Every state-funded school in Extremadura now has access to a digital library containing more than 12 000 titles thanks to a project supported by EU funding. In addition to establishing the digital lending platform, the LIBRARIUM project developed virtual reading clubs, where teachers can promote reading, writing and learning to their students. As part of the initiative, e-readers, tablets and computers have been distributed to school libraries across the region.
- 10 September 2019
Librarium provides students and teachers with an educational environment with 12 000 titles of free and legal access, as well as virtual reading clubs to encourage reading and improve media and information literacy.
The LIBRARIUM digital library provides access to publications in several languages – Spanish, English, German, French and Portuguese. The aim is to complement the traditional catalogue of printed publications found in school libraries. More than 250 000 copies of the 12 000 publications are available through the lending platform, which users can access free of charge via the internet and through a mobile app.
A total of 680 schools have the option of using LIBRARIUM, of which 191 have launched their own innovative projects with the library. Currently, LIBRARIUM has around 30 000 active users and more than 110 000 loans have been completed. The catalogue is expanding at an average of eight new titles daily, including books and popular magazines. LIBRARIUM’s search functions allow users to find a publication by author, title, subject or ISBN number.
Reading clubs
The virtual reading clubs are proving popular: 904 have been established so far with more than 10 000 students participating. The clubs offer a dynamic learning environment where students can sharpen their reading and writing skills. The clubs allow for the creation of learning communities and have access to audio-visual content. Club members can participate in online forums and chat-rooms.
LIBRARIUM is helping to bridge the digital divide. Extremadura is a large region with a low population density. In rural areas, schools are small and do not usually have an extensive selection of books in their libraries. The lending platform and its huge selection of books and reading materials means that students and teachers in these communities are no longer disadvantaged because of where they live. The distribution of e-readers and tablets to school libraries helps to ensure students without access to such devices do not miss out on learning opportunities.
Easy to use
Resources provided through LIBRARIUM can be integrated into teaching and academic activities and offer an opportunity for children to learn about copyright and data protection. Around 800 teachers and personnel in charge of school libraries participated in training sessions on LIBRARIUM and its resources. Nevertheless, the platform has been designed to be user friendly, which means teachers do not need advanced levels of digital competence to use it or to manage the reading clubs.
Beneficiaries
“Our small school is located in a rather rural, deprived area. From the moment I came into contact with Librarium, I made it known throughout the whole school community by carrying out every type of activity through the reading clubs. Such activities have brought a true revolution in reading promotion.”
Juan Luis López Gutiérrez. Headmaster in the rural grouped school Esparragosa de la Serena
“It is 6th of August in Athens and I am reading Mircea Cărtărescu because I´m going to Bucharest. Librarium offers me hundreds of novels from the cities I am visiting in summer. After 20 years leading and running reading clubs, Librarium gives me the chance to do it online with those novels I recommend to my students. It is a different way of reading and learning.”
Francisco Javier Jiménez Bautista. Teacher at the IES Norba Caesarina secondary school in Cáceres.
“I live in Puerto Hurraco, a village of approximately 100 inhabitants. We are all Librarium users. The platform has become the ideal tool to encourage reading among my kids. It has turned out to be an accessible initiative, which fosters available-for-everyone reading. It facilitates social relations through its reading clubs.”
Juliana García. Mother of two school-age children
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Digital Library Librarium” is EUR 3 500 000, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 2 800 000 through the “Extremadura” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Education and Training”.