Regional Library Petko R. Slaveykov

BE INFORMED AND VOTE! - THE RESOURCE AIMS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF BULGARIAN CITIZENS ABOUT: THE WORK OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE INSTRUMENTS FOR CIVIC PARTICIPATION IN EUROPEAN POLICIES, THE PROCESS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS ON 9 JUNE 2024.

DEPEND ON YOU | The Global Libraries Foundation - Bulgaria launched a new one-year project funded by the Public Diplomacy Section of the US Embassy in Sofia.

PARTNERS: FGBB American Centers in the regional libraries in Sofia, Burgas, Plovdiv, Varna and Veliko Tarnovo US Embassy in Sofia.

Titled Depend on You, the project aims to promote democratic education and participation in Bulgaria by positioning public libraries as centers for information and informal education and by training librarians as mentors. The project will promote the activities of libraries and strengthen participatory democracy and civic engagement in Bulgarian society based on best practices from American public libraries, adapted for implementation in public libraries in Bulgaria. For the pilot project, civil society experts, together with the five participating American Center Libraries in Sofia, Burgas, Plovdiv, Varna and Veliko Tarnovo, will train librarians to implement civic education programs aimed at young people graduating from high school and above. These classes will address both practical and theoretical topics, such as how to vote and why citizens should be active in the electoral process. At the end of the project, the results will be presented and shared so that other public libraries can become more active in providing information and services related to democratic processes.

Digitizing film and videotape is challenging in several aspects.

First, there are many formats of videotapes and films. If we are looking at videotapes, we can start with the oldest quadruplex videotapes, 2" formats, go through Type C and B 1" formats and Betacam 1/2" tapes and get to home video tapes like VHS, this is just a sampling of a whole range of historically existing videotapes. There are also many vintage film formats - 60mm, 70mm, 35mm, 16mm, 8mm and more. Many collections and archives lack not only the equipment to digitize their collections, but also the equipment to play and view the content.

Secondly, according to experts from the European Parliament's research service, only 14% of existing films are in archives and only 1.5% have been digitised. The percentages may have increased over the last few years, but the project partners have identified in their local searches that no more than 8% of catalogued items have been digitised. Given that many items are still outside the public archives, the digitization rate for film and tape is even lower.

The lack of trained staff in small organizations results in a lack of ability to digitize films and tapes.

A special part of film and video tapes are so-called "home movie formats" or non-professional film formats. Here we can include the 8 mm and Super 8 mm formats. These need cheaper cameras and projectors and were widespread from the 1940s to the 1980s. 16 mm films, as a medium-priced technology (between 8 mm and 35 mm formats), can also be included in the home film sphere.

Regarding videocassettes, VHS and H-VHS. Why are these films important? Many historical places, traditions, ethnographic sites, events (concerts, meetings, etc.) are recorded in such formats. By losing these artifacts of "home cinema," we lose a large part of our history and cultural heritage.

Most of the state archives collect professional formats such as 35mm film formats, not 8mm formats.

The project "Mobile low-cost digitisation of vintage films" (MobiReel) addresses the horizontal priority "Addressing digital transformations through the development of digital readiness, resilience and capacity" through "the use of digital technologies in education, training, youth activities for teaching, learning, assessment and engagement" and through "digital transition and education".

The project will prepare a Learning Management System (LMS), online assessment tools, digital films, etc. to be in line with today's trends in digital education;

The learning approach of the project is based on the VET requirements.

The project meets the following main guidelines:

• Cultural heritage
• Open and distance learning
• Digital skills and competences

Partners:

• Computer Art Student Society-Sofia-Coordinator
• Regional Library "Petko Rachev Slaveykov"
• Stichting De Domijnen Foundation, Netherlands
• Cinematheque of the Republic of North Macedonia, Skopje
• Zeutschel - Region Baden-Württemberg, City of Tübingen

Zeutschel has more than 25 years of experience in the digitization of microfilm, slides, film as well as with partners in film digitization. The company has also gained experience in various quality assurance approaches to digitization.

