Library4all is a non-profit organization committed to the support of education, life-long learning, and all artistic activities. It acts to protect and promote Greek identity and creates educational solutions, applications and resources for children of all ages, children with disabilities, and marginalized groups of the population
Back in 2013, when Greece was implementing a strict austerity program, Eleni Geroulanou with four friends were looking for ways to support and strengthen the country's school libraries and help create new ones. In August 2013 she met Susan Robbins, founder of the famous Project Cicero, which collects books for New York's underserved schools. Talking with her, she and her team thought of organizing something similar in Greece. With Project Cicero’s invaluable guidance, Library4all was founded in September 2013. Project Cicero is an annual non-profit book drive designed to create or supplement school and classroom libraries for children in under-resourced New York City public schools.
An essential part of Library4all’s activity is centered on supporting school libraries. Library4all’s role revolves around gathering information about what schools across the whole country need, and helping them create a library from scratch or grow their existing collection of books. They believe that the children’s regular exposure to books, especially in the school environment where they spend most of their time, is conducive to the development of their reading and writing capabilities. By doing so, Library4all strives to raise public awareness on the value of books and helps teachers who rely heavily on having the necessary educational materials in order to be their best selves as educators within the classroom.
The school's heart
A school's library is its "heart", because it is where children can be inspired, moved, explored and experienced. In addition, teachers need educational materials so that they can do their best at lesson time. That is why it seems unthinkable to us that there should be schools without books!
Our role
An essential part of Library4all’s activity is centered on supporting school libraries. Library4all’s role revolves around gathering information about what schools across the whole country need, and helping them create a library from scratch or grow their existing collection of books. They believe that the children’s regular exposure to books, especially in the school environment where they spend most of their time, is conducive to the development of their reading and writing capabilities. By doing so, Library4all strives to raise public awareness on the value of books and helps teachers who rely heavily on having the necessary educational materials in order to be their best selves as educators within the classroom.
Nominations
Library4all was nominated three times by the Greek Section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
At the Awards of the Greek Department of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in 2021, Library4all received the "Award to a Volunteer”, who with his action promotes the love of reading and their contribution to the country's schools and for their dedication to enriching the lives of children, worth 300 euros.
