On November 14, 2024, over thirty Lithuanian books were gifted to Malahide Public Library of the Fingal Library Network in Dublin, Ireland. The Mayor of Malahide, Brian McDonagh, the Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ireland, Jonas Grinevičius, the Director of the Documentary Heritage Research Department of the National Library of Lithuania, Dr. Jolanta Budriūnienė, and the Chief Researcher of the National Library of Lithuania, Dr. Dalia Cidzikaitė attended the event, which is part of the Reading Promotion Program funded by the Lithuanian government and implemented by the National Library of Lithuania.
The Mayor of Malahide welcomed Lithuania’s gift to the Lithuanian community in Dublin, and was particularly pleased that a significant portion of the books were translations into English. He noted that the books donated by Lithuania would allow the Irish people to better understand Lithuania’s culture, history and people, as well as the large Lithuanian community living in the city. The Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Ireland voiced the idea of initiating similar book exchange with Malahide Public Library. Library representatives assured that the donated books would soon reach Lithuanians not only in Dublin, but also throughout Ireland through the interlibrary loan.
On November 15, the representatives of the National Library of Lithuania met with the local community at the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Dublin. During the meeting, they introduced the Reading Promotion Program, drawing special attention to the program dedicated to the Lithuanian diaspora.
The Reading Promotion Program brings together Lithuanian communities supporting their reading needs and environment and aims to introduce Lithuanians living abroad to the latest and carefully selected Lithuanian literature by experts, and encourages them to become avid readers of Lithuanian literature.
In 2023, reading promotion events took place at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Cultures (INALCO) in Paris and at the Central Library of the City of Peterborough in the United Kingdom.