The director of the Ukrainian Book Institute told how many bookstores and libraries are currently operating in Ukraine

The director of the Ukrainian Book Institute told how many bookstores and libraries are currently operating in Ukraine



Today, there are only 130 bookstores in Ukraine, and only 3-4 thousand of the 12,000 public libraries are active. Read UP.Culture in Telegram. This was announced by the director of the Ukrainian Institute of Books (UIK) Oleksandra Koval at the Polish-Ukrainian conference. Reading for Democracy” as part of the International Book Fair in Warsaw, Interfax-Ukraine reports. “Before the war, there were about 200 bookstores for the whole of Ukraine… This means that there is one bookstore per 200,000 population. Whereas in Europe, this indicator is approximately one bookstore per 20,000 population. Now, during the war, we count only 130,” said Koval. Ukraine is the guest of honor at the International Book Fair in Warsaw. Photo: Ukrainian Book Institute / Facebook The director of the UIC also said that 3-4 thousand of the 12,000 public libraries are currently active: “There are currently 12,000 public libraries in Ukraine. But it is difficult for me to tell you how many of these libraries there are really active libraries serving readers… Of these 12,000, perhaps 3-4,000 are actively operating.” According to her, during the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, about 500 libraries were destroyed, damaged, or the occupiers took away or destroyed their collections. Koval noted that 52% of the books in Ukrainian libraries were published before 1991, and now funds for replenishing funds are practically not allocated. In addition, she noted, from 2021 to 2022, the number of published book titles decreased significantly: from 21,000 to 9,700. The circulation of printed editions also decreased significantly: from 45 million to 11,6 million copies. Ukraine is the guest of honor at the International Book Fair in Warsaw On Thursday, May 25, the International Book Fair started in Warsaw, in which Ukraine is the Guest of Honor and represents the national stand. At the Ukrainian stand, opened under the slogan “Millions of Bridges”, about 45 of our publishing houses will present their work. These are, in particular, Yakaboo, Ranok, Our Format, The Black Sheep Publishing House, Stary Lev Publishing House and many others. Photo: Międzynarodowe Targi Książki w Warszawie About 40 events are planned as part of the fair’s program: readings, discussions, presentations of books and comics, therapeutic classes for children, lectures, autograph sessions, professional meetings for publishers, a concert by the MASO orchestra from Kharkiv. The International Book Fair opened in Warsaw. Photo: Ukrainian Book Institute / Facebook About 40 events are planned as part of the fair’s program: readings, discussions, presentations of books and comics, therapeutic classes for children, lectures, autograph sessions, professional meetings for publishers, a concert by the MASO orchestra from Kharkiv. Yuriy Andruhovych, Kateryna Babkina, Yaryna Chornoguz, Ostap Slyvinsky, Bohdan Zadura, Vakhtang Kebuladze, Svitlana Taratorina, Tanya Stus, Halyna Tkachuk and others will take part in the events of the Ukrainian program. Find the full program of events at the link. Read also: “Ruined library” on tour: how Ukraine promotes its literature abroad



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