On May 10th, at the Ukrainian Library in Gdańsk, we celebrated not only the library’s 3rd anniversary 🎉📚💙💛 but also the very first HackTheLibrary Hackathon — an innovative event that brought together books, computer games, and artificial intelligence.

During this intensive challenge, our team created StoryToon.xyz — an interactive storytelling app that allows children to craft their own stories and comics using illustrations, sound, and animation. The goal was simple yet powerful: to combine education with creative play. The project was met with great enthusiasm from both the jury and participants, and we were proud to take home 1st place. 🏆🚀

For younger participants, we prepared a special side event: BookQuest – Library Gamification with Python, a mini-hackathon where children programmed and discovered the magic of books in a modern, playful way.

The day was filled with creativity, inspiration, and community spirit:

• ✨ Artistic, literary, and craft workshops
• ✨ The exhibition “Lighthouses. Art from Thread”
• ✨ Meetings with authors
• ✨ Competitions, games, and shared celebrations

The Ukrainian Library proved once again that it is not just a place for books, but a space for people — for cultures, languages, and creativity to meet.

We are deeply grateful to have co-organized this unique event together with Fundacja RC and so many amazing partners, including the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology, VIVAT Publishing House, BoFolk Foundation, and Art-Viter Studio.

Special thanks to the honorary patrons — the Consulate of Ukraine in Gdańsk and the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship — for their support in making this day possible.

📸 Photos by Illia Balabai & Serhii Talochko

Together, we’re building a future where technology, education, and culture walk hand in hand.