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UK publishers donate 25,000 books to Ukraine for Unbreakable Libraries scheme
Book Aid International has joined English PEN and PEN International in supporting PEN Ukraine’s Unbreakable Libraries project with 25,000 books donated by publishers.
The books will be shipped overland from Book Aid International’s London warehouse in Camberwell to a central depot in Kyiv, and then to libraries by PEN Ukraine.
Book Aid International’s shipment will be made up primarily of children’s books, as well as classics, art and leisure books and English as a Foreign Language texts. Each will be selected in response to PEN Ukraine’s requests.
The books will support libraries throughout Ukraine including in front-line and liberated territories, and are expected to arrive in Kyiv in September 2023.
Book Aid International said: “Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the library network across all regions of Ukraine has been systematically suffering from heavy bombardments. More than 570 Ukrainian libraries have been damaged and completely or partly lost their book collections. Some of them have been forced to move to safer regions of Ukraine.
"The increasing number of internally displaced persons (IDP) [at least five million] and the frequent power outages in all the regions of Ukraine, have affected the work of libraries, with a growing public interest in printed books, and a lack of them."
PEN Ukraine launched the Unbreakable Libraries project in June 2022 and since then, with the support of international partners, Ukrainian publishers and Ukrainian citizens, PEN Ukraine has collected and sent books in Ukrainian and English to libraries the Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Sumy, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. This additional donation of 25,000 books will enable PEN Ukraine to expand its campaign and support more institutions.
Bloomsbury is one of the publishers supporting this shipment. The company’s founder and Book Aid International president Nigel Newton commented: “This is an incredibly important book donation which will create access to books for Ukrainians who have been through unimaginable challenges since the Russian invasion."
He added: "I’m urging more publishers to get behind this shipment however they can – whether by donating books, funds or spreading the word.”
The libraries PEN Ukraine is supporting have since become “social hubs where people can spend time with their community, and some even serve as shelters during bombardments,” BookAid International said. “Access to books in those libraries helps Ukrainians living in the war cope with the challenges they face. English language books in particular provide a sense of connection with the outside world and international solidarity with Ukraine."
Book Aid international’s c.e.o. Alison Tweed said: “When PEN Ukraine reached out to Book Aid international at the London Book Fair this year, we knew we had to support this very important and courageous initiative to donate books to libraries across Ukraine and give readers access to books in English.
"We hope that these books will provide comfort and escape to Ukrainians who are facing the realities of war, particularly to so many children whose lives have been overturned and hugely impacted by the war.”
Tetyana Teren, executive director of PEN Ukraine, said that the use of English language is very important in Ukraine but it is a struggle to find books so this project is vital.
He said: “Our objective is to assist libraries in fulfilling readers’ aspirations to learn, improve and practice English. Jointly with Book Aid International, PEN International, and English PEN our initiative aims to make English books accessible in libraries all around Ukraine.”
Publishers interested in contributing books to the September shipment should contact Mark Simpson, head of operations at BookAid on mark.simpson@bookaid.org or visit this website.
