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Theme: LIBRARY SPACE No. 2. 2013 UPDATES ON PUBLIC AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES IN SCANDINAVIA
Theme:
LIBRARY SPACE
No. 2. 2013
UPDATES ON PUBLIC AND RESEARCH L IBRARIES IN SCANDINAVIA
The Library Space. “The library of our dreams”. Vigdis Moe Skarstein 3
Service design and collaboration. Kaisa Sinikara. 4
The Future Library. Designed for with you. Virve Miettinen. 7
Think activity. Annika Hjerpe. 10
New roles – new spaces. Marit A. Somby. 12
Model Programme for Public Libraries. Jonna Holmgaard Larsen & Jens Lauridsen. 15
The Significance of a square Meter. Elisabeth Ahlqvist. 18
European report on ICT use and learning in public libraries. Mikkel Christoffersen & Minna Karvonen. 19
The building – a brand? Ingebrigt Steen Jensen & Trude Solheim. 20
Use what you have. Annika Hjerpe. 22
Literature Breaks Out. Pernille Carneiro Juel. 24
The Library of our dreams. Live Rasmussen & Heidi Rustad. 26
Scandinavian Shortcuts. Päivi Jokitalo. 28
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This issue is about library space, a topic that covers a whole lot of things in all types of libraries. Therefore, we hope
that everyone with an interest in libraries will find something to read that attracts attention. And, we are extra happy
that we are able to present you with an issue in colour right now, when our topic is so visual!
Annika HjerpeEditor-in-chief
Edit rial
Annika HjerpePress and Communication OfficerCommunications DivisionNational Library of Sweden
Viewp int
>> www.slq.nu
Coverphoto: Helsinki University Library.Photo: Tuomas Uusiheimo
oriented in the digital space, in the sameway as when knowledge is carried byother vehicles. On the other hand, it isclear that the more we can solve in soli-tude on the web, the greater is our needto meet with other people. In the physicallibrary space, these two needs can becombined.
New solutions“With supportfrom the libraryspace, the libraryvision will be mademore accessible”has been the state-ment of StockholmCity Library for therenovation theyhave initiated inmany of theirnumerous physicalpremises.
Diversity, flexibilityand interactivityare recurrentkeywords, including for planning ofservices and buildings for libraries thatwill serve research institutions. Howshould we plan for an unknown future?Kaisa Sinikara asks in her article on Hel-sinki University Library, where she isconcerned with interactivity also in plan-ning – between architects, users andlibrary staff.
The architects’ awareness of the humanneed for places to meet also contributesto new and intriguing solutions forlibrary buildings as part of the develop-ment of urban spaces and premises ineducational and research institutions.
These libraries will be built not only forinteractivity, but also for activity, such as
the new ScienceLibrary in Oslo,where both usersand staff refer toit as “the libraryof our dreams”.I believe that therealization of suchdreams can comefrom many of thebuildings thatcurrently areunder construc-tion in Scandi-navia.
Vigdis Moe SkarsteinNational Librarian
National Library of [email protected]
3SLQ:2 2013
The building is located at a vantage spotin the town centre, and has been namedThe Square. The name has historicalroots, but such a name also signals thatthe library is a central spot – “the square”in the definite form singular. To be acentre both physically and intellectually isfundamental to the idea of a library, be ita municipal public library or a researchlibrary in an educational institution.
In Norway, the role of the public librariesas meeting places for dialogue and eventsis underscored in the preamble to theproposal for a new Library Act, which has recently been submitted. In manyresearch and educational institutions, thelibrary has developed into a key venue forresearch and learning in the broad sense,and the new Science Library at the Uni-versity of Oslo provides a prime exampleof a multidisciplinary meeting place.
A meeting placeWhile many are asking why they shouldgo to the library when so much informa-tion and knowledge is available online, agrowing number of large library build-ings are being erected. The library spaceas a physical building has reinforced itsrelevance, while this space is beingexpanded through provision of libraryservices in cyberspace as well.
These things are interconnected. On theone hand, guidance is needed to stay
Vigdis MoeSkarstein
Edit rial
THE LIBRARY SPACE “The library of our dreams”
In 2012, a grand new public library was opened in Molde, Norway. Thebuilding houses not only the library, but also a theatre, a jazz festival, aliterature festival and an exhibition of visual arts. The library is the entrypoint to the entire building, a house of culture in the broad sense.
In this issue of SLQ wehave put the physical libraryspace on the agenda. Severalarticles show that what consti-tutes the library as a visiongoverns the services we willhave in the future and howthese in turn serve as thebasis for the design of thelibrary space.
“
4
Service design
FINLAND
Entrance hall at
Kaisa House
Photo:Tuomas Uusiheimo
Constructing a library today is an exciting and challenging task. The constructionprocess involves challenges and risks for all parties involved: universities, archi-tects, libraries and library users. How can we predict future needs and the neces-sary actions to meet them? What roles will libraries play in the future in supportingacademic work?
and collaboration Kaisa Sinikara
Changes in collections and servicesThe printed collections of the HelsinkiUniversity Library – currently some 1.5million volumes – cannot compete inscope with those of such research univer-sities as Oxford and Cambridge. With themerger of collections previously housedin ten different locations, unnecessaryduplicates have been eliminated over thepast few years.
The collections have been placed bydiscipline on the various floors of theMain Library. In terms of facility design,the shared use of collections, the develop-ment of national solutions and theincrease of digital material will result inconsiderable savings on facility costs.
The new Main Library has more auto-mated library services, such as automaticreturn machines and robotics usingRadio-frequency identification (RFID).As customer services are so heavily used,these have been good solutions.
ICT is an essential part of today’s aca-demic studies. Students can use their owndevices at the library, which also hascomputer laboratories.
Strength in collaboration and centralizingThe Helsinki University Main Library is adiverse service centre involving a varietyof parties. The City Centre Campus Li-brary will serve the needs of researchersand students in the humanities, law,theology and social sciences at the MainLibrary. The building will also house theAmerican Resource Center (through anagreement between the US Embassy and
The Helsinki University Library is thelargest university library in Finland. Ithas been transformed from 160 smallerunits to one organisation with five loca-tions during the years 1995-2012. Likeother university libraries in Finland, it isopen to all citizens. The new Main Libra-ry building, called Kaisa House, was in-augurated in September 2012.
Key design themes The University of Helsinki announced anarchitectural competition and received 80responses from interested parties. TheUniversity invited 10 participants withgood references and 20 participantsdecided by a lottery.
The reason for the lottery was to give anopportunity to young architects. Twenty-seven proposals were submitted. Of theseven finalists, only one proposal camefrom an invited participant. The winningproposal was drafted by Anttinen OivaArchitects LTD.
The following were key concerns whendesigning the Main Library: customerorientation, services for learning andresearch as well as for other types ofusers, the evolving collections, the roleand duties of staff, collaboration, effici-ency and quality.
The extent to which researchers uselibrary facilities depends on the researchprocesses of their academic discipline.Researchers in the natural sciences andmedicine in particular – all over theworld – prefer digital library resources toactual library facilities, whereas such
5SLQ:2 2013
facilities are still very useful for humani-ties scholars and are an important work-place for students.
Service design supporting student servicesOur aim has been to create a librarywhich attracts and stimulates bothstudents and researchers. We exploredstudent needs through service designmethodologies together with servicedesign specialists as part of the WorldDesign Capital 2012 project.
We drew the following conclusions: Thelibrary must respect different styles oflearning and personal approaches byoffering appropriate facilities to differentlearners and researchers. Quiet areas areneeded for reading and working.
The library should also offer facilities fordiscussion and group study. User supportfor digital resources is vital. The librarymust have rooms for teaching informa-tion literacy. Break rooms which give achance to relax as well as pleasant cafésare also needed.
