Winter presents: fun, useful and easy

Where to go? What to buy? Will they like it? Do you find yourself asking these questions every winter, when it comes to getting presents for your loved ones? Because buying gifts should be fun, British Council comes with sack filled with helpful ideas: between 10 December 2012 and 19 January 2013 we have a winter promotion you simply cannot miss, that is bound to make even the coldest days, warmer. We know just the way you can gain access to all our resources @British and also receive an extra discount for purchase you make at the Librarium bookshops, our partners for this promotion. Books, DVDs and other great things with gift potential are ready to be wrapped in pretty paper and given to your nearest and dearest.

Buy a subscription from any of the @British libraries in Bucharest, Cluj or Iasi and you get a lifetime 10% off card for purchases you make from the Librarium bookshops, or make a purchase of at least 30 lei from any of the Librarium bookshops and you receive a 25% discount voucher for our library @British Bucharest subscriptions!

How many ways to read a book do you know?

There are several ways to read a book, but countless ways to know a person. And we’re on a mission to help you explore some of the more surpising ones with the third edition of Discovery Week – a project we’ve developed in partnership with Light into Europe charity, meant to celebrate diversity and the sensory impaired.

So come by our library between 26 and 30 November for a chance to learn, play and discover new means of knowing the world and the people around you! You can participate in fun workshops of sign language, lip-reading or Braille, attend a photo exhibition with pictures captured by a visually impaired person and film projections about diversity. Prizes are at stake for the fast-learners!

In the name of pumpkin!

For an incursion into the occult, come round the White Rabbit and The Black Magic on October 27. The road to perdition is paved with hip-hop, dubstep and alternative rock – with plenty of British flavour – in this bold, bright and bombastic Halloween event.

Library cards have never been cooler, because current @British library members get 2 tickets for the price of one, provided they show these chic keys to knowledge at the bash. Not only that, @British will be there with plenty of surprises, so bring your dance shoes and come as you aren’t!

October Plenty @British

A plentiful autmn awaits you at our libraries in Bucharest, Cluj and Iasi! We’re all ripe for the new school year, so come by the @British library in Bucharest between 1 and 12 October and discover:

Plenty of discounts. Hurry up and snatch our special library membership offer until 12 October! If you’re a student, bring along a friend or a colleague and we’ll give you two library memberships for the price of one!

Plenty of books and DVDs. Starting with October, we’re offering you dozens of brand new books and DVDs that are eagerly waiting to fill your long autumn evenings, so come and explore fascinating new worlds, characters and stories!

Plenty of students. Get your friends or colleagues together and schedule a group visit to uncover even more of our library’s hidden treats. We’ll get you up to speed with everything that interests you and let you know a little more about our library members’ benefits!

Book harvest @British

As Autumn is the season of mellow contemplation, we thought we’d give you a handful of ideas for your fruitful readings by organizing a book fair. From 18 September until the end of the week, we’re branching books that reached their maturity in our library and are now ready to be set loose, at fair discounts.

You can find over 500 titles in great variety - from fiction, arts and advertising to business, English exam materials and DVDs. Feel free to check a full list of our harvest here and pass by @British in order to acquire your favourite titles.

Reach the Unthinkable

Do you have a secret Drive to make your own film, beginning from concept to the editing? This is no Mission Impossible with our movie editing workshop REC @British. The possibilities are Limitless this summer, between 6 and 30 August, when our trainer, Alexandru Popovici, will introduce you to filmmaking at the British Gallery. By the end of the month, you will be able to show off your own short film with the theme “Celebrating diversity”.The workshop will be held from Monday till Thursday, between 19.00 and 21.00, downtown Bucharest, at 14A Paris Street, where British Gallery will provide you not only with an inviting space, but with a shop full of little treasures as well. Besides all that, if you enroll, you will also receive a one year membership at the library @British - free of charge and with access to resources on moviemaking and everything British.Our partners from Oricum are planning on a few surprises as well, just to keep things interesting.

If you’d like to be the Prometheus of your age, send us your CV and a 300 word motivation on why you want to take part in REC @British at contact@britishcouncil.ro until 3 August. If you are selected for the workshop, the final step before Action! will be paying the 380 lei fee. What else is necessary? To be in high school, speak Romanian, have a laptop and lots of imagination. Cameras will be kindly provided by Nikon.

Double or nothing @British

Everybody’s planning their holiday and so are we – during 31 July and 27 August the library @British will be closed to the public.But remember to take a good book or two with you on vacation: from 10 July you can double the number of books you borrow. Starting with 24 July you can also take home twice as many DVDs, CDs and periodicals.

For the love of chocolate!

For those of you who didn't know yet, chocolate also has its special day, on 11 July. So if you think anything is good if it's made of chocolate, then come rediscover a bit of the magical world of Willy Wonka and celebrate the International Chocolate Day at our library this Wednesday! Swing by for a taste of our savoury "fortune" chocolates or join in our chocolate-themed Facebook contest for a chance to win a library membership. Also, like little Charlie in Roald Dahl's story, you can try your luck at finding one of our five winning Golden Tickets - just come by our library and borrow one of our specially wrapped thoothsome resources. You may not win a tour of Wonka's quirky factory, but you might get a fun prize meant to sweeten your day!

A sound mind in a healthy body @British!

We’re holding our breath for the Olympic Games London kick-off. Meanwhile, we thought it would be fit to offer one free week at the WorldClass fitness club to those that will register to our library during July. The voucher is available for library memberships of minimum six months. Our stock is limited, so put on your running shoes and come find your mind-body balance @British!

British Council goes urban at Street Delivery

What can be better than spending your weekend outside, roaming the streets in search for urban treasures? We have the answer: discovering British culture in the street! Come and visit us at Street Delivery, between 15 and 17 June, on Arthur Verona Street.

For those of you who just want to stay in and watch a movie, we have a better alternative: create your own! Imagine different endings for a film and start heated discussions with the other participants on Friday. On Saturday, we have a fun treat for you, with debates on pop culture and trivia about the rules that come along with them. We will take care of your inner kid, as well. You will lose track of time with the childhood games waiting for you on Sunday: Tic – Tac – Toe and Battleships are just a couple of them.

Celebrate Father's Day at the British Council!

In March we celebrate women, but June belongs to gentlemen! Since 17 June 2012 is internationally celebrated as Father’s Day, our libraries in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Iasi will be awaiting all men with a special promotion. We think well read men are the most attractive men. So how better to celebrate them if not by offering gentlemen library discounts? During 11 and 16 June, all men will get 50% off any library membership in our centres in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca and Iasi – so make sure you get yours and explore the wealth of British culture!

LEADERS School @British Council

The British Council, in partnership with LEADERS Foundation, is challenging young adults aged between 18 and 25 to participate in LEADERS School, the first leadership school in Romania. There will be 6 days of intensive workshops in Predeal, between 1 and 7 april, and British Council library members will receive a 15% discount when enrolling. You will have the opportunity to talk to trainers, entrepreneurs, managers and top Romanian leaders to find the key behind the success of their career. Feel free to find out more information about LEADERS School on the foundation’s website.