Kobylnica library of knowledge, integration, and development

Context

The beneficiary of the project was the Kobylnica municipal public library, operating within a rural municipality in Pomerania characterised by a highly dispersed settlement pattern, including as many as 37 villages. Before the project, the institution had only four permanent library branches, half of which were not adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. This geopolitical and infrastructural situation led to the local community facing serious social problems. The greatest challenge was poorly developed public transport and a lack of private cars, cutting off residents of smaller villages from cultural and educational opportunities. This situation particularly affected older adults and individuals with reduced mobility, leading to loneliness at home and exclusion from community life.

Furthermore, a skills gap was identified among the older generation who, due to a lack of language skills, found it difficult to maintain contact with family members living abroad. At the same time, there was a severe shortage of original, free leisure activities for young people aged 12 and over in rural areas.

The need for change was confirmed by socio-economic research and surveys. Residents and village councils unequivocally highlighted the need to modernise facilities and expressed high expectations for the implementation of innovative educational and mobile services.

The project was established as a priority bottom-up response to the need to address systemic inequalities in access to cultural resources and intergenerational integration.

Objectives

In response to the identified challenges, the project’s objectives were to eliminate transport and cultural exclusion among residents of 20 remote villages, and to promote equal educational and skills opportunities for children and young people by providing free access to modern technologies and foreign language education. It also looked to increase social engagement and reduce loneliness among seniors and disadvantaged groups through intergenerational integration, increase reading rates and cultural engagement by a significant percentage in rural areas, improve the energy efficiency of cultural facilities, and reduce the local carbon footprint through thermal modernisation and the use of solar energy.

Activities

The initial preparatory and investment phase saw construction and modernisation works carried out at the stationary branch in Sycewice. This involved the extensive thermal modernisation of the building, including insulation of the external walls and replacement of windows and doors. The interior of the facility was renovated, most notably making the toilet facilities accessible. The space was equipped with new furniture and a computer station featuring SuperNova software for the multilingualism workshop.

At the same time, technical modifications were carried out to the interior of a van to convert it into a mobile library. It was equipped with dedicated library shelving, thermal insulation, parking heaters, and a solar installation on the roof to power the on-board equipment.

During the implementation phase of the programme, regular, year-round cultural and educational services were launched. Free English language classes began at the multilingualism workshop, and the mobile library van set off on its scheduled routes, serving residents of remote villages every two weeks. The locations and operating hours of the stops were coordinated with the long breaks at primary schools, as well as with visits to patients at the psychiatric care and treatment centre.

A particularly intensified activity was the summer weekend project ‘Book truck – weekend animation library’, run from May to September 2024. On Saturdays and Sundays, in addition to traditional access to library collections and free codes for a subscription platform providing access to a database of e-books, an outdoor relaxation area was set up around the van. Qualified instructors led interdisciplinary workshops on a variety of topics, including Lego robotics, 3D printing, Kamishibai theatre, journalism, and Zumba classes.

The project’s information and promotional campaign was conducted through multiple channels, including dedicated text messages, the local authority’s mobile app, school management systems, village council noticeboards, articles in a local magazine, and radio stations.

A permanent, dedicated webpage featuring the timetable was launched online, and professional video content was published on YouTube, with a film documenting a day in the life of the van, a report on a visit to patients at the psychiatric care and treatment centre, and a promotional music video.

Staff and management shared their experiences by delivering presentations at national conferences and meetings. A presentation of the services and operating model of the mobile library also took place on an international forum at the International Mobile Library Congress in Germany in 2024.

Generational Renewal

The project engages young people as direct beneficiaries, agents of change, and as specialist staff. School pupils and young adults constitute a key target group for its technological and educational innovations. In addition, young librarians form the core of the field team operating the mobile library and running the weekend ‘Book truck’ initiative, bringing a breath of fresh air to rural communities.

Through free, interdisciplinary workshops on programming, Lego robotics, 3D printing, and video games, young people have developed key technological skills. This enables them to transition seamlessly into the world of modern precision agriculture and digital rural management.

Regular, free English language classes open the door for young rural residents to international exchanges of agricultural knowledge, analysis of EU markets, and unhindered access to EU funding.

Young village leaders were directly involved in designing the timetable and programme, which instilled in them a sense of agency and influence over local development policy. The project has created safe, modern meeting spaces that have brought together young people from scattered villages. This builds strong peer bonds, helps prevent young people from moving to large urban areas, and lays the foundations for future economic alliances in rural areas.

Main results

Reading increased in the area, with the mobile library now serving over 1 800 people a year and lending over 7 000 volumes. The project’s activities have attracted 246 new, regular library users, including around 100 children and young people from rural areas. The modernised stationary branch saw the number of regular users increase by 40% in the first year of operation (from 117 to 164), while the mobile library regularly serves 20 fixed locations every two weeks, reaching 19 remote villages in the municipality.

Regular English language classes for adults were held, with a total of 18 sessions in 2025. As part of the ‘Book truck’ programme, 16 intensive weekend trips featuring interdisciplinary workshops were organised, attended by 177 participants.

Ongoing financial support has been secured from 15 village councils, allocating money for the purchase of new books in 2026.

Energy consumption has been drastically reduced, along with the carbon footprint, thanks to the extensive thermal modernisation of the building (12 cm of polystyrene insulation), the total conversion of lighting to LED, and the installation of solar panels on the roof, meeting 100% of the on-board multimedia equipment’s demand for clean solar energy.

The project has effectively removed geographical barriers for residents of remote villages by introducing a model of unrestricted access to free cultural activities directly in their place of residence. It also addresses loneliness among older people, with the mobile library encouraging older people to leave their homes, creating opportunities for neighbourhood gatherings.

Key lessons

Establishing networks and consulting with various stakeholders during the preparatory phase was absolutely crucial. The project worked with local primary schools, village councils and leaders, the local psychiatric care and treatment centre, the Polish Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the local church, the fire department, and a shared services centre, all to ensure that making culture accessible tied in to the healthcare and residential care systems in the area.

Direct expert cooperation with other public libraries was also important, as was sectoral exchange of experiences for national benchmarking, and partnerships with non-governmental organisations and bottom-up leaders.