This year, the Nordic Library Week logo can also be used for the first time in advertisements, printed materials, event designs, press releases and more.
What is Nordic Library Week?
At the gloomiest time of year, libraries in the Nordic countries organise Nordic Library Week, as they have been doing each year under the auspices of the Union of Norden Associations since 1997. It is seven days of exhibitions, readings, book presentations and discussions in libraries, schools and community centres in the Nordic countries, Baltic States and Belarus.
The event is designed to showcase Nordic literature and to promote reading and story-telling. Candles will be lit in the darkness of November and excerpts from the Books of the Year will be read aloud. This will take place twice a day: in the early morning light (for children) and in the shadow of evening (for adults). There will be plenty to keep teenagers and young adults entertained, too.
Trolls in the North
An old Swedish proverb that dates back at least as far as 1678 says: "Where trolls be spoken of, there be trolls". That will be truer than ever this autumn, because the theme of this year's Nordic Library Week is 'Trolls in the North'.
Trolls form part of Nordic mythology. They were first mentioned in the Elder Eddas as long ago as 1220, and described in the first volume of Norwegian Folk Tales by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in 1843.
The North is home to many trolls, who bewitch, beguile and transmogrify people. There are trolls who steal gold and silver, and who abduct small children. Mostly they live in places that are inaccessible to people, and searching for them can be dangerous.
The trolls of the North have many similar features, although they do differ from country to country, which is what makes it possible to distinguish a Danish troll from a Swedish one, or a Norwegian one, or an Icelandic one, or a Sami one.
Additional information
Any questions you have about Nordic Library Week will be answered by Eha Vain, a cultural adviser with the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia (+372 627 3104 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). You can also order up to three posters via Eha and ask her about the events taking place as part of Nordic Library Week.
Eha also asks all those taking part in the event to inform her of their activities so as to add this information to the Nordic Library Week website. Please also follow our website and Facebook page for details of exciting events.
Enjoy Nordic Library Week 2014!