GPBA, Tbilisi City Hall Continue to Renew Book Stocks of Public School Libraries

Within the framework of UNESCO project "Tbilisi - World Book Capital 2021," the Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association, with the financial support of Tbilisi City Hall, continues to renew the book stocks of Public School Libraries.

“The first stage for the project 'Renewing the Book Stock of Public School Libraries' across Tbilisi has been successfully implemented,” reports the Georgian Publishers and Booksellers Association (GBPA).

The project was organized by the GBPA, Tbilisi City Hall, and Tbilisi Multifunctional Libraries. The first stage involved 62 public schools across Tbilisi (in numerical order). Each school received a voucher worth 900 GEL in order to purchase books from more than 30 publishing houses and book distribution organizations operating in Georgia.

The aim of the project is to bring the newest publications to Tbilisi public school libraries, engage school students with the modern literary process, and promote literacy. The project will carry on into 2021 and, by the end of the year, all Tbilisi public school libraries will be renewed.

According to the decision of UNESCO, Tbilisi will receive the status of World Book Capital on April 23, 2021, from the previous name holder, Kuala Lumpur. Within the framework of the project, more than 100 educational and infrastructural projects are planned to be implemented over the year, both for the masses and the children in particular.

UNESCO World Book Capital is a large-scale project established in 2002 on the decision of the General Assembly UNESCO. It aims to popularize books and reading, and promote the development of the book industry and related fields, contemporary authors, translators, libraries, publishers.

Another stage of the project is currently being implemented. As part of it, the school administration receives a voucher worth 900 GEL, which is used to purchase necessary and important literature for the school library.

“We could not believe it until we got the books. An extraordinary gift for pupils! We thank the Tbilisi City Hall and all the publishers for the precious gift,” one of the beneficiaries of the project, the public school #28 of Tbilisi, wrote on social media.

By Ana Dumbadze

Image: Tbilisi #28 Public School/Facebook