The project objectives are:

• Improve the capacity of archivists, librarians, restorers, collectors and owners of collections of so-called "home consumer films" in skills on how to digitize with low-cost technology their short films with a focus on consumer
• film formats (8mm, Super 8mm, 16mm) and consumer-level videotapes (VHS, S-VHS, Betamax) by creating a set of training materials for VET. The materials will be open, flexible and free of charge;
• improve opportunities for further training in the field of digitisation of low-cost films/tapes by offering content structured as units of learning outcomes using ECVET;
• improving the capacity of archivists, librarians, restorers, collectors and owners of home film archive collections on how to maintain analogue and digital materials;
• improving the capacity of archivists, librarians, restorers, collectors and owners of home/consumer film collections on how to restore analogue and digital material (or at least to perform some simple correction or preservation procedures);
• improving the knowledge and skills of the target group on how to present attractively digitised artefacts to a wider audience;

The main outcomes of the project will be:

• Development of a Methodology for selection and low-cost digitization of home movie formats for digitization;
• A competency framework for skills acquisition in content development related to low-cost digitization of analogue films, structured as modules and offering flexible learning pathways;
• A Learning Management System (LMS) with modules from the results obtained as well as additional multimedia resources related to low-budget digitization of short films with a focus on so-called home/consumer film formats (8mm, Super 8mm, 16mm) and consumer-level videotapes (VHS, S-VHS, Betamax);
• Training videos on focal topics related to the digitization of consumer-level film formats;
• Training and multiplication events in the field of low-cost digitization of film formats and videotapes at the consumer level;

The Digital Restoration Lab is a project aimed at systematizing, integrating and disseminating contemporary practices of restoration, digitization, digital restoration and exhibition of antique photographs. The most valuable priority of the project is the inclusion of photographic collections in the European Digital Information Fund.

The project aims to address the challenges faced by cultural institutions in preserving and digitising their photographic collections. It seeks to increase competence in the digitisation and preservation of photographs by providing training resources to: archivists and managers in libraries, archives, community centres, museums and monasteries, photographers, teachers/trainers in the field of photography, students. This will ensure the long-term survival of these important cultural and historical artefacts.

The main task of the project is to create accessible resources and training materials for digitization, digital restoration of old photographs for amateur and professional photographers, heads of small photo studios, photo archives, students and teachers in the field of photography, librarians and archivists from libraries, archives, museums, monasteries, teachers involved in lifelong learning, etc., who wish to support smaller institutions in applying new techniques for digitisation and restoration of rare photographs to reach a wider public in an attractive way.

Intended outcomes:

• Production of a film on the process of restoration and conservation of digital photographs;
• Development of a manual for the digitization process/ Training modules;
• Create an open flexible learning system.through the learning modules;
• Six training workshops;
• Multiplier events and peer meetings;
• Creation of an interactive exhibition (3d mapping, photogrammetry, LIDAR (Light Identification Detection and Ranging, VR, etc.) as a demonstration of digital image exposure methods.

Project partners:

• National Vocational School of Polygraphy and Photography - Sofia (Bulgaria);
• Student Society for Computer Art - Sofia (Bulgaria);
• State Technical School - Riga (Latvia);
• Barton University - Barton (Turkey);
• George Baritiu County Library - Brasov (Romania);
• Vocational Training Centre at the University of Library and Information Science and Technology - Sofia (Bulgaria).
• Associated partner is Regional Library "Petko R. Slavejkov - Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria)
• Project duration: 24 months (September 2022-September 2024)

The DigiPrior project is implemented under the Erasmus+ sub-programme "Cooperation Partnerships in Vocational Education and Training". The project aims to increase the capacity of librarians, managers of small and medium-sized libraries and archives on:

• how to select books, documents and photographs
• for priority digitisation;
• how to maintain digital archives
• how to promote and use already digitised materials in learning, with a focus on young people
• how to promote the use of digital content;

The project will develop products and collaborate with partners in the field of continuing vocational education and training (further training, extra-curricular training)

Intended outcomes:

• Methodology for selecting materials (prioritization) for digitization;
• Knowledge management system (LMS) with training modules on how to prioritize materials for digitalization; Structured as units of learning outcomes and ECVET approach to assess learning outcomes; Competency framework
• Short digital films with examples of why an item has been selected for digitisation and processing, these films will be appropriate for training (and linked to LMS content)

Training events, multiplier events and peer-to-peer meetings are also provided.

Project partners:

Regional Library "Petko R. Slaveykov" - Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria), Student Society for Computer Art - Sofia (Bulgaria), George Baritiu County Library - Brasov (Romania), The Domijnen Foundation (Netherlands), Mafra National Palace Library (Portugal).

Download all language versions of the practical project guide

Multiplier workshop/Multiplier event

Project abbreviation TECH.LIBRARY Digital technologies and online tools are a key driver to promote improved library services for visually impaired readers.

However, in most EU countries: -

• library staff are not fully aware of the scope and potential of ICT tools and services for including visually impaired users, and awareness is also poor of the valuable experiences and best practices that can be replicated locally and internationally;
• the digital competences of library staff are often insufficient to integrate digital tools effectively.

TECH.LIBRARY focuses on 3 main objectives:

1. Fostering the exchange of best practices between different library staff on services and ICT tools for the inclusion of visually impaired users;
2. expand the digital competences of library staff through customized training activities on ICT tools;
3. creating a collaborative network of libraries to respond to the needs of visually impaired users.

To achieve the intended objectives, the following activities will be implemented:

1. Project coordination that will ensure sound technical and financial management of the project;
2. Exchange of best practices and study visits to enable each participant to learn and understand how other libraries and countries are using ICT for the participation of visually impaired users;
3. Development of a web platform allowing users to learn, share experiences and opinions, communicate, network and disseminate project activities and initiatives;
4. Short-term joint training of staff on the latest ICT technologies for offering services to visually impaired users;
5. Targeted dissemination and exploitation activities: 6 conferences (3 at transnational level and 3 at national level) to disseminate project achievements and to engage.

The TECH.LIBRARY project is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme, sub-programme KA2 - Cooperation for innovation and exchange of good practices. The partnership consists of 6 public libraries from 6 different countries supported by one technical partner. The project will involve 122 participants in training and exchange activities on best practices, while 260 will participate in multiplier events. In addition, a significant number of external libraries will be engaged in networking and experience sharing through the web platform, which will also provide them with useful information, training videos and materials, demonstrations and much more content to improve the digital competences of their staff (it is estimated that more than 300 users will register and actively participate in the platform)

Three intellectual outputs will result from the project activities:

1. TECH.LIBRARY online platform
2. Training videos in 7 different languages
3. Practical guide and best practice recommendations in 7 different languages.

The expected impact of the project is to foster professional development of library staff in ICT methodologies, while up-skilling their key competences and promoting much greater inclusion in libraries by improving key services for blind and visually impaired users across Europe.

Becoming a truly inclusive library for visually impaired readers is not only about being able to adapt to ever-changing digital technologies, but also about enabling library staff to play an inclusive role. In addition to the Regional Library "Petko R. Slaveykov" - V. Tarnovo, the City Library in the town of Tarnovo is also participating. Rijeka, Croatia (Gradska knjiznica Rijeka, Croatia), the National Library of Romania in Bucharest (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei, Romania), the Library of Mazsalaca - Latvia (Mazsalaca municipality, Latvia), the City Library of Ljubljana, Slovenia (Mestna knjiznica Ljubljana, Slovenia) and the Coordinator is Unione della Romagna Faentina. It is an alliance between 6 neighbouring small municipalities in the south-eastern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, centred on the town of Faenza, supported by the NGO ARGO Faenza, Italy. The project has a duration of 24 months and, due to the epidemiological situation, started in a postponed manner in March. January 2021.

PRESS RELEASE

FINAL PRESS RELEASE

Practical Guide (EN)

European programme: Erasmus+ K2: Cooperation for innovation and exchange of good practices

612411-EPP-1-2019-1-IT-EPPKA2-SSA: The project "BIBLIO: Boosting digital skills and competences for librarians in Europe" aims at the acquisition of professional qualifications and digital skills of library professionals, through the establishment of a system for the assessment of knowledge and skills, learning competences as well as the validation and recognition of acquired ones. The BIBLIO project brings together 10 partners from five countries, with sectoral organisations in the partner network - national and international library networks and organisations; VET providers /CPOs/, a university and two European networks in the field of digital skills and library professionals.

