According to the Green Paper on Citizen Science: Citizen Science for Europe, citizen science is understood as the commitment of the general public in scientific research activities, when citizens actively contribute to science with their intellectual effort or by supporting knowledge with their tools and means. Participants provide experimental data or equipment to researchers. Volunteers, while adding value to research, acquire new knowledge or skills, and a better understanding of the scientific method in a more attractive way. As a result of this open, collaborative and transversal scenario, the interactions between science-society-reseach policies improve.

In a firt phase, BiQVI takes the format of a digital repository where you can consult and view notebooks from BiQVI, as well as from other repositories around the world. During this period, the travel notebooks donated to the BiQVI will be optimally preserved in conditioned facilities.

Once a larger volume of physicial notebooks has been compiled, the BiQVI will take the form of a physical library, where it will be able to establish its headquarters and be able to offer more services and activities to its users.

Travel notebooks, apart from feeding our hobby, curiosity, inspiring us, or encouraging us to travel, at the same time are, in themselves, unique field notebooks, a record of observation of a moment, of a situation, from a point of view. Objective and subjective view of the author.

We are not only talking about field trip notebooks of scientists such as biologists (who visualize exotic plants and animals), or anthropologists (those who visualize the different peoples and customs), etc. but notebooks made by anyone are also useful for science.

Any travel notebook includes some interesting data for a scientist: drawings, annotations, reflections, data, pasted elements, etc. Everything is part of a great documentary wealth, which we possibly do unconsciously or automatically and naturally, but which can represent very important scientific or study information for meteorologists, anthropologists, biologists, architects, engineers, sociologists…: a climatic fact, the record of an unknown invasive species or the appearance of a specimen that was believed to be extinct, the use of a particular clothing, a custom, a typical dish that has been recovered, etc.

The library will include historial and current collections. as well as professional and non-professional notebooks.

Among the notebooks that make up the BiQVI we find:

Travel diaries (tourism, leisure time, initiation trips…).

Logbooks (sports regattas, leisure time, cartographic, biological expeditions… fishing boats, maritime transport…).

Log book pilots (flight notes).

Scuba diving log books (diving notes).

Diaries and hiking notebooks.

Scientific travel notebooks (biological, geological, physical expeditions to outer space, meteorological, speleological, structural engineering, and field notes for all kinds of scientific documentation).

Professional travel notebooks (those looking for inspiration, new talents, new products or doing market research. Traders in the textile, pharmaceutical, gastronomy industry, etc.).

The following manifesto has been developed in order to ensure the good disposition of the travel notebooks housed in the repository, to provide richness and variety, as well as to encourage citizens from any corner of the world to use the repository and participate by contributing new notebooks.

1. Anyone can provide travel notebooks and field notes regardless of their nationality. This means that there will be no discrimination based on gender, social status, religion, ethnicity or age.

2. However, content that degrades or compromises persons’ integrity will not be permitted.

3. Access to the digital repository is universal, thus allowing everyone to view the notebooks.

4. The use of the images and the texts of the notebooks are under the license that its author or owner has decided for himself. In order to make good use of the contents, it’s important to consult each request individually.

5. Professional and non-professional notebookes are accepted.

This project was born from the admiration of Anna Escardó (scientific communicator) and Jordi Camps (graphic designer) for older and current travel notebooks, field notebooks and logbooks, their plurality of styles, content, and applied techniques. But this project does not pretend to be a company of two founders or a small and closed team, but rather it is a transversal cultural and citizen science project where everyone can participate and add.