Kiev. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – February 06, 2021 – Culture
On February 5, from 11:00 to 12:00, the presentation of the results of the “Public Library Replenishment Program” and the provision of institutional support grants carried out in 2020 by the Ukrainian Book Institute took place.
During the presentation, the results of the work of the Ukrainian Book Institute were announced, in particular, the department of book publishing support and expert councils for the evaluation of fiction, non-fiction for adults, and literature for children and youth.
“The book has a prolonged effect: it unites Ukrainians into a single political nation. No nation or state had economic development until book publishing developed. Book publishing has always been in the lead, followed by experience, knowledge, and state-building, ”said Oleksandr Afonin, President of the Ukrainian Association of Publishers and Booksellers.
In 2020, within the framework of the Public Library Replenishment Program, the Ukrainian Book Institute provided UAH 47.378 million of budget funds for the purchase of 827 book titles for 606 libraries. Members of the expert councils reviewed and evaluated 2,975 titles of book publications.
Yuriy Marchenko, Head of the Book Publishing Support Department of the Ukrainian Book Institute, presented the results of the Library Replenishment Program implemented by the Institute in 2020.
“The state program is almost the only source of replenishment of funds. We treat this work responsibly, work transparently, and comply with the law. Despite the reduction in funding, we try not to reduce the titles of books. In 2017, 43 publishers were supported, in 2020 – 79. This gives equal opportunities to both large and small publishers to present their books and bring them to the regions of Ukraine. Despite the quarantine and pandemic, we were able to adjust our work so that the program was implemented effectively, ”commented Yuriy Marchenko.
Olena Pavlova, editor-in-chief of Osvitoria.Media and a member of the expert council for the evaluation of fiction for adults, notes:
“Libraries are my place of strength, and the community of librarians is a well-developed network of special agents. I think that a good book collection should resemble a decent supermarket, and a country with great librarians will always win a country with big screens. The Ukrainian Book Institute is doing a great job: The Ukrainian book is becoming available in the library, and it is no longer broken detectives of the 90s in Russian, but high-quality Ukrainian-language publications. In the expert council, we relied on the quality of the book and the needs of libraries.
The books by Luko Dashvar, Maria Matios and Sofia Andrukhovych received the highest scores from me. It’s good that the program took place at a difficult time – the books should be published and read, especially now.”
Valentina Stukalova, Head of the Media Institute of the French Institute in Ukraine, Chair of the Expert Council for the Evaluation of Literature for Children and Youth adds:
“I agree that the Ukrainian Book Institute fully ensured the independence of our work. All experts had the opportunity to speak at the meeting of the expert council. It is a good idea to divide the expert councils by areas. It was valuable to us that the publishers offered special prices for PECs to purchase books. However, it would be good if publishers offered annotations specifically designed for book evaluation experts.”
Larysa Luhova, vice-president of the Ukrainian Library Association, director of the Lviv Regional Library for Children, member of the expert council for the evaluation of literature for children and youth, says:
“I play a dual role: as an expert and as a children’s librarian. Being an expert is extremely difficult: you need to take into account the artistic value and price, and future demand, and other factors. I think this year’s choice is very successful. The list of selected books includes both modern books and classics, foreign and Ukrainian authors: from Astrid Lindgren to Grzegorz Kasdepke. Thanks to the heroic efforts of the PEC, we see the happy faces of librarians: 606 libraries have received new books, and this is an invaluable contribution. We have selected the most active libraries, for the rest of the libraries, this should serve as an impetus for the analysis of their activities. It’s all up to you! Local authorities should allocate funds to fill libraries with new books, and books from the PEC are just the icing on the cake.”
The experts also analyzed the results of institutional support grants from the Institute and their impact on the book publishing market. In 2020, institutional support grants were issued to 97 publishers in the amount of UAH 81.461 million.
Oleksandr Afonin, President of the Ukrainian Association of Publishers and Booksellers, is convinced:
“Lockdown hit the book publishing market very hard – there was a massive slump in the industry. The PEC and the Publishers’ Association worked together. The program was made and it was essential for 94 publishers. Fortunately, today MKiP is an ally in the field of book publishing.
Olena Zemlyana, a representative of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, said:
“Institutional support grants have become a challenge for the industry as a whole, as there was no analog of the program. It took a lot of work at the legislative level to implement the program. The results of joint work are impressive. Already this year, we will analyze regulatory requirements and improve the procedure for providing institutional support grants. Despite the fact that we are in a crisis, we continue to support the industry, which needs support from the state. The ICIP Ukrainian Book Institute will always find support.”
During the event, Oleksandra Koval, PEC Director, demonstrated one of the 2.561 million books published under grant funds. The book “100 artists. Names of Ukraine” from a regional Ukrainian publisher has published for the first time thanks to grants of institutional support. Koval noted that the PEC is happy to support regional publishers.
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The director of the Institute also stressed that the Ukrainian Book Institute works openly and transparently: the results of the institute’s activities are freely available online.
