Free books at the Venue

Bookcrossing – Free Books at the Permanent University

 

Bancaja

Vice-Rector's Office of University Extension - University of Alicante

Students' Association of the Permanent University – University of Alicante

 

Concepción Bru Ronda upua.direccion@ua.es

José Luis Casal Devesa jlcasal@gmail.com

 

 

Very often books are used only once and then remain forgotten and abandoned in the bookshelves. The students of the Permanent University of the University of Alicante  want to 'offer to these books' a chance to be useful again getting back to the reading circles, and create, at the same time, a free way to exchange books. With this purpose the Point of Release of Books was established at the Venue of the City of Alicante, in the University of Alicante.

 

'Free Books at the Permanent University' started in 2006 as the iniciative of some students of the Permanent University of the University of Alicante as part of the cultural voluntary service. The goal was to exchange books so that they would be used more than once. The students themselves started to work on the idea and have been helping to manage it ever since. In order to support this iniciative with a place to be carried out, the Permanent University has provided them with infrastructures.

 

The 'Bookcrossing' is an universal movement that promotes the free exchange of books at a place accessible to the public hoping that someone will pick them up, read them and then leave there the same book or another one keeping the circle going.

Our point of exchange in the Permanent University of the University of Alicante also offers another possibility: started by the students of the UPUA practicing solidarity by sharing:

RELEASE Á LA CARTE: This possibility allows those who are interested in a book in particular to leave a note or a message hoping that another student who has it will share it.

Apart from the Point of Exchange of Books there is the possibility of accessing the Venue's Terrace during certain times of the year, in the morning or in the afternoon, to read the books of the POINT OF RELEASE, and it works as an Exchange Library where you can read the books at the Venue or take them home and leave other books in their place.

 

The iniciative, that is working already since 2006, has established a central point of release at the Permanent University of the University of Alicante and has expanded itself creating other points of release in the center of the city at the Cafés Solidarios, Venue of the Students at the Campus' Council, at some Secondary Education Schools, at the CEAM (Specialized Center to care for Older Adults) and at some hairdresser's. This way hundreds of books have been released and many others have been transfered to the different sub-venues created for this iniciative.  

Among the materials created by the senior students and volunteers we can highlight the website, available in three languages (English, Spanish and Catalan), the flyers, posters to indicate the points of release, and the different publications in the press and in magazines.

It has been labeled as an autonomous citizens' movement, as well as an effective way of spreading, expanding and sharing culture, languages, customs. It is an iniciative of solidarity and is susteinable.  

 

The fact that more points of release were established at the city of Alicante shows how this iniciative has been spread being open to the public in general without restrictions. All the information about the iniciative can be found at the website.

 

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