The Shared Stories-project investigates literary communities in libraries as a pathway to improved well-being and a greater sense of agency for children in vulnerable positions. The project focuses on understandings of “vulnerability” that relate to relationships and opportunities for participation. One of the project’s ambitions is to test and identify ways to include broader groups of children in reading communities, including activities centered around reading and writing stories.
The project is grounded in the experience of library staff at Aarhus Public Libraries, who have observed that children’s self-confidence is strengthened in low-pressure activities evolving around literature and texts co-produced by children. However, the library system lacks research-based knowledge regarding the methods and activities that generate these effects, as well as the competencies required for working with children in vulnerable positions.
The project is being carried out through a collaboration between researchers from Aarhus University (AU) and VIA University College (VIA) and library staff and managers from Aarhus Public Libraries, in dialogue with school consultants and teachers from the Municipality of Aarhus. Illustrators and authors participate in co-creation processes with the children.
The project’s approach is to use stories and literature as a springboard for shared conversations and relationships—both among children and between children and adults. Drawing on the concept of “reading culture,” reading is understood as a social and cultural practice that unfolds through relationships, spaces, activities, and media types (Christensen and Appel 2023, 2024).
The project aims to
The project is supported by the VELUX FOUNDATION’s HUMpraxis program.
