If not us, then who?

It was the word of the day: “Kümmerer.” Everyone thought it was a beautiful word. As part of a project by students at the HSZG, a BücherboXX was opened on Saturday, September 1, at the Zittauer Markt. Amid constant rain, but with many visitors. Among them were many volunteer “Kümmerer” from the Zittau Literature Circle. The project was developed in cooperation with the Hillersche Villa, INBAK Berlin (Institute for Sustainability in Education, Work, and Culture), and the HSZG.

A BücherboXX is a mini street library—a completely redesigned, visually transformed former phone booth—located in a public cultural space. It is freely accessible to everyone and serves as a place for exchanging books for free. The BücherboXX motto is: Take a book, bring a book, read a book!

If
[by Elisa Asamoah]

If not us, then who?
If not now, then when?
If not free, then imprisoned,
If nothing exists, then find resonance
If not open, then closed,
If a crime, then shot dead

This student project aims to promote cultural interaction in the city of Zittau and serve as a catalyst for a permanent BücherboXX in Zittau. The concept of book swapping is not new, but implementing it in a public cultural space is a first for Zittau.

During the trial period, the students will conduct a usage analysis and develop an action plan for the project’s continuation. The project is geared toward sustainability: books that have been read can find a new reader. In addition, the refurbished phone booth is equipped with a solar panel to ensure energy-self-sufficient operation for nighttime interior lighting and the neon sign.

The Zittau BücherboXX is to be tested at two locations, first at the market, where it will be accessible until October 18, and then on the upper part of Bautzener Straße from October 19 through November 30, inviting people to linger.

At the grand opening, initiator Jürgen Möldner from the Faculty of Social Sciences welcomed guests of honor such as Mayor Thomas Zenker, Chancellor Karin Hollstein, Jens Hommel, Executive Director of the Hillersche Villa Sociocultural Center, and Margarete Aßfalg from INBAK, Berlin. Students involved in the project, such as Lucas Vogel and Anne Göpfert, hosted the small event with spoken word and musical performances.

Jürgen Möldner, in any case, felt that INBAK’s BücherboXX concept was also well-suited as a teaching tool in a higher education context. “That’s why I incorporated this as a teaching reference in the 4th and 5th semesters of the ‘Social Work’ degree programme in the Faculty of Social Sciences and was able to initiate a collaboration.” The HSZG’s teaching project—which is visible to the public and geared toward civic participation, but is intended to be institutionalized in the form of a permanent BücherboXX in public space in Zittau—quickly found project partners. The Hillersche Villa (as the future project sponsor) and the literature circle from which the network of stakeholders, supporters, and caregivers is to emerge. Ultimately, the BücherboXX is a low-threshold cultural offering for everyone. Fortunately.

 

If courage, then also action,
If patience, don’t make me wait
If not for the good, then for the bad,
If not, then let go
If turmoil, then pitifully,
If not many, then in vain

Elisa Asamoah from the Hillerschen Villa recited her self-written poem “If” and, through her verses, emphasized the importance of language, words, and books—books that are now available to us in almost unlimited quantities. And as of last Saturday, even at the Zittau market square—for free, no less.

If not dreaming, then acting,
If this is so, it will change
If the sun isn’t shining, then darkness comes,
When clouds drift by, cheerfulness follows
If not lovingly, then warmly,
If passion fails, it will be painful

“On the one hand, I was interested in the vocational education approach, and on the other hand, I was very drawn to its impact on the local community,” says Jürgen Möldner from the Faculty of Social Sciences in Görlitz. “Added to that is the ongoing work and further development of the concept by INBAK, which serves as both a project partner and a source of ideas and expertise.” The “Sustainable BücherboXX” was developed by INBAK as a vocational education project in 2010. It serves as an exemplary model of how the guiding principle of sustainable development can be implemented in vocational training as well as in civil society. The basic concept has diverse social, ecological, cultural, and civil-society-related dimensions and impacts. In the meantime, a network of more than 150 stakeholders has emerged in Berlin alone around the BücherboXX. The concept has been widely adapted and further developed, so that by 2018 nearly twenty “Sustainable BücherboXXes” will be completed. Throughout the value chain—from construction and renovation to use—aspects of cultural and political education, the writing of original texts, and renewable energy have been incorporated.

If not virtue, then stupidity,
If reason dies at the same time
If everything written here is denied,
it may be that this poem loses its meaning with the word “If”!

The project received prominent support at its launch: SILLY visited the BücherboXX that afternoon and donated a book and a free ticket each for their concert that evening in Zittau. This initiative was then publicized both on their Facebook page and via Zittau-live .

SILLY had been discreetly informed about the campaign in advance, and it was to be launched and publicized online only once the books with the free tickets had been placed in the BücherboXX. That was good.

Background Information on INBAK/BücherboXX

Documentation of all “BücherboXX activities”