Not by chance, according to the latest data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), approximately 11 million Romanians have not read a single book in 2023. This alarming statistic reflects a major decline in the habit of reading, a phenomenon attributed mainly to the lack of of time, but also the low interest in books.
Campania “The Reader – A New Endangered Species” aims to address this issue through a temporary exhibition that also actively engages communities of readers, writers, publishers, book industry professionals, content creators and journalists.
They will be invited, on July 27-28, between 12:00 and 18:00, to take a seat in the specially arranged spaces in key points of the museum and read a book, according to their preferences. Thus, each of them will illustrate the image of the contemporary reader, in an attempt to prevent its extinction.
Moreover, the approach of bringing readers into the museum and exposing them to visitors aims to contribute to the awareness of the importance of the habit of reading and supports the need to promote and protect the values of written culture.
“The Reader – A New Endangered Species” is a project created by Saatchi Creative Hub for Nemira and is a natural continuation of the Bookvertising campaign launched in 2022. Bookvertising brought the first message of public interest which promotes reading, the main objective of the project being to encourage reading and promote Romanian authors, inviting brands present in Romania to place books written by the latter in their own ads. And other publishing houses joined the Nemira initiative, too platforma Bookvertising remains open to all publishers and brands who wish to join the effort. The campaign was awarded with numerous Awards national and international in 2022 and 2023.
About Nemira
Nemira is one of the first independent publishing houses in Romania. It was founded in 1991 in Bucharest by Valentin Nicolau and has been run for almost 10 years by his daughter, Ana Nicolau. A brave independent publisher, Nemira’s priority is to bring powerful stories and challenging ideas to readers. Nemira translates some of the most popular and daring writers from around the world, but also encourages new and emerging generations of Romanian writers through n’autor, the only imprint in Romania dedicated entirely to contemporary native writers. In permanent contact with readers, the red thread of all published books is the #pleasure of reading.
About the “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History
Currently, the “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History has a scientific heritage of about 2 million specimens, grouped in zoological, geological, paleontological collections, as well as comparative anatomy, anthropology and ethnography. The most valuable pieces are the type specimens (about 7,000 examples), of which 983 are unique worldwide, after which new species for science were described.
The current headquarters in Kiseleff Street no. 1 was designed and built through the efforts of Dr. Grigore Antipa, director between 1893 and 1944. The museum created by the great scientist was modern both in terms of its display and its role and activity. Also, through sustained efforts, Grigore Antipa substantially enriched the institution’s collections with valuable pieces from all corners of the world. Grigore Antipa is also responsible for the creation of the first biogeographical dioramas in Bucharest, a model later extended to the great museums of the world. The “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History continues the tradition of its founder, being one of the oldest and most important institutions for biodiversity research, education and culturalization of the public.
Source: jurnalul.ro
