Every year, the Ukrainian Library Association brings together professionals from across the field at the Lviv International Library Forum. This event traditionally serves as a platform for discussing current issues in library science, exchanging experiences, and exploring new ideas in the sector. The 15th Lviv International Library Forum was held from 16 to 20 September 2025.

This year’s theme — “Library: Trust and Responsibility” — resonated strongly with the mission of the DOCU/CLUB Network. Many Docudays UA film clubs operate at libraries all over Ukraine, cultivating among their viewers an understanding of civic responsibility and the importance of active citizenship in the atmosphere of openness and acceptance.

The DOCU/CLUB team was delighted by an opportunity to join this professional gathering and introduce librarians to film clubs as effective tools for community engagement. The Forum participants had a chance to watch Iryna Stetsenko’s film Roses. Film-Cabaret.

Vira Karpinska

The discussion was moderated by Vira Karpinska, moderator of the Docudays UA film club at the Lviv Municipal Library.  “I intended to show my colleagues how documentary cinema can create space for sincere conversations about our shared challenges and experiences. I value that viewers do not remain passive — they share their own stories, ask difficult questions, and together form a new vision of our country and communities. For the library, the film club becomes another important point of connection with visitors,” said Vira Karpinska.

The film immersed the audience in the events of the Revolution of Dignity, encouraging reflection on the role of active citizens in defending the country and shaping its future. The discussion also gave participants a first-hand experience of film club meetings. 

Lina Babych

“Documentary screenings in the film club format is a way to connect with the community through emotional storytelling. What matters most to us is the exchange of ideas and the joint search for answers to complex questions. This builds trust and strengthens the culture of dialogue within the community. Today, libraries are not only repositories of books but also spaces for dialogue and active civic participation. We wanted to demonstrate to the Forum participants the benefits of our cooperation,” emphasized Lina Babych, coordinator of the DOCU/CLUB Network.

Our experience at the Forum showed that librarians are eager to find new tools for engaging their communities. Film clubs become such tools, uniting the cultural, educational, and civic missions of libraries.

The DOCU/CLUB thanks the Lviv Municipal Library and the Scientific Library of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv for their partnership and support in organizing the event.

The DOCU/CLUB Network continues to assist libraries in developing new formats of community engagement, so that each library could become a real space for communication, learning, and mutual support.

The development of the DOCU/CLUB Network is funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and Fondation de France.

The opinions, conclusions, or recommendations are those of the authors and compilers of this publication and do not necessarily reflect the views of the governments or charitable organizations of these countries. The authors and compilers are solely responsible for the content of this publication.