To sum it up, the keywords are diversity,flexibility, convertibility and support forinteraction.
Services for research occupy a key posi-tion in the library’s target programme.The library is involved in maintaining theUniversity’s research information data-base, supports open access publishingand develops research data services aswell as bibliometric analysis for the eva-luation of research results. Researchersare also offered tailored online services.
the University) and the customer serviceunit of Statistics Finland. The cafeteria,a concern of the University’s StudentUnion, will manage the book café.Various other businesses will also leasefacilities from the University.
The University and faculty leadership aswell as the University’s architects andCentre for Properties and Facilities suc-cessfully collaborated on the construc-tion project and good communicationsupported the success of the constructionphase.
Centralising the library services andleadership has had several outcomes: ithas strengthened interdisciplinary re-search opportunities at the interfacebetween various disciplines as well aswith new partners; it has maximized efficient library use and the consistent
expansion of collections; it has enhancedthe skills of library staff and promotedtheir specialisation in areas relevant todigital publishing, e-science and theneeds of individual disciplines; and it hasenabled the use of service design to over-haul the services offered to students andother users.
Objectives of the facility’s designThe design of the Main Library facilitieswas based on the following objectives: togain a functional, multipurpose and flexible facility for a scientific library; toincorporate logicalness and clarity:functions are easily found, and the spaceis comprehensible; to have appropriatedirection and guidance systems; and tobe a prominent and interesting facilitythat supports innovation.
The facilities, particularly for ResearchLibrary Services, should be quiet andpromote creativity; provide a pleasantmeeting place and work environment forboth customers and employees; havewell-functioning air conditioning,heating, lighting and acoustics; be in an
accessible environment; and present acreative and inviting atmosphere.
The design challenges included how todelineate between quiet and less quietareas of the library; how to avoid a ware-house-like atmosphere due to the size ofthe collections; and how to direct largenumbers of customers correctly, naturallyand efficiently, taking into account thelogistics of a large flow of material andthe lifecycle of printed material.
Ergonomic solutions for various libraryfunctions were also needed, and thebuilding itself had to be able to house alarge number of staff, about 140; there-fore, work facilities and social areasshould be appropriately located andfurnished, and collegiality should besupported.
Kaisa SinikaraUniversity Librarian, Professor
Helsinki University Library
Photo: Veikko Somerpuro
6 SLQ:2 2013
The Helsinki University Main
Library view from outside and
inside
Photo:Mika HuismanPhoto:Helsinki University
items or find other people with the samepreferences.
There is a good opportunity to exercisethis type of dialogue now in the desig-ning phase. When you have a multidisci-plinary and collaborative designingprocess, the end result will more likely besocially and environmentally sustainablewhich equally heeds the needs of thepatrons and the organization.
At best, collective methods set trends andeven create preventive measures. Theyallow us to make a far-reaching impacton things, such as young people’s use ofthe library and their well-being orguaranteeing senior citizens a betterquality of life.
Collective developmentA self-evaluation questionnaire after the2009-2012 term revealed that nearly 80
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The future library designed for with You
Virve Miettinen
The patron-oriented, participatory de-signing process began in 2012, and it willcontinue until the building is completed.We expect as many as 2 million visitors ayear and 6,000 a day to the new-agelibrary.
We foresee a building that withstandstime and has many different aspects: itis a beloved house of knowledge, skillsand stories, a digitally intelligent place,a communal city block centre and athird domain between home and work-place.
The new library is not only a house ofliterature, but also a platform for publica-tion, a space, tool and channel for indivi-dual and various collective activities. Therole of the library employee will expandfrom serving patrons to being a facilitatorwho is competent in guiding peopleforward, helping them to identify good
percent of the members of Helsinki’s citycouncil felt the city’s residents’ opportu-nities to influence decision-making arepoor or extremely poor. Indeed, severalof the needs and ideas of the current resi-dents are overridden by the astronomicalincrease of 5,000 new residents per year.
For this reason, many new types of acti-vities organized by residents to enricheveryday life have sprung up in Helsinkiin recent years, e.g. a graffiti wall cam-paign, a new festival day for recycling,friends of old commodities and urbanculture, special days for restaurants,commissioning of temporary facilitiesand food cooperatives.
Informal civil activities have favouredrestricted movement based on campaignsand other events, which have had acarnival-type atmosphere. There is talk ofnew ways to influence in Helsinki. They
FINLAND
Collective and empowering methods in designing the library of the future
The Helsinki Central Library 2018 is a new type of project where the contentsand modes of activity are developed through collaboration between thelibrary, city residents and partners. The idea behind the project is the notionthat the creation of a new, functional library in the centre of Helsinki needsmore than the markings of an architect’s pencil – the wishes and needs of theresidents should be made part of the designing process.
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Library and invited other city residents tojoin them in brainstorming new ideas.Residents had the chance to hang theirideas in the digital Tree of Dreams atkeskustakirjasto.fi or in the real Tree ofDreams that toured around the city.
Urban adventure: The Central Librarywent pop-up and met with people wherethey gather, participating in eventshappening around the city and offeringopportunities to do and experience. Theevents have been geared towards certaingroups, e.g. youth, hipsters, city activists,civil organizations, designers, experts inthe Do-it-yourself culture, hobbyists andhobby societies.
Targeted campaigning: More definingideas and models for collaboration havebeen presented with partners and targetgroups in organized workshops, whichhave been geared towards children,youth, families, early education professio-nals, teachers, and IT specialists, professi-onals in literature and makerspace leadusers.
See the Central Library!: The entries forthe architectural competition have beenon display for the residents of Helsinki,and there have been opportunities to voteand make comments on them online, atvarious exhibitions and on touchscreensaround downtown Helsinki.
Online influence: We used an onlinediscussion platform to ask city residents
what type of future library they wouldlike. The results of the discussions havebeen made part of the development ofthe library, e.g. as projects and pilots. Theideas have also been taken into conside-ration in the planning of the content forthe new library.
“Start sticking” – feedback campaign 7.10:On the campaign day, patrons were giventhe chance to try a new way to give feed-back about the library’s services. Theywrote their feedback on Post-it notes andstuck them directly onto the target ofpraise or criticism in the library. At theend of the day, the libraries were bathedin color as the Post-it notes decoratedwalls, countertops, doors, the backs of thelibrarians’ shirts...
Decide on money – participatory bud-geting: In three participatory budgetingworkshops, city residents sought answersto the question of how to use 100,000euro for developing the library. The resi-dents could choose four of eight pilotprojects, which were created based on the‘dreams’ they had submitted, to begin in2013.
Messengers for the library Hearing the voices of the residents is notalways trouble-free because sometimesthey cannot really say what they wantand the library does not always listen orknow what to ask. Being competent inworking with people is a fundamentaland important part of this work.
are often simple as far as bureaucracy isconcerned, and they adhere to indivi-duals, collective networks and ways of liferather than administrative structures.They depict the capacity and skills oftoday’s city residents to go beyond thetraditional ways of influencing.
Designing the libraryHow has this movement been received inlibraries? Is there time for dialogue in thelibrary? Are the city residents allowed toinfluence the library’s contents? Thelibrary enforces the identity of the com-munity in its area. Or at least that is whatwe would like to think. For this reason,participatory designing and listening tothe patrons is a justified way of working,especially for the library.
Are we setting our goals high enough?Creating solutions that facilitate people’sopportunities to influence, take intoaccount available resources, inspire diffe-rent types of people and produce resultsis challenging.
Throughout the year, the Central Libraryproject has offered residents and partnersopportunities to participate in the desig-ning of the library. Dialogue with the cityresidents has two sides.
