About
Cycling for libraries is a politically and economically independent international unconference for librarian and librarylovers, and a bicycle tour.
Cycling for libraries supports grassroots networking, and internationalism, physical and mental well-being of library professionals, and — last but not least — the crucial role of libraries for the society and for the intellectual and scientific education in general. Cycling for libraries also supports environmental values and ecological way of life.
Many values inherited from librarianship are present here: openness, liberalism, access to information, lifelong learning and innovativeness. Librarianship is also by it’s very nature humanist, internationalist, cross-boundary and hands-on.
Who is behind this?
Cycling for libraries is an independent event, not organized by any existing formal organization. It is made possible by a sovereign, international network of library enthusiasts.
The two faces you will meet the most are Jukka Pennanen and Mace Ojala.
Jukka
Mace
Please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our email addresses are jukka@cyclingforlibraries.org and mace@cyclingforlibraries.org. On Twitter we are @jukkapen and @xmacex. And of course you can find us (and Cycling for libraries) on Facebook too!
I would love to join, but my only concern is the bicycle. I’d be coming from New York, and my daily commuting bike isn’t that special to begin with, so I don’t think it’s worth it to try and bring that with me. So I was wondering if you had any ideas about buying a cheap bike in Vilnius and using that. I’ve never been there, so I have no idea what the bike culture/shops are like, and how difficult this would be. Thanks for any help or advice you can offer,
best,
Kay
Hi Kay, thanks for your interest in Cycling for libraries.
I wanted to link the same link as Julia, but she was faster than me (hello
.
Last year we had participants flying to Copenhagen with their bikes, even across the Atlantic. The cross-Atlantic extras some had to pay were surprisingly expensive. Depends of your flight-company of course, so should have a chat with them. Several other people bought bikes from Copenhagen and got rid of them in Berlin, but both of these cities have really strong bike culture. I’m afraid it will be quite a different story in Vilnius and Tallinn (i would love to be mistaken).
I think renting from BaltiCCycle is a good idea, or at least asking them for tips.
Best,
Mace
Dear Kay,
had no time for a closer look so far, but maybe this website can help:
http://www.bicycle.lt/en/main/rent
Here you can find bikes for rent in vilnius (and also riga or tallinn), a one-way-rent is possible, you just have to ask per e-mail).
Best,
Julia
Oh, one tip for everyone who is considering renting a bicycle: bring your own, familiar saddle. You will appreciate it during the 600km
That’s wonderfully helpful – thank you both!
(And yes, I will absolutely bring my own saddle, and maybe some handlebar tape as well.)
Kay
hi, cycling librarians!
greetings from the national library of serbia.
i’m eagerly waiting for the 1st april. i’ve received the info through a mailing list and i was delighted with this fresh and relaxed, original and adventurous idea.
hope there will be place for me and my partner (who is a reading maniac).
thanks for the link for renting cycles, i was a bit worried about transporting bicycles from belgrade.
best,
gordana
Hi Gordana
Great, looking forward to meeting you in the summer!
Was I one of the first 50? I hope so, because my plane ticket is booked!
Thanks!
Vicky
Does anyone have any thoughts about where to stay the day before the trip in Vilnius and the day after in Tallinn?