On April 23rd, the International Day of the Book and Copyright is celebrated worldwide, established by UNESCO. This day is marked by the Department of Culture and Sports with a commitment to various activities for all ages in libraries, archives, museums, and monumental sites throughout Andalusia, including book clubs, book presentations, workshops, and storytelling sessions.
The Department of Culture, along with affiliated organizations like the Andalusian Center of Letters (CAL), celebrates this day with the aim of promoting reading, the publishing industry, and intellectual property protection, recognizing the crucial role that books play in human life.
The Minister of Culture and Sports, Patricia del Pozo, emphasized the department’s «commitment» to the «Andalusian publishing sector» and the «vital service provided by public libraries to society and culture.» This is evident in the high number of users, totaling one and a half million, and the annual circulation of over 300,000 loans.
For World Book Day, the Provincial Library Francisco Villaespesa in Almería offers a storytelling session titled ‘The Impatient Caterpillar’, targeted at children and in collaboration with the University of Almería, scheduled for April 22nd. The following day, April 23rd, the Down Syndrome Association in Almería will host a continuous and inclusive reading of ‘Pinocchio’ by Carlo Collodi.
In the Cádiz Provincial Library, a continuous reading of ‘Don Quixote’ adapted for easy reading and aimed at a general audience is planned for April 23rd, in collaboration with associations and entities linked to full inclusion. Additionally, there will be a theatrical visit to the library to showcase its facilities.
The Córdoba Provincial Library will commemorate the day on April 23rd with ‘Three Balloons’, a puppet theater performance by PlanasYardilla-BAM, where characters embark on adventures with the help of books from a traveling library.
The Granada Provincial Library has organized a workshop and a children’s storytelling session for this day. The workshop, aimed at adults, will focus on bookbinding, covering different parts of a book and techniques like sewing. On April 26th, a storytelling session titled ‘My Favorite Stories from the Finest Tales’ will be presented by oral storyteller Filiberto Chamorro, featuring a selection of classic and contemporary stories.
Also in Granada, the Andalusian Library will host a storytelling session titled ‘Biblo-Stories’ on April 22nd, where librarians and users become protagonists of stories navigating through a sea of books.
The Huelva Provincial Library has prepared a storytelling session for families in collaboration with the Alcores Association for April 23rd. On the same day, they will also host a ‘Meeting with Biblos, the library superhero’, featuring the authors, the Macías Brothers, who will gift attendees with a copy of the third installment of their adventures, ‘The Great OPAC’.
The Jaén Provincial Library will dedicate two days to the commemoration. The first, on April 23rd for adults, will feature a theatrical performance of ‘Scene(s)’ by the Delirium group, Laboratory of Performing Arts. The second, on April 24th, will host a storytelling session for the whole family titled ‘A Forest of Tales to Celebrate the Book’ by Noelia Camacho.
In the Málaga Provincial Library, the Day of the Book will be celebrated through decorating the building with literary motifs and the gift of a book from donations to all visiting users.
Finally, the Infanta Elena Public Library in Seville has organized a series of activities to celebrate the occasion. On April 23rd, there will be a book donation event by the writer and specialist in popular tales, Antonio Rodríguez Almodóvar, adding to the existing collection at the library which includes essays, stories, plays, poetry, and anthologies, among others.
On the same day, the library will host a theatrical performance for schools by the Barataria company, titled ‘The Poetic Circus of the Garcia Brothers and Co.’, along with a game session in collaboration with the We Want to Play Association. Also on April 23rd, there will be a panel discussion organized by the president of the Cypress association, José Luis Trullo, titled ‘Humanities in the 21st Century. Reading in the 21st Century’, featuring Elena Marqué, José María Jurado, and Francisco Martínez Cuadrado.
These activities will be complemented on April 26th with the theatrical performance ‘In Praise of Healthy Madness’ by Pedro Mantero, a tribute to Miguel de Cervantes aimed at younger family members.
Programming in Archives and Museums
In addition to these activities, other Andalusian institutions under the Department of Culture and Sports, such as archives and museums, will also offer special programs. For example, the Historical Provincial Archive of Almería has prepared an exhibition titled ‘From the Archive to the Library’, showcasing the research process in History. Meanwhile, the Historical Provincial Archive of Málaga
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