On the one hand, it is a question of anew type of development work: user-oriented innovation, collective planning,creating new things with peers and overtdesign. On the other hand, there is adesire to improve local democracy andopportunities for city residents to partici-pate and have an influence as well as toinitiate decision-making processes.
Opportunities to participateMegaphone invitation: An outdoor advertising campaign with author RosaLiksom, Sitra’s development managerOssi Kuittinen, Apocalyptica’s cellist andmusician Eicca Toppinen, cartoonistKaisa Leka, philosopher Esa Saarinen,movie director Dome Karukoski, andschoolgirl Hilppa Tuomainen, who toldof their dreams concerning the Central
Library ideas could be seen in the digital Tree of Dreams at keskustakirjasto.fi
or in the real Tree of Dreams that toured around the city
9SLQ:2 2013
analysis, you gather ideas and understan-ding of everyday life. In the conceptuali-zation stage, you create alternatives andconcepts of the ideas. The concept be-comes a clear solution in the executionstage: a service, product and/or space.
Collective innovation blurs the rolesbetween the library and the patron. At
best, not only is the city residents’ voicemade a part of the designing process, butalso their problem-solving skills, or theybecome the messengers for the library.
Patron-oriented innovation means thecreation of common values. As our newlibrary director, Tuula Haavisto, says,“Helsinki is seeking the latest model for alibrary of the future as one of the mostinnovative libraries in the world. We donot have many completed references forcomparison in the world; rather, we mustcreate the concept ourselves. We gladlywelcome the ideas of city residents andcitizens.”
Virve MiettinenParticipation planner
Central Library ProjectHelsinki City Library
Photos: Virve Miettinen
You must be able to understand what thepeople say (interviews, questionnaires,feedback), do (observation) and dream(story-making, images). The library mustbe an active participant that decides whatto ask, in what contexts and how.
There are many stages in developingideas into services. In the stage of
... but also on
brainstorming
walls and
around the table
of Stockholm library network aims to bean everyday partner for learning, readingand reflection.
“There will be no revolutionary changesto the libraries. The concept of what alibrary is can often be quite set inpeoples’ minds and it may be a little scaryto challenge that concept in our collectivelibrary soul. It can be difficult to imaginehow the library can be different, how itcan function and look in new, differentways,” says Annette Johansson.
In 2011, when the current library planswere set, a structural study was alsoconducted. The study had its basis in theStockholm City Plan (a key governingdocument), as well as a water and landuse plan for the municipality.Based on this cross-referencing of plans
“When libraries are renovated, it oftentends to become a matter of constructionrather than a matter of activity, you thinkof the premises first and the activitiesthat go on inside second. This way, intheory, the building may become a limi-ting, physical restraint. The City ofStockholm network of libraries is deter-mined to avoid this common error.Instead, we will plan as you would forthe construction of an entirely newbuilding,” says Annette Johansson, coor-dinator for the renovation project.
All in all, nine libraries will be renovated.Not only the physical appearance will beimproved, but new internal workingmethods will also be implemented. Thelibraries will develop and launch newactivity plans used in the planning andexecution of the renovated space.
Think activity
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The City of Stockholm is currently planning to renovate a number of
suburban libraries. The plan is not merely a series of building better-
ment projects with the architectural premises in focus, but rather
consists of improvement projects focusing on projected user activity.
Supported by the physical structure, the library visions and goals will
be made more easily attainable.
SWEDEN
A library in movementFeasibility studies have been conducted,looking at demography, populationtrends and other changes in their vicinity.In putting together an activity plan basedon what their current visitors expect,what non-visitors want and how they canbe attracted to the library, the librariesposed a number of questions about whatthey want to accomplish, which usergroups they want to entice into thelibrary, and what is needed to achievethese goals. At the same time, they muststick to existing central visions andlibrary policy already in place.
The vision for the City of Stockholmlibraries is a library in movement, alibrary constantly changing, an impor-tant facility in the community, accessibleand efficient. In addition to this, the City
Annika Hjerpe
Tensta Library - about to be renovated. Photo: The Stockholm City Library Gröndal Library has been renovated. Photo: The Stockholm City Library
for the area, and studying how the citygrows in relation to the status and loca-tion of the city’s libraries, the networkdetermined which nine suburban libra-ries were most in need of an update.
Design for the right purposeTogether with architect Birgitta BååthArdow, Annette Johansson will imple-ment an overall plan for the renovationof these libraries.
“As coordinators for the nine projects,our job is to constantly remind librarymanagement and staff to think beyondcolour and furniture when they writetheir activity plans, and instead think ofwhat activities the premises are going tobe used for, what sort of media is needed,and so on. When the activity plans havebeen articulated, architects will take over,and the better and more detailed theplans are, the more successfully the archi-tects will be in designing for each specificpurpose,” Annette Johansson says.
The feasibility studies conducted by thelibraries have shown that people who usetheir libraries request additional space forreading or study, areas for exhibitionsand designated areas appropriate forparents and children to spend timetogether after school. More areas forquiet study are also in high demand. Acommon request is for the library to bemore accessible with prolonged openinghours.
“The challenge will be to find a balancebetween what current library users say,and how much we dare to challenge thecollective view of what a library is today.”
Not only physical renovationIn Tensta, a culturally diverse suburb toStockholm, writing the activity plan has
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More women than menIn 2011, the City of Stockholm libraryalso made a Customer Satisfaction Indexsurvey among the visitors to the mainbranch and its 39 district libraries. 8,812library visitors answered the question-naire, 61 percent of them men.
Annette Johansson says that the libraryusers consist mostly of older people,students and families with children.
“It is interesting that in the CustomerSatisfaction Index survey made in 2011,the majority of visitors that answeredwere men. One generalization is that it ismostly women who use libraries and thisis true when it comes to borrowing, butmen make visits more to read the dailynewspapers, magazines and use thecomputers. And today, many fathers withsmall children use the library. I am notsure how or if the high response-rateamong men correlates to the fact thatmostly women work in the libraries,” shesays.
In 2012, of the 417 people employed bythe City of Stockholm library network,98 of them were men.
Annika HjerpePress and Communication Officer
Communications DivisionNational Library of Sweden
made the library staff reflect on how theydisplay books in their library. Upon en-tering the library in Tensta, the visitorencounters books solely in the Swedishlanguage.
The staff are currently examining newways of presenting the library using thevisitors’ languages as a starting point and,for example, by displaying literature indifferent languages together, rather thanas today, dividing them up in differentlanguages.
“This is a good example of how we donot just renovate the physical space, butshake up the whole activity plan from theground up,” says Annette Johansson, andmentions as another example how today’sdigital shift may be reflected in the use ofdigital signage.
“Today we have great possibilities inguiding library visitors using digital signsthat easily can change language andthereby, much quicker, help people tofind what they need.”
Libraries are progressiveShe can see a lot of possibilities in thedigital shift. For example some librariescould be specialized as digital libraries.
“They could increase their collections ofe-media and less physical media, therebyrationalizing space for the benefit of abroader programme of activities. But e-media is complicated because of thecommercial side of it.
The libraries are very progressive when itcomes to e-media, but publishers arecautiously resistant. It is difficult to findsolutions. The libraries can have visionsand intentions, but today the possibilitiesare limited,” she says.
Tensta marketplace in a culturally diverse community
Phot
o:To
mm
i Ber
gman
a... packing down the library and reorganizing with focus on new user activities and guidance
Annette Johansson
Photo:Annika Hjerpe
Marit A. Somby
The project has received funding fromthe National Library and the countyadministration, and is conditional on theinvolvement of the municipalities. In2012, we have focused on information-gathering, competence enhancement andtrials of methodologies. The main focusin 2013 will be on physical developmentmeasures in five selected municipalities.We are approaching a method for how towork with library premises, and wewould like to share it with others.
