The Tots' Library, where children of Romanian parents living outside the country can read in Romanian, has expanded from its initial Prague location to a network spread throughout Europe. Founder Ana Engrth Răduleț told Romania Insider more about how an initial wish to have more Romanian-language reading options for her children became a network of 23 libraries in 15 countries that enables children to connect to their roots.

The Tots' Library (Biblioteca Prichindeilor) knew several iterations before it became today's project, hosting 15,000 books in its network. Ideas ranged from a shared collection where parents would pool their kids' books to a system where families would lend books for a limited time. As it became better known, publishing houses began contributing books. It has now grown to a multi-country project entirely run by volunteers, who juggle full-time work and family responsibilities with what can, at times, require the effort of a part-time job. The volunteers, some of whom would love to make a living out of being a librarian, also organize the various activities and events the libraries host. These vary depending on location, with some cities and communities more active than others.

In Prague, regular weekly activities take place, including Mom Talks and baby meetups, reading clubs, and game nights. Czechia's capital is also where the bookstore Diasporaciteste.eu was born. In cities such as Aarhus, Copenhagen, or Berlin, read-and-play events take place monthly and families gather frequently. At the same time, the library also plans to have more Romanian authors and illustrators attending the events, provided funding is available.

"Education is the most important tool we have," founder Ana Engrth Răduleț says as she explains the project's mission is to contribute to it "so our children can grow up in a better world and become confident adults, knowing where they come from."

More on how the Tots' Library got off the ground, what its journey meant for the founder, and the work behind running and developing the project in the interview below.

How did the idea of the Tots’ Library come about? What were the reading/leisure time options for families in the Romanian community at that point?

The simple version of the story is that I needed more books in Romanian to read to my kids, and it was complicated to get them abroad because of selection issues, shipping costs and comfort. Where do you get books in a convenient way? In the library, I thought – too bad there was no such thing here in Prague! Ok then, I will create my own!

I had been living in Prague for six years when this happened, and I had had my second child just three months before. I was not much in touch with the Romanian community at the time – I am one of those people who tried to avoid any connection, thinking that since I moved away, I should find new people, new stories, and integrate, leaving my past behind. The only Romanian initiative I knew about was “Creștem Români,” run by Ioana Vitelaru. I participated in one playgroup during a summer camp and at a book exchange in front of the church once, but these two events were the only ones I had heard about – there was not much consistency in those meetings, no regular dates.

How did the transition from idea to implementation go? Were there aspects that proved more difficult or openness/opportunities where you didn’t expect them?

It was actually very quick, and I owe this to The Lean Startup, a book I happened to read not long before it all started. I thought of creating the library in December and started the Facebook page at the end of January, having done some research and solved the technical issues with finding a suitable online platform. My initial plan was to create a shared book database with other parents who would add their kids’ books so we could all have access to more titles. The only problem was I did not know any other Romanian parents. And I had about 50 books in total at home, not enough to make people curious and tempt them with my great selection.

Yet, the Facebook page Biblioteca Prichindeilor din Praga got its first 100 followers in no time, and I had six families who borrowed books in the first few months. It was the COVID era, so we would meet one-on-one on the street for lending – the library nest was in my home. I found out rather quickly that my plan would not work – parents would not give up their nicer books, and the donations I received were pretty old and used. I invented a system called Carte-împarte, where parents could lend some books for a limited time to the library – this was better received, and it helped at the time with the number of titles available.

In spring, we had our first read and play meeting in the park at Vyšehrad. A lot of people came, maybe 15 families (triple the ones I knew who were actually borrowing books), Romanians and Moldovans alike. In the meantime, wherever I wrote about the project, I received wonderful feedback – publishing houses from Romania started sending me books, and I was invited to the Embassy to present my project.

Everything evolved so quickly. I just saw the opportunities back then – I was so happy to see more and more books coming, file them, run around the city and lend them, and then, eventually, when restrictions disappeared and we could meet in person, the real fun started because we met in the park – more often, in bigger and bigger groups, be it summer or winter. It was amazing to see the kids’ surprise when they found out they could speak and play in Romanian outside of their homes and family circles. And so, my preconception disappeared completely - it does make sense to speak your own language, share common histories and laugh at the same jokes. Getting together with fellow Romanians became, since then, a most rewarding and sought after experience.

How did the Tots’ Library turn international? How many branches does the library have at this point? Have you noticed interest in it from outside of Europe?

“The network” sparked after speaking at BiebRO’s Monday live session (Biblioteca Românească din Olanda). Maria, the coordinator, asked me if I had thought of expanding this concept that seemed so simple and efficient in gathering communities around books. I had not. But after this conversation, I started posting on moms’ Facebook groups, saying, “Hey, this is what is happening in Prague. If you like reading to your kids and live abroad, maybe it will inspire you.” This was the ignition point for already existing desires among Romanian mothers in the diaspora to do something with books in their adoptive countries.

At first, it was credit to an idea, as Anamaria from Belgium likes to say. It started in Prague, but it might as well happen in different places under the same name. Slowly, the concept of a network emerged, and we shared more and more resources and time to try to bring this project higher and higher together. Now, there are 23 libraries in 15 countries.

Outside Europe – there is actually a Tots' Library shelf that is part of the Global Development Center in Dubai, but it has not been very active, nor has the community shown much interest there. We will see if it makes sense to continue at the end of this year. We received questions from the U.S., but nothing has happened there … yet 😊.

