Reading in Romanian available to Romanians in the Netherlands!
We come to the aid of all those who are passionate about reading in Romanian but also to those who wish to maintain contact with their mother tongue through books. At the end of 2019 we launched, in collaboration with OBA (Openbare Blibliotheek Amsterdam), the first collection of books in Romanian! We have 200 titles for adults and approximately 50 for children, from all representative genres available at OBA headquarters. The Romanian library includes classic and contemporary authors, prose, poetry, essays, biographies, books written mainly by Romanian authors, but also international translations of Romanian books.
Since a library is the best way to read together and share experiences, we need the help and involvement of the whole Romanian community. The collection will be based on books already donated by lovers of reading in Romanian, but we aim to collect other outstanding titles through a crowdfunding campaign. Because we really want to have a library of our own! For details on how you can help, send an email to books@rompro.nl.
And this is just the beginning. In addition to the books themselves, we want this initiative to facilitate access for Romanians in the Netherlands to significant new Romanian literary publications. To this end, we will also organize launches, meetings with Romanian authors, thematic series, all revolving around books. In the coming years we hope to collect around 3000 titles and make them available to all Romanians in the Netherlands!
Where can you find the library section at OBA Oosterdok?
On the 2nd floor of the OBA Oosterdok library in the 'Huis Van Alle Tallen' section. As you go up the stairs, head to the left (or if you take the lift, to the right), and when you reach the edge of the hall (near the windows) you should find a section with Romanian books. You can look for the ROMPRO logo
OBA Oosterdok: Oosterdokskade 143, 1011 DL Amsterdam (5 minute walk from Amsterdam Centraal train station)
Children's books can be found in the basement. There you will also find the section with Romanian children's books.
How do you find Romanian books in the OBA online catalogue?
The best way to pick a great book from our collection is to go to OBA Amsterdam and browse the shelves! But for those with limited free time or who live in other cities and want to know which titles they can request to be brought to their local library, we've made a little demo about how you can explore the available titles in our collection online!
- Enter on www.oba.nl
- in the search field (Vind) type id:*
- Then you can filter by language (Taal) and choose Roemeens
Now you have in front of you the list of all Romanian books from OBA 🙂
Or you can click directly here zoeken.oba.nl. By the way, this link can be reached by following the steps above.
What do you need to be able to read Romanian books at OBA?
In order to borrow Romanian books (and more) at home you need an OBA subscription. Here find current subscription information from OBA.
Bonus1 : to browse books in the library you don't need a subscription, so it is free. We recommend that your first visit is a physical visit to the library to discover the collection and browse the books. Then you can subscribe on the spot at the OBA to take your chosen books home.
Bonus2 : you can book books online! They will be sent by OBA (when they become available) to the nearest OBA location to your home (26 locations in total in Amsterdam) and will cost 0.75 per card.
On Thursday, September 14, 2023, at 18:30, we resume the ONLINE and weekly meetings of the BiebROțeilor Workshop!
What is a BiebROțel?
Well, a child, older or younger, living in the diaspora, eager to connect with the Romanian language through books and interactions with other children, fond of games and creative activities, open to let his imagination fly, including in uncharted lands, undefined and uncharted by other people.
The BiebROthere Workshop is an initiative that cultivates and develops BiebROtherettes (not to be confused with robots, BiebROtherettes are in many ways the exact opposite!).
For 14 weeks we will gather around books, stories and get closer to the Romanian language in an interactive, playful and educational way. Through these workshops we aim to help children to:
- develop their vocabulary in Romanian, indirectly contributing to the development of expressiveness in everyday language
- connect with elements of Romanian culture; discover remarkable personalities, classical and contemporary authors, as well as various customs or historical events important to Romania
- interact with children of their own age in Romania, discovering the importance of cultural baggage but also different perspectives on the same themes
- develop their critical thinking and their understanding of texts
- (where appropriate) to make progress in reading Romanian.
How are the workshops run?
Each workshop is based on a children's book. During the module we explore a range of themes (e.g. autumn, crafts, continuing the story...) The book is read in an interactive way, with the children receiving questions from the facilitator along the way. At the end, the children discuss various aspects of the book and do a small arts & crafts activity.
Who moderates the workshops?
In this module the workshops will be moderated by Roxana Popescu who is passionate about children's books (you may already know about Myrrh shelf) but also has teaching experience. They will take place every Thursday evening from 18:30.
