Letter of appreciation by the Library Braka Miladinovci, Radovis, Macedonia

The director of the Jagodina Library has recently received a letter of appreciation for participating in the Conference from 14-15 February in Radovis, Macedonia, by Ivanka Sokolova, the organizer of the Conference, who has a very active and important role in the development of library and information work in Macedonia. Also, Ivanka is very active in the NGO sector- in the fight for women’s rights. 

Here is her letter:

What Ivanka wrote:

 Dear Ms Crnkovic,

Women's Action-Radovis and Public Library Braka Miladinovci are sending you greetings and deep appreciation for your participation at the Regional conference Public Libraries empower Innovations in the community which was held on 14 and 15 February in Radovis.

 We are especially grateful for shared experiences that the library Radislav Nikcevic gained during the implementation of the project AgroLib Ja, which prompted the productive discussing at the Conference.

We hope that the program of the Conference met your expectations and that you had the opportunity to make new  friends, discuss ideas and opinions and exchange experiences with colleagues from Macedonia.

Thank you.

Greetings,

President of the Organizing Committee of the Conference

Ivanka Sokolova

Radovis

20 February 2013

  „I met Ivanka Sokolova three years ago in Ljubljana at the Conference, organized by EIFL. I recognized her as a librarian in the real sense of the word,” begins a story Vesna Crnkovic, the director of the Jagodina Public Library. „ I was fascinated by her professional curiosity, tireless persistence, dedication to work and development of knowledge. I was particularly fascinated by her courage, openness and readiness for new challenges, new approaches and innovations. “

  Ivanka Sokolova completed her postgraduate studies of librarianship in Croatia. She is involved in the implementation of several international projects that have a major impact on the improvement and development of the library Braka Miladinovci in Radovis, Macedonia. She actively participated in the project Friendly libraries for all citizens, funded by the Government of Norway and implemented by the Development program of United Nations-UNDP. Thanks to this project, the Radovis library was completely rebuilt and modernized and became one of the busiest and most visited places in the town.

  Her commitment to the promotion of library work does not stop here. Realizing that libraries in Macedonia are in difficult financial situation, she is constantly looking for new sources of funding for various activities of the library. In 2010 Braka Miladinovci Library was awarded $30,000 for the project Creative minds create job opportunities, which was designed by Ivanka. This project is a specific model that introduced new services in the library work promoting importance of reading, literacy and lifelong learning. The project is focuses on the development of new services that involve the use of library resources for the improvement of education and finding information for the unemployed and allowing them to participate equally in the labor market and active involvement in the community life. Thanks to this project, a lot of beneficiaries of this project managed to find jobs. 

  In 2011 in Prague, the project Creative Minds was one of 37 awarded project out of 1, 836 projects from 12 countries and was awarded for social integration 2011 by the Erste Foundation. The award of € 16,000 ($23,113) helped the sustainability of the project.

  Ivanka Sokolova is the president of the Association for the Improvement of the Position Women in Macedoina called Women's Action. Women's action is a nonprofit organization in Radovis and the aim of this disorganization is improving the quality of women's lives in the community by promoting the protection from the violence, abuse and trafficking by adopting the equal participation of women in all spheres of life, raising awareness among women about their own values and improving socio-economic status in the community. 

 

  She is also the coordinator of the project E-labs implemented in Macedonia. The project's aim is to support women in Radovis to improve their computer and Internet skills so they can recognize and use all the possibilities offered by IT in professional and everyday life.

„If we take into account the biography of Ivanka Sokolova, her call for cooperation is a great opportunity to expand the AgroLib Ja project, but also to share experiences and initiate regional cooperation, “ says Vesna Crnkovic, the director of the Jagodina library with great satisfaction.

Here is the article in Macedonian reputable newspaper about the library Braka Miladinovci http://dnevnik.com.mk/?ItemID=FE27EDFBDD8F164EAE510ECD2A66E88F