Physical dissemination of the libraries’content and libraries’ role as a literarycentre are key perspectives in the project.Cooperation and coordination with other
actors and local adaptation is another. Wedo not focus on the amount of shelfspace, but on the activities with whichthis room can be filled.
When speaking of the facilitation of thelibrary premises for various activities weneed to include physical as well as digitalperspectives. We assume that socialchange will result in a need for othertypes of spaces. Other considerationsemerge when the collection changes to anincreasing amount of digital material.
In the future, we will need more space forpeople than for collections -– there willbe no more fixed rows of bookshelves.
We are changing the physical as well asthe organizational preconditions, so thatthe libraries can fill their expected newrole.
Knowledge-based development The development efforts are based onresearch and experience from other cities.This provides reassurance, new insightsand change competence to all those in-volved. In our work with the library planwe used the Danish report Folkebibliote-kerne i videnssamfunnet (Public librariesin the knowledge society) as inspiration.
The report presents a new model thatdescribes the library’s functions through
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New roles – new spacesThe libraries’ new roles require us to rethink the design of the physical libraryspace. The objective of the project “Library space in Troms” is to developchange-oriented library premises which are adapted to the needs of localcommunities for their library as a knowledge, cultural and literary centre, ameeting-place and an arena for activities.
NORWAYPhoto:M
ette Milling
an inspirational room, a learning room, ameeting room and a performance room.The model provides an illustrative imageof four equivalent perspectives for thefuture. The project now uses the modelas a structural tool, theoretically as wellas practically, as well as in encounterswith parties that are not intimately fami-liar with libraries.
“Interior design is a frame of mind”We came across the Danish architect anddesigner Mette Milling. Her approachmatched our ideas perfectly. We hired heras a guest lecturer at the University ofTromsø, and over time she has contri-buted to several of our developmentprojects as a consultant.
A focus on the users and the activitiesthat will fill the spaces, organization ofthe work and collaborative solutionsprovide a basis for designing the premisesso that they function well for everybody.The interior design should be predict-able, well-considered and flexible to freeup time for development of the libraryservices.
How can changes be achieved withlimited resources? Through rethinkingdesign, recycling, combining new, oldand specially designed furniture, a betterspace can be created with even scantfunds.
Workshop as method We have used workshops as our methodfor designing two different public libra-ries. We started by recruiting broadlyamong the users, municipal employeesand the library’s cooperation partners.All those involved have participatedthroughout the process, in order toprovide everybody with a shared under-standing of the project’s objectives.
We started the first day by pouring out allour ideas about the kind of furniture wewanted to have. It is essential not to startworking by pondering on specific solu-tions, products or designer furniture. Wehad a brainstorming to identify all thethings we could imagine that the various
groups of users would want to do in thelibrary, such as reading, being on Face-book, sending e-mails, working in agroup, talking, singing, playing, dancing,playing games etc.
After this first session we were left with anumber of possible activities, which inthe next session were distributed over thefour rooms. We asked ourselves whatactivities belonged in the inspirationalroom, the performance room, thelearning room and the meeting room.
We also considered whether any activities
would overlap, and attempted to describethe experience that being in the variousrooms should provide, what ambience wewanted to achieve.
Should it be a dramatic atmosphere,or an airy, exhilarating, quiet, energeticor intimate feeling? Ms Milling isconcerned with how we bring with us a sense of perception, meaning how wesee and perceive the world around us.We should use our own bodies and sense it. How does this room ‘feel’ whenwe are sitting, standing, moving aroundor lying in a corner?
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How do we perceive the world around us? We use cardboard boxes to build rooms and walls, and learn how to senseand describe how the space “feels”. From the seminar on library spaces for students and staff at the public and countylibraries, held at the University of Tromsø in the spring of 2012. Photo: Mette Milling
Creativity on green Post-It notes. From the workshop Young people in the library space, March 2013. Lenvik publiclibrary will move to Finnsnes Knowledge Park in the autumn of 2013, and wishes to establish contact with, and seekinspiration from, young people in the local community. How will young people want to use the new library? Lenvikpublic library has been selected to participate in the project Library Spaces in Troms County in 2013.
Photo: Mette Milling
workshop. For example, how could wefacilitate the reading of fairy tales tochildren? Several solutions provide moreoptions to choose from. From our discus-sions and collaboration the library pre-mises emerged as a shared effort.
As will be clear, the workshop partici-pants were able to use all their mentalfaculties during the two workshop days,in a positive and creative experience. Thiskind of workshop may also provide thebasis for functional requirements thatcan be passed on to the architect or thebuilder.
A vibrant space for the communityWe have been at the forefront in addres-sing these issues, and we feel that we arewell on the way to reaching our goal.More efforts must be devoted to thisarea! There is a need for functionallibrary premises for the future, where
local adaptation and focus on the users’needs create additional value.
In the project, we are working with smalllibrary units – with other requirementsfor interaction than larger units will have.However, we have faith that the librariescan promote vibrant local communities,provided that the physical and financialpreconditions are met.
Marit A. SombyProject Director, “Library rooms in Troms”
Troms County Library [email protected]
For further reading:See the Library rooms in Troms blog:
http://bibliotekrom.tromsfylke.no Mette Milling’s website: http://mette-milling.dk/
Body and mindSometimes, the appropriate solution mayconsist in furniture that supports mul-tiple functions and activities. This flexibi-lity is inherent in the piece of furnitureitself, not in its portability. For example, apiece of furniture can be converted froma sofa where people slouch during theday to the scene for an interview with anauthor in the evening.
On other occasions, furniture with asingle function may provide the mostappropriate solution, such as displayshelves for books, mounted on walls. Theshelves are there permanently and thereis no need to consider their placement,so that the attention can be focused onthe content.
With this as our shared starting point, wewere joined by Ms Milling to design alibrary on the second day of the
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Bardu public library has been selected to participate in the project Library Spaces in Troms County in 2013. It will be renovated and co-located with the service area in the municipaladministration building. In March 2013, we arranged a workshop with the parties involved, and this is the first draft sketch of parts of the new library premises.
15SLQ:2 2013
provide inspiration and instructions onhow the interior design of existing libra-ries can be optimised, not least with aview to creating space for new functionsor facilitating the interaction of severalfunctions.
Design principlesThe Model Programme is about homingin on and describing a number of de-cisive design principles in relation toelements that concern the new publiclibrary. It will be important for the muni-cipalities to consider these principles.
Oneexample ofa designquestion isto ask how alibrary canpresent itselfas an im-portant partof the pub-lic urbanspace. The
model programme propose a number ofideas or design principles that describe intext, illustrations and references how thiscan be achieved. An amphitheatre, asseen in conjunction with the new superlibrary in Birmingham, is a potent
example of how a library can feature highquality cultural experiences in what ispartly an integrated stage in the libraryand partly an amphitheatre in an opencity space.
A café with a mixed outdoor and indoorfunction can also be an effective bridgebuilder and connector. In the extreme,the library can transgress its physicalboundaries and deliver services wherenew customers are readily available andhave time on their hands – for examplethe Beach Library in Copenhagen.
Another design question is how to ex-press the digital and the physical libraryin cohesion. One approach could be tointegrate digital platforms and touch-screens into the physical design every-where in the library and equip floor-walking librarians with iPads to makeinfo services immediately available to thecustomers across the library.
