The Library as a Place to Talk About the World

In Poland, global education most often reaches people through schools, universities and civil society organisations. It appears much less frequently in places that residents use in their everyday lives, especially outside major cities. Yet in a smaller town, the library is often one of the most accessible cultural institutions: people can walk in without an invitation, specialist knowledge or prior registration.

The GLOBOTEKA – Global Education Libraries for Local Communities project builds on this potential. It brings public libraries into discussions about contemporary global challenges and the connections between different parts of the world. It does so through tools already embedded in the everyday work of libraries: books, reportage, comics, popular science publications, games and meetings with local residents.

72 local access points for global education

GLOBOTEKA creates a network covering 72 libraries across the Opolskie region. The project is run by the HumanDoc Foundation in partnership with the Emanuel Smołka Provincial Public Library in Opole, which coordinates the work of public libraries in the region and maintains direct contact with the institutions participating in the initiative.

Each library receives a carefully selected collection of publications and games related to global education. The materials address climate change, human rights, migration, inequality, responsible consumption, the Sustainable Development Goals and the links between them. They help readers understand how decisions made in Poland may affect people and the environment elsewhere in the world.

In practice, the mechanism can be very simple. A reader notices a reportage book on a clearly marked shelf. A librarian recommends a comic that might otherwise disappear among the latest bestsellers. A board game becomes the starting point for a workshop with young people. The conversation begins with one particular story and gradually leads to wider questions about climate, inequality or the impact of consumption on living and working conditions in other countries.

Librarians as guides through knowledge

The project builds on the experience of librarians who know their audiences, understand local needs and can recommend content in an approachable way. Their role extends beyond lending books. They organise meetings, work with children, young people, adults and older residents, and cooperate with schools and local organisations.

GLOBOTEKA strengthens these capacities through a handbook containing lesson plans and scenarios for workshops and library meetings. The publication explains how books and games can be used in educational activities and offers formats adapted to different age groups and local settings.

Libraries therefore receive more than a collection of materials placed on a shelf. They gain practical tools that help turn the stories, questions and dilemmas contained in those materials into meaningful activities for local communities.

From a bookshelf to local events

GLOBOTEKA resources are used during events organised as part of Global Education Week. Each participating library conducts its own educational activity using the materials and scenarios developed within the project. Together, these events are designed to reach at least 2,000 participants.

At the same time, selected books and global education topics appear in content created by online book influencers. This allows the project to reach people who may not attend library events but regularly follow literary recommendations on social media. Literature becomes a natural entry point into issues that audiences might not actively seek out under the label of “global education”.

The project culminates in a conference bringing together representatives of libraries, cultural institutions, civil society organisations and the education sector. It provides space to present results, exchange experiences, assess how the network operates and discuss how the model can continue to develop.

Resources that remain in local communities

GLOBOTEKA’s sustainability is built into its structure. The books, games and educational materials remain in the libraries after the funding period ends. The handbook can be used during future activities, while the knowledge and practical skills developed through the project stay within the participating institutions and become part of librarians’ everyday work.

GLOBOTEKA is a pilot model, but it operates across an entire region. It tests how public libraries can function as local centres of global education without creating new infrastructure or building a separate system alongside institutions that residents already know and use. The model can later be adapted and developed by libraries in other regions of Poland.