The National Library of Greece (NLG) welcomed 17 librarians, from the libraries network of the Panevėžys region of Lithuania, as part of the Erasmus+ program, from 14 January to 16 January 2025.

Their visit was aimed at job shadowing, the exchange of valuable expertise and networking at an international level, as these collaborations strengthen and promote the significance of libraries as hubs of knowledge and creativity.

During their visit the participants profited from an exchange of good practices related to the communication processes followed and the events organised by both libraries, the European projects and all the relevant initiatives undertaken as well as the educational programs provided for adults by both institutions. All the participants had the chance to share their personal and professional experience from project participation and numerous adult events and initiatives.

The additional activities included a guided tour with an overview of the NLG building and all its departments and services. The tour was followed by a presentation of the National Library of Greece and the Lithuanian Libraries Network accompanied by fruitful discussions.

The last day of the program concluded with a visit to the prestigious historical Vallianeio building of the National Library of Greece, to offer an experience of the historical, cultural and functional development of the NLG.

A final activity, designed to reinforce the European values of inclusion and cooperation, was a visit to the multilingual library and cultural centre “We need books”, which belongs to the Greek Libraries Network. This visit gave the visitors the chance to have a hands-on approach to multilingual and intercultural activities that could be adapted to the needs of their own network and could be useful in reinforcing their inclusion practices.

The activities concluded with further considerations and plans, aimed at the planning of a job shadowing visit from the NLG employees to the Panevėžys Library Network in the coming summer.