The subdelegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas, reported the opening of a new call for the Maria Moliner contest that can be attended by municipalities with less than 50,000 inhabitants that have a municipal library. This competition, organized by the Ministry of Culture, aims to promote projects or activities of reading dynamization that are developed through the municipal libraries.
The subdelegate encouraged the municipalities of the province that meet these two requirements to submit their projects. The deadline will be open until 21 June, and the application can be submitted in any of the official languages. The participating local entities will be eligible for a prize of 2,777 euros that can reach 10,000 if they are selected among the 10 best of the call.
In the last edition, 562 municipalities from all over Spain were presented, of which 370 libraries were selected. In the province of A Coruña five projects were awarded, those presented by the Municipal Library of Ares, the Municipal Public Library Concepción Arenal de Miño, the Municipal Library Juan Fernández Latorre de Ortigueira, the Municipal Library Rego de la Balsa de Carballo and the Central Library of Oleiros. The five winning libraries were able to dedicate the prize to the purchase of books or periodicals on any medium.
The subdelegate pointed out the importance of betting on this type of initiatives, since reading animation programs open doors to the imagination, make it possible to acquire information through diverse sources, which strengthens the capacities to form a critical opinion, as well as being a fundamental element for the promotion of culture and personal development of all.
In the same way, he valued the work done by the municipal libraries, especially in the small municipalities, since they are a space for socialization of the neighborhood, in many cases a space of intergenerational coexistence, and also, a leisure space where the promotion of culture and knowledge are the basis of daily work.
Applications can be submitted through the electronic office of the Ministry of Culture which, after the deadline, will begin the selection process by analysing a series of criteria, taking into account the clarity and interest of the project for reading animation, good planning and feasibility, as well as originality.
The program is also of great strategic importance, since approximately half of the Spanish population resides in municipalities with less than 50,000 inhabitants, so the initiative has a wide scope in the whole territory. In the province of A Coruña, 85 of the 93 municipalities could be presented, since they have a municipal library and do not exceed 50,000 inhabitants.