A third design question is how librariescan make space for and facilitate highquality ‘maker spaces’ and labs. Where arethese best situated in the library? Howcan they easily be adjusted to other uses?A fourth design question is how to thinklibrary functions into a time cycle, so thatboth space and function can be altered
Model programme for public libraries
In this exciting landscape of ongoing andfuture library projects, the Danish Agen-cy for Culture and Realdania launched a‘Model Programme for Public Libraries’in the summer of 2012. The purpose ofthe Model Programme is to provide in-novative suggestions as to how modernlibraries can contribute to urban de-velopment, and how libraries’ physicalsettings can be developed in order tosupport the libraries’ new role in the bestpossible way. The programme will con-clude in the autumn of 2014.
The Model Programme’s missionThe mission is not to deliver acomplete design and construc-tion guide for the optimumlibrary based on an unambi-guous library concept. Instead,the mission is to create inspira-tion and open possibilities forthe public libraries’ changeagents: municipal culture politi-cians and council officers, librarymanagers and key staff, and theadvisers who are to contribute torealising new local interpretations of thepublic library or to implementing exten-sive changes to existing libraries.
In addition to its work on new buildingprojects, the Model Programme will
Danish public libraries are currently being refurbished. A considerableand notable transformation process is taking place. This is a response toincreasing demands about digitisation, cultural collaboration and userrequirements. The change process is taking place in many differentways, depending on local municipal traditions, current context and ambi-tions for the future.
The challenge is tocreate diverse anddynamic content combinedwith inviting, differentiatedplaces to stay, along withactivity options
“
Jens LauridsenJonna HolmgaardLarsen
DENMARK
The ambition is that the website and notleast the design principles will keepdeveloping, also after the formal com-pletion of the project. The reasoning isthat a model programme for a concept asdynamic as the public library cannot becaptured in a snapshot image, a report ora book.
during the day to match the majoritysegment of users, which changes over thecourse of a day.
There is no answer book for any of thesedesign questions. The questions and theprinciples provided by the Model Pro-gramme must serve as a launching padfor local discussions and decisions.
The Model Programme’s organisationThe Model Programme’s steeringcommittee has made an agreement withSignal Architects, who will handle thedevelopment process. In order to assist inthe process, Dorte Skot Hansen, theRoyal School of Library and InformationScience, and former Director at theDanish Agency for Culture, Jens Thor-hauge, have been hired by Signal asexpert consultants and contributors.
Signal is also seeking inspiration from anappointed vision group with knowledge-able people from other professions.Furthermore, the libraries’ users, stake-holders in the municipalities and otherinterested parties have the opportunity tocontribute to the project via the blog atthe project’s website and during work-shops at project conferences.
CommunicationThe website is a pivotal point in the pro-ject. Knowledge from the project, collec-ted experience and activities are commu-nicated continually on the website.The result is partly a dynamic knowledgebank, partly a number of flexible designprinciples.
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DOK Library Concept Center,Delft Photo: Signal Arkitekter
<
In Billund, the library is partly to beconverted into a self-service library withDanish and international citizen service.The library is also to serve as a driver inBillund’s vision about the creation of TheChildren’s Capital. The project will be setup in partnership with the LEGO Foun-dation.
In Sønderborg, a new library is to beconstructed as a part of a multi-purposecultural house along the waterfront. The12.7 million euro project will be carriedout in collaboration with SønderborgHarbour Association.
The finalThe Model Programme will conclude on25 September with a conference wherethe programme’s results will be presen-ted. By then, the website will also beavailable in English.
Jonna Holmgaard LarsenChief Adviser
Danish Agency for [email protected]
Jens LauridsenLibrary ManagerTårnby Libraries
17SLQ:2 2013
ProcessThe Model Programme was launched at awell-attended kick-off conference inCopenhagen on 31. October. In additionto a number of interesting presentationsby, among others, Brian Gambels fromBirmingham, information was generatedand gathered from a number of work-
shops. This information and the experi-ence from study trips to Malmö, Helsinkiand the Netherlands have been includedin the continued work.
The study trips provided many differentkinds of experience, e.g. that it is possibleto make a lot of library within a limitedspace, as a relatively small number ofsquare metres can support the intensity.
There were examples of very thoroughlydesigned libraries that did not necessarilyattract a lot of users. Conversely, it wasnoted that the staff ’s visible and outgoingaction had a positive effect. The challengeis to create diverse and dynamic contentcombined with inviting, differentiatedplaces to stay, along with activity options.
Workshop won by three municipalitiesA survey conducted in February 2013about the challenges facing public libra-ries provided very relevant informationfor the model project. The survey parti-cularly confirmed the topical relevance ofthe project: Practically all Danish munici-palities are currently working on trans-forming library spaces at some level orother.
As a result of the survey, three municipa-lities won a facilitated workshop inconnection with their ongoing projects.Thisted, Billund and Sønderborg cannow look forward to their library servicestaking the lead as libraries of the future.Each municipality will get a professionalworkshop aimed at designing the layoutof the libraries to meet the many newdemands about the content of tomor-row’s library. The professional workshopsare designed and facilitated in collabora-tion with Signal Architects.
In Thisted, the interior of the mainlibrary will be re-designed in connectionwith a climate renovation, and at thesame time it will be laid out partly as aself-service library. Thisted will also col-laborate with the surrounding culturalinstitutions.
The steering committee consists of:Anne Mette Rahbæk, Chairman, Director,Danish Agency for Culture Marianne Kofoed, Project Manager, Realdania Tone Lunden, Development Consultant,Hjørring Rolf Hapel, Administration Manager, Aarhus Jens Lauridsen, Library Manager, Tårnby Jonna Holmgaard Larsen, Chief Adviser,Danish Agency for Culture
Read more:http://modelprogrammer.kulturstyrelsen.dk/http://www.kulturstyrelsen.dk/http://www.realdania.dk/
Library moving out Photo: Michael Christian Paldan
The new library in Birmingham (vision)Photo: Birmingham City Library
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You can easily get your problems sortedout by reading ISO/TR 11219 Informa-tion and documentation - Qualitativeconditions and basic statistics for librarybuildings – Space, function and design.You will learn, among other things, howto apply the formula S = b x c + 0.9 m2
for calculating the space required for areading area.
Four years of intensive work by an inter-national group of specialists have resultedin this ISO Technical Report. 130 pagesand 17 chapters describe all functionalaspects of the library building, for allsorts of libraries, in a global perspectiveand in different climate zones. In Scandi-navia a stone floor will be recommended,while in warm countries other types offloor covering will suit better.
The report provides advice focusing onthree main topics.
18 SLQ:2 2013
for DVD discs? Sprinkler systems as wellas the material content on the shelves arecovered in this chapter.
Additional questions concerning securityand safety systems, floor loading, trans-port systems, acoustic conditions,lighting systems and wiring, among otherthings, are also included in the report.
Several different perspectives of thefunction of the library are described:the library as a place for quiet study andlearning, a meeting point, a place forcultural events and also a communitycentre that provides for social inclusionof various groups in the population.Essential perspectives are design for all (inthe report “barrier-free construction”)and sustainable buildings, how to build‘green’ for a better climate as well as forlowering operating costs.
Elisabet Ahlqvist Executive Officer
National Library of SwedenParticipant in the working committee
for ISO/TR 11219
1) user areas including user places, refe-rence and information services, lendingservices, user training, recreation andcommunication areas, meeting and exhi-bition areas. The chapter about userplaces is subdivided into types; there is asubchapter about “places for informationand quick consultation” as well as “singleplaces for reading and listening”. Find outabout the storytelling lamps in thechapter on the children’s library!
2) library operations spaces in bestmedia processing, bindery, computingand management
3) collection storage areas. You will findformulas for the calculation of shelvingas well as all aspects about safe buildingpractice (alt. building safety) such as howto avoid pollutants, deal with moisture orearthquakes and so on. How manydegrees Celsius is the best temperature
The Significance of a Square MeterIn many cases we are very focused on design, colour,and furniture but what about the functional aspects of the building, the square meters? The elevators?The space for the reference desk? How many squaremeters do I need for my readings table area?
