On June 24–26, Virginija Švedienė, the coordinator of adult education activities at the library, and volunteer Dr. Jūratė Baltušnikienė participated in the 9th international library congress “BiblioCon 2025”. The main theme of the event was “Libraries – for Democracy.”
“BiblioCon” is the largest annual event for librarians and information professionals from German-speaking countries, attracting specialists from both academic and public libraries. The event is jointly organized by the German Library Association and the Association of Information Libraries. This year the congress welcomed library professionals not only from German-speaking countries – Germany, Austria, and Switzerland – but also from Scandinavia, the Netherlands, the USA, France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and others.
The main themes of the congress, reflected in presentations, discussions, and working sessions, included implementing democratic values, library collaboration and partnerships, building library networks, challenges in the era of artificial intelligence, and the role of libraries in preserving cultural heritage.
Representatives of the Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library took part in the congress not only as attendees but also visited the exhibition of systems and equipment for libraries. Virginija Švedienė’s presentation, “Non-formal Adult Education in the Library – for Community Building,” was included in the congress program. The session during which this presentation was delivered attracted over one hundred attendees.
In her talk, Virginija presented the non-formal adult education activities at the Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library, highlighting their diversity and the opportunity for adult visitors to choose activities based on their needs and interests. The presentation stressed out the fact that, in recent years, several strong communities have formed within the library, shifting public perception of the traditional library into more of a “third place” – a public space where people come to learn together, share, and communicate.
Special attention in the presentation was given to the library’s volunteers, who not only contribute to the non-formal education process with their ideas and hands-on help but also serve as excellent ambassadors for the library at national and international events, spreading a positive message about the library and its community.
During the congress, participants had the opportunity to visit the Bremen Central Library and its branches to learn about how library spaces are adapted to meet community needs and to explore the diversity of services and activities. Visits included the main building of the Bremen Central Library, the Gropellingen branch, and a display of mobile libraries (bookmobiles) from various German libraries set up near the conference center.
During the congress, the representatives of the Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library Virginija and Jūratė met with Lucia Werder, director of the Bremen Central Library, and discussed the possibility of inviting Bremen library professionals to Panevėžys as experts under the “Erasmus+” program to lead a practical seminar, sharing best practices from projects that promote democracy and inclusion in the community.
Contacts were also established with the Oldenburg Library in Germany regarding possible future visits under the “Erasmus+” program.
On their own initiative, Virginija and Jūratė met with an international book club in Bremen, where they shared experiences from the Bitė Book Club and the Detective Fiction Enthusiasts Club at the Panevėžys County Gabrielė Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library. They planned a joint virtual meeting between the Bremen and Panevėžys book clubs for November, during which participants will discuss a pre-selected book.
Photos by J. Baltušnikienė, V. Švedienė, congress organizers, and participants.
Virginija Švedienė
Coordinator of adult education activities
