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December 22, 2005
Public Libraries in Extremadura
The Observatory for Reading and Book in Extremadura, which is developed inside the Pacto Extremeño por la lectura (Extremadura Agreement for Reading), has updated its directory of public libraries in Extremadura. That directory, integrated by 440 libraries and reading agencies, gives practical information about abou the identification and location of those libraries. It includes a section with the 2004 statistical data for each one of the libraries, related to the number of users, holdings, loans, and visits. Each one of the index cards has a form through which the information can be filled out or corrected, and pictures about the library can be sent as well. Moreover, the Observatory offers monographic journals, private documents and external resources. It also offers a selection of links about books, reading and libraries.
Permanent link: P.URL | Category: Public libraries | Published: December 22, 2005
December 19, 2005
Exhibition in the National Library
From November 16th to February 19th it can be visited the exhibition Biblioteca en guerra (library in war), which has been made for the National Library itself. The organizers of the trade fair, Blanca Calvo and Ramón Salaberría try, through the exibition, to pay tribute to the work of creation, spread and development of the libraries services, and the reading promotion carried out in libraries during the First Republic and the Spanish Civil War.
The exhibition is composed by texts, books, pictures, posters and audiovisual materials. It is divided in four parts: Time warp, which as an introduction place visitors in that period, starting on 23 April 1931, first Day of book during the period. In Libraries for a Republic it is set out the work made in this field in municipal and proletarian libraries by Pedagogical Missions, societies or other actions promoted by groups of diverse nature. Library in war is the central core and it is divided in several sections, each one of them identified through a personage. It is demanded the figures of Tomás Navarro Tomás, director of the National Library, Teresa Andrés, who took libraries to the battle front inside lorries of Popular Culture, Jordi Rubió, director of the Library of Catalonia, and Maria Moliner, who introduced the first library plan in Spain, taken an special care with rural libraries. To finish, everything is summarized in Epilogue: the end and the exile, the achievements, expectations and unsuccessful works in all that work.
Permanent link: P.URL | Category: News | Published: December 19, 2005
December 16, 2005
2004 Public Libraries Statistics
The Nacional Institute for Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE) has just published the Libraries Statistics for 2004, where we can see an improvement in comparision with the figures for 2002. It has to be emphasized the increase by 10.3% in the number of users, by 23% in the visitors, and 20.4% in the number of libraries with access to the Internet. The Statistic gives a number of 8,099 service points, with 6,585 libraries, most of them with publicly- owned (79.4%), the funding is from the public administration by 84.3%, by 73% of the libraries have Internet access, and the average size is between 5,000 and 10,000 volumes of printed documents.The INE makes possible the enquiry in detail to the Libraries Statistics for 2000, 2002 and 2004 and the download of the data since 1999.
Permanent link: P.URL | Category: Statistics | Published: December 16, 2005
December 09, 2005
School Libraries Funding
Spanish Government has passed in November 11st the distribution of 25 millions of Euros to support school libraries inside high schools and professional training centers for this scholar year, “ in order to put them in the required standards for a modern and economically advanced society”.
The distribution of the funds, as it is said in the agreement signed with the autonomous regions, will be carried out taking into account the number of centers and students, being as it comes: Andalucía 6,080,194; Aragón 680,334; Asturias 561,371; Baleares 441, 763; Canarias 1,452,583; Cantabria 328,424; Castilla y León 1,543,408; Castilla-La Mancha 1,388,268; Cataluña 3,404,964; Valencia 2,490,263; Extremadura 863,584; Galicia 1,924,554; Madrid 2,481,224; Murcia 835,820; Navarra 344,379; Rioja 178,866.
Permanent link: P.URL | Category: School libraries | Published: December 09, 2005
December 07, 2005
Espasa Encyclopaedia Centenary
The American Universal Illustrated Encyclopaedia, which is usually known as The Espasa, is 100 years old this year, since it was first produced in 1905. Although its marketing didn’t start till 1908. The Espasa is said to be the great Spanish encyclopaedia for the XX Century, as it has worked since then as a reference and for the training of lots of Spanish people. It has 115 volumes, 200 millions of words, 500 millions of bibliographic references and more than 100,000 biographies.
A commemorative volume, called “The Century of The Espasa” has been published because of the cntenary. It includes a walk round the main events in the XX century and a selection of texts in order to see its progress along the century.
In an effort to adapt to modern times, its inheritor will be showed this year: The Great Universal Encyclopaedia, with 24 printed volumes, a DVD-ROM or CD-ROM, and a Knowledge Portal accessible in the Internet.
Permanent link: P.URL | Category: Information resources | Published: December 07, 2005
December 02, 2005
Reading Manifesto
Several institutions related to pubslishing, books and libraries, have promoted the Reading Manifesto, in which the importance of reading in education is is defended and it is emphasized the the need for having reading habits in contemporary society. The document makes reflections as the next one: “ Last years have seen an unprecedent effort for the democratization of culture through the Web: Will we have the best libraries in the world in a clic and the citizens will not access to them?” The manifesto proves the essential function of families, schools and libraries in the development of the pleasure of reading.
Permanent link: P.URL | Category: Reading | Published: December 02, 2005
