Revitalizing Spaces
We identify spaces that are available for revitalization and reserve a purpose for their community. Namely, we want to identify unused spaces that can be refurbished and turned into libraries for children. We see this as an opportunity to give children the space they deserve to develop their imagination and increase their interest in reading, as well as an environmentally friendly opportunity to revitalize an abandoned and forgotten space!
We will do this in collaboration with the children themselves and the community members to make sure we capture children's perspective, while simultaneously practicing our democratic values, non-discrimination attitudes, and providing responsibility and ownership. The guidelines of IFLA school library, and the project KRUT, will be utilized as a source of inspiration and contextualized.
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Our first revitalization project is now finalised!
We find it at the Azem Bejta primary school, in the village of Grabanica, municipality of Klina, which started in March 2019. The school, like most schools in Kosovo, is old, underfunded and has received little investment since its construction in 1974. In efforts to bring a library into their schools, the children have requested support from the Library Project.
Together, the Library Project, the children, and school representatives identified one unused classroom, and two archive rooms (attached to the classroom) for potential transformation into a library and reading space for the children.
Method
With this document, we want to share our experience and method of creating a child-friendly, inclusive school library filled with books and school materials. A process where the children’s voices have been heard to establish engagement and ownership together with them.
We underbuild our method by following sources, with KRUT as the main guideline.
KRUT
IFLA’s school library guidelines
Convention on the Rights of the child
School Law in Kosovo
Curriculum for Kosovo
The Law of the Library of Kosovo
Sandin 2011 - Barnbibliotek och lässtimulans
(Children’s library and reading stimulus)Att utforma ett barnbibliotek tillsammans med barn
(To design a children’s library with children)sum
Process
Our two-day workshop with the students and the school where filled with their learning process, what they would need from a space, their favourite places, and where and how they find the focus to study and to find calm. They were then given the task to put their ideas on paper, which were used to design their future library.
The following process showed us how amazing the children’s ideas and imagination truly are. With a blueprint handed out for each group (displaying the current classroom) and additional paper and coloured pencils - The old classroom we were sitting in turned into an atmosphere filled with talks and laughs and hectic discussions about how best to create the space for all of the students.
Further, the students came to a conclusion to divide the classroom with the help of dividers in order to get more out of their space. We now started to see areas designed for studies, one for focus, another for relaxation and music. Tables and seating, hangers to hang up their jackets were drawn and requested, also a place to put their shoes and backpacks before entering the library with carpets covering the floor.
Following are all the sets of drawings created, merged into one. Their ideas were transformed into three different designs by the architect, Drenusha Blakcori, which later was presented to the children. In order to agree on one design, we let them vote for their favourite option to be realised.
During a visit in September 2019, Safete Binaku presented the students with all three options.
It was essential for us to remind them that they all needed to help us make the right choice. Since we agreed that all children have the right to express their opinion, we asked the kids to practice their democratic rights by voting for their favourite design.
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More Workshops + Fundraising
Despite the pandemic and limited budget, we did not lose hope to finalise the library.
Therefore, we focused on raising as much money as we could throughout 2020 - through our GofundMe page, selling books, and reaching out to other organisations for help. Money to cover the renovation of the space and finding the right furniture. The preparation took place during the pandemic digitally. To simplify and hurry up the process before going back to Kosovo and finalising the last workshop with students.
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Renovation
An important aspect that was raised during the very first workshop, was the need for a better working quality space. To meet this, the municipality of Klinë helped renovate the school with new windows and a heating system in 2020. Following that, TLPK clinically cleaned the floor and renovated the walls on the inside of the classroom by giving a new facade with white paint to lighten up the space. This way, we now had a clear base to start furnishing for the upcoming library.
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Furnitures
Thanks to Ciceron Projekt, Albakos Ungdomscenter, Rededge Consulting AB (skapa hyperlänk till alla företag), and private volunteers from our organization TLPK who together have helped to donate furniture and office supplies, we managed to save money from our limited budget - but also reuse furniture, by not buying new ones as an environmental point of perspective.
Together, we were given one big table, two benches, two lockers, eighteen (+) chairs, an acoustic sound wall, and four carpets (all in various sizes and colours). The plan was to build customized bookshelves, but the price was over budget. Therefore we bought module-sized shelves to later buy important decor, such as sitting pillows, whiteboards, posters, flowers, and customised curtains in order to divide the spaces within the room and create a more welcoming space. We also decided to keep the old yet beautiful shelves (in wood and white metal) that have been standing in the small archive rooms.
As mentioned, TLPK’s aim has been to let children be involved from the start-finish to help create ownership of the library. Therefore, we invited them for a final workshop where we together helped build the furniture and furnish the space in order to create the library they had drawn and imagined. This process was engaging with discussions and comparisons led by the children - which strengthen their own voice of decision making and problem-solving skills.
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The opening day
Before the opening of the library, we prepared the space by adding the final details: placing the books into the bookshelves, adding posters from the exhibition A Tribute to children’s books created by 17 Swedish illustrators and children’s books authors on the walls. This exhibition was translated into Albanian by Entela Tabaku. Thereto, flowers, larger plants, smaller lamps, and balloons were added to make the library more personal.
On opening day, 19th of Monday 2021, the school, together with TLPK, prepared snacks, drinks, and music. We had a ceremony filled with speeches, and together with children, faculty, family members, and our amazing volunteers we cut the pink silk ribbon together to inaugurate the opening of the library!
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