Restore Kherson Braille Book Collection Fundraiser
We are fundraising to help colleagues from Kherson Regional Universal Library restore their collection for the blind. The library was destroyed in 2023, yet librarians continue to work as Kherson continues to be attacked daily. Tetyana Svatula, a librarian from Kherson Library, tells the story of the library in this article in our interview.
Background
Prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kherson Library possessed one of the largest collections of Braille books in Southern Ukraine. The library began to develop their braille collection in 2006, with the assistance of the US Embassy in Ukraine and the FORCE Charitable Foundation (Netherlands), resulting in the accumulation of over 400 titles. In addition, the Kherson facility included the Service Center for People with Disabilities Library, which was equipped with audio-visual equipment and literature to increase access to patrons with visual impairments.
Currently
Kherson was among the first occupied by Russian forces in 2022, and the Kherson’s left bank region is still under occupation. Although a large part of Kherson regained its independence in 2022, it has continued to experience heavy shelling by Russian forces. In November 2023, a targeted missile attack destroyed large parts of the Kherson Library building (see Figure 1). The Service Center for People with Disabilities was completely demolished, including one of the largest collections of Braille books in Southern Ukraine. As its location was on the first floor overlooking the Dnipro River, it was geographically at ground zero.
Figure 1: Kherson Library Before and After the Attack on November 12, 2023
Our Efforts
This project aims to redevelop a collection of Braille books at Oles Honchar Kherson Regional Universal Scientific Library (Kherson Library), which was repeatedly targeted and destroyed during the war in Ukraine. This collection is critically important for the many children who experienced visual impairment or loss, and often critical eye injuries, during the war. Our partners from Kherson Library include Tetyana Svatula, a librarian, and Oksana Shestakova, a library deputy director.
Implementation and impact
The library staff in Kherson are working remotely from a temporary location where families with disabled children convene. It is their goal to redevelop the Braille book collection so that local children with sight impairment can gain access to literature and enrichment. At the beginning of March 2025, Kherson librarians received a generous donation of equipment to support people with visual impairments from the German Federal Foreign Office, the German Ministry of Culture and Media, and the State Library in Berlin. This donation served as a catalyst for the librarians to begin rebuilding their Braille book collection, and we hope to bring them even further to rebuilding.
Additional Images: