Library Without Borders: a digital socio-cultural space for community participation
Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports of Milove Settlement Council
Ukraine
Library Without Borders is a socio-cultural initiative of a relocated school community in eastern Ukraine that lost its physical educational and cultural space due to war.
The project transforms an online library into a shared digital space where community members, children, parents, and educators not only access knowledge but actively participate in cultural dialogue, collective reading, and reflection. In a context of social fragmentation and growing polarization, the initiative responds to the urgent need for cohesion, mutual support, and civic participation through culture.
The project Library Without Borders aims to rethink the role of a school digital library as an online socio-cultural centre for the relocated community of the Morozivskyi Lyceum. As a result of war and forced displacement, the community lost not only buildings of 12 municipal institutions — including schools, libraries, and cultural centres — but also spaces for interaction, dialogue, and cultural life. The project creates a safe digital environment where students, parents, and educators become active participants in cultural processes: curating thematic collections, joining reading clubs, engaging in discussions, and initiating shared activities. The library functions as a laboratory of civic participation, where culture becomes a tool of non-violent cultural resistance, preservation of identity, and democratic practice. The initiative is implemented with the support of the local authority, ensuring sustainability, openness, and public value.