Cycling advocacy for reading and libraries
My name is Laszlo Kiss, I’m a school librarian in the Liceul Teoretic Mikes Kelemen, Sfantu Gheorghe / Romania, president of the Romanian Librarians Association – Covasna County Section, vice-president of the Romanian Hungarian Librarians Association.
Today bikes still mean freedom for millions of people, young and old – as do libraries.
I love biking and I believe that by cycling more than 3000 km I can raise the interest of the press, the public and the politicians for the important role school libraries and public libraries play in society.
With my campaign I would like to influence the Romanian Government’s way of thinking on libraries and raise the Romanian representatives’ interest on the reestablishment of I.C. Petrescu National Library of Education (closed last year), which had a key role on education and forming of the teachers, schoolmasters and school librarians.
During my route, in each country I shall visit school libraries/public libraries and met with local colleagues. I hope that we can advocate together for the reading, which offers the real freedom for mankind, and to show that this knowledge offers us alternatives for peace.
It will be a long trip with many dangers, but I want to change the general idea about us, about librarians. We are not ordinary people, because school libraries represent the possibility to learn and think in many ways!
I shall promote, in the countries that I cycle through, the 44nd Annual Conference of the International Association of School Librarianship, held in Maastricht.
a)
Aims:
- to show that reading is the most important thing for the youth
- to advocate for the importance of school libraries / public libraries
- to advocate for the reestablishment of I.C. Petrescu National Library of Education
- to visit local libraries and meet with local colleagues
- to attend IASL Conference in Maastricht
- to show that librarians are not ordinary people
- to show that the books give us the real freedom
- to show that the knowledge offers us alternatives for peace
b)
Advocacy activities:
-meet with local library community and talk together in the presence of the media about the importance of reading
-in each important town put flowers with my colleagues on the statue or tombstone of a famous local writer
-sign a petition together with the IASL board members about the reestablishment of I.C. Petrescu National Library of Education
-local librarians will sign and stamp in my Librarian Passport which will be attached to the petition
-do a diary on the Facebook
-organize a book chain: at each library where I stop exchange a book and take it to the other stop. By this we create a strong tie between readers, librarians, libraries
-on some parts of the trip bikers will accompany me as a solidarity for the cause
-during the trip wear a T-shirt with the IASL logo
c)
Route and dates:
I will cross 7 countries and do more than 3000 km in just 22 days!
Romania-Bulgaria-Hungary-Slovakia-Austria-Germany-Netherlands will be the hosts of my trip.
ROUTE
KM
DAY
DATE
TRAIN TO CONSTANTA
1
Sunday, June 07, 2015
Constanţa-Silistra-Călărasi
130
2
Monday, June 08, 2015
Călăraşi-Olteniţa-Bucuresti
134
3
Tuesday, June 09, 2015
Bucuresti-Tărtăşeşti-Piteşti
114
4
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Piteşti-Braşov-Sfântu Ghe.
173
5
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Sfântu Gheorghe-Sibiu
166
6
Friday, June 12, 2015
Sibiu-Deva
116
7
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Deva-Timisoara
156
8
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Timisoara-Csongrád
152
9
Monday, June 15, 2015
Csongrád-Budapest
142
10
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Budapest-Győr
133
11
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Győr-Bratislava-Vienna
125
12
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Vienna-Linz
195
13
Friday, June 19, 2015
Linz-Passau
80
14
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Passau-Regensburg
120
15
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Regensburg-Nuremberg
111
16
Monday, June 22, 2015
Nuremberg-Würzburg
102
17
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Würzburg-Wetzlar
186
18
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Wetzlar-Bonn
169
19
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Bonn-Maastricht
136
20
Friday, June 26, 2015
Maastricht-The Hague
217
21
Saturday, June 27, 2015
The Hague-Maastr.&CONFERENCE
0 km
22
Sunday, June 28, 2015
CONFERENCE
23
Monday, June 29, 2015
CONFERENCE
24
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
CONFERENCE
25
Wednesday, July 01, 2015
CONFERENCE
26
Thursday, July 02, 2015
TRAIN-HOME 27
Friday, July 03, 2015
TRAIN -HOME 28
Saturday, July 04, 2015
Sponsorship in Euro:
(Please help me if you can do it!)
COD IBAN: RO06BPOS15002728045EUR02
Swift cod: BPOSROBU
Thank you!