As part of the Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library’s implementation of an “Erasmus+” program project in the field of adult education, an expert from the National Library of Greece, Konstantinos Agogiatis, visited on July 23–24.
On July 23, a training session titled “Using Exhibition Content in Educational Activities” was held at the library. During the session, the guest shared his experience in this area, working with children, youth, and adult groups. The event was attended by 33 professionals from eight libraries in the Panevėžys region who lead educational activities, tours, and curate exhibitions. Librarians gained insights into how to creatively and effectively use visual materials in the library environment for visitor education, making the learning process more interactive.
The lecturer presented a methodology for incorporating exhibition content into educational activities, outlining the sequential steps that educators follow to prepare for this type of work. He shared specific examples from the National Library of Greece, illustrating that exhibitions can serve not only as objects of tours and sources of knowledge but also as effective tools for community building within libraries.
During the training, participants completed a practical assignment, planning an educational activity based on an exhibition currently running in their respective libraries.
On July 24, the lecturer visited the Juozas Miltinis Memorial Apartment, where he explored the authentic setting of the legendary theatre director’s home and the permanent art exhibition on display. After the tour, a creative session was held during which the guest shared insights on how personal items, J. Miltinis’ rituals and hobbies, the contents of his personal library, and the entirety or parts of his art collection could be used in educational activities involving students, youth, or adults.
The lecturer also visited the Department of Cultural Education for Children and Youth, where he was introduced to current educational programs and shared his thoughts on how to develop more educational content for mixed audiences—when children participate in activities together with parents or grandparents.
Following his visit, Konstantinos shared his impressions and reflections:
“This visit was a wonderful experience for me. I’m glad I had the opportunity to share my practical experience with colleagues and that my ideas were useful. Equally important was meeting many wonderful people who love their work, have amazing ideas, and successfully implement them. To be honest, I feel like I’ve learned more from you than I gave as a lecturer. I was especially impressed by the spirit of community present in all your activities, and the fact that community members here find everything they need for learning and engaging leisure.I realized that to achieve great things, all you need are simple ideas that can create space for highly successful activities. Implementing good ideas doesn’t require a huge budget, massive buildings, or hundreds of staff members. What it does require is dedication to your goals. Your energy and love for what you do sustain the spirit of your community members and make the library an attractive place.”
Photos by G. Lukoševičius, T. Apynytė-Kirslienė
Virginija Švedienė
Coordinator of Adult Education Activities