Library =S = b x c + 0.9 m2
EUROPE REPORT
Elisabeth Ahlqvist
each country and a joint European report– are now being made available.
A major finding is that Denmark andFinland generally fund public librariesmore generously than the rest of Europe,and we also have the highest use rates byfar. 57percent ofadult Danesvisited alibrary lastyear. This isonly sur-passed byFinlandwith 67percent. TheEuropeanaverage is23 percent.
The highest use rate The Nordic libraries clearly have a greathold on the demographic groups endan-gered by social and/or digital exclusion.Both countries show a 58 percent use ratefor the group of people aged 65+ years.The European average is 14 percent.
Preliminary results indicated a very gooduse rate for people born outside thenations as well. Both countries have someof the world's highest percentages ofhomes with internet access, but also haveby far the highest use of PACs in thelibraries.
Having other internet access alternativesactually makes you more likely to use a
19SLQ:2 2013
The research was funded by the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Itincorporates both a quantitative and aqualitative study with about 2,400 re-spondents total in each country. Amongthe Nordic countries, Denmark and Fin-land participated in both studies, whileSweden participated in the qualitativepart.
BMGF funded the study due to the foun-dation's commitment to bringing thebenefits of ICT to the world and a firmbelief in the library as the best publicfacilitator of this mission. Furthermore,BMGF believes that libraries' role shouldbe more visible in the agenda of theEuropean Union. The reports – one for
PAC in the library. Denmark and Finlandshow great participation numbers forICT courses and related activities as well.
Active in digitisationPAC users state various reasons for use,but interacting with public authorities is
cited frequently. People also usethe computers to improve theirjob situation. In fact in 2012,97,000 Danes and Finns appliedfor a new job using a librarycomputer and 19,000 got the job.
We recommend delving into thecomprehensive reports, but oneof the major points is this: TheNordic countries are very activein the digitisation of society. Thisleaves some groups in danger of
exclusion. The public libraries pick upthese groups and provide for them notonly the technology itself but also a safespace for learning. If not libraries, whocould fulfill this role – and do it sosuccessfully?
Mikkel Christoffersen, Agency for Culture,Denmark, [email protected] &
Minna Karvonen,Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland,
Reports:Denmark:
www.kulturstyrelsen.dk/biblioteksIKTFinland:
via www.minedu.fi
ICT use and learning in public libraries
European report
If European library users were their own country, it would be thelargest country in Europe with almost 100 million people. This and a myriad of other interesting findings are now available in researchreports on 17 European countries and their library patrons' use ofpublic-access computers (PACs) in the libraries.
EUROPE REPORT
In fact in 2012,97,000 Danes andFinns applied for anew job using alibrary computer and19,000 got the job
“
SLQ:2 2013
In the New York Public Library, a well-dressed gentleman fetches the book fromdeep cellars full of books, and brings it toyou at no charge in the venerable readingroom.
In the school library at Skien UpperSecondary you can find your own edition– although with a fairly dusty jacket. Thestory remains the same. The circum-stances are completely different.
The identity of every enterpriseis shaped by four things:
Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is atimeless story. It is a novel about comingof age which has been read by genera-tions of young people. An antiquarianbookshop on Madison Avenue in NewYork is now selling a first edition with adedication and the original dust jacketfor the handsome sum of USD 185,000.
In Barnes & Noble a few blocks away it issold in a hardcover edition for USD24.99, and you can download it as an e-book from Amazon for USD14.99(although without a dust jacket).
The building – a brand?A library can have many physical manifestations. This could be
the public library in a small Norwegian hamlet, a mobile library
delivering books to people who cannot get to the library
themselves, it could be a school library in a typical seventies’
building – or it could be the New York Public Library, which we
have recently visited. Apparently, their only common feature is
their content. The books. The narratives. The knowledge.
1. the product we have on offer (a car,a theatrical performance, a book collection)
2. the environment in which we are offering it (the car dealership, the theatre, the library with its exterior,reception, shelves and reading rooms)
3. our behaviour (how the staff receive you as a customer, the service they provide, the knowledge they possess)
4. and finally how we communicate (signs, posters, websites, advertising).
All these elements combined build iden-tity, and it is therefore crucial that we areaware of what we want to signal with allof them. When everything we are sayingand doing vibrates in tune and commu-nicates a single personality, then we cancreate a strong, shared identity andprofile.
20
NORWAY
New York Public Library
Viewp int
Egyptian coin half buried in the desertsand, a masterpiece, completely novel fora library whose construction started in300 BCE and which has remained worldfamous ever since?
Is it the books, the reference manuals, thenovels, the research reports – in physicalor digital form, on loan or (as in NewYork) only for use in the reading room?
The New York Public Library has twoGutenberg bibles. In Alexandria, Plato,Socrates and Euclid deposited theirmanuscripts. In the school library wefound worn tomes in alphabetical orderon the shelves, the most important booksin class sets – poetry, novels, atlases,history books and science manuals.
Perhaps the staff are our most importantprofile-builders – their approach to thecustomers, their knowledge and ability toprovide guidance through a constantlyaccelerating stream of information?
In 2010, Google estimated that up untilthen, a total of 129,864,880 differentbooks had been published worldwide– and the number has increased sincethen. Finding your way unaided is im-
possible, so skilled guides are perhapsmore important than ever.
And what about communication? In an over-communicated world it isdifficult to break through and reach out,and it is therefore even more importantthat whatever we want to communicate ismade distinctive, appealing, fascinatingand filled with passion.
Nevertheless, it remains essential that we– as a sector and as individual libraries –choose what we want to be known for:Hushing, order, hair knotted in a tightbun and a faint scent of dust? Or open-ness, guts and joy in communication?Not to mention innovation and creati-vity?
Nobody, and we least of all, can say forcertain what is right. What we canemphasize is the importance of makingthese choices and taking the conse-quences that ensue. Then, and only then,can we emerge distinctly, be recognizedand establish a profile, a reputation and apreference. Not only through the powerof physical or digital spaces, but also ofour narratives, our people and ourcommunication.
Ingebrigt Steen Jensen, Lecturer and [email protected]
Trude Solheim, Secondary-school [email protected]
The importance of the individualelement may vary. For a BMW, the caritself is the essential element – eventhough the dealership, the salespeopleand the advertising also play a role.
To a shopping centre, the building com-plex is the central identity-formingelement, even though the goods on sale,the staff and the store magazine may alsohave an impact.
To an airline, behaviour is of paramountimportance, since the aircraft, the flightroutes and the online booking procedureare near-identical.
And Coca-Cola is nearly all about com-munication (when blindfolded, peoplecannot tell the difference between Cokeand orange soda, believe it or not).
What is most important to a library? Is it the building – as we may think aftera visit to the New York Public Librarywith its monumental façade, its heavydoors, its marble and its reading roomsilluminated by chandeliers?
Or perhaps as Snøhetta designed theAlexandria library, in the shape of an
21SLQ:2 2013
Ingebrigt Steen Jensen and Trude Solheim
The free of charge reading room at New York Public Library
Kim Granberg leads the work at themain library in Huddinge outside ofStockholm. Every Friday, visitors canlisten to vintage radio theatre trans-missions in the retro library.
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“We have been visited by many librariansfrom across the country and we haveonly heard positive comments. Manypeople think this is a good idea andluckily, it is not costly,” says Kim Gran-berg, librarian and head of the mainlibrary in Huddinge.
The basement open stacks in Huddingeare rather expansive, holding some27,000 books. The whole library holdsapproximately 106,000 books and thelibrary’s entire media collection withmusic CD’s, DVD’s, magazines, audiobooks, and so on, amounts to some126,000 items.