Coordinator: Alteo Valentini

Coordinator from UniBIT: Prof. Ivanka Yankova

Partners:

• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI BARI ALDO MORO - BARI, ITALY
• ISTITUTO CENTRALE PER IL CATALOGO UNICO DELLE BIBLIOTECHE ITALIANE - ROME, ITALY
• EUROPEAN GRANTS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY SRL- FOLIGNO, ITALY
• CENTER FOR VOCATIONAL TRAINING TO UNIVERSITY OF LIBRARY STUDIES AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES - SOFIA, BULGARIA
• GLOBAL LIBRARIES BULGARIA FOUNDATION - SOFIA, BULGARIA
• SIA DMG - RIGA, LATVIA
• KULTURAS INFORMACIJAS SISTEM CENTRS - RIGA, LATVIA
• HELLENIC OPEN UNIVERSITY - PATRAS, GREECE
• ALL DIGITAL AISBL - BRUXELLES, BELGIUM
• Public libraries 2030 - BRUXELLES, BELGIUM

BULLETIN 1

BULLETIN 2: ACTIVITIES WITH STUDENTS

BULLETIN 3: AWARD CEREMONY

BULLETIN 4 : PUBLICATION OF THE AWARDED STORIES

NEWSLETTER 5 : WORKSHOPS WITH ILLUSTRATORS

NEWSLETTER 6 : RESULTS AND FINAL MEETING

The G-BOOK 2 project is a continuation of the project "G-book: books - gender and identity: children's readers and library collections". The project created the first European bibliography on gender identity in the field of children's literature. It is completely innovative and so far no such bibliography has been compiled. The bibliography is characterised by the fact that it includes additional informative documents such as interactive games, thematic trails, reading sheets and more information material: https://g-book.eu/bg/

The follow-up project G-BOOK 2: European teenagers as readers and creators in gender-positive narratives is part of the Creative Europe Programme, Culture sub-programme of the European Commission. By achieving its objectives, the project supports the Creative Europe Programme's priorities to encourage audiovisual, cultural and creative organisations to work across Europe, to attract and reach new reading audiences and to develop the skills needed in the digital age.

By skilfully applying the transnational concept at local level, European cultural and audiovisual works will reach audiences in other countries and contribute to preserving cultural and linguistic diversity.

The transnational mobility of sex-positive teen literature is enhanced by collecting the most relevant works produced in the 6 languages of the consortium (+ German) and integrating them into an already existing transnational online bibliography from G-BOOK 1.

Some of these works existing on the book market will be procured on paper to be included in the collections of the partner libraries.

As the main target audience, teenagers will be involved in the development of the project themes during a transnational school competition that will invest creative writing activities and visual representations through graphic arts, including films and videos;

- Teens will also contribute to creating communication materials by designing a graphic object for G-BOOK 2 - stickers to be distributed during project events.

The publication of the materials will be part of the audience development, as all the works from the students in the international competition will be collected in a final publication of G-BOOK 2. This publication will be translated into all the languages of the project partners and will be accessible to a very wide audience in the European Union.

The main objectives of this project are:

- To support the dissemination of different forms of gender positive teenage literature at EU level;

- to inform and engage the target audience (early teenagers) on gender-related topics in an emancipatory perspective, while developing their creative skills;

These objectives will be achieved through a set of well-structured activities:

- Thematic expansion of the EU's first bibliography on gender positive children's literature to include books for ages - 11-14;

- Linguistic extension of the already established bibliography by including books in German;

- Audience development and awareness raising for secondary school students by:

(a) 6 writing competitions on gender-related topics;
b) Translation of the prize-winning stories into 6 languages;
c) Publication of the winning stories;
d) Creating an international visual narrative of all the awarded stories (1 per country) to encourage artistic expression among teenagers.

The project will be implemented over 24 months, and due to the pandemic of COVID 19, the launch in May will be in the first half of 2012. September 2020. In December of the same year. The transnational workshops at this stage are being implemented online.
The coordinator of the project is the University of Bologna, Italy and the other partners of the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Library are.

One of the main objectives of the project is to systematize, integrate and disseminate contemporary practices, not only among small libraries, but also among vocational education institutions, as a means to renew working methods and training materials for teachers and students. The MobiDig project provides online resources for VET (Vocational Education and Training) for mobile/low-cost digitisation.

The project provides access to additional qualifications for vocational education that lasts a lifetime (continuous VET or C-VET). Digital educational films and self-learning resources are included in the knowledge management system, along with a free and easily accessible handbook. The content is designed to support the target group (librarians/archivists/library managers/teachers and trainers) in acquiring additional professional skills with a lifelong learning perspective.

The Mobile Digitizing project is supported by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The project represents the views only of the authors, and the Commission is not responsible for any information contained therein.

In 2015 and 2016, the P. R. Slaveykov" - Veliko Tarnovo will implement training activities for library professionals and citizens under the Erasmus + Programme through the project "LinkInJob-job hunting with the help of Librarians".

