The Glob@l Libraries - Bulgaria Programme in Sliven region
The
Glob@l Libraries - Bulgaria Programme is a joint initiative of the Bulgarian
Ministry of Culture and the United Nations Development Programme.The planned
total program budget is USD 50 million, which includes USD 15 million grant
from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, an estimated USD 6 million
software donation from Microsoft Corp., and a matching contribution of USD
29 million from central and local budgets in Bulgaria. The programme will
continue 5 years. The preliminary phase started in 2008. The programme in
Sliven region started with visits and survey of 90 public libraries in the
region which were potential project participants. Glob@l Libraries -
Bulgaria is designed to facilitate access to information, knowledge,
communication, e-contents and community services through Bulgaria's public
libraries network. Within five years, the program aims to increase library
usage throughout the country and help Bulgarian citizens integrate into the
global information society. Public libraries are expected to expand their
reach and activities, becoming more attractive places for visitors and
playing an increasingly important local development role. The program will
support fund-raising and advocacy to help public libraries gain recognition
as agents of change and knowledge resource centers. Glob@l Libraries -
Bulgaria will rely on the joint efforts of central government, the local
authorities and the non-governmental sector for successful implementation
and sustained results. Glob@l Libraries - Bulgaria will ensure free
information and communications technology (ICT) equipment and Internet use
for the public in 900 public libraries in towns and villages across the
country, and will strive to additionally mobilize resources for ICT
equipment for 700 more libraries. Approximately 3,000 library workers from
1,600+ libraries will be trained in IT skills, provision of modern library
services and library management. The program shall have a balanced
geographic spread to help bridge the socio-economic disparities within and
between regions in Bulgaria. As a result of the combined efforts of local
communities and the key program partners, the program shall help modernize
Bulgaria's public libraries striving to establish in the public space the
image of the new library - one that provides a free package of services
including computers and access to the Internet for users, on-line
information, local e-content, computer and information literacy training for
library visitors, implementation of community projects, space for community
work and events, response to specific user needs (children, unemployed
people, entrepreneurs); as well as a welcoming environment and
client-oriented librarians. The full support through foundation funding for
a planned target of 900 libraries will include: ICT equipment for visitors,
a comprehensive training program for library staff, and participation of the
library in advocacy, networking, public relations and promotion activities.
The software needed for the ICT equipment will be donated by Microsoft. The
partial support through foundation funding for 700 more public libraries
will entail: inclusion in the training program and participation in the
program's advocacy, networking, public relations and promotion activities.
The program team and the program board will continuously monitor the
availability of national and international funding sources that could be
used to supplement the grant provided by the foundation and the respective
matching cost-sharing from central and local government budgets. Regional
coordinator for the programme in Sliven reagion is Rositsa Petrova-Vasileva
– a directress of Sava Dobroplodni Regional library – Sliven, аnd the
regional library will be a basic training centre in the region.
Reviews in the
media
The project "European literary marathon" will last one year and it started on 20.10.2006 in Verona. A coordinator of the project is "Aida" Foundation /Verona, Italy/, and partners are - "Sava Dobroplodni" Regional Library-Sliven, "Prisma" Foundation /Athens, Greece/, Informational centre /Cartagena, Spain/ and the Romanian National Radio /Bucharest, Romania/.
Associated partners of the project are organizations from the town of Krakow /Poland/, the town of Jarvepaa /Finland/, York /Great Britain/ and Beograd /Serbia/.
The aims of the project are: Making easier the access to culture and widening the cultural participation of European citizens; organizing a unique cultural event, in which several countries will take part in one and the same time; popularizing the active citizens' participation in European cultural events.
The project foresees the organizing of literary marathons with one and the same style and characteristics, which will be a unique and innovative European event and the celebration of the 9th of May 2007 at the same time in all partners' towns.
The marathons will start at one and the same time in all the towns in 11.00 a. m. Roman time and will last 8 or 10 hours. Each partner chooses the author and his work, which will be read as it must be a national masterpiece dated from the 20 century. The reading will take place in theatres, cinemas, squares etc. place, suitable to gather together the numerous audiences, which will attend the event. This way hundreds of citizens in different towns and countries will read out loud one after other the literary work, chosen by each country. Readers will be selected preliminary from people, who are interested in literature and theatre, pupils, students, pensioners and volunteers from the project's staff, willing to take part in the event. Each literary marathon will be recorded in audio and video files and will be broadcasted in real time in live on the Internet. A common movie will be made after the event as a final document of the event and it will be recorded on a DVD and disseminated in the countries, partners in the project.
Web site: http://euliterarymarathonbg.iradeum.com/index_en.htm
INTERNATIONAL
PROJECT "MOVIE"
(Make One Visual Idea of Europe)
MOVIE is a project aimed to raise awareness on the values and the activities of the European Union proposed by Centro In Europa and realized with the support of compagnia di San Paolo. It will last one year and it started in November 2006.
MOVIE foresees a partnership of four EU countries (Italy, Latvia, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria).
Action Target
MOVIE is addressed to the Italian citizens and those of the participant countries, but particularly to the young people (14-25 years), attending secondary schools or university, and to the elderly ones, often witnesses of key events of the twentieth century.
Partners
From Italy: Centro In Europa (Genoa, Italy) in partnership with Fondazione per la Scuola, University of Genoa, Dipartimento di Ricerche Europee; Antenna Europe Direct of the City of Genoa, National Museum of Cinema of Turin.
From other countries: "Sava Dobroplodni" Regional Library of Sliven (Bulgaria), the University of Stettino (Poland), the Museum of the Occupation of Riga and the Latvian association of the Teachers of History with head office in Riga (Latvia) and the Library of the city of Pecs (Hungary).
Partners in the MOVIE project from each country will collaborate in the realization of a short movie, which will:
- Ø describe the ways of liberation of their countries from the totalitarian regime and the decisions to join the EU;
- Ø show the concrete results, achieved by now and the expectations of citizens, concerning Bulgarian membership in the EU.
The second part of the movie (the results from the EU) will be realized by the help of the participants in a competition, announced in Italy for writing subject for a short film devoted to the main advantages resulting from the integration in the European Union.
The movie will be presented on a final even in May 2007, during the days of the celebration of the 50 anniversary of the signing the treaties from Rome and the Day of Europe. The event will be attended by representatives of the countries, which are partners in the project. The presentation in Italy will take place in Turin (Italy) in the National Museum of Cinema within a section in the Turin Film Festival.
A special website will follows every phase of the project.