This library, together with five subsidiarylibraries, serves a municipality of about100,000 inhabitants.
Organized in decadesThe main library in Huddinge has neverreally needed to weed the books due to alack of space. The basement facility hasbeen open for the library visitors since1995, but before it merely functioned asextra shelving storage, with the bookslined up on shelves in alphabetical order.
To give the old books a renaissance, andto make them more visible to the libraryvisitors, the librarians came up with theidea of a retro library. They organized thebooks after decades, instead of thealphabet, and dedicated a couple ofshelves to each decade. They identified anumber of decades they found inte-resting and decided on the 1940’s, 50’s60’s and 70’s.
“We went through the books we had anddetermined which ones we found mostcharacteristic of each respective period,”says Kim Granberg.
For every time period, there is a shelf ofselected fiction, children’s literature and
What can you do with a dismally plain, large, open-stack base-ment book storage facility? In Huddinge, a suburb just outsideof Stockholm, the librarians came up with a creative idea ofhow to promote older, and sometimes forgotten, books, anidea that rides on the prevailing vintage trend. They turned the storage into a retro library.
SWEDEN
Use what you have
23SLQ:2 2013
library, if they for example wish to, have abook club meeting there... that is, if theydon’t mind attracting the interest ofpasserby visitors in the retro library atthat time.
The retro library opened on October 23,2012. After only eight months, it is stillunclear how the new way of displayingthe older books affects lending stats overthe long-term, but preliminary figuresshow an increase in lending by almost 50percent. (November 1st 2011 to February28th 2012, lending from the storageamounted to 1,030 books; for the sameperiod in 2012-2013, lending amountedto about 1,500.)
Although the lending from the basementopen stacks is a small part of the library’slending altogether (which amounted toabout 70,000 media items both years forthe corresponding periods) the retrolibrary has seemed to have created a re-newed interest in the library’s collectionof older books.
Annika HjerpePress and Communication Officer
Communications DivisionNational Library of Sweden
Photo: Annika Hjerpe
Annika Hjerpe
non-literary prose. There is also recentlypublished literature about each respectivedecade. To add to the retro-feeling, thetalents of stage designer Lars Erik Heden-dahl were called upon.
“We felt that a stage designer would bewell-equipped to help create a certainmagic, given the parameters, better thanan interior designer might.”
More decades plannedThe library staff has helped out withdetails, scouring second-hand shops andflea markets for suitable props.
“Last summer, some of the staff kept thisin mind as they visited a flea market oran auction during their vacation,” KimGranberg says.The plan is to add on to the retro librarythis summer and arrange two shelvingsegments with combined decades, one forthe 1920-30’s, and one for the 1900-10’s.
This is a one way to make use of whatyou have, at a low cost; all you need is thespace, the working hours of the staff andpossibly inspirational help from someonelike a stage designer.
“I had to go to a hardware store to buyrebar and I had no idea what it was for,”Kim Granberg says, and points to thebars above the book shelves. Rebar hasbeen fixed to the ceiling and is used todisplay items chosen to represent diffe-rent decades, a simple and inexpensiveway to create atmosphere.
Increased interestSpecial activities are arranged in the retrolibrary, to create further interest for thebooks it holds. Every Friday, library visi-tors can listen to vintage radio theatretransmissions found on the SwedishRadio’s webpage. Authors and experts onwriters of the era are invited to give talks.
There are lectures on historically typicaltopics and visitors can book the largemeeting table in the middle of the retro
Lana Othman visits the retro library for the first time. She is reading about the 60’s and the 70’s. “I like the music,the fashion and the style from that time, so I’m here to read a little about that,” she says.
Rebar fixed to the ceiling is used to display memorabilia from the decades represented on the shelves below.
The question is – how do libraries tacklethis development? How do we communi-cate a clickable story on the Internet or ahappening in the physical space? At thelibraries in Roskilde and Aarhus, there isno doubt: The libraries can benefitgreatly from following the literatureforms of our day. And what's even better:It does not have to be difficult at all.
In recent years, the development oftechnology in particular has affected lite-rature. Many writers communicate withtheir readers via Internet sites, includingFacebook, and an increasing share of lite-rature takes place outside the world ofbooks.
The development presents some obviouschallenges to the libraries. The many newand ‘peculiar’ literature forms do not fitinto the regular work processes in libra-ries. The formats are difficult to place onshelves and communicate in the usualway.
The process surrounding the creation ofliterature also challenges our customaryway of working. The new literature formsemerge in dynamic and at times verypersonal circuits and may therefore bedifficult to capture.
Should we then not even attempt to doso? Should we not be bothered, avoiddisturbing our users and just let contem-porary literature be contemporary litera-ture?
The trend is clearIf we direct our attention beyond ourown library world, the trend is clear.Curators at MOMA in New York, litera-ture researchers at the universities inBoston, Paris and Edinburgh, and writersacross the world are aware of the newliterary currents. Everything indicatesthat they will be of great significance inthe future; deselecting them means de-selecting a significant current within lite-rature.
Is this what we want? No. As libraries, itis crucial that we keep an open mindabout the new literature forms. The question is not whether to keep up withdevelopment – but rather how we aslibraries can follow and communicate thenew formats.
One of the great challenges facing libra-ries is that we must be prepared to beable to include almost everything. Wehave our professional edge, our know-ledge about literature and our focus onquality. However, we need to expand ourhorizon and develop our physical spacesso that they become more creative andflexible.
Physical and visualSince 2010, Roskilde Libraries, the City ofAarhus Libraries and Litteratursiden.dk – supported by the Danish Agency forCulture – have headed Litteraturen findersted (Literature taking place). The projecthas looked at where the new literature
forms are heading and what the librariescan do to communicate them. Littera-turen finder sted has organised exhibi-tions and supports the development ofnew literary, digital works.
The exhibition In words drown I (No-vember 2012) offered a very concretehere-and-now recommendation abouthow modern libraries can embrace andcommunicate the new literature forms.Five young writers were invited to takepart in the exhibition – but the challengewas that they were not allowed to partici-pate with works in book form!
Instead, the writers presented a numberof physical and visual works, which werebased on film, sculpture or installationart – or on a mixture of several art forms.The exhibition challenged the traditionalidea of what literature is and gave thevisitors a both visual and sensory experi-ence of current trends.
The alternative literary works no doubtseemed like a disturbance to many of ourusual library users. However, many ofthem also expressed their enthusiasm atthe fact that we as a library introducedthem to new trends and thus to new lite-rature.
Great potentialDevelopment thus holds a potential forthe libraries. The use of performance andvarious IT equipment means that thenew literature forms take up space in a
24 SLQ:2 2013
DENMARK
Today, literature is much more than traditional books madeof paper. SMS short stories, internet literature, apps, poetryslam, and literary happenings and performances are just afew among many examples of modern writers' expressingthemselves through a great diversity of formats and media.
Pernille Carneiro Juel
Literature breaks out
different way in the physical rooms, andthat this can enrich the library space.
They contribute a surprising element,which can help create curiosity andmodernise perceptions about libraries.The new literature forms also give thelibraries the opportunity to make contactwith new user groups, both writers andordinary readers who would not other-wise use the libraries.
Finally, the new literature forms aresuitable for taking the libraries beyondtheir own physical spaces – out into thepublic space, to festivals and other places.
Out where the users areFor several years, Roskilde Libraries havehad activities at the annual RoskildeFestival, which is Northern Europe'slargest culture and music festival. In 2011and 2012, they participated with largeexhibitions of digital, literary works.
