Mid Sweden University prints children’s books in Ukrainian

Fri 08 Apr 2022 14:35

Children’s books in the Ukrainian language have run out in libraries. Therefore, the design department at Mid Sweden University has quickly printed 126 books with 28 different titles delivered to the libraries in Sundsvall, Östersund and Kramfors.

Flera färgglada bilderbarnböcker på ukrainska på rad

It was when Mikael Becker, teacher at the Department of Design (DES), found out that there were no children’s books in Ukrainian left to lend at the library in Sundsvall that he got the idea to have books printed at Mid Sweden University. He told his idea at work and his coworkers approved. And from idea to finished action there weren't many days.

”At first I thought that our students in graphic design would be allowed to put together the books, they have book binding as part of their education, but it turned out not to be needed as the university’s guarding and printing department also wanted to help”.

Got started right away

Mikael Becker then contacted the Ukrainian Book Institute, which had already produced ready-to-print PDFs of several books. The lack of Ukrainian books has already been recognised in Europe and an initiative to print books has been launched. However, Mikael Becker felt that this process was a little too slow.

”I wanted to start printing here and now, so I contacted the institute and got a copying agreement. And since we wanted it to go fast, we haven't asked whether the headmaster wants to put up with more resources or whether each institution can think of paying for a set," he says.

The other day, the files were handed over to be printed by the university’s guarding and printing department, and now virtually all books are printed, just two weeks after Mikael Becker got the idea.
“Now we can start delivering the books to the libraries,” he says.

Hopes for more books to be printed

The 29 different titles printed are picture books for children aged 2-7 years. Mikael Becker says that it is primarily the small children who need printed books. Older children, and adults, have easier access to digital books.
“I think that, as a young child, you need to know the physical book in a different way, in order to be able to look properly at the pictures and point and find exciting details,” he says.

Paper and prints for the books that are now being distributed have been sponsored by the Department of Design (DES), Communications Department (COM) and the university’s guarding and printing department (INFRA), but Mikael Becker hopes that the municipalities in Västernorrland and Jämtland-Härjedalen also will adopt the initiative and have books printed themselves, alternatively contribute with paper and printing costs. 
“We would of course like to deliver a set to each municipality, so we hope they think it’s a good idea,” says Mikael Becker.


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The page was updated 4/8/2022