In June 2025, new Ukrainian book shelves appeared in three cities at once: Coimbra in Portugal, Rybnik in Poland, and Brampton in Canada. This was reported by the publication Chytomo, citing the consulates of these countries.
In Coimbra, Portugal, the shelf was opened in the municipal library with the participation of Mayor José Manuel Silva, representatives of the city council, librarians, and the Ukrainian community. As noted by the consulate, ‘the presence of Ukrainian books in the library is not only about access to literature. It is an opportunity to preserve identity, language and memory far from the homeland.’
In the Polish city of Rybnik (Silesian Voivodeship), the initiative was implemented in cooperation with the Consulate General of Ukraine in Krakow. The opening ceremony was attended by Mayor Piotr Kuchera, Library Director Aleksandra Klich-Siewiorek, Consul Wiaczesław Wojnarowśkyj, and representatives of the NGO ‘Nechuzhyy.’ According to the consul, such an initiative is ‘not only a symbolic act of solidarity, but also a practical step in cultural diplomacy.’ The library now has books in Ukrainian, translations into Polish, and audiobooks. They were provided by the publishing houses Vivat, Vikhola, Folio, Ranok, Artbooks, ‘Zhorzh,’ Creative Women Publishing, Summit-Book, ‘Bohdan,’ Bookraine, and others.
Ukrainian communities, clergy, regional media, and local music groups participated in the opening.
In Canada, the Ukrainian Book Shelf appeared in the city of Brampton.
Oleh Nikolenko, Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto, donated 80 books for children and adults to the public library. He emphasised that these publications ‘will help the vibrant Ukrainian community in Brampton stay connected to their language, culture and history.’ This is the seventh Canadian city where the project has been implemented — previously, shelves appeared in Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Montreal, Winnipeg and Hamilton.
The Ukrainian Book Shelf project is being implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the Ukrainian Book Institute, the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, and Ukrainian publishers. The aim of the project is to promote the Ukrainian language, literature and culture, as well as to support Ukrainian communities abroad.
As previously reported, a Ukrainian book shelf was opened in the Portuguese city of Porto. Earlier, an online bookstore of Ukrainian literature was launched in the United States and Canada.