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| First
online reading festival for World Book Day |
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| On
March 6th 2003, SELB Library Service is once again taking
part in the biggest reading initiative in the UK and
Ireland - World Book Day. World Book Day has been designated
by UNESCO as a worldwide day of celebration of books
and reading, and it is marked in an ever-increasing
number of countries around the globe each year. The
origins of the celebration come from a Catalonian tradition,
where books and roses were given, as gifts to loved
ones on this day each year.
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| Events
will be happening all over the country to mark the occasion,
and for the first time ever libraries are participating
in an on-line Readers’ and Writers’ Festival,
where readers will be able to learn more about their
favourite authors through the access provided by the
People’s Network. The People’s Network is
the Lottery-sponsored project, which is providing Internet
access for all through public libraries. |
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One
of the principal aims of the Festival is to provide
increased access for adults and children who want
to take part in World Book day events. Throughout
World Book Day a series of author interviews and other
reading-related activities will be broadcast on the
web, with library users having the opportunity to
take part in live discussion sessions on their favourite
books. Visit www.worldbookdayfestival.com for more
information.
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From
the beginning of March, Libraries are partnering the
BBC’s ‘Big Read’, a major initiative
across television, radio and online which will encourage
people to read, talk about and vote for their favourite
books. This promises to be a hugely successful media
event, which is likely to generate interest in books
on an unprecedented scale. For libraries and for readers
it is an opportunity not to be missed. A
main aim of World Book Day is to encourage children
to explore the pleasures of books and reading but
World Book Day is not just for children – the
Get Caught Reading initiative features well-known
personalities such as Ainsley Harriott, Gaby Logan
and Michael Palin amongst others, photographed reading
their favourite books. The aim is to encourage all
of us, at whatever age, to enjoy the pleasures of
reading.
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the years libraries have developed a variety of energetic,
creative ways of opening up reading for everyone. Libraries
are the biggest providers of books and reading material in
the United Kingdom, lending somewhere in the region of 400
million books each year. Public libraries have a massive audience;
over 58% of the population of the United Kingdom are members
Kathleen Ryan, SELB Head of Library Services, commented:
“SELB Libraries are delighted to support World Book
Day. The idea of a virtual reader and writers’ festival
working through every library is terrific news for reading.
These kinds of imaginative initiatives can enable huge numbers
of people to participate in and enjoy all kinds of literature
and the benefit to libraries will be considerable.” |
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