In January 2014 an unprecedented cultural event involving 30,000 people took place in Riga, Latvia. I wrote about it with photos in a 2014 post, “The Spontaneity of Well-Meaning Crowds”*.
What was the event?: The “Grāmatu draugu ķēde” (The Chain of Booklovers) which moved some 2000 gift and duplicate books, hand over hand in a two line “bucket brigade”, from the old national library to the new, placing those books on the People’s Bookshelf.
When? January 18, 2014, a Saturday morning with temperatures at -17C (1F).
Who? 14, 000 registrants who were joined spontaneously by some 16,000 volunteers.
Where? The chain started at the old national library and made its way over 2014 meters (1.25 miles) down narrow cobblestone streets and over a 500-meter bridge to the new national library building, situated on the left bank of the Daugava.
Why? The chain was a way to inspire community with and attachment for the library among citizens, readers, book lovers, families and children. It was a deliberate way for “people to join forces to show appreciation for books and reading.”
Caption: Viktorija Piščikova*, inside the People’s Bookshelf Photo by John Lubans 2025
I’ve been reflecting* on how this event came to be and I’ve concluded that leadership had much to do with its success.
No, I am not referring to the well thought out strategies and tactics of making that day a celebrated success.
I am referring to the visionary leadership that led up to and influenced what occurred during that day.
What had imbued the national library’s organizational culture that made for a success?
It was clear that top leadership trusted the library’s staff to make necessary decisions on the spot and to be flexible when challenges arose.
An immediate example is the welcoming, without demur, of 16,000 un-registered volunteers joining the chain. It could have ended right there if someone afflicted with office, following the rules and regs, in other words, thinking inside the legendary “box”, said, “No! You must be registered!”
In justification of welcoming volunteers, one of the staff remarked, “It would be stupid” to turn them away.
That comment, set me thinking as to what kind of leadership enjoins (welcomes) staff to use common sense?
Too many leaders may mouth managerial platitudes like “coloring outside the lines”, yet, often inhibit lower lever staff from making what might be perceived as risky decisions, or for that matter, any decision outside the “routine”.
The leader’s saying, “Sure, go ahead, but don’t do anything stupid”, is not quite the same as saying, “Achieve the mission, use your best judgement. We have your back.”
Finding alternatives to gridlock goes against the bureaucratic mindset. Following the rules and regs is quintessential.
Indeed in Latvia, there is a phrase for an all too prevalent obdurate bureaucracy, burta kalpa, being a “servant of the letter”.
The national library’s leader was Andris Vilks. I’ve written several times about Andris in my blog e.g. here and here .
He died in early 2025 but his leadership carries on.
Andris always managed to find a way, often outside the “normal” way of not doing. In doing that he was an obvious role model for staff.
When he became director of the library just after Latvia gained independence from the Soviet Union, he made it clear to the Soviet-era spies/informers embedded in the staff that they were to stop their espionage or else. They did.
As a Latvian patriot he knew he had the backing of the newly restored republic’s leadership which included many of his peers with whom he had endured Russia’s brand of communism.
Andris had the idea for a people’s bookshelf long before 2014. It was to be for the people of Latvia.
He well understood that a library exists for its users, for its intended clientele, so the book chain would be a tangible (hands on) recognition of this.
The lead-up publicity about the event focused on users, not the organization.
People were asked to join in and help move books from the old library to the new.
So, it was to be work and the reward was participating along with friends and family in this one-of-a-kind event.
Camaraderie was implicit.
Another draw was that taking part put a person closer to connecting with the brand new library building.
As a student of leadership I have long contended that the major difference between managing and leading is that leaders “envision”; they do not muddle on with the same old, same old for the lack of thinking. A visionary leader inspires followers to think and to do likewise.
In 2010, when a floor in the old library collapsed, Andris called in the cavalry (literally) for help. After helping, the Army said “Call us if you need us again”.
Andris did.
Because the new building’s occupancy permit was still under review on the day of the chain, it was the Latvian Army that placed the books on the People’s Bookshelf. That was the “work around” so the event could go on.
(By the way, I observed many soldiers and police! voluntarily helping in the book chain side by side with the general population.)
Andris was always one “to find a way” one way or another!
*My reflection about the book lover’s chain is informed by my March 25 2025 interview with two national library participants: Anda Lamaša, Director of the Service Department and Viktorija Piščikova, Advisor on International Cooperation.
PS. Latvia’s national library kindly referenced this blog on Facebook: ·
“❄️📘🤝📕🤝In this winter, when the temperature is very similar to that cold and special day of January 18, 2014, when the Book Friends Chain took place and a stream of books flowed across the then not-so-frozen Daugava, we invite you to read the blog post of the well-known Latvian-American librarian and management specialist John Lubans:
🎯The article is a reflection on this memorable event from a leadership perspective – about how to accomplish the seemingly impossible. 👆
The article was written in collaboration with the Director of the Service Department of the National Library of Latvia, Andas Felzens (Lamašs), and the Advisor for International Cooperation, Viktorija Piščikova.”
N.B. For other essays on numerous topics on leadership and literature and fables go to my Nucleus archive from 2010-early 2025.
© Copyright John Lubans 2026