Financial literacy through public libraries Erasmus Project

Project Title

Financial literacy through public libraries

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); Open and distance learning

Project Summary

The project aimed to increase the level of financial competence of adults through a new approach and use of the potential of public libraries as informal educators and institutions of lifelong learning. Project implementers are 4 organizations from 4 Central and Eastern European countries where financial literacy is a significant problem. Two partners are representatives of the library sector, and the other two are foundations engaged in informal adult education, including financial education, in cooperation with public libraries.
The overall goal of the project was to equip librarians – a key group of adult educators – with the financial literacy skills to support adult library users in the daily management of their household finances.
The target group of the project are librarians from public libraries of different levels in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania and Slovenia, especially from small towns and rural areas, where the library is usually the only open and accessible cultural institution, education and information center. Indirect target groups are all adult users of library services.
As a result of the project implementation, the following results have been achieved:
1. An innovative, free and web-based learning management platform for adult educators in four European languages; it is tested and ready for use for librarians and library users finlit.eu;
2. An educational programme for adult educators on financial literacy in 4 languages has been developed;
3. Developed curriculum and e-learning courses for financial education of adult users in 4 languages;
4. 56 librarians from 4 countries trained for the platform and for financial education
5. More than 220 adult library users in 4 project countries have improved their financial competences and tested the use of the educational platform;
6. Educational and dissemination webinars were broadcast – their recordings are available through the project web sites and finlit.eu;
7. A network of local and international exchanges of adult library trainers has been established;
8. Awareness has been raised among public libraries, financial institutions, banks, adult organizations and associations, NGOs and other educational institutions about the benefits and advantages of ICT-based learning;
9. International partnerships have been established among participating organizations, and methods of distance collaboration in a distributed team have been improved, providing perspective and potential for further collaboration;
10. A model of librarian-delivered financial education for adult users of public libraries was developed, ready for multiplication in other countries.
Additional (supernumerary) outcomes are:
11. Report on mapping of financial education resources and offerings in 4 project countries
12. E-learning course for librarians – how to conduct online training (tips and tools).
The results of the project will be long lasting in time and provide new services in these locally existing educational ecosystems. The project supports the implementation of growth, education and cohesion policies related to the Europe 2020 Strategy and the European Digital Agenda. It is already known that the project has attracted the interest of state institutions responsible for financial education and its implementers will participate in the development of national strategies for financial education (Bulgaria, Poland). The inclusion of a financial education training program for librarians in the standard training provided by central libraries (Slovenia, Romania) will contribute to the long-term goal of the project, which is to increase the level of financial literacy of the population, as well as offering financial education opportunities that are accessible and tailored to the needs of the audience.

Project Website

http://finlit.eu/edu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 184428,87 Eur

Project Coordinator

FUNDACJA ROZWOJU SPOLECZENSTWA INFORMACYJNEGO & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Biblioteca Judeteana Ovid Densusianu Hunedoara
• NARODNA IN UNIVERZITETNA KNJIZNICA
• GLOBALNI BIBLIOTEKI – BULGARIYA