| Programme name | Country | Date of information |
| “Knygų startas“ (“Bookstart” in Lithuanian) | Lithuania | 25 June 2019 |
| Question | Answer |
| About the Organisation | |
| Organisation name | Martynas Mazvydas, National Library of Lithuania, is the main implementer and administer of the programme. IBBY Lithuania is the main partner of the programme. |
| Organisation address | Gedimino pr. 51, Vilnius, LT-01504, Lithuania |
| Goal/objective | To promote early reading through providing free books and methodical material for families with newborns. |
| Contact Person | Inga Mitunevičiūtė |
| Position of Contact Person | Head of Research and Dissemination Unit, Children and Youth Literature Department, National Library of Lithuania; IBBY Lithuania president |
| Contact email | |
| Contact Telephone Number | |
| Organisation website | https://www.lnb.lt/en/; https://www.ibbylietuva.lt/en/ |
| Organisation type | national organization set up for the purpose of running the programme |
| How many staff does your organisation employ? | 494 (according to data of June 2019) |
| About the Programme | |
| Basic details | |
| Programme name | “Knygų startas“ |
| Country/Province/City where the programme takes place | Lithuania, Vilnius |
| Year started | 2019 |
| Programme goal/objective | “Knygų startas” is a pilot project started in Lithuania in 2019. In the first stage, the main goal is to create a working model, the mechanism for bookgifting, and to test it in one area with about 3000 babies. |
| Funding sources | Funded by The Ministry of Culture of The Republic of Lithuania |
| Geographic coverage | Vilnius district ( except Vilnius city) |
| Purpose of the programme | |
| Not for profit? | Not for profit |
| Religious or political purpose? | None |
| Local consistency of model | |
| Is your programme model consistent across your geographic area, or are there regional differences? | Consistent |
| Book Packs | |
| What are the contents of your gifting pack? | The gifting pack content: the first book for babies, a toy, guidance material for parents in a form of postcards, a letter from the team |
| Is your programme offered free of charge to all families? | It is free of charge to all families. |
| Partnerships and Delivery | |
| What are your primary ‘points of contact’ with the population you serve? | Health clinic |
| Who gifts/hands-out your pack to families? | healthcare workers |
| Please list your other programme partnerships and briefly give details. | Ministry of Health of The Republic of Lithuania ensures the mechanism of bookgifting in Healthcare centers |
| Audience | |
| Is the programme universal or targeted? | Universal, but includes national minorities families. |
| How many children does your programme serve a year? | In the first stage of the project – 3000 babies. |
| At what age/gifting period do children receive your programme. | Birth – 6 months, 6 – 12 months |
| Diversity provision | |
| Does your program include provisions or resources for children with special needs? | no |
| What language populations does your programme serve? | The gifting pack will be provided for families who speak Lithuanian, Polish, Belarusian and Russian languages. The first book for babies will be in Lithuanian with translation on a separate sheet of paper. Guidance materials and a letter will be in different languages. |
| Evaluation and research | |
| Have you conducted programme evaluation or research (including longitudinal)? If yes, has this evaluation/research been published? | It is only the first step of Bookstart in Lithuania, but we have it in our plans after 5 years from the start of programme. |
Videos
March 2022 – Library-health partnership in Lithuania
Goda Baranauskaitė-Dangovienė: National Library of Lithuania – Bookstart knygų startas in Lithuania grow a generation with a book
- Goda Baranauskaitė-Dangovienė: National Library of Lithuania – Bookstart knygų startas in Lithuania grow a generation with a book
Nov 2022 – Presentation to the Polish Book Institute Conference, Warsaw
Goda Baranauskaitė-Dangovienė: National Library of Lithuania