Aldo Olcese, president of the Spanish Independent Foundation and elected academician of the Royal European Academy of Doctors-Barcelona 1914 (RAED), will present on Monday, September 24, at the Spanish National Library, the project “Paladines del libro. A favor de la lectura: bibliotecas y librerías” (Paladins of the book, in favor of reading: libraries and bookstores). It will be the first of five major events that aim to promote reading at all levels. Ana Santos, director of the National Library; Ignacio Buqueras, project director; the writers Javier Lostalé and Fernando Sánchez Dragó, both awarded with the Spanish National Prize for the Promotion of Reading, and the editor Beatriz de Moura will also participate in this inaugural act.
After developing during the last three years the “Homenaje Universal al Idioma Español” (Universal Tribute to the Spanish Language) with a long series of events that were held in different Spanish cities and that had the collaboration and support of figures of culture and politics of the first line, the Independent Foundation now presents these days. They are added as an independent initiative to the Plan for the Promotion of Reading developed by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sports and have the support of the McGraw Hill Education publishing house.
Dr. Aldo Olcese
Its challenges are focused on generating a public awareness about the value of the book as an object and creative product, aesthetic and knowledge and enjoyment for reading; enhance the role of public libraries and bookstores as essential elements of cultural dynamization and programming; set the attention for new audiences and the increase of reading in both the educational and social spheres, especially among new young readers; originate a greater awareness of respect for literary creativity and intellectual property rights; advance in the challenges and capabilities presented by new technologies in all their aspects in the cultural field of publishing, design and dissemination of books and their reading and, ultimately, establish positive dynamics to raise the cultural level of our society, where the book is a fundamental means and one of the essential tools of knowledge.
The next days will be titled “La belleza del libro en su edición” (The beauty of the book in its edition), “Editores españoles: su proyección internacional” (Spanish publishers: their international projection), “El diseño gráfico del libro en la actualidad y el papel de las nuevas tecnologías” (The graphic design of the book at present and the role of new technologies) and “En defensa del libro: el Estado y la sociedad civil frente al valor del libro, el papel de las tecnologías y las redes sociales ante los retos del futuro” (In defence of the book: the State and civil society against the value of the book, the role of technologies and social networks in the face of the challenges of the future).
