Village Living Room / Obecní knihovna J. M. Hovorky Statenice

The Story of the Village Living Room: We have children in the same school. In a school outside Statenice, because there is no school here. One day, sometime in January 2017, Bára came to Zuzka’s place to pick up Julča, because that day it was Zuzka who picked up the children from school. We talked and the conversation turned to the library. We found out that Ms. Květa (the librarian at the time) wanted to quit the library, and that we had the opportunity to take over the library. The village lacked a place for regular joint meetings, and we decided that very day to turn the small municipal J. M. Hovorka Library into a community library, which local children and adults will revive together.

During February and March, we processed the grant application, Pavlína joined us to help us organize a benefit book auction in May. Thanks to the support of many local residents, our friends and family, several publishing houses, thanks to the VIA Foundation and its Living Community program, and thanks to the support of the mayor Miroslava Šmardová, who gave us confidence and a free hand, we succeeded. Zuzka and Bára became librarians (Pavlína continues to volunteer) and the library really became the Village Living Room.

People come here not only for books, but also to meet, watch a movie, play a record or create together, get inspired or inspire others, talk, exercise, play the piano, or just relax in a chair and read. In 2021, during the mayorship of Mrs. Apolena Novotná, the conditions for all these and other community activities were improved by moving the library to the newly reconstructed so-called “little house” next to the municipal office and also by extending the opening hours. Librarians became employees of the municipal office.
The living room of the village became the LIBRARY of the YEAR 2021.

The management of the Statenice municipality, led by the mayor Apolena Novotna, owes a big thank you for supporting the library.