1. Traditions and Innovations
in the Summer Activities with Children of
Paisii Hilendarski City Library, Asenovgrad
Glob@l Libraries – Bulgaria

2. Innovations in the Global
Society
“Innovation comes from people
meeting up in the hallways or calling
each other at 10.30 at night with a new
idea, or because they realized
something that shoots holes in how
we’ve been thinking about a problem…
The only way to do great work is to love
what you do.”
Steve Jobs

3. In those days…
It was time when the book was our
truest friend, our only window to the
world.
In it we could find faraway
galaxies, wondrous places and olden times.
It told us the stories of Winnie the Pooh,
Alice in Wonderland, the naughty and
funny Pippi.
And today? Today, along with the
book, our children have other opportunities
to learn all this.

4. What is going on with our children?
Psychologists say that today’s children live
in two parallel worlds: virtual and real.
They also say that 70% of children have a
thorough command of computer technology
while only 30% of adults can handle them.
Where does the link between generations
break and what happens in our children’s heads?
Even psychologists still find it hard to answer
this question…

5. Breaking stereotypes at the library
* We dreamed
* We wished our dreams could come true
* We believed we can
* We overcame our fears
Hence, “Vacation at the Library 2010”
became a fact.

6. “Vacation at the Library 2011”: Combination of
Traditional and Innovative Methods
Thanks to our experience from the previous year, the equipment we
received from the Glob@l Libraries – Bulgaria Program and the
training, our classes became more entertaining and attractive and
a bigger number of children took part in them.

7. Program Delivery
Each Tuesday and Thursday, 10.00 – 12.00 a.m.
Traditional initiatives:
* “With a Book in Hand”
* Thematic classes in groups
* Movies
* Creative workshop

8. New initiatives
* Work with computers
* Multimedia presentations
* “The Microphone is Yours”
* Drama performances
* Interactive games
Program scope
Age group: 3 – 14 years
Children with special education needs -
Day Center for Disabled Children,
Children with different ethnicity and
nationality

9. In 2012
Agreement with the Municipal Commission for Prevention of
Juvenile Delinquency in Asenovgrad
Involvement of volunteers
* children prepare and deliver the program
* interactive English language courses – two
times a week

10. Methodology
* combining the so-called traditional
methods – lectures, meetings, visits,
readings;
* through modern interactive methods and
tools – multimedia presentations,
animation, group work and interactive
games, creative workshops
The Multimedia:
an opportunity for much more
efficient interaction and acquisition
of information and knowledge
because people tend to remember:
* what they read – 5%
* what they see – 10%
* audio-video channel – 50%.

11. Initiatives
* Meetings with artists from Asenovgrad:
Ivan Lyubenov, Tina Ruzhina, Lily Raycheva
* Presentations on Leda Mileva, Astrid Lindgren and
Gianni Rodari
* Visit to the City Museum of History
* Identify the fairy tale character

12. Thematic Scope of the Classes
- EU countries, Bulgaria, Asenovgrad
- Christian and Muslim calendar holidays
- “The Book and the Computer: Hand in Hand”
- “The Amazing Space”
- “In the World of Dinosaurs”
- “The Colors of Friendship”
- “Musical Instruments”
- “Sea Animals”, “Domestic Pets”
- “Healthy Eating”
- “In the Vegetable Garden”
- “The World’s Old and New Wonders”
- Art, Sports, Nature
- “My Idea of a Better World”
- “My Dream Library”, etc.

13. The library: a talent hunting spot
Magdalena Apostolova and Ellie Sarafova write poems

14. Radina Neykova prepared the Kristina Arabadzhieva
presentation “A Walk in the World of the charming girl from Asenovgrad
Cartoon Characters” as part of the who won “Bulgaria’s Got Talent”
summer program. show on bTV and was a guest at
the library.

15. Anna Ivanova, seventh-grader
from Angel Kanchev Primary
School, took part in the “Dino the
Dinosaur” play Irina from Knyaz Boris I
Secondary School and Eliza from
P. Karavelov Primary School help
younger kids in the creative
workshop

16. Younger and bigger kids take active part in the summer
program
Dilyana Bozhanova, seventh-grader from Angel Kanchev Primary School,
presented her serviette collection; Vanya Borisova, forth-grader from Knyaz
Boris I Secondary School, exhibited her paintings; Ralitsa Kutomanova, first-
grader-to-be from P. Karavelov Primary School, told stories from the book “My
Dog and Puppy Encyclopedia” about hero dogs who have saved human lives and
puppies loyal to their owners, etc.

17. Volunteer Initiative
Library specialists and children visit kindergartens as book
ambassadors and promote library initiatives

18. Good Library Practice Principles
1. We have an honest, respectful and fair
attitude toward kids!
2. We help them live fuller lives through the
library information services we provide!
3. We take the responsibility of adopting
innovations in our work by learning new
and modern competencies!
4. Children have chosen to trust us! In
response, we strive to understand their
needs and make them happy with our
services!
Library specialists’ major mission:
encourage children to read and be informed

19. Challenges to Library Specialists
* Be cognizant of international, European and national standards
* Be good pedagogues, psychologists, animators, speakers, actors, PR
and promotion specialists, sociologists, artists, masters of modern
technology
* Be good team players
* Learn on the go

20. Yet, this is not enough:
they must love their jobs and children
and be willing to make progress

21. They must be cognizant of:
the National Strategy on Children; the UN Convention;
EU recommendations and practices; our national
experience

22. Children’s competencies we build and develop:
* social competencies: communication and teamwork skills
* personal: self-identification
* motivational
* cognitive: imagination and creativity
креативност; * value related
competencies: respecting
differences and otherness, solidarity
* traditional and electronic information
search, assessment and selection skills

23. What is important for the success of the program?
The program should be educational and
instructive, and yet entertaining, attractive and
diverse.

24. For children it is of crucial importance:
* The right to choose: the opportunity to choose
independently what activities they want to take part in
* Being active participants rather than passive
observers

25. Long-term Program Effect
Analysis of exit level questionnaire results
Statistics:
(average number of participants per activity)
2010 - 15 kids
2011 - 40 kids
2012 - 60 kids

26. As a result of our work with our youngest readers,
the “Library Friends” Club composed of
participants in our summer activities was born.
Our program goes on after the vacation, once a
month.

27. Epilogue
Day after day, we keep looking for our choices –
what we should be, what good we can do. What we
learn today can change our lives tomorrow!
“The library is a nice place for the young and the elderly –
some get a taste of the wisdom of the ages, others recollect of
far-off days! Somewhere there is the “cross-point” where
generations meet.”
Rositsa Andonova,
mother of the library’s youngest reader

28. Thank you for your attention!
Prepared by:
Milena Markovska, Director
and Teodora Kuzmanova,
Librarian at the Children’s Dept. of
Paisii Hilendarski City Library,
Asenovgrad
e-mail: gbph@abv.bg