Blog translated entirely by volunteers!


Blog translated entirely by volunteers!
coordinated by Stephen Hallstrom, Peace Corps volunteer
and Anamaria Cătănoiu, Center coordinator
Volunteers, highschool and university students: Constantin Drăgoi (București/Bucharest), Ovidiu Panaite (Cluj), Oana Zlatovici (Suedia/Sweden), Olga Unguru, Ioana Tuvene, Alexandra Pădureț (Iași), Mihaela Hăican (București), Liviu Dîrdală, Ioana Cozma, George Georgescu, Alina Rotaru, Andreea Marcu




Thursday, March 24, 2011

Books for Canada




‘Books for Canada’ is a project initiated by ‘Duiliu Zamfirescu’ County Public Library throughout Vrancea County, as a partner and founding member. The project is part of wider national and international initiative that aimed to set up a library with Romanian books in Montreal, Canada.

The project was initiated by an emigrant Romanian family in Canada and their family members who remained in Romania. Together they created the Cultural Initiative Foundation THE ROMANIAN LIBRARY in Montreal, Canada. Their desire was to create a Romanian library in Montreal to sustain our advocacy on the Canadian lands and to be close to the Romanian community.

To benefit of home support from Romanian people, the Council has involved personalities from the cultural-artistic world, choosing the actor Mircea Albulescu as an Honour President. With the help of these personalities there has been started as well the national campaign for promoting and advertising in order to lay the foundations for a donation of books and build up a library. Vrancea Public Library answered positively to the call for donations.

In order not to remain a singular gesture made by our institution, the library started in January- February 2011 a public campaign of book donation called ‘Books for Canada’ involving the whole community. The institution has recruited two libraries as partners in the project, which turned as point of purchase and collection of books, and attracted also other donor institutions.

There have been established several criterions and so to have a ‘quality’ donation. The answer of Vrancea community to our call was prompt and effective; over 500 copies of books that respected the criterions have been collected in this project.
The media communication strategy was the most important aspect and it has given major results. The project has been widely mediatized in the local and national press (through correspondents) and on-line (with the help of the volunteers and supporters of the library). With an intense correspondence with the initiators from Canada, who appreciated the media promotion and the campaign organization, the strategy of promoting attracted to designate our library as one of the three national centers of collecting books (spot made and aired by TVR1) along with Baia Mare and Bucharest. 

Also, with this involvement in the project, our library received the title of FOUNDING MEMBER of the Library from Montreal. (Our library received the DIPLOMA OF RECOGNITION as a FOUNDING MEMBER of THE LIBRARY and DEFENDER of the ROMANIAN CULTURE)


Within three weeks – during the first stage of the project – our library became the center of collection in the entire Moldavia region and beyond. There have been sent donations from Bucharest, Bacau, Braila, Piatra Neamt, Tulcea, Galati, Husi – donations that continue in present as well. In this project, our library attracted other two partners outside the county, who have expressed their desire of joining this endeavor: Sports High School Bacau – donated in the first stage 500 copies collected from the community from Bacau and the County Library Tulcea, in the second stage of the project.
The initiators desired that each copy donated to wear the original signature of the Donor, mentioning: ‘Book donated for the Romanian Library’, the label that promotes among the Romanian people from Canada, the library’s name and the person making the donation.

Each donation will be recorded in the BOOK OF HONOUR of the ROMANIAN LIBRARY, and as a sign of appreciation and gratitude, the Council awarded with a DIPLOMA OF RECOGNITION as a FOUNDING MEMBER of the LIBRARY and DEFENDER OF THE ROMANIAN CULTURE. 
The costs for expediting the books donation from Romania (Bucharest) to Canada were covered by the Cultural Foundation THE ROMANIAN LIBRARY. Vrancea Public Library carried on its own all donation and those coming from outside for the volunteer point of collecting from Bucharest. On 10th of February, the books were carried to Canada and the first stage of the project came to an end. 

In present, our library collects donations coming constantly across the country to organize a new transport, which will be established by the partners from Canada.
1.      Vrancea Public Library and the librarians.
2.      Partner in the project – Alexandria book store, the national network
3.      The Probation Service
4.      Gheorghe Neagu and the Cultural Association ‘Duiliu Zamfirescu’ (Vrancea County writers)
·         Petre Abeaboeru
·         Buruiana Vasile
·         Culita Usurelu
·         Janine Vladislav
5.      ‘Universul Cartii’ Book Store, Focsani
6.      Vrancea County Blogosphere
7.      ‘Alexandru Ioan Cuza’ National College, Focsani
The coordinators in the high school:
·         Prof. Ioana Constantinescu, 7th grade
·         Prof. Ana Maria Norocea, 8th and 9th grade
·         Alexandru Munteanu, the Youth Council President, within the Local Youth Council and the County Youth Council and Marius Condruz, ‘Mihail Kogalniceanu’ National Economic College President; from students of different high schools from Focsani: ‘Alexandru Ioan Cuza’ National College and ‘Mihail Kogalniceanu’ National Economic College.


8.      Sports High School from Bacau – teachers and students
·         Coordinator: Prof. David Diana Ruxandra
-          Approximately 600 copies
9.      ‘Simion Mehedinti’ Teacher Association and ‘Terra’ Publishing,  Focsani
10.  Prof. Irina Bicescu – ‘Unirea’ National College
11.  Priest Eduard Bran and his wife Adriana
12.  Priest Giorgica Vatra – ‘Sf.Andrei’ Focsani
13.  Florica Ghigeanu, Bucharest (sent)
14.  Nina Desliu, ’Pallas’ Publishing, Focsani
15.  Doctor Paul Alexandru, Focsani
16.  Prof. Cezar Cherciu, Focsani

Post Canada
17.  Prof. Ionut Tandara
18.  Mihai Horga, Roman, Neamt County
19.  Ioan Denciu, Focsani
20.  Oma Stanescu, Braila
21.  Titel Toader Chirila, Focsani
22.  Mihai Merticaru, Piatra Neamt
23.  Nina Plopeanu, Focsani

Online resources:

o   Ziarul de Vrancea: http://www.ziaruldevrancea.ro
o   Monitorul de Vrancea: http://www.monitorulvn.ro
o   DADA Radio: http://www.radiodada.ro
o   Adevarul de Seara Focsani: http://www.adevarul.ro/locale/focsani/
o   The Romanian Library from Canada: http://bibliotecaromaneasca.org/
o   Vrancea Today: http://vranpress.blogspot.com/
o   Vrancea Media: http://www.vranceamedia.ro/

 Article written by Anamaria Cătănoiu – Coord. Foreign Language Center
Translated by Oana Zlatovici - volunteer

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