Developing interest in books

Developing interest in books from the earliest age is the task, purpose and foundation of our work with children and young people. Childhood and youth are periods of the fastest and most intense learning, when one acquires basic knowledge and develops habits for the entire life. Library practice confirms that the first experience with books and reading, which is formed in earliest childhood is predominantly the decisive factor in acquiring reading habits. In that direction the comprehensive activities with children and the young are directed towards systematic and organized introducing of children into the world of books, reading and learning, so that children at earliest age get used to coming to library, become fond of books and reading, develop reading taste, which are the basic preconditions for successful schooling, lifelong learning and improvement.

Our programmes and users’ service intended for children and the young differ in topics, contents, method of work and type of media, yet have the identical purpose: to promote books, reading and literacy, culture of proper expression, cultural models of behaviour, learning about basic civilization and general values and to develop reading taste. In order to reach this target the intended programmes should be suited to more and more various contemporary, educational and informational needs of our youngest and young fellow-citizens. It is at the same time also the criterion on which we conceive our programme activities for children and the young in accordance with age, educational level and category of the user.

Programmes:

-           Through Play to the Book – is traditionally the best known regular programme intended for children of up to the age of 8, term once a week (every Saturday during the school year), programme lasts 45 minutes. The basic conception of the programme is to make children fond of books before they become obligation, to learn how to play and enjoy visits to the Library;

-           I am Reading, Imagining, Creating – regular programme intended for children aged 9 - 12, term once a week (every Saturday during the school year), the programme lasts 45 minutes. According to the conception the programme is based on selected fiction contents with the aim to support the development of reading habits and independence in learning, understanding texts and shaping up criterions for recognizing quality literature;

-          First Visit to Library – regular programme intended for first year pupils, term once during the school year, the programme lasts 45 minutes. In cooperation with the primary schools from the territory of our Municipality we organize every year collective visits and free enrolment of all first year pupils, which is for majority of children their first acquaintance with a library;

-          Library Visits to Schools –  regular programme intended for schools „Ilija Kišić“, „Orjenski bataljon“ and branch classes in suburbs for which we cannot organize collective visits to the Library, once in a school year, the programme lasts 45 minutes;

-          Following the calendar of significant dates we mark with special programme activities: World Poetry Day, International Children’s Book Day, on the occasion of the World Book Day, in cooperation with the secondary school „Ivan Goran Kovačić“, we organize Literary competition for secondary school students under the title „Open the book, open the world“.

Programmes for Cooperation:

-          In the period 2003-2004  within the Project of cooperation of our Library with the Library of Voréal Commune of Paris three of our employees had an opportunity to get acquainted with the activities of  children’s departments in France;

-           Classes in the Library and You Have the Right to Know – occasional programmes intended for the pupils of senior primary schools’ classes within which in the period 2011/2014 we organized with the Primary School „Milan Vuković“ research project Bibliographic Research and production of posters on set themes: My Town – host of authors (sixth year); Marko Kraljević: historical person and literary character (seventh year); Anton Pavlovich Chekhov: life and work, dramatic works and stories (eighth year); Bibliographic research of life and works of Branislav Nušić (eighth year), Jacques Prévert – life and works (ninth year), My town - host of artists (seventh year), term as agreed and needed, introductory programme lasts 90 minutes, project lasts two - three months;

-          Books One Grows with and Classes in Library – occasional programmes intended for junior primary school pupils. Terms according to agreement and need, programmes last 45 minutes;

-          Cooperation with the Centre for Children with Development Disorder in Igalo. In determined terms, twice monthly, are realized in the premises of the Centre, programme lasts 45 minutes;

-           for the seventh and eighth year pupils we organize the workshop Phrases and Their Application,  term as agreed with the subject teachers of native and foreign language, term as agreed, programme lasts 60 minutes;

-           in cooperation with the teachers of native language and English we organize the workshop Introduction to Translation intended for the eighth and ninth year primary school pupils, term as agreed, programme lasts 60 minutes.

Guests:

-          within  literary programmes, in October 2007,  we organized visit of Canadian authors  for children and youth Mari Luis-Gay and David Homela;

-          in the period 2009-2011 we organized for primary school pupils Five Days’ School of Creative Writing conducted by Aleksandra Vićentijević author for children and head of the children Department of the Belgrade City Library;

-          in the October-December 2013 we organized, in cooperation with Radmila Knežević (author for  children and dramaturge), drama workshop „Small School of Acting “ with the aim to develop  with children aged 8-12 experience of literary work and ability of interpretation of a literary text. Children who attended the Workshop presented the play  under the title, „Daj mi pjesmu jedan krug“, as part of the New Year’s programme in the Library;

-          at the international book fair “Trg od knjige” each year, since 2003, one evening is dedicated to the programmes  for the youngest: hosting children’s  authors and theatre performances for children;

-          New Year’s show -  Matinee in the Reading Room, within the programme we organize visits of children’s  authors, promotion of new books for children, plays.