The “East Reads” project aims to attract the readers’ attention to libraries of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as centers of social and cultural life. For this purpose, Serhiy Zhadan Charitable Foundation, in partnership with the Ukrainian Book Institute, with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation, launch a series of meetings with well-known Ukrainian writers, along with presentations of the most interesting book novelties, for librarians and readers from the Eastern regions. The project team plans to visit about 30 libraries in 15 towns of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The “East Reads” project starts in the Kharkiv State Scientific Library named after Korolenko, where a press conference will be held on January 16, at 5.30 pm.
Recently, many interesting books were published in Ukraine; they are presented at large book fairs, such as the Forum of Publishers in Lviv, the Book Arsenal in Kyiv, the Book’s Toloka in Zaporozhye, and others. In large cities, where there are bookstore networks, such as “Bookstore Knygarnya Ye”, they hold large public presentations of new books with the participation of publishers and recognized Ukrainian writers. However, when it comes to the East of Ukraine, “book events” are rather rare, although the demand for them is high. In small towns, a library is not only a place to read or borrow books, but rather a town’s social and cultural center. In order to communicate directly with the writers, critics and publishers, the East Reads project organizers bring together librarians, to better follow the literary process, and readers, to discover literature and its creators.
Such communication is relevant within the framework of the Program of replenishment of public libraries carried out by the Ukrainian Book Institute. The Program obtained the approval of the state budget funds allocation to purchase 714 book titles, the total circulation of which is 986 449 thousand copies, from 92 publishers, for a total amount of UAH 114 567 400. This is a record-breaking public procurement project aiming at delivering new books to libraries of Ukraine: almost one million book copies for the book depositories.