What age group are the workshops for?
We have children of all ages from 3-4 years old to 9-10. Some children speak Romanian better, others less well. Some children are more shy, others more talkative. During the workshops we try to involve everyone in discussions but without putting pressure.
To register please email us at 
books@rompro.nl
Don't be discouraged if you've missed one or more workshops. Each meeting brings a small benefit but progress will be more noticeable with regular attendance!
#ABielBrown workshop
The workshops are FREE thanks to support from Department for Romanians Abroad.
"The content of these workshops does not represent the official position of the Department for Romanians Abroad".
Books from the BiebRO collection closer to readers in the Netherlands
Books from the collection of the Romanian Library of the Netherlands try to get closer to readers eager to discover titles in Romanian. We have already sent packages of books to various cities in the Netherlands: Weesp, Zaandam, Uden, Bussum, Leiderdoap, Maastricht, Sint Odenrode, Bunnik, Utrecht, Valkenburg and Diemen. Each pack contains 10 titles.
The procedure for borrowing books is simple:
- Identify the city nearest you
- See the list of available titles
- Contact our librarian
- Borrow a maximum of 3 books per session. If you read them quickly, you can return them and borrow another 3 books!
Can't find a city near you? You can write to us at books@rompro.nl and you can become one of our volunteer librarians yourself
More details on our Facebook page by following #BiebROpeRots!
How to become a volunteer librarian
Want to join the BiebRO team on wheels? All you have to do is to take care of a pack of 10 books to host for 1 month.
- The package will also include at least one book you want to read.
- The rest of the books will be made available to Romanians in your area (so it's also a great opportunity to make new friends).
- You will register the loans, collect the books and send them back to us (shipping costs will be covered by us!)
If you still have questions or simply want to join the BiebRO project on wheels, send us an email at books@rompro.nl
Children's Book Week or Kinderboekenweek
Every autumn in the Netherlands, the Children's Book Week (Kinderboekenweek), a nationwide, high-profile event in which almost all schools, libraries and bookshops participate. BiebRO has responded to this invitation and has joined this celebration of children's books for the past few years.
Recordings of the Children's Book Week conversations are available on the Romanian Library Netherlands.
Kinderboekenweek 2022
This year's Kinderboekenweek theme was GI-GA-Groen! / Vi-Ne-Green. This event took place on 8 October when, under the guidance of Dan Ungureanu, the children from the workshops of the Amsterdam Romanian School learned to draw the beloved Apolodor!
Also with the help of partners from the Soleil de l'Est Association, the children had the opportunity to discover names of contemporary painters and different painting styles.
Kinderboekenweek 2021
In 2021, because the restrictions have been relaxed, but not everywhere and not for everyone, we are still in the online sphere this time. We met again in five magical evenings, LIVE on Facebook, on the page Romanian Library Netherlands (BiebRO for friends!), with authors, illustrators, publishers and librarians eager to bring the young (and old) into contact with books.
- 11/10: I had Alex Moldovan as a guest. Author of the book "Olguța and a grandfather of millions", Alex is a skilled speaker for children, writing books they really want to read.
- 12/10: we had with us the illustrator Diana Tivu, who gave a new life to Caragiale's characters in "Moments and Sketches", but also a new touch of colour to the protagonists of Romanian fairy tales.
- 13/10: it was a joy to see the translator Iulia Dromereschi again. Participants of the BiebRO Children's Reading Club remembered Iulia, one of the March guests of the Storyteller's Month. She read to us from The Great Guide to Good Manners, a book she translated from Dutch.
- 14/10: it was book club night. This time Ioana Chicet-Macoveiciuc came to read us a story. And not just any story, but one she wrote herself: "The best ice cream in the world". About two little children who, when they grew up, became what they wanted to become.
- 15/10: was dedicated to superheroes bringing books close to children. We had with us Brandi Anderson Bates, originally from the USA but currently living in Romania, founder of the Read Together Romania project and initiator of ZICI (International Read Together Day). And because it was the last evening, we also had Bianca Voinescu, founder of the Fanbook project, one of the largest initiatives to promote reading in villages and communes in Romania.