The project is in partnership with 6 other public and university libraries from Austria, Ireland, Latvia, Romania, Slovenia and Finland. To the library in. The Ljubljana Metropolitan Library (Mestna knjiznica Ljubljana), Slovenia is the project coordinator.

"LinkINjob: job search with the help of librarians is a project that supports the Europe 2020 strategy, strengthening knowledge and innovation as a driver for future growth. One of the objectives of the 2020 strategy is to raise the employment rate of the population aged 20-64, which is currently 69%, to at least 75%, to increase the participation of women and older workers and to facilitate more effective integration of migrants into the workforce.

This project directly addresses one of the key objectives of the Education and Training 2020 Strategy. In February 2014, there were around 25 920 million unemployed people in Europe and the unemployment rate was 11.9%. It is essential for the unemployed to be informed that they can gain new knowledge and develop their social and civic skills as a means to prevent social exclusion. Unemployed people face many problems when looking for work, for example lack of information literacy and skills to identify their own personal strengths and weaknesses and interests. Modern public libraries are local centres for education, culture, information and at the same time work as social meeting points. Libraries have become an important link and point of cooperation between vocational education and training and the labour market.

The target group of the project - the unemployed will be informed about the opportunities for lifelong learning: non-formal education and non-formal training. Through education and training, all citizens should be enabled to benefit from quality education and to acquire and renew throughout their lives the knowledge, skills and competences needed for employment, social inclusion, active citizenship and personal fulfilment.

P. R. Slaveykov" has developed the project website (visit http://linkinjob.eu/), which in 2015 will provide information for citizens from all partner countries about upcoming trainings and events organized by the project.

Media coverage:

Focus News

NABIS

Velikotarnovoutre.bg

Yantra Today

Borba

This year the P. Р. Slaveykov worked on the implementation of the project "G-book - Gender Identity: Child Readers and Library Collections" with the financial support of the Creative Europe Programme, sub-programme Culture. The topic is new for Bulgaria and not yet well known, but it is increasingly relevant and entering our everyday lives. Recently in Bulgaria there are children's authors who write and publish books dealing with the idea of gender identity.

Children's literature plays a crucial role in the development of gender identity in girls and boys. Children tend to automatically accept models that are presented to them and therefore identify with characters that belong to their gender group. This is especially true for the choice of 'professions'. Children are accustomed to and accept as perfectly normal that there should be a division of female and male occupations - i.e. girls should be nurses, cooks, teachers, etc., and boys should be pilots, mechanics, engineers, etc. Very often the acceptance of these stereotyped roles is also dictated by the roles given to the characters in illustrated children's books.

For this reason, it is also very important to increasingly activate the idea of positive gender literature for children by offering books that do not separate the sexes by profession, about the family, etc. Today, and especially in some European countries, this type of children's literature can be a very important educational tool on important issues such as integration and respect for cultural, social and religious differences.

Unfortunately, there are still great differences in the way European countries deal with gender identity in children's literature. In those countries where gender equality is more prevalent, the production of gender-positive children's literature is therefore more widespread. But on the other hand, there are few countries where the dissemination of this kind of literature has just begun or is not as strongly developed as in our country.

Partners

• University of Bologna (ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - UNIVERSITA DI BOLOGNA) -
• Bologna, Italy
• University of Vigo (UNIVERSIDAD DE VIGO)-
• Vigo Pontevedra, Spain
• University of Paris-13 (UNIVERSITE PARIS 13) -
• Ville News, France
• University of Dublin - DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY -
• Dublin, Ireland
• Library - City of Dublin Sarajevo - Biblioteka grada Sarajeva -
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• P. Р. Slaveykov -
• Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

The project will create the first European bibliography on gender identity in children's literature. There is an entirely innovative aspect to this, as no such bibliography has existed at this level. The bibliography created in the framework of the project will be characterised by its quality and quantity and will include additional documents such as interactive games, thematic trails, reading sheets, information materials.

In addition, the catalogue will be implemented in 6 languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish, Bulgarian and Bosnian/Serbian), which will ensure a high level of usability also in countries not directly involved in the project.

