Over recent years books have increasingly featured in exhibitions and displays, not only in supporting roles to the main attraction but as centrepieces themselves. Books, however, vary enormously in their content, form and materiality, and with each page that opens something is concealed as well as revealed. These issues can pose challenges to all of us involved in displaying and exhibiting books and seeking to engage audiences with them in interpretive settings.
BANG! was created in response to these challenges as a collegiate and collaborative forum for members to explore methods and techniques to create accessible, engaging book exhibitions that are inclusive and enable engaging, interactive encounters with books for broad and diverse audiences. BANG! strives to also provide a trans-disciplinary network for all of us interested in bringing together books and audiences. Our aim is to provide a creative and supportive environment in which experiences can be shared, and ideas and findings exchanged.
Vision:
BANG! is synonymous with excellence and creativity in bringing books and audiences together in a diverse range of exhibition contexts.
Mission:
To provide a dynamic environment for discussion, dialogue and exchange of ideas and practices for bringing books and audiences together in exhibition settings, with an ambition to bring our findings to fruition.
Values:
Aims of the Books & Audiences network group
– Create a thriving network of expertise in the field of book exhibitions and their audiences
– Sharing knowledge, experiences and creating opportunities to learn
– Organizing seminars and creating a shared online platform
Chair: Vanessa Braekeveld, Royal Library of Belgium (KBR)
Treasurer: Ineta Vaivode, National Library of Latvia
Secretary: Ineta Vaivode, National Library of Latvia
