Public libraries and local community –partnerships in the promotion of education and contemporary literacy

Abstract

The Public Library „Stefan Prvovenčani“(Kraljevo, a town in central Serbia) and the Primary school „IV kraljevački bataljon”, in the city center, were partners in the promotion of education and contemporary literacy. Together, we organized reading clubs in order to achieve the common goals: usage of modern technologies in the promotion of contemporary literacy and education. In those reading workshops, pupils were reading books that are not included in the school curriculum, and then they made movies, digital presentations, posters, sketches to present their favorite texts. More than ¼ of school children was willing to participate in this project. During two months, the students had the opportunity to talk with the contemporary Serbian writers in live programs or to communicate with them via Skype. As a result, students used their IT skills to share their reading experiences and to make short movies, video clips and Power Point presentations. All the participants were the winners and as a prize they got the opportunity to visit the National Library of Serbia, located in Belgrade. This was a memorable day for our students: three buses of school children visited the capital and became familiar with librarianship realizing that librarians have an important role in connecting heritage with the future.