Simona Žilienė
Central Library of Vilinus City Municipality
LITHUANIA

 My name is Simona Žilienė. Work at public libraries field 17 years and recognise public libraries as the main institutions at modern society which are able to provide relevant services to every community group especially to socially disadvantaged community groups members. I have an interest to develop public libraries psychosocial services for communities as today public libraries become spaces where everyone can to have activities which help for persons non-formal education, help to solve psychosocial issues using such methods as bibliotheraphy or reading promotion activities, lifelong learning, learning self-help methods and achieving new skills at digital literacy. Public libraries are important at global processes such as: social inclusion, protection of multicultural societies and help to understand each others, culture diversity preservation, digital literacy learning, lifelong learning, help to understand and accept democratic processes as well public libraries can be enabled to become (or already are) “solicitors” of local communities when help to unite for solving local issues and promote creativity for all communities members.

I am a council member of Lithuanian Librarians Association and also one of founders  of NGO Children and Youth Day Center (it works at public library) which provides sociocultural services for children and teenagers from socially disadvantaged families.   Think that collaboration and partnership between public libraries and NGO‘s is very important and can be very useful for communities.

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