The Reading Promotion Programme approved for the period of 2019-2024 was developed by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport with the aim to implement national reading promotion policy. Its objective is to develop interest in reading for people of various age groups, including children and infants. Reading Promotion Programme includes measures that aim at developing a positive approach to reading, strengthening reading abilities of schoolchildren and engaging stakeholders of the publishing industry to contribute to reading promotion activities. One of the new measures in this programme is the "Bookstart" model designed for infants. The aim of this model is to introduce books to infants and encourage them to perceive reading as a source of knowledge and different meanings. Some measures in the programme are directed to the part of society that has little or no interest in reading, especially teenagers. Various events are foreseen to increase interest in reading, i.e. "Dads Read for Kids", "Telling the Stories", brain battles related to literacy topics, etc.
Reading Promotion Programme will continue reading promotion activities of the similar programme which was implemented in 2006-2011. The survey conducted to evaluate the quality of the former programme, revealed that 84 percent of the respondents had a positive experience with the activities of the programme.
In 2019, for the first time in Lithuania a new programme for the formation of early reading habits ("Bookstart") was launched. Along with this initiative, a training programme introducing to the theory and practice of the early reading was organised, where the methodology for parents and the book for infants were presented.
Another project implemented in 2019 was the contest of the "Book of the Year" during which readers voted for the best Lithuanian book from the list composed by the literary critics.
The Ministry of Culture allocates USD 77 818 to Martynas Mazvydas National Library of Lithuania and USD 14 050 to the public libraries each year to implement the activities in the action plan approved for a period of three years. The total annual financing of the programme amounts to USD 91 868.
| Name of partner | Type of entity |
|---|---|
Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania
| Public Sector
|
Municipal Libraries
| Public Sector
|
Lithuanian Publishers Association
| Civil Society Organization (CSO)
|
The Lithuanian Section of the International Board on Books for Young People
| Civil Society Organization (CSO)
|