By improving the exchange of books, the project will support 6 public libraries to enrich their collections with new books on gender identity and introduce a range of activities to bring children/parents/teachers closer to gender positive literature

EXPECTED RESULTS:

1. EUROPEAN BIBLIOGRAPHY OF GENDER LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN - This will increase knowledge among those working on gender identity and lay the basis for transnational dissemination of gender-positive books at EU level. The idea is that the bibliography will include most if not all books published in Europe, but also books published on other continents and translated into Italian, French, Spanish, English, Bulgarian and Bosnian.
2. THEMATIC TRAVELING COLLECTIONS AND BOOKS (1200) These will enrich the supply of gender-positive books in 6 public libraries and thus increase the number of "books/readers". 2 multi-lingual collections of 30 books each will be implemented, on different themes related to gender identity
3. TheONLINE INTERACTIVE CATALOG will promote the dissemination of books and knowledge, as the bibliography will be easily accessible and will be supported by additional materials to be used for educational purposes.
4. Audience development events. These will raise awareness and encourage target groups to adopt this type of literature.

The following will be organized : Reading Clubs for children aged 6-10 and their parents, Children/Parents Workshops for parents and children aged 3-5, Teachers Workshop, Animated Readings for children aged 3-10, parents and teachers and Themed Events (1event for adults and 1 for children in each country) to distribute books contained in the traveling collections. The events will be filled with an informal approach that will make the audience an active actor (not just spectators) in each activity.

5. Publishers will be provided with comprehensive information on quality books that have not yet been translated but which could be of great interest to potential buyers/readers at a national level.

Regional Library "P.R. Slaveykov" - Veliko Tarnovo is a partner of the Global Libraries Foundation - Bulgaria for the implementation of the project "E-skills for E-inclusion", whose main goal is to develop a computer literacy training program for vulnerable groups to facilitate their access to the labor market.

The project is implemented in partnership with 5 organisations from Northern Ireland, Spain, Italy and Romania and is funded by the European Erasmus+ Programme.

The Bulgarian project team includes ICT specialists from 3 other regional libraries:

• Hristo Botev Regional Library - Vratsa
• Hristo Smirnenski Regional Library - Haskovo
• Stiliyan Chilingirov Regional Library - Shumen

Summary: The project envisages the documentation and preservation of cultural heritage, the creation of a Digital Centre "Culture and History" and a network for providing intellectual access to it in cultural institutions and organizations: libraries, museums, galleries and local archival collections of partners from North and Central Bulgaria.

The modern digitisation centre will unite the efforts of related cultural institutions in the preservation and digitisation of the cultural and documentary heritage they are responsible for.
The project enables the unification of digitisation processes and the creation of full-text databases.
As a result, the digital centre will provide broad and easy access to the cultural heritage in the cultural institutions of the North Central region of Bulgaria, providing, in addition to the physical use of cultural property, the possibility of intellectual access to them, without damaging or compromising them in order to preserve the original objects in the long term for future generations.

Project goal: The Digital Centre North + will provide the necessary technological base for digitizing, preserving and making available in a European context the cultural, literary, documentary, historical and architectural heritage preserved in the cultural partner institutions and organizations of the Central North region and other demographic areas of Bulgaria. The digital conversion for the specialised collections of manuscripts, old printed books, Renaissance periodicals, old photographs, local archives of immovable cultural heritage and museum exhibits will provide unimpeded access with European dimensions to Bulgarian cultural heritage. At the same time, the activities of the partner organisations will be intensified in the realisation of their preservation functions, which in recent years have remained on the back burner due to lack of funds to purchase modern technical equipment and lack of capacity in the institutions participating in the project. The process of involving volunteers - Roma and Bulgarians from the Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance "Amalipe" is twofold, on the one hand it will increase the capacity of the digital center and will be provided with human resources, and on the other hand the participants will acquire the necessary library and digital competence needed to implement the activities of the project. The common national responsibility to preserve the nation's memory for future generations will be upheld.

Target groups and impact: All segments of civil society: academics, students, pupils, representatives of minority Roma communities, employees in institutions and organisations, inhabitants of the localities.

With the newly created digital repositories, the project will influence a wide social layer of users by providing the respective target group with information resources relevant to their needs: academics - the scientific potential of lecturers and PhD students, students of Bulgarian philology, Balkan studies, library science and theology of the VTU "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" and other higher educational institutions in the region and the country, students from the primary and upper school in the classes of the program for the study of Renaissance literature, representatives of the Roma community in the search for local history materials about the participation and contribution of the community to the overall development of Roma life, residents of the settlements who are interested in culture and history.