Take a look at this incredible collaboration between four libraries participating in the NAPLE Sister Libraries programme from four different countries. These libraries have taken the spirit of collaboration and cooperation to the highest level, sharing stories and creating videos that we can all now enjoy. We would like to thank the Škofja Loka Ivan Tavčar Public Library for providing the information we are sharing with you below:

Slovenia’s Škofja Loka Ivan Tavčar Public Library has had a long-term sister connection with Lithuania’s Panevezys district municipality Public Library and Finish Public library, Pyhäjoen Kirjasto.

In 2023 Škofja Loka Library began to cooperate with new sister Municipal Library Tábor, as the Škofja Loka city is also connected  in other fields with the city Tábor in Czech Republic.

The main goal of the sister program is to cooperate and exchange ideas and cultural connections between all involved institutions. For this purpose we came up with the idea of sharing and getting to know folk tales and languages from the local environment of each sisters library’s  country.

In February 2022, the Finnish, Lithuanian and our library participated in the exchange of folk tales for the first time.

The project was very well praised, so we decided to repeat it in December 2024 and include the Tábor Library as well. We named the project “Virtual acquaintance with folk tales: International Lithuanian, Finnish, Czech and Slovenian – NAPLE sisterhood Christmas campaign“.

Each library chose a folk tale from their country and created a video of the tale in the language of origin. Folk tales were then shared to sister libraries that then prepared translations, added subtitles to the video in their own language.

Every week in December, a folk tale from one country was  published on our website, as well as on the sites, Youtube channels and FB pages of our NAPLE sisters.

The Dwarves of Lubnik (Škofja Loka)

The first was a Slovenian local folk tale from Škofja Loka The Dwarves of Lubnik, written by Lojze Zupanc. It was recorded in Škopar’s house in the castle garden, created by Karla Berčič Rihtaršič, storyteller and craftswoman. (video above)

Devil and Kacha (Municipal Library Tábor)

Czech fairy tale was Devil and Kacha, written by Božena Němcová and performend by librarians from Tabor city library. (video above)

The Crafty Fox (Panevezys District Municipality Public Library)

Librarians, Lida Žukauskaite (storytelling)  and  Vida Ambraskaite (camera) from Lithuania’s Panevezys District Municipality Public Library created a video The crafty fox, a national Lithuanian folk tale. (video above)

Ghosts of Annala (Pyhäjoen Kirjasto Library)

From the Public Library Pyhäjoen Kirjasto in Finland, we received  a local story Ghosts of Annala, created and filmed by children on a creative workshops in library. (video above)

It is interesting to compare how many similarities or differences there are in our folk tales.

We are glad that we managed to implement this project and we also thank our NAPLE sisters for their effort and willingness to cooperate on a multi-national level.

👉🏼 Text by Saša Ambrožič from Škofja Loka Ivan Tavčar Public Library