ILAB POP UP BOOK FAIRS ALL AROUND THE WORLD ON UNESCO WORLD BOOK & COPYRIGHT DAY, APRIL 23, 2016

Popping Up In VERY Unexpected Places

By Sally Burdon

As one of the organisers of ILAB’s world of Pop Up rare book events on April 23 I find I spend quite a lot of time caught up in organising printing, answering questions of the inspiring ILAB affiliates worldwide who are the local organisers, writing material and also being a local organiser myself. It is difficult to keep clear focus on the true priorities of the day at times.

However one priority that keeps playing on my mind of late is raising enough money on April 23 to really make some significant difference to literacy in South Sudan. The Forest Whitaker Initiative for Peace and Development is the UNESCO backed program that booksellers around the world are working to raise money for. Of course I realised that if UNESCO said this programme was important and Forest Whitaker was their ambassador in South Sudan, it must be doing good but then I saw the video… This video says very clearly that literacy is at the root of justice and world peace and it really came home to me. Our work raising money for literacy was not just to change the life of a child or even a family but potentially a whole nation and beyond! I had to do my very, very best to make sure ILAB’s donations are greater this year than the laudable 10,000 Euros we raised in 2015.

I thought back to the discussions Barbara and I first had about how ILAB should celebrate UNESCO’s World Book and Copyright Day. We were charged with the brief of raising awareness of the antiquarian bookselling trade and decided that the best way to do this was to leave our “natural habitat” and show rare books to people who might not even realise that they exist. So why not go to a really unexpected place? 

My local gym, Curves Belconnen, in a local suburban shopping centre seemed particularly unexpected! They often run charity fundraisers but what would they make of ILAB and the Empty Bookcase poster? I talked to the owner Anita and asked her what she thought about it and she was very interested and keen. Two days ago the poster was attached to their wall, with some explanatory text about both ILAB and the Forest Whitaker Initiative for Peace and Development. Within minutes symbolic spines had been bought by the women who attend the gym, were attached to the Empty Bookcase and within just 2 days several hundred dollars has been raised. The enthusiasm of Anita and her staff is humbling. I have been very moved and impressed. People are asking questions about South Sudan of course but also asking about the antiquarian bookselling world. Sometimes taking the unexpected to new places has unexpectedly good results for all concerned! Maybe there is somewhere near you that is very unexpected too!

JOIN US ... ORGANIZE IT ... ILAB POP UP BOOK FAIRS ... ACROSS THE WORLD ... ON UNESCO WORLD BOOK & COPYRIGHT DAY ... 23 APRIL 2016!

April 2016 – For immediate release. Pictures: ILAB, UNESCO, the Organizers, Curves Belconnen

Why the ILAB Pop Up Book Fairs on UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day matter to all of us!

By Sally Burdon, ILAB Committee Member

What will the following have in common on April 23?

1. Spanish lessons for antiquarian booksellers in Budapest

2. Groningen Halal butcher displays rare books on cattle in shop window

3. London's historic Inn Library welcomes antiquarian booksellers to pop up amidst its shelves

4. Vienna's brand new Museum of Literature says yes to antiquarian booksellers

5. 19th century woolshed in the Australian bush hours from a major city becomes a book fair

6. Rare books for sale on top of a Chicago skyscraper

Guess ...

What will these and a number of other quirky locations with antiquarian booksellers have in common next Thursday April 23?

Yes ...

ILAB's celebration of UNESCO's World Book and Copyright Day 2015 is the correct answer!
 
Want to liven up the antiquarian book world? Want to introduce others to the world of out of print books? ILAB booksellers do. We are not ridiculously optimistic. Of course we know that it will always be only a section of society who is really interested in collecting books, but the old ways of introducing the younger people who are interested have been greatly diminished.

Now, as we all know there are great numbers of younger people who have not had the benefit of growing up with numerous antiquarian bookstores in their area. However, people don't fundamentally change, and if there is any trend it is that there is more respect paid to information and knowledge than there has ever been. However, there are so many competing forces and, let's face it, the story is that books have been having a rough time of staying relevant. And it certainly doesn't help the cause, if booksellers have limited visibility, because they have to close their shops and decide to run their business via the Internet!

In April last year when ILAB President Norbert Donhofer suggested that ILAB organise something to celebrate the annual UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day some serious thinking had to go on. Now, a year later (and thousands of emails later) over 30 events of such diversity and charm will take place across the world that it is hard to believe possible this time last year it wasn't a formed idea. Each of the events, in their own way will place rare books in the front of people that have not seen such beautiful books before.

So join us on UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day, April 23, when ILAB dealers are going to spread the word. These dealers will tell people that it is possible and highly satisfying to collect rare and beautiful books, fun to celebrate the culture of the book and vital to celebrate the basic human right that literacy is by raising money for UNESCO's literacy work in South Sudan.

MEET US HERE ON 23 APRIL - ACROSS THE WORLD!

> ILAB Pop Up Book Fair Calendar

READING IS A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT! SUPPORT UNESCO!

> Make a donation!

Canberra, 15 March - Preparations for the great day!

Behind the scenes of the ILAB Pop Up Book Fairs the preparations are in full swing, in all countries where the Pop Ups will take place as well as in Australia, where ILAB Committee Member Sally Burdon and her husband Martin are packing parcels to send out posters for the great fundraising campaign!