A citywide book exchange initiative, “Book Square”, organised by the Lviv Municipal Library, has taken place in Lviv. During the event, residents and visitors to the city exchanged 5,156 books, which have now found new readers.
The “Book Square” initiative aims to make reading more accessible and to present libraries as modern hubs of book circulation. This year, the campaign went beyond Lviv: simultaneous locations operated in 10 cities — Lviv, Ternopil, Terebovlia, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Bila Tserkva, Khmelnytskyi, Yarmolyntsi OTG, as well as abroad, in Tokyo (Japan). In total, 16,534 books were exchanged across all venues.
“It is incredibly heartening to see our initiative grow every year: more cities are getting involved, more book lovers are joining in and, accordingly, we have far more books exchanged than in previous years. Some people managed to track down a book they had long been wishing for, others discovered completely unexpected authors, and some left without a new book because they never found ‘the one’ on the stalls. Yet above all, it is wonderfully pleasing that thousands of books have found their new readers,” say representatives of the Municipal Library.
Lviv’s “Book Square” took place on 16 August. A full programme for adults and children was prepared for visitors. In particular, the venue hosted an exhibition about Fox Mykyta from the Franko House, as well as an exhibition of the “Unfinished” project, dedicated to writers from the Lviv region whose lives were cut short by Russian aggression.
There was a dedicated AZOV.ONE space, where visitors could create posters in support of Ukrainian prisoners of war and those missing in action. A special area with workshops and various activities was set up for children.
The cultural programme ran until the evening. Highlights included the performance “Echoes” by Olena Herasymiuk and Pavlo Matiusha, a music set by Hrytsko Semenchuk for the album “Skovoroda Dance”, a full-line-up performance by BanduraGirl, and a screening of a documentary film.
The organisers stress that “Book Square” is intended not only to promote reading, but also to further highlight libraries as open spaces for communication and cultural initiatives. The book exchange format has also become a platform for presenting important cultural and social projects.
Last year, “Book Square” brought together over 15,000 participants in five cities across Ukraine, where more than 12,000 books were exchanged. In Lviv alone, the event was attended by over 5,000 people.