Bucuresti, Romania: Asociatia Nationala a Bibliotecarilor si Bibliotecilor Publice din Romania
The National Association of Public Librarians and Libraries in Romania (ANBPR) is the most representative professional organization of librarians in Romania, including over 3,300 active members in 41 counties and has promoted for the last 32 years the concept of a public library system at community level by providing services tailored to the current needs of users in Romania. ANBPR is focused on strengthening its structures and the diversification of training for librarians by extending the Operational Department’ flowchart, coordination of a series of events on professional topics, taking part in events organized in partnership with local and foreign associations and is opened to the proposals received from the civil society. The projects and campaigns carried out by ANBPR have been on purpose of strengthening the community culture in Romania, reducing the major gaps resulted as a lack of modern tools to information and knowledge and for harnessing the cultural and human potential of our society.
ANBPR offers both librarians and users of library services an organized framework for lifelong learning, as well as study tools for quality education for career development and increasing quality of life. ANBPR is responsible for the training and professional development of employees and auxiliary staff of public libraries, increasing their skills through extensive education and digital training and skills. In their turn, librarians become community change agents, generating an update of knowledge at the level of users of library services. By stimulating the large-scale use of computers in education and electronic government, access to technology and the cultivation of electronic skills at all ages, ANBPR offers numerous examples of good practices both nationally and internationally. ANBPR’s experience, librarian qualifications and the complex nature of public libraries’ activities allowed the establishment of partnership relations between ANBPR and public libraries in their joint e-Inclusion effort. Starting from the experience of the parent organization, the ANBPR branches have already reproduced at the local and regional level a large part of the successful activities of the Association, starting with training courses, continuing with guidance for participation in electronic inclusion projects and going to extensive actions of digital literacy. ANBPR encouraged, from the beginning, the transfer of knowledge and good practices of the Association at the level of its county. This is possible by disseminating the results and work methodologies validated by ANBPR at the level of the entire network of branches. Through its organizational development strategy, ANBPR is committed to providing member libraries with the tools to capitalize on the infrastructure of the Association and the national network of libraries. In this way, with minimal financial resources, public libraries can generate changes and developments at the community level and can considerably increase the impact of technology on the population’s standard of living. Through the efficient use of the existing material base and the connections established at the national and international level through Biblionet, the pro-inclusion programs and actions of the ANBPR can be replicated at any time with low financial investments.
Ioana Crihana is working, for more than 20 years, in various leadership positions in highly competitive business entities: a government institution, a national newspaper, a well-known Romanian Branding & Advertising Agency, a multinational ICT corporation and in the most representative National Library Association in Romania – ANBPR. Getting involved in several development projects, Ioana Crihana has expertise in creating, restructuring and revitalizing different products, services and organizational structures, and, also, in the implementation of some business plans and strategies for sustainability, both in private and institutional environment.
Regardless of the type of her commitment Ioana Crihana has got involved in various types of image approaches, from media image to advertising image and to corporate image, from branding and naming, to complex product campaigns and web platform design, from image identity building for organizations to strategic advocacy and public policies for prestigious entities from Romania and abroad. In her position of CEO of ANBPR, the most representative professional association of public libraries in Romania, with a network of 41 county branches, bringing together over 3300 individual and institutional members, recognized by the Romanian Government as a public utility association, Ioana Crihana has substantially contributed to increase the Operational Department’s performance as an important management structure and to strengthen the ANBPR’s organizational capacity in developing and implementing creative and impactful projects.
Ștefania Stănică – graduate of the Academy of Economic Studies, Faculty of Management of Industry, Construction and Transport, has experience working in projects, both in corporations and non-governmental organizations, as well as expertise in operational management and strategic analysis. A graduate of a Master of Management and Communication and post-graduate studies in Business Marketing, Ștefania Stănică, has pedagogical training and has practiced her skills as a mentor and trainer by getting involved in extensive educational actions, especially in isolated rural communities, to whom it provided specialized assistance, with a view to the social inclusion of beneficiaries from vulnerable backgrounds.
