Lesen weltweit / Reading worldwide

The web portal "Reading Worldwide" offers up-to-date information on successful projects promoting reading from all over the world. These are presented as module-type ideas for joining in or imitating, and complemented by reports, research studies, and interviews with experts and multipliers acting as promoters of reading.

An exchange of experience across borders is essential and it opens new opportunities in a globalised media society as ideas for projects and synergies can be put to a worldwide use. As a first information and service portal, “Reading Worldwide“ intends to inspire a transfer of knowledge and provide support to multipliers in the field of reading promotion.

“Reading Worldwide“ offers anyone interested in reading promotion an opportunity to gain a quick overview of initiatives, projects and models in the field of reading promotion around the globe: this service is up-to-date and free of charge.

”Reading Worldwide“ is conceived as an open platform that can continually be enhanced. Our initial focus lies on institutions in Europe and the English language area. While we cannot have in mind a comprehensive coverage of all activities, we will highlight practical models that can be viewed as innovative, motivating examples.

Following the completion of the first project phase (March 2008 until February 2010), the new project phase will be launched in March 2010 during which the portal’s contents and functions will be enhanced and supplemented.

Existing information services will be interlocked with interactive Web 2.0 tools, rendering support to the professional communication processes and workflows of actors in the domain of reading promotion, advancing the participation of users in terms of a scholarly community and possibly contributing to the establishment of a platform for international networking activities. 

A thematic focus is placed on the thematic enhancement of the documentation, which has so far mainly targeted educational practice, and the country-specific information, by adding science and research related categories, including in particular a specific content area “evaluation in reading promotion”.

Acting on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Stiftung Lesen (Reading Foundation, contact: Andrea Steinbrecher) and the German Institute for International Educational Research (DIPF) jointly present the information platform. The project partners are supported by the Goethe Institutes.