Reading starter kits for the Löhlbach Protestant children's and youth library
The importance the district attaches to promoting language and reading as early as possible was demonstrated at a special event in the middle of the deep winter that currently has Waldeck-Frankenberg firmly in its grip. Despite the long journey from Korbach to the municipality of Haina (monastery) on snow-covered roads, District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst did not miss the opportunity to personally take part in handing over so-called Lesestart sets to the Löhlbach Protestant children's and youth library.
Alexander Weber from the Hessian Specialist Centre for Public Libraries, based in Kassel, also braved the difficult weather conditions. He set off early in the morning for the Kellerwald forest, which he reached after two hours, taking with him the sets for families with children of kindergarten age. Library manager Iwona Klawe and pastor Dr Nils Ritter for the Hohes Lohr Protestant parish as the library's landlady were delighted to welcome Weber and van der Horst. Some of the children from the Löhlbach day care centre were also delighted with the visit; the boys and girls were happy to come to the library with their teachers so that they could take one of the Lesestart sets home with them.
It has been a long but always enjoyable journey from the start of the library 20 years ago with just 60 books to its current stock of 1,701 print and 104 non-book media, as library manager Iwona Klawe reported. The library now has over 160 visitors a year, with 31 regular borrowers, 24 of whom are up to and including 12 years old. In 2025, there were 350 loans, more than ever before - a clear sign that people are reading more again.
The library director expressed her gratitude to the Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck, whose support in the area of "library work and literature education" was particularly helpful at the beginning. "Christianity is always also an educational religion. Reading aloud and reading for yourself can not only be taught from an early age in a library like ours, but also creates a connection between young people and books," emphasised Pastor Dr Nils Ritter. It is therefore pleasing to note that reading is on the rise again among the younger generation, after interest had fallen to almost zero ten years ago.
District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst was impressed by the programme and the exemplary commitment of the library team. Above all, the intensive cooperation with the day care centre, whose children always look forward to a visit from the "Leseoma", serves as an example of active reading and thus also educational promotion. "The Löhlbach library presents an excellent picture," praised the district administrator and gave the team a "Great, keep it up!" at the end of his visit.
Caption: Enjoying the reading starter sets with the children from the Löhlbach daycare centre: (from left to right) Alexander Weber/ Hessian Specialist Office for Public Libraries, Pastor Dr Nils Ritter, Library Director Iwona Klawe and District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst.