"The 3rd National Children’s Libraries Festival” Held at BARÜ
22 Mayıs 2026
Held at Bartın University (BARÜ), the “3rd National Children’s Libraries Festival” hosted a wide range of events, from a cortege march and panels to exhibitions and author-child meetings.
The “3rd Children’s Libraries Festival” was organized in cooperation with the Department of Information and Records Management at Bartın University (BARÜ) Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Turkish Association of Children’s Publications. Held under the theme “Where Dreams Begin: Children, Books and Libraries,” the festival brought together children, authors, academics and librarians at BARÜ over the course of two days.
The opening program of the festival was held at the Rectorate Conference Hall on the Kutlubey Campus. The opening speeches were delivered by BARÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akkaya, Ercan Akpınar, President of the World Children and Youth Association, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Altay, Head of the Department of Information and Records Management, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Nihan Temiz, the festival coordinator.
Exhibitions, Cortege March and Book Fashion Show Create Colorful Scenes
Following the opening, the costumed festival parade added color to the event. In addition, the exhibitions titled “Library Memories from Children’s Literature Authors,” “From Inside a Book” and “Library Festival Logo Designs” attracted great interest from visitors. The musical performance by the BARÜ Music Club and the book fashion show prepared by primary school students were also among the highlights of the festival.
The Importance of Children’s Literature in Social Memory Discussed
On the first day of the festival, a panel titled “Nature and Cultural Heritage: The Role of Children’s Literature in Transmitting Social Memory” was also held. Speaking at the opening of the panel, BARÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akkaya said, “Children’s literature and children’s librarianship hold a very special place in my academic life. I wrote my first publications on children’s literature. As Bartın University, we have always attached importance to children’s literature. In fact, we have twice submitted a proposal to the Council of Higher Education for a master’s program in children’s literature. Our hope is that more qualified works will be produced to bring children together with the real world and offer them new worlds to discover.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şükrü Teoman Güner from Ulus Vocational School, who took part in the panel as a speaker, provided information about the characteristics and categories of monumental trees. Asst. Prof. Dr. Nihan Temiz shared with the participants the writing process of her children’s book “The Memory of the Plane Tree,” which focuses on the approximately 640-year-old plane tree discovered in Akbaş village of Bartın. Ercan Akpınar, President of the World Children and Youth Association, drew attention to the importance of children’s literature in transmitting social memory.
The Future of Children’s Libraries Evaluated
On the second day of the festival, the panels and sessions focused on evaluations of the present and future of children’s libraries as well as child-centered projects. Author-child meetings were also held, while roundtable discussions addressed topics such as children’s libraries, reading culture, accessibility, professional ethics and information literacy.
Held with the active participation of children, the “3rd National Children’s Libraries Festival” once again demonstrated that libraries are important spaces where production, sharing and imagination flourish.
BARÜ Communications Coordination Office
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