March is the month of books

Slovakia has entered the regular 'month of books' as of the beginning of March. A part of organised reading events all across the country is the Night with Andersen, an international event named after the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The overnight reading of stories for children will be joined by more than 200 public and school libraries for the 11th time. In the year 2015, almost 11 000 Slovak children entered the reading marathon. As part of the month dedicated to books, the week of Slovak libraries started Tuesday, March 1. This 17th annual event intends to present libraries as important cultural and educational institutions that are inevitable for the development of a knowledge based society. The project started in the central Slovak town of Banska Bystrica Monday, February 29. By Sunday, March 6, there were many special events organised such as the free borrowing of books in trains from Bratislava to Banska Bystrica.