Recognition for Odesa Library: First Place in Competition

The Odesa National Scientific Library achieved a significant milestone by securing first place in the annual Goethe-Institut Ukraine competition among partner libraries. The German reading room was recognized for its vibrant cultural initiatives implemented throughout 2024. The library's director, Iryna Biryukova, shared insights about the project, participation, and victory in an interview with Suspilne.

The German reading room at the Odesa library stood out as the best among fifteen partner libraries of Goethe-Institut in Ukraine. The evaluation highlighted not only sustainability but also the diversity of events: from educational meetings and language courses to children's games, musical events, and literary novelties.

As a prize, Goethe-Institut presented a collection of books in Ukrainian from the series "Best Book Design," as well as new publications for the "German Shelf" — a permanent display of contemporary German literature.

Support and Partnership

A special recognition was given to the team and librarian of the German room, Viktoriya Zayets, who had an internship in Germany. The German reading room is part of a larger library network. Each year, a new space is highlighted, and this time Odesa was honored. However, as director Iryna Biryukova noted, what matters is not just the title but the continuous progress:

"It's not about winning. It's about being useful to people — and changing the world around through knowledge".

Not participation, but daily work

The competition victory was not an aim, as librarians simply focused on their tasks, organizing events, education, and cultural meetings even during wartime, Iryna Biryukova mentioned. According to her, the librarians were simply doing what they do best.

"There wasn’t a clearly announced competition we applied for. We were just doing our work. The project has been around for 25 years: a tripartite agreement was made between the library, Goethe-Institut, and the "Bavarian House Odesa" organization, which provided the venue for meetings. The project then evolved, utilizing all available resources within the library: staffing, spatial, and technical," Biryukova explained.

The demand for knowledge has not diminished, but rather increased: people are seeking learning, communication, and support.

A Bridge Between Cultures

Today, the German reading room is not merely about language courses or bookshelves, but a full-fledged space for intercultural interaction: with books, music, cuisine, and traditions.

"This is actually a project much broader than just library work. It’s about a deeper understanding of a partner country's culture through literature, music, and other manifestations, such as the history of cuisine," Biryukova explains.

Meetings are held for people of all ages: fairy tales are read for children, discussions, education, and thematic events are offered for adults. And all of this is free of charge.