The 10th Forum of Young Librarians of Russia was held in Moscow on the 11-
13th of October, 2022, and was designed to promote professional development
of young librarians, to increase their motivation to improve competencies and
boost their creativity, to create favourable conditions for professional
networking and launching team projects.
Themed “Show Yourself to the World”, the Forum was the largest in the history
of the young librarians movement in the country. Supported by the Ministry of
Culture of Russia and Russian Library Association, the Forum brought together
over 350 new professionals from more than 60 regions of the Russian
Federation.
The Russian State Library for Young Adults, M. Rudomino All-Russia State
Library for Foreign Literature and the Russian State Library developed the
concept and organized this significant event, supported by the Russian Library
Association, federal libraries and the Moscow library system.
Among the Forum’s speakers and coaches were prominent library experts, as
well as IT and creative industry professionals, specialists in social
entrepreneurship and the arts, career development and advancement.
It was important for young librarians to meet prominent people in their
profession and to feel the attention and interest on the part of the high-ranking
officials who determine the development trajectory of the country. President of
the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Minister of Culture of the Russian
Federation Olga Lyubimova, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Youth
Affairs Artem Metelev made welcoming addresses to the participants. The
experienced library experts shared memories, gave advice, laid out their vision.
The three-day program included about 80 events at more than 20 venues. The
discussions centered upon realities and prospects of the library field in Russia.
On the first day the panel discussion, “Knowledge economy: what a young
person needs to know and be able to do to become part of it”, was aimed at
engaging new professionals in an intensive process of learning new ideas and
providing them with the skills and abilities, which they could utilize back in
their regions.
On the second day the participants were offered a variety of interactive events at
eight federal libraries, which hosted lectures, discussions, pitch sessions,
training sessions and master classes, introducing the participants to their
practices and inviting them to join the on-going projects as well as to produce

their own. In the afternoon, 32 papers were delivered in the pitch sessions under
the themes “How can library become a driver of creativity and intellect?» and
«Dialogue of Cultures in the Library». The communication at the Forum
enriched the participants with new knowledge and emotions and resulted in
growing friendship between people, libraries and cities.
The third day of the Forum was marked by a highlight event – the ten (out of
90) shortlisted teams from the regions of Russia presented their projects within
the All-Russia competition for the best library project held among new
professionals. The competition showcased projects related to creative industries,
inclusion, volunteering, local studies, information literacy, organization of
library space, promotion of books and reading, etc. The three winning projects,
which came up with the most creative and enriching practices, were announced
based on the results of the on-site electronic voting of the Forum participants
and the professional jury. The winners were awarded diplomas, cash certificates
and gifts.
The first prize was awarded to the project “Library Volunteers, Sparkles of
Good” from the town of Beriozovsky (Sverdlovsk Oblast). The local librarians
view their library as an open and inclusive space offering equal opportunities to
everyone. In 2013, they launched an inclusive television studio «Compass TV»
as part of the library volunteers club “Sparkles of Good”. It has brought together
disabled young adults from the local municipality. The TV studio helps them
record podcasts, make and edit videos and movies about books, libraries,
museums. The volunteers assist their library in organising events, eg meetings
with interesting people, training workshops.
The second prize was won by the Ilyinka Digital project from the city of Nizhni
Novgorod. One of the city library branches set up a creative space for youth
where IT-technologies help reconstruct the historical appearance of Ilyinka
Street and its surroundings. The modern digital methods of 3D modelling and
holography restore images of the historical buildings. The users can conduct
research in local studies on their own and discover the city’s historical and
cultural heritage.
The third prize was given to the project “Emotional Map of Kolomna”
presented by the team from the town of Kolomna (Moscow Region). In 2021,
the public libraries of Kolomna launched an interactive map displaying town
sights which are ideal to dream or appoint romantic dates or spend time alone,
etc. The sights include photographs, brief historical overviews and legends
associated with the places, as well as an audio guide of stories told by town
residents, thus incorporating their impressions of the native town. Anyone can

use the Emotional Map of Kolomna to line up a route and delve into the local
history. This project reveals the local people’s emotional ties to their hometown,
upholds them and generates a genuine interest in the local cultural heritage.
These winning projects constituted the first contribution to the Bank of Creative
Ideas and Innovative Practices, a project realized by the Russian State Library
for Young Adults with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian
Federation.
The host of the next Forum of Young Librarians of Russia in 2023 will be the
city of Chelyabinsk and the Chelyabinsk Regional Universal Scientific Library.

The recording in Russian can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/vJVG5IJcIfE