creativity books based on six outstanding (picture)books. When selecting those, we of course focus on quality, whilst also striving to introduce children to contemporary authors/illustrators from across Europe to encourage awareness of a common European literary identity.
Two Creativity Books are available for different age groups of readers: the first is intended for older preschool children and the lower grades of primary school, while the second is meant for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders. Participants can sign up for exciting additional activities, such as the
Exchange of Literary Characters, Surprise Letters, written by one of the authors, contests for the Longest Reading Train and Best Reading Corner, author’s and illustrator’s visits … As part of the project, we assist teachers with suggestions how to encourage reading through organising seminars on various topics and creative activities.
The Croatian publisher Ibis grafika began collaborating on the project in 2018, when Naša mala knjižnica (Our Little Library) was introduced to Croatian schools and kindergartens for the first time. By offering engaging books and various creative tasks in the Creative Booklets, NMK saw nearly double the number of registered schools, kindergartens, and libraries in its second year.
The organizational team at Ibis grafika expands the project each year with new activities and content to enrich participants’ experiences and provide new opportunities for selecting project materials.
Since 2020, they have regularly organized the “Online NMK and Ibis grafika Round Table” (Okrugli stol) which is free and open to the public. The aim of this event is to showcase project activities and invite all interested parties to participate.
With the start of the 2021/2022 project cycle, online workshops were introduced. These workshops aim to encourage coordinators to share their project experiences and examples of good practices with other participants while engaging in interpretive and methodological book discussions. The workshop content is developed by expert collaborators Anita Peti-Stantić, Danijela Varga, and Katja Petrović.
In the 2022/2023 school year, the NMK team launched NMKolumna (OLL Column/Our Little Column/ Naša mala kolumna), a platform for reflecting on reading, books, and various literary and illustrative topics. Since last school year, coordinators have also had the opportunity to contribute to the Column.
In the 2024/2025 project cycle, the Croatian OLL project launched the NMK Forum, an online space where coordinators can independently share activities conducted with children participating in the project, showcase their artistic and creative works, share reflections and reviews of the books they’ve read, and contribute other creative materials.
The introduction of innovations and newly designed activities in each upcoming project cycle has led to the establishment of a special award for the most inspiring coordinators: “Šaran na hrastu”. The purpose of the award is to recognize the effort and dedication of OLL coordinators in implementing project activities, raise public awareness about the importance of reading, and highlight the value of individuals and their actions for the greater social good.
The OLL project continues to grow and innovate, enriching its activities and expanding its impact with each new cycle. Through initiatives like the NMK Forum and the “Šaran na hrastu” award, the project not only empowers coordinators but also fosters a strong community of educators, librarians, and professionals dedicated to promoting reading. By encouraging creativity, collaboration, and sharing of good praxes, OLL inspires meaningful engagement with literature among croatian children and adults alike. These efforts underscore the project’s commitment to cultivating a culture of reading and celebrating the transformative power of education.