Kosovo National Library strengthens network with cities’ public libraries

PRISTINA — Kosovo’s National Library has announced a new initiative to strengthen cooperation with the public libraries of the country’s cities. The plan includes book exchanges, easier access to digital resources and a joint calendar of cultural activities.

According to library leaders, readers in smaller municipalities often have limited access to new publications and professional literature. The initiative aims to soften this gap and to strengthen the library’s role as a central institution of culture and education.

Part of the plan is also the training of young librarians, especially in the field of digital services and work with younger audiences. Younger readers, according to studies, are interested in books but expect services that are technology-friendly.

Readers at the centre

Public libraries in Kosovo remain among the few free public spaces where citizens can spend quality time with books, newspapers and magazines. Strengthening the network is expected to raise visitor numbers and to make these institutions’ social role more visible.

Meetings with authors, public readings and workshops for children are also part of the initiative and will be organised according to a calendar coordinated with the municipalities. The libraries of Prizren, Peja, Gjakova and Mitrovica are among the project’s first partners.

National Library leaders said the ultimate goal of the initiative is that no reader, wherever they live in Kosovo, should feel cut off from the country’s cultural offer, and that this requires long-term cooperation with municipalities.

The first phase of implementation is expected to begin in the coming months, while the first results will be assessed at the end of the year through data on book circulation and participation in activities.

Source: Telegrafi (Culture), with editorial adaptation by DPT.