The entire project is volunteer-based. How does this model influence its development?

The great part of volunteering in a project that we keep so close to our hearts is that we create more meaning in our and other people’s lives. Most of the librarians have families and work full-time, so the library is a chance to create value for society. It draws its motivation from the desire to stay connected to our roots, create safety nets for our children, and read a lot – the books are held in the librarians’ homes, and this is a great joy for us and our children, having such easy access to, in some cases, over 1,000 books.

The challenges mostly come from daily life. Keeping up with busy schedules, jobs, schools, playdates, and chores is tricky in itself, so sometimes it gets complicated to invest time in a project that demands more and more effort, preparation, and research as it evolves and grows. For me personally, since I did not plan this expansion from the beginning, the hard part was managing over 20 people and trying to stay connected and motivated.

We have a strategy circle, as they call it in sociocracy (greetings to Adi Miu, who taught us about the system). This is where we try to figure out the direction of the network, stay true to our mission and values, and decide on partnerships and funding. Sometimes, we end up working more than we would for a part-time job. I am sure at least some of us would love to make a living from this librarian work – it empowers us and makes so much sense!

How did you develop the book endowment of the Prague library? What were the needed resources? What informed the selection of books and materials?

The books came from publishing houses (Editura Arthur is our most reliable partner so far; they had our backs from the beginning), parents, and funding we applied for. But I must say – we are all passionate readers and still buy a lot of books for our kids ourselves. A serious part of the books we have come from personal investment.

In time, each of us learned more about selecting the greatest titles on the market. We pay attention to language quality, positive messages, illustrations, and print quality. We have over 15,000 books in our network, we debate them quite often, and we make recommendations. Sometimes, our thoughts on what we read are shared on our website, www.bibliotecaprichindeilor.com. We are continuously learning and try to keep high standards when selecting the titles to show in the libraries.

How can one register at the Tots’ Library? What should those interested know?

For someone who wants to open up a Tots’ Library, we have a thorough process that has developed over time. First, whoever wants to start a library has to do proper research about the Romanian community in that location, its challenges and opportunities, and have some development plan. We are not a franchise in the classical sense – we provide access to resources, partnerships, visibility, and connection, but there is still a lot of work to do, as well as time, financial investment and passion expected from everyone who joins. Then, we meet online for an interview to ensure we share the same values and have the right expectations. If all goes well, the new library emerges, and we do our best to integrate it among us and offer strategies and brainstorming to adapt to the specifics of that location so it can thrive as much as possible.

The Tots’ Library offers not just books but also events and activities. What does the offer look like at the moment, and what other activities do you plan to add?

Activities depend on the location – there are places in Europe where the community is thrilled to meet up. In Denmark (Aarhus, Copenhagen, Billund), Berlin, and Gothenburg, for example, read and play events happen once a month and involve the work of a group of parents who plan everything and help with the organization on the spot. Twenty to forty families gather regularly, and the space is provided for free in local (beautiful) libraries. They reserve their books in advance in the online catalog or choose on the spot from the titles that the librarian brought along.

In other places, people lend books but are not keen on meeting. The Tots’ Library is present even though people do not crowd to use it, but we are happy to be there, ready when the time is right.

In Prague and Krakow, there is a dedicated space for the library in the city. In Prague, there are regular weekly activities – Mom Talks and baby meetups, sensory play run by parents from the community – plus occasional craft workshops for parents, reading clubs, and game nights.

Our ongoing challenge is to find ways to have more Romanian authors and illustrators present at our library events, and this is something we plan to add in future meetings, provided we find proper funding for it.

You’ve launched a bookstore for the Romanian diaspora, with deliveries in Europe. What were the needs you identified when deciding to develop this project? How do you see it growing? How does it fit into the activity of the Romanian Hub in Prague?

Diasporaciteste.eu is a bookstore that emerged from the Prague community’s need to own some of the children’s books that were lent from the library and also from parents’ desire to read and have easy access to high-quality literature in Romanian. Shipping costs within the EU are still quite high. Blending the bookstore with the readers who gathered around libraries, offering the option to place orders together in certain locations, reduces these costs. Also, for people who want to show their support and buy books for the libraries, discounts are available. The librarians benefit from special offers. These two initiatives go hand in hand, somehow.

We aim to keep high standards when selecting the titles and focus on contemporary Romanian authors. We are grateful and proud to have Cărturești as our partner and books provider and to work with the Ministry of Culture to represent Romania with them at international book fairs. For the future, I see this concept growing, getting to know more readers who live abroad, and organizing pop-up bookstores in more locations.

Romanian Hub Prague is the space that holds the library, bookstore, and other activities together, all starting from books or happening among books.

How would you like to see the Tots’ Library developing? What factors does its expansion depend on?

I see Biblioteca Prichindeilor in more places worldwide, with bigger communities, more parents and children benefiting from reading together and in Romanian. Education is the most important tool we have, and we are here to contribute to it so our children can grow up in a better world and become confident adults, knowing where they come from, where their parents come from, and how to better interpret today’s world. I see a generation of children growing together, becoming friends, and feeling safe in the world because they have knowledge and are connected to their roots.

What does this depend on? I hope we, as librarians, will stay motivated over time and remain available for whoever wants to read in Romanian and be part of this community.

(Photos courtesy of Biblioteca Prichindeilor)

simona@romania-insider.com