Conference “Library as a Community Centre and a Meeting Place Promoting Integration”

Projects • Social welfare and security Conference “Library as a Community Centre and a Meeting Place Promoting Integration”

2025. gada 16. decembris

On September 23–24, 2025 the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia organised a 2-day Nordic-Baltic conference “Library as a Community Centre and a Meeting Place Promoting Integration”. The event took place in the premises of the Eastern Latvia’s Centre for Creative Services “Zeimuļs” in the city of Rēzekne and was organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of Latvia and in partnership with Rēzekne City Library.

The conference in Rēzekne was aimed at exploring ways to foster integration of refugees and immigrants in peripheral regions, focusing on the potential role of public libraries as community centres and platforms for various inclusive, integration-related activities. The event gathered both international and local audiences – library specialists and professionals from various municipal services responsible for welcoming and integrating the newcomers, developers of national integration and library policy, NGOs and researchers. The event attracted more than 70 participants from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway, and Ukraine.

The first day of the conference explored libraries’ experiences with providing occasions for informal language training and socialising, as well as improving newcomers and other inhabitants’ digital skills.

The second day offered experience sharing on library space as a resource when introducing new functions and the role of dialogue in community building. The conference featured four sessions. The stage was shared by two Estonian, two Lithuanian, one Norwegian, and nine Latvian speakers.

During the conference, participants had the opportunity to connect and network with experts and practitioners from the Baltic and Nordic countries. After the conference, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia organised excursions to the Rēzekne Central Library and the Rēzekne Library of Adapted Literature. The visitors explored the possibilities on site, discussed the potential for offering integration-related services, development and regional cooperation.

The conference was moderated by Georgs Rubenis (Day 1) and Linda Jākobsone-Gavala (Day 2), whereas the dialogue circles were facilitated by Iveta Balčūne, Jānis Dzimtais, Linda Jākobsone-Gavala and Māra Sīmane.

Simultaneous interpreters: Jolanta Reča and Sandra Celmiņa. Photographer: Eduards Medvedevs. Video recording: Sergejs Čakāns.

PROGRAMME

The conference was a part of the Nordic-Baltic project “Fostering Refugee and Immigrant Integration – FOR-IN 2.0 (2025–2026).” Other project events in 2025 were a conference in Kaunas “Shaping Inclusive Cities Together” (April 9–10) and a conference in Tartu “Keys of Integration through Access to Digital Tools and Affordable Housing” (October 16). The activities, which are being planned for 2026, include two study visits followed by two webinars, an NGO forum in Lithuania and a conference in Estonia. The NCM Offices in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are closely collaborating with the national public bodies and other actors in the Baltic and Nordic countries in organising the project events.

PRESENTATIONS