As part of the national project “Side by Side: United Communities,” a substantive and inspiring professional roundtable titled “Reading Week: Ideas That Work” was held, bringing together library professionals from various communities to exchange experiences, modern practices, and effective approaches to promoting reading.
The event was attended by specialists from the Toretsk City Central Library and its branch libraries, the “Ruzhyn Public Library” branch of the “Center for Culture and Leisure” under the Ruzhyn Village Council, and the Taras Shevchenko Public Library in Kaniv.
During the roundtable, each community presented a successful event that served as an effective tool for engaging readers:
- The Kaniv community shared its experience of hosting a creative meeting with writers, which fostered a lively dialogue between authors and readers;
- The Ruzhyn community presented a themed event dedicated to the Kobzar’s birthday, aimed at promoting the works of Taras Shevchenko;
- The Toretsk community presented an interactive event, “Funny Reading Day,” which brought children and adults together around humor, books, and creativity.
A special highlight of the meeting was the “Community Reading Battle”—an interactive format during which each team presented three of their favorite books.
According to the results of the open vote, the winner was Hennadiy Shklyar’s book *Under Three Pillars*, which received the most support from participants and sparked keen interest among those present.
The roundtable served as a powerful platform for professional dialogue, mutual inspiration, and the exchange of ideas. It reaffirmed that modern libraries are not only repositories for books but also active cultural spaces that bring communities together, promote reading, and open up new opportunities for shared growth.
Based on materials from the Toretsk City Military Administration