IBBY: Building Bridges through Childrens Books

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IBBY Building Bridges through Childrens Books

• Vivian Howard
• School of Information Management
• Dalhousie University
• howardv_at_dal.ca

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History of IBBY

• Non-profit organization which works to promote
  cultural understanding and peace through
  childrens books
• Founded by the journalist Jella Lepman
• International childrens book fair, Munich (1946)
• International Youth Library in Munich (1949)
• Conference International Understanding through
  Childrens Books (1951)
• 250 representatives from 26 countries
• Keynote address by Ortega y Gasset
• IBBY established in 1953 (Zurich)
• Initial funding from Swiss foundation Pro
  Juventute

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70 national sections

• GhanaGreeceHungaryIcelandIndiaIranIndonesia
  IrelandIsraelItalyJapanKazakhstanKorea,
  Republic ofKuwaitLatviaLebanonLithuaniaMalays
  iaMexicoMoldovaMongolia

• AlbaniaArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBelgiumBoliv
  iaBrazilCanadaChileChinaColombiaCroatiaCuba
  CyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkEcuadorEgyptEston
  iaFinlandFranceGermany

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• NepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwayPakistanPa
  lestinePeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalRomania
  RwandaRussia

• SlovakiaSloveniaSouth AfricaSpainSwedenSwitz
  erlandThailandTurkeyUgandaUkraineUnited
  KingdomUnited StatesUruguayVenezuela 

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IBBYs Mission

• To promote international understanding through
  childrens books
• To give children everywhere the opportunity to
  have access to books with high literary and
  artistic standards
• To encourage the publication and distribution of
  quality childrens books, especially in
  developing countries
• To provide support and training for those
  involved with children and childrens literature
• To stimulate research and scholarly works in the
  field of childrens literature
• Source http//www.ibby.org

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IBBY Canada

• Established in 1973 by the National Librarys
  Childrens Literature Librarian Irene Aubrey
• IBBY Canada is committed to delivering quality
  Canadian childrens books to the international
  stage and to bringing international literature
  home to Canada. Our focus is on creating
  connections to high quality books, useful
  information, and like-minded professionals in
  more than 70 IBBY national sections.
• http//www.ibby-canada.org

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What does IBBY do?

• Awards
• Congresses
• Exhibitions
• Fundraisers
• Twinning projects
• Bookbird
• International Childrens Book Day

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IBBY Canada Awards

• Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award
• Outstanding picturebook
• 20th anniversary in 2006
• 25th anniversary celebrations planned
• Frances E. Russell Award
• Research in Canadian childrens literature
• Claude Aubry Award
• Outstanding service/lifetime achievement to
  childrens literature in Canada

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IBBY International Awards

• Hans Christian Andersen Award
• Presented every two years to an author and
  illustrator for lifetime achievement
• 2006 winners
• Margaret Mahy (New Zealand) for writing
• Wolf Erlbruch (Germany) for illustration

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• IBBY-Asahi Award for Reading Promotion
• 2006 winners
• The Mongolian Childrens Mobile Library Project
• All of Poland Reads to Kids
• 10,000 (US)

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Congresses

• Held every two years
• Beijing, September 2006
• The five-day programme will include the
  presentation of the Hans Christian Andersen
  Awards 2006, the IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion
  Award 2006, the IBBY Honour List 2006, the
  Chinese National Childrens Book Fair, and a
  national exhibition of childrens newspapers and
  periodicals. For the first time at an IBBY
  Congress, an international childrens forum will
  be held where children will be talking about
  reading.
• Display of books by Canadian-Chinese authors and
  illustrators

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Exhibitions

• IBBY Honour List
• Outstanding Books for Children with Disabilities
• Show and Tell

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IBBY Honour List

• Every 2 years, member countries submit books for
  the honour list
• List is announced and displayed at the IBBY
  Congress
• Exhibition travels to the Bologna Childrens Book
  Fair, the Basel Book Fair and travels throughout
  Japan. In recent years other locations have
  regularly included the Moscow International Book
  Fair, the Tehran Book Fair, the USBBY Regional
  Conferences, and at events in Switzerland,
  Ireland, Britain, Philippines and Germany.

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Outstanding Books for Children with Disabilities

• Each selection is first shown at the IBBY stand
  at the Bologna Childrens Book Fair and then is
  available as a travelling exhibition. In recent
  years the collections have been shown in Japan,
  Iran,
• Germany and India.

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Show and Tell Exhibition

• Travelling exhibit of 50 outstanding Canadian
  picture books, published 2000-2003
• Exhibited in Canada and the USA, future exhibits
  in Europe
• Coming soon to Halifax (we hope!)

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Twinning projects

• IBBY Canada is a leader
• Twinning with IBBY Cuba national section
• Hot, Hot Cuba fundraiser
• School twinning projects

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School twinning project

• Bringing together middle school classes from
  different parts of the world to get to know one
  another a little bit and to collaborate on a
  writing projects using stories that have been
  created by noted authors from different
  countries.
• Canada and South Africa
• Challenges and benefits

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Bookbird

• Bookbird A Journal of International Children's
  Literature is a refereed journal published
  quarterly by IBBY.
• Children's literature studies and children's
  literature awards around the world.
• Reading promotion projects worldwide.

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International Childrens Book Day

• Since 1967, on or around Hans Christian
  Andersen's birthday, 2 April, International
  Children's Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated to
  inspire a love of reading and to call attention
  to children's books.
• Every year, one country sponsors
• International Childrens Book Day
• Canada in 2009?

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Other international projects

• Tsunami Relief Portable Libraries in Aceh (IBBY
  India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore)
• Books for children in Afghanistan (IBBY India and
  Japan)
• Publication of 1,500 books in Pushto
• Next phase establishment of 200 school libraries
  in southern Afghanistan
• Book distribution project in Gaza and West Bank
  (IBBY Palestine)

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Other projects IBBY Canada

• Nambook Fair (IBBY Korea)
• Books for the North

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Why join IBBY Canada?

• Support for the international childrens book
  community
• Support for Canadian writers, illustrators and
  publishers
• Networking opportunities
• Invitations to IBBY events (award presentations,
  meetings, congresses)
• IBBY Newsletter (soon to be electronic)
• News updates through email

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Support the activities of national sections

• promote original, indigenous literature for
  children and young people
• improve the quality of books for children and
  young people
• increase the number and propagate the use of such
  books
• encourage the interest of the general public and
  of cultural institutions in artistic creation for
  children and in work with the book

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How much does it cost?

• Individual membership 50/year
• Student membership 10/year

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• Thank you!
• Any questions?
• Vivian Howard, School of Information Management,
  Dalhousie University
• howardv_at_dal.ca