Abstract:

The problem of attracting more users to libraries is a serious current issue in Bulgaria. The crisis in Bulgarian libraries during the transition period from the early 1990s negatively affected the image of cultural institutions. In a situation of serious technological change and change in readers’ attitudes and expectations, the library community is looking for new approaches to returning users to libraries and transforming these places into a preferred and desirable venue for all social and age groups. Although there is no systematic library support policy, at a local level libraries organize a number of initiatives to promote their activity. There are several national campaigns including “Read with Me”, “The Big Read”, “The Big Little Reading”, etc. In them, however, libraries are not recognized as a particularly important partner. In contrast, the national campaign “Reading Marathon” in Bulgaria, which this year marks its thirteenth anniversary, is becoming more and more popular. It is an annual event organized under the auspices of the Bulgarian Library and Information Association. It has become a tradition for so many libraries (public, municipal, school and cultural community center) from all over the country to take part.

The article aims to analyze the programs of the Marathon for the last 13 years and summarize the participation of different kinds of libraries in the initiative and the events held by them for their patrons. Hence the hypothesis that despite the scale of the program, it still doesn’t comprise an ample number of libraries in the country. In addition, library experts do not take enough advantage of the event so that they promote their activities.

Keywords:

Bulgaria, libraries, reading, national campaigns.