Kinderboekenweek 2020
In 2020, the adventure continued, but not in any way, but Live on Facebook "Children's Book Week" and turned into five evenings that we spent not only with Romanians from the Netherlands, but also from Romania. Each evening had a different themeas follows:
- 30/09: Frontiera Publishing's evening; we discussed a book just out of print: "The Rainbow King and other stories about patience" by Amalia Bananas, illustrated by Diana Margareta Cepleanu, and also about the other new releases of the publishing house.
- 01/10: BiebRO Book Club Evening; I discovered the book "What can you do with an idea?" in a special reinterpretation by Anda Bîrleanu and we discussed with Simona Popa about the weekly book club.
- 02/10: Evening of the Book of Miracles - K.J. Mecklenfeld - Editura Humanitas; I had a unique meeting with both the author of the book and two lovely vloggers readers Andi and Alexia.
- 03/10: Fabulafia Magazine Evening; We met again with Cristina Durică, the editor of the magazine, who told us about the new issue, how we can interact with the magazine and what surprises we can discover in its contents.
- 04/10: Boovie Book Trailer Festival Night; We learned what a book trailer is, how it can bring children closer to reading, and launched a new challenge for young readers who want to venture out and help create a book trailer for The Book of Miracles.
Kinderboekenweek 2019
The theme of 2019 was "Reis mee", and we proposed to the Romanian community a literary journey through the pages of the illustrated children's magazine Fabulafia. Launched in 2015, Fabulafia magazine has stood out from the beginning for its quality and outstanding design. With stories written by the best known contemporary children's authors, with columns written in collaboration with the British Council and the French Institute, with pages dedicated to education and visual culture, with illustrations signed by famous Romanian and international artists, Fabulafia is a truly fabulous adventure among words and images.
On 12 October, between 15:30 - 17:00, we met at the headquarters of the Romanian School Amsterdam for a unique launch, in the presence of Cristina Durică, the editor and coordinator of the magazine. Cristina presented us the latest issue, told us about what working on a magazine entails and what kind of experiences such publications can generate.
Kinderboekenweek 2018
In 2018, at the initiative of Maria Dicieanu and with the support of the Romanian School in Amsterdam and the ROMPRO Foundation, we joined for the first time this celebration of children's books.
The theme of the year was "Vriendschap: Kom Erbij" - "Friendship: Join us!", and to this end, we proposed a special Romanian book, published in 2018, which we presented to the Romanian community in the Netherlands. The book chosen was "The story of two tiger cubs named Ninigra and Aligru", an ageless adventure imagined about 50 years ago by Nina Cassian, re-illustrated and re-edited by Frontiera Publishing. The story centres on two tiger cubs who become friends despite their differences and go through a series of trials that test their determination, loyalty, resourcefulness and courage to call a spade a spade. The 2018 edition benefited from Karda Zenkö's gorgeous illustrations.
On 13 October we met at the headquarters of the Romanian School Amsterdam for the launch, in the presence of Ilena Achim, founder and editor-in-chief of Frontiera Publishing House. We also prepared a series of surprises for the little ones, along with a variety of literary and culinary treats!
BiebRO Children's Reading Club
This is the place where we practice Romanian through stories, interaction and smiles. Here, children aged 3 to 12 can listen to stories together, interact and smile together.
The meetings take place online every Thursday evening on ZOOM. Details of each meeting can be found on the Romanian Library Netherlands.
We choose wonderful books that can't wait to take us to fantastic worlds where our imagination can roam free and run wild. What's more, we hope our evenings will increase the interest of young children in reading.
Each month has a theme. Either it introduces us to a new season full of magic, or we get to know the creators of the stories. Evenings spent with us will always be exciting and full of new knowledge.
BiebRO appearances in the press
From the library
News
A literary meeting with Robert Șerban
We are pleased to invite all book lovers to a literary event on June 29...
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Event "The Author as a Translator"
On Saturday, 23 March 2024, we had a special event: meeting Jan Willem...
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ROMPRO 2023 Retrospective
2024 is soon passing its first quarter and we have already had a lot of activity in...
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Retrospective Romanian Library Netherlands 2023
The year 2023 was a year full of beautiful events at the Dutch Romanian Library! We remember...
Details..Biblio Live
- All
- BiebRO Monday
- Interviews
BiebRO Team
"Romanian Library Netherlands is a project initiated by ROMPRO - Romanians for Romanians Foundation Netherlands.
The project is carried out in collaboration with OBA - Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam
Project realized with the support of
Note: The content of this website does not represent the official position of the Department for Romanians Abroad.
