Book Power in Communication, Sociology and Technology

In 2012, The Library of Congress (Washington, D.C., U.S.A.) had the initiative of organizing an annual meeting which would disseminate the vision of library leaders on the importance of the book. The meeting would gather all the categories involved in the book industry: writers, publishers, editors, professors, librarians. The goal was to create a platform for discussions on how to promote the book as a crucial element for culture and education enhancement. The power of information and its dissemination was discussed within the first edition, while keeping the book as a central element in all debates. After this first edition, the Summit of the book was organized yearly in different locations throughout the world: Singapore (2013), France (2014), Egypt (2015) and Ireland (2016). The event had a powerful international impact and in 2017 the 6th summit was hosted in Brasov (Romania) at the "Transilvania" University. This volume is the collection of the most valuable contributions to the 6th Summit of the Book where experts presented their best practices and expertise in the history and technology of the book, knowledge support, and book dissemination.

Angela Repanovici is working as a professor at the Transilvania University of Brasov. She completed her PhD in engineering science in 1999 and PhD in marketing in 2009 with the thesis Marketing Strategies about the Promotion and Visibility of Scientific Production by Digital Repositories. She was university library director between 2001 and 2008 and she is currently the president of Information Literacy section of the Romanian Library Association. She has coordinated many national and international research projects, with application in information systems, information communication, and information literacy. She is also the main contact person for Transilvania University in Tempus Project 517117 "Developing information literacy for lifelong learning and knowledge economy in Western Balkan countries" which aims to develop library and information literacy services in Western Balkan countries. Also, she is coordinator partner in LNSS project regarding the modernization of library standards and practices in Western Balkan countries - Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo under UNSC Resolution 1244/99 and Montenegro and involving partners from EU countries Germany, Greece and Ireland. In addition, she is coordinator partner in a similar project led by the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia (PAARA), based in Yerevan, Armenia. She is international expert in University of Bergen Library projects, Norway and evaluator in European projects. She has published books and research articles, teaches Information Literacy, Information Management, Marketing Strategies.

Manolis Koukourakis is director of Library Services at the University of Crete, Greece. He has a degree in Philology and a Ph.D. in Modern Greek Literature. He has participated in various projects dealing with the introduction and implementation of information technologies in libraries, including library automation systems, digital libraries, digitization technologies and standards, systems for the administration / conservation of the cultural legacy. He has wide experience in the implementation of Information Literacy initiatives in the academic environment, and has recently been coordinator for University of Crete in a European Tempus project which aimed to develop Information Literacy services in Western Balkan countries. He is currently the main contact person and local coordinator for the University of Crete in two European Erasmus+ projects for the modernization of libraries through staff development and reforming library services, in Western Balkan countries, and in Armenia, Moldova and Belarus.

Tereza Khechoyan is the Vice-Rector of the Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia (PAARA). At the same time, she is an associate professor of the Chair of Public Administration. She is the author of about forty research papers published in Armenia, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Poland, and Slovakia. In addition, she has translated from English into Armenian several manuals in public administration, public policy analysis, cost-benefit analysis, evaluation. She has presented her research papers in several international conferences in Bulgaria, Hungary, Ukraine, Slovenia, Italy, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Macedonia, etc. She was involved as an expert in various international projects supported by the World Bank, UNDP, CIDA, DFID, ETF and OSI/LGI. She was Coordinator and Director of Projects funded by international donors. Currently she is the Erasmus+ CBHE Program "Library Network Support Services (LNSS): modernizing libraries in Armenia, Moldova and Belarus through library staff development and reforming library services" Project Coordinator. She is the Principal Representative of PAARA in the NISPAcee (The Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe), ENTO (European Network of Training Organizations for Local and Regional Authorities), and IASIA (International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration).