Public libraries across Ukraine are gradually becoming places where people come not only for books but also for support during difficult moments. UNESCO’s representation in Ukraine, together with the Ministry of Culture and with financial participation from the Japanese Government, expands the project “Library as a Space for Psychosocial Support,” which aims to teach library staff how to help visitors cope with stress and traumatic war experiences.
How Many Libraries Are Operating in the Country Today
According to various estimates, Ukraine has between 11,800 and 12,900 active public libraries—significantly fewer than the nearly 16,000 institutions that operated before the large-scale network optimization and the full-scale invasion. Roughly 500 libraries nationwide were completely destroyed, partially damaged, or lost their collections due to the actions of Russian occupiers, so the network is already under pressure. Despite this, a library often remains the only public institution in a small town or village where a person can come for free, without an appointment, and without needing to explain the reason for their visit.
Why This Is Important Right Now
The war has changed the very function of the library in the community. An institution that was previously seen mainly as a book repository is now becoming a space where a person can receive support in moments of anxiety, grief, or exhaustion. A mental health expert from the Coordination Center for Mental Health, commenting on the initiative, emphasized that Ukrainian resilience is formed through awareness of values, the ability to interact with others, and the skill to regulate one’s own emotions in crisis situations. According to her, society is only learning to seek support when it is truly needed, rather than hiding difficulties, and that is why training specialists who work with people daily is of particular importance.
UNESCO representatives explain their choice of libraries as a platform for mental health work by noting that the organization actively supports transformations in the field of mental health and psychosocial support across all aspects of its mandate on education, culture, and information. This approach, already implemented for schools and journalist centers, is now being extended to libraries, as they play a key role as reliable community hubs.
Who Is the Primary Beneficiary of the Help
The main audience of the project is children, youth, educators, and community residents who can receive support, develop resilience, and overcome the effects of stressful and traumatic events directly in the library space. Special attention is also given to librarians themselves: staff receive self‑help tools and burnout prevention resources, as they are the first to encounter visitors’ emotional states and need their own resources for such work. In the new cycle of the program, the group of beneficiaries expands—libraries attached to educational institutions are added, bringing in schoolchildren and teaching staff.
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How the Pilot Stage Began
The idea emerged in 2024 when libraries in six regions—Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Lviv, Ivano‑Frankivsk, Ternopil, and Odesa—became testing grounds for a new approach. Sixty librarians from 32 public libraries participated in five‑day trainings and webinars totaling 60 hours. The skills acquired were applied in practice even during the pilot cycle, gradually creating an atmosphere of trust and safety in their institutions.
Practical Guide, Online Course, and How to Get Help
To scale the pilot’s results, the project team prepared two free resources available to all willing librarians in the country. The methodological guide “Psychosocial Support in the Library” contains practical recommendations and tools that help integrate psychosocial support into library work, create a safe space for visitors, and simultaneously care for one’s own psychological resilience. It can be downloaded via the link provided in the project materials.
The guide is complemented by a training course, designed for a broad audience of library staff. The online course “Library as a Space for Psychosocial Support” is a free 30‑hour program with practical materials, Ukrainian sign language translation, and the possibility to earn a certificate. This format allows learners to study remotely without interrupting their daily work, and the availability of a deaf‑translation makes the course accessible to people with hearing impairments.
For an ordinary visitor, getting help is easier than it seems: simply approach a librarian at the nearest public library who has completed the relevant training, or find out at the local library whether psychosocial support practices have been implemented. As the program expands to new regions, the number of such prepared institutions will grow.
The Program’s Geography Is Growing
The success of the pilot stage has paved the way for a substantial expansion of the project. In the new cycle, UNESCO plans to extend the program to an additional 10 regions of Ukraine and involve libraries attached to educational institutions, whose participants will receive methodological support, training, practical tools for working with visitors, and assistance in developing library spaces.
The initiative’s funding is international: it is supported by the Japanese Government, and part of the training materials were created within the Global Partnership for Education’s global educational program. This allows the project to develop without additional strain on local library budgets, most of which already operate under limited resources due to wartime conditions.
Librarians who have already completed the training note a change in their perception of the profession—it no longer remains purely informational and gains a distinct social dimension. Investing in staff training has a direct impact on everyday community life, especially where other forms of psychological support simply do not exist.
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