Libraries as guides through the 21st century

Libraries are important centres of civil society, education and culture in a wide range of municipalities. That is why, at the OSF Prague, in close cooperation with libraries around the country, we set out to strengthen their educational and community role. The aim of our programme is to develop libraries to be an active curator of different kinds of literacy – reading, informational, digital and especially media.

There are a lot of inspiring personalities working in libraries who have a close-knit relationship with the local community and are able to offer them the necessary services. The fact that libraries have the potential to reach people of different age groups or nationalities is also important to remember.

At the OSF Prague we have been cooperating with libraries since 2018, when we started to support libraries, initially mainly in the field of media education, together with the Union of Librarians and Information Workers of the Czech Republic (SKIP). We financially support their activities in the field of non-formal lifelong learning and connecting with members of their local communities, we contribute to the expansion of the programmes they can offer and further professionalization.

We provide librarians with media literacy seminars in addition to financial support, we connect them with other active people for mutual inspiration and we organize educational events for them with different kinds of experts.

Map of libraries involved in the programme

" I consider the personal input of specific people from the OSF Prague, who were willing to listen and showed sensitivity to the specific environment of libraries, to be the most important thing."
Ondřej Hudeček
Ondřej HudečekMunicipal Library in Prague
"Thanks to a grant from the OSF Prague, we offered 3 courses to Ukrainian refugees – language, handicrafts and financially civic literacy. They courses were led by Ukrainian co-workers themselves."
Markéta Skálová
Markéta SkálováPilsen City Library
“The Bibliotheca inspirans award gives libraries recognition, praise, a symbolic pat on the back, confirmation that what they are doing makes sense and that someone else sees it that way. That counts for a lot.”
Jan Delong
Jan DelongVia Clarita
“We are grateful for today’s webinar with Mrs. Mouchová organized by the OSF Prague. We are one of the libraries that are trying to find their way on social networks and the webinar has given us a lot of inspiration.”
Ivana Kvasničková
Ivana KvasničkováMunicipal Library of Moravské Budějovice
"Libraries don't just want to lend books anymore. They want to actively educate people, cultivate their interests, connect people. And I think that's great. Today, the library is really the centre of civil society."
Markéta Pilátová
Markéta Pilátováwriter
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Bibliotheca inspirans awards

The OSF Prague, in cooperation with Česká Spořitelna, awards libraries that bring examples of good practice and inspiration in the field of non-formal education and strengthening local communities. In 2022, we awarded libraries that actively assumed their educational role in the field of media education. We gave Bibliotheca inspirans awards in 2023 to libraries that have been able to create a safe space for dialogue, where people of different generations and cultures can meet and strengthen good neighbourly relations.

Team dedicated to supporting libraries

Tereza Lišková 

Senior program coordinator

Partners