A library is not just a place where books are kept. It is a public space open to everyone, where the community comes together, ideas flow, and people can nurture their curiosity and their minds. It is where a child first discovers the joy of reading, where a teenager finds resources to build their future, and where an adult returns to keep learning. In a modern society, the library is a real civic and educational hub, a place where information, culture, and dialogue meet.
And yet, in Romania, libraries are often invisible in public decisions, and librarians receive too little support. Education is seen almost only through the lens of schools, while libraries are treated as something secondary, even though for many people they are the first gateway to knowledge. Librarians work in a system that rarely offers training or recognition, even though their role is essential for the communities they serve.
That is why we created The Librarians Fellowship, an annual initiative that gives one librarian from Romania the chance to visit a library in another country, to learn from the experience of their peers, and to bring back inspiration and new ideas for their local community.
The board game is created in our Reality LAB. This educational product brings to light concepts such as women empowerment, gender equality exposed in the form of the principle of non-formal education and experiential learning.
Our goal is to support the professional growth of librarians, to give them the recognition they deserve, and to strengthen the role of libraries in the education and democratic life of the community.
This fellowship is a sign of recognition and respect for the role that librarians play in our education, and an invitation to support those who, every day, make it possible for our minds and imagination to grow.