Asim Maner Award Winner 2024 - Gintautas Deksnys

Editor's Note: Gintautas has a unique approach to showcasing and sharing his bookmarks.  He started an IFOB Gallery, Bookmarks Speak, to show bookmarks in complementary settings, and he has contributed to the Owls and Countries galleries.  He is also tireless in exhibiting and making presentations about bookmarks.  Search for him under Member News to see more than what is highlighted here.  Congratulations!

1. Tell us about yourself – where you are from, your occupation, etc.

Gintautas Deksnys, renginio vedėjas

Today I am a teacher from Kaunas, Lithuania, and sometimes a mentor. I will probably continue them. In addition to my work that I immediately love, I enjoy collecting almost every day. So it is with great anticipation that I present to you my hobby, a collection of bookmarks, both descriptive and classified.

​I developed my interest in book tabs through my second profession, event planning and organizing. In addition, I have obtained a university education as an engineer and a teacher's qualification.

2. How did you start collecting bookmarks?  Do you remember your first bookmark?

When actively reading scientific and fiction literature, I need a book accessory - a marker to mark the reading place. Having worked in the field of protocol for many years, I realized that a bookmark can also serve well as a souvenir. So I started to organize their production. Here is one of the first bookmarks:

Personal book "Let's get up..." together with book tabs (author G. Deksnys)

In addition, I think that each tab, otherwise known as a bookmark, is also:

•  data library;
  
• space for your story;
  
• dialogue with cultures;
  
• relationship with time signs;
  
• symbolism of the chosen lifestyle;
  
• book accessory;
  
• sustainable gift model;
  
• popular means of advertising, publicity, propaganda;
  
• a face of information importance;
  
• faithful companion;
  
• social projection thumbnail;
  
• utilitarian tool and other.

That's the unique purpose of the bookmark!

Shadow by Gintautas Deksnys

3. Do you have any favorite types or special emphasis in your collection? How do you select the ones used in your exhibitions and presentations?

While evaluating bookmarks of various nature and material structure, I focus more on those made of paper (and packaged).

​For exhibitions and presentations the most important principle is that I appreciate the bookmark. Some bookmarks leave room for their holistic development, development or perspective of the content provided, while others say nothing but coded information. I try to work with publishers who tend to print bookmarks that have a value base. I am still searching for reserves of perspective within myself. I really love life, unrequited but balanced, which I see in the bookmarks I select.

4. What is the most unusual bookmark in your collection?

​I include the gifts of nature in this category, an example in the photo below:

Gift of the Baltic Sea - the bookmark is different

5. How do you acquire your bookmarks?

I have mentioned many times about bookmarks to my friends who are employed. These are great tools for factual validity during lectures/lessons. It interests the audience and at the same time represents a more active reading culture. A wide circle of fellowship helps to gather together a larger amount and a diverse collection according to topics. I second Asim Maner that the collector must specialize in individual areas towards a more perfect result. I am also grateful to my family and friends, pupils/students, colleagues who help me create a colorful collection together. And I leave it to myself to do the investigative work of a collector, capturing it in my latest publications. I am currently preparing a monograph for the press "Interviewed book tabs. Reader's Audience'

6. How many bookmarks do you have (an estimate)?

Lately, I've been focusing my collections on quality along three parameters: bookmarks with regular value, bookmarks with special value, and bookmarks with personal value. According to this, the individual topics combine close to 3 thousand. bookmarks. I don't place a particular priority on the amount of bookmarks. I appreciate the holistic uniqueness of bookmarks. 

7. How do you organize, display and store your collection?

The personal bookmark basket stores bookmarks with normal value (institutions, advertising, organizations, etc.).
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Thematic bookmark collections are stored in binders (originals), but all bookmarks are digitized. It's a great gift to the audience.

8. What has been your experience in using the IFOB Swap List?

I haven't accumulated enough bookmarks for the day yet to exchange. But this type of activity should be encouraged.

9. What do you enjoy about IFOB?  Anything you would like to see IFOB do in the future?

Several years of activity in the IFOB have highlighted community spirit. This, I think, is the strong and main form of club activity, chosen for sincere communication, uniting into one family on the principle of volunteerism, responding to everyone's strong and versatile activities and experiences. That is precious.

10. What did you do to celebrate World Bookmark Day this year?

February 25 became a day for me to celebrate the results of the year and the work done in promoting bookmarks. Today, attention has increased in particular, so I travel a lot with my exhibitions, lectures and, lately, the authors of books and/or bookmarks in Lithuania. Undoubtedly, the Asim Maner award is a symbol of honor, dignity and loyalty, obliging to connect, share, create. Simply, love what you do and what you give your precious time to.

11. Do you collect anything else?

In addition to bookmarks, I collect historical postcards, but not as actively. But together with the bookmarks, they also serve during creative meetings.

In memory of the first Lithuanian photographer and postcard maker Paulina Mongirdaitė (2023, Palanga, Lithuania)

​12. Do you have any advice for those who are just beginning to collect bookmarks?

First, it is necessary to realize that direct accumulation of bookmarks is not a prerequisite for collections, and secondly, it is necessary to love them.

13. Anything else you would like to share?

In order to spread the creative process and share the result (Process Art), I would be happy to share my paintings by sending them to your exhibition in various countries around the world. My original works are presented in two formats: in frames and 3 mm panels (plastic).

Recently, I have been writing for many different creative meetings of audiences of various ranks, not only as a lecturer, but to a greater extent as a collector of bookmarks or the author of exhibitions about them. This is the collective result of all of us, including IFOB.

I'm currently on a creative sabbatical, during which I've committed to finishing an authored book about bookmarks.
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I am truly grateful.