Cultural Exchange Project

The project combined a global exchange focus with a fun reading promotion event. Children in 12 countries sent out postcards, featuring drawings, messages, and information about their local culture ranging from favourite football teams to foods and fashions. Their postcards were collected for an online exploration of global cultures at the Book Aid International website.

Ten events took place in libraries all across the UK; each of these was twinned with a community library in the developing world - locations ranged from Namibia and Nigeria to Mongolia and Palestine.

The programme also has an advocacy component in that it lobbies for policy makers to address the widespread need for relevant books and information. It is also an effort to influence key players in the UK and internationally to give recognition to the role that libraries have to play in development.

Children.

Project organisers say the day gave school children a chance to find out more about how people live around the world. "World Book Day is a wonderful opportunity for children to think about books in a wider context; to talk about the huge range of cultures and people reflected in stories, and to learn about the wealth of history handed down through generations via traditional storytelling."