Aim of the project
Strenghten capacities of Lithuanian libraries to meet the needs of developing communities and to position the libraries as self-sustaining community institutions that are able to improve quality of life for Lithuanian people.
Tasks of the project
1. Empower public libraries to develop new services based on identified local community needs and help Lithuanian communities find value in ICT-based library services through local projects.
2. Strenghten library capacities through training and partnerships with other libraries and local organizations.
3. Position libraries as self-sustaining intermediaries in access to information.
Project duration
December 2013–November 2016
Project promoter
Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania
Project partners
Lesto, AB; Samsung; Bitė Lietuva, UAB; LRT; Gaminu, UAB; egzaminatorius.lt; National Dictation
Project coordinator within the NLL (unit, department)
Strategic Project Development Department
Project funding source, value (EUR)
The project is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and co-funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania. The value of the project is over LTL 12.5 million (USD 4.9 million).
Introduction of the project
To achieve project objectives, motivation and competencies of library staff have been strengthened in such areas as user and partner need analysis, project initiation, proposal writing, project management and impact assessment. Trainings on different topics have been conducted for librarians; regular consulting activities have been performed; experience sharing meetings for libraries have been held. The content of trainings is, to the maximum extent possible, adapted to the situation of the country's library system and the needs of libraries' staff.
Libraries can put the knowledge acquired through training to practice by applying for community project funding under the "Libraries for Innovation 2" project. So far 956 librarians from various parts of Lithuania have been trained. The survey conducted in March 2015 showed that the overwhelming majority of the survey respondents (96 percent) were able to put the knowledge acquired through the "Libraries for Innovation 2" trainings to practice. 57 out of 66 public libraries, together with their partners, have submitted applications that complied with the community project requirements. A total of EUR 1.2 million have been allocated to the projects of 45 libraries. All the project ideas were based on the user analysis results. In performing the dissemination of the project outcomes and strengthening the internal communication between libraries, a common internet website for Lithuanian public libraries has been created (www.3erdve.lt). Also, national-level events have been held for libraries and their partners.
Responsible person
Eugenijus Stratilatovas, Director of the Strategic Development Department, “Libraries for Innovation 2” Project Manager, tel. (+370 5) 239 8630, el-mail