In addition, they presented poetryreadings, cosy corners and lots of (dis-carded) books. One of the exhibitedworks was an ‘interactive poetry ma-chine’, which Litteraturen finder sted has
developed in collaboration with writers,artists and IT developers.
By pressing on books with built-in digitalsensors, people were able to create theirown unique poem, which was printed – ready to pocket. The digital works atthe Roskilde Festival have been a greatsuccess. People have flocked to see theworks, which have aroused a lot of atten-tion due to their different and interactivenature.
Make roomAt the libraries in Aarhus, they havecollaborated with artists, writers andactors to find out how to stage the libraryspace and communicate literature with afocus on the performative aspect.
At the local Åby Library, they have de-veloped a completely new communica-tion concept – Litteraturstedet (The Lite-rature Place) – which uses a built-instage, screens and space for exhibitions tomake room for the new literature forms.
At Roskilde Libraries, we have also takenthe consequences of recent years' experi-ence with digital literary works, and have
– as far as we know as the first library inthe world – reserved a permanent exhibi-tion area solely for digital literature.
This is neither about giving artificialrespiration to the book nor about decla-ring the book dead. It is about followingand communicating literature whereit grows in its time. Literature has brokenout of the book – and libraries mustkeep up!
Pernille Carneiro JuelCommunication specialist
Roskilde [email protected]
Read more at www.netlitteratur.dk (in Danish only)
25SLQ:2 2013
The poetry machineOften, the new literature formstake up physical space in away that attracts new usergroups. Here, young people at the Roskilde Festival 2012flock around the interactivepoetry machine.Photographer: Peter Høybye
The library is a cooperation partner forthe university and faculty managementsfor attaining shared goals in terms ofacademic performance and social well-being. And it is a multidisciplinarymeeting place and an arena for know-ledge dissemination and public debate.
The premises are not perfect, but theyhave qualities that, along with a skilled,engaged, diverse and at times evenplayful staff, make them usable and pro-vide sufficient room for creative activi-ties.
The Science Library in Vilhelm Bjerknes’House was opened in March 2012. Peoplewere invited to lectures by celebrities,music by baroque ensembles andchemistry with a bang. The sex life ofcopepods could be studied under amagnifying glass, while dinosaurs andwolves guarded the bookshelves. Creamcake, canapés, buns and soda wereserved, and school classes searched forDNA behind the counter.
Beer was served and people danced, whilea science-fiction collection was accumu-
lated and Donald Duck was promoted.Jespersen the Skeleton recommendedseasonally relevant literature to our socialmedia followers.
But what is the Science Library, and howdo we want to use it?
Strong involvementIn 2007, the University Board decided toco-locate the various science libraries in acentral spot on campus – in VilhelmBjerknes’ House. A generous donationfrom the Fritt Ord Foundation and anintensified focus on the learning environ-ment and on a campaign to promotescience studies drove the project forward.
In June 2010 we could celebrate thecompletion of the funding process andwork could commence. Students, staffand other stakeholders became involvedin various ways.
A thorough tour of the libraries at BINorwegian Business School, GlasgowCaledonian University Library andDrammen and Kongsberg Public Libra-ries was a particular success, since users,architects, project directors and librarystaff here had the opportunity to visitpioneering libraries and then discuss andinclude into the project various elementsthey had seen and experienced directly.
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The Science Library at the University of Oslo is primarily a researchlibrary that serves the academic staff at the Faculty of Sciences. It is the daily working and learning environment for numerousstudents. To gain a foothold and attract attention to our existenceand our services, we make use of all parts of the library premisesin combination with other devices that best suit the purpose.
Live Rasmussen
The library of our dreams
NORWAY
Photo: Frederik H. JuellPhoto: Ketil Born
Photo: Frederik H. Juell
Photo: Frederik H. Juell
Photo: Ketil Born
Such a tour and extent of involvementwere obviously rather resource-intensive,but they produced an unusual degree ofconvergence of expectations and wishesfor the project process, and a stronginvolvement by the participants.
Light and furnitureThe structure of the building could notbe altered to any great extent; the Direc-torate of Cultural Heritage was involvedin the process and the project facedcertain restrictions. However, demo-lishing some internal walls and floodingthe old brick-and-concrete building withnatural as well as artificial light, was toprove a highly effective measure.
Furniture and interior design wereplanned with a view to flexible multi-purpose use. The flexible workspaces forgroups located in the middle of the libra-ry premises are invariably the first to befilled. Iconic lamps and leather benchesfunction exquisitely after the renovation.
The furniture from the university board-room of the sixties, with ashtrays andvoting buttons, copper lamps and calf-skin chairs never fail to attract attention.
A survey undertaken ten months after thelibrary was opened shows that the stu-dents perceive the library as versatile,functional, flexible and accessible – interms of its design, opening hours andservices.
An arena and meeting placeThe role of libraries as a social, multi-disciplinary meeting place and as anarena for dissemination of knowledgeand public debate is a key area for librarydevelopment. Universities are required toopen up to the outside world and de-monstrate their activities and research tosociety in a visible and intellectuallyaccessible manner.
In its strategy, the University of Oslo says:“The university community should makeuse of interactive arenas for communica-tion of research results and dialogue witha broad audience on the Internet as wellas through key events that should pursueeducational goals as well as help recruit-ment.”
The Science Library has established astage in the foyer where it operates aseparate programme called ScienceDebate in cooperation with prominentcommunicators from the institutes at theFaculty of Sciences and the Fritt OrdFoundation. The goal is to encouragedebate and exchange of views on thesciences, their role in public life and theirimpact on social development.
The library stage is also used by Nor-wegian broadcasting for weekly popular-science radio shows, by students for filmscreenings and student debates, as well asfor a variety of other lectures and events.The library staff members act as professi-onal suppliers of content, producers andhosts.
The future We now have the library of our dreams,in very many ways. The students, theacademic committee, the informationservices for science students and thestudent organizations are our co-habi-tants, and provide us with feedback andspecific advice about the road ahead. Sowhat are the key points on which weshould focus our attention?
The library cooperates with the group forinteractive design at the Department ofInformatics. Current work involvesvarious applications for mobile units.
Could indoor tracking and the Rfid tagsbe a possible topic for next semester’sstudent assignments?
And can we become an attractive partnerin a more permanent Library Living Lab,where the development of as-yet non-existent services in the library space toserve the university community can take place within such methodologicalframeworks?
Hosting our guestsLately, the need to engage in outreachactivities, bringing the library and itsservices out of its traditional premisesand engaging actively with the public innew settings, has manifested itself.
Recently, the library has been representedat the University’s stand at The Gathering,Norway’s largest computer party, as wellas Norway’s first innovation festival,Mini-Maker Fair, and we will also bepresent at the annual National ScienceWeek.
For such events we wish to develop ascience pop-up or a festival library thatcan easily be scaled up or down and filledwith a varying content. This kind of li-brary requires a super-simple loans sy-stem. In their idle hours, our ICT staff isplaying with a solution.
As managers, we are concerned that allstaff members should behave and feel likehosts for the entire Science Library andfor all activities and services that takeplace on the library’s premises or in thelibrary’s name.
The discussion as to whether the visitorsto the library should be referred to ascustomers or users can thereby be con-cluded. They are our guests! So if you arein these parts, feel free to drop in.
Live RasmussenHead of Science Library
Heidi RustadAssistant Head of Science Library
27SLQ:2 2013
DENMARK
LONGER LIBRARY VISITS IN ROSKILDEWhen Roskilde University Librarycompared user statistics from 2012 to2002 they discovered that the studentsstayed at the library a lot longer thanbefore. While ten years ago, the averagevisit lasted around 9 minutes, last yearthe length of a library visit was up to 53minutes – an increase of 600 percent!One explanation is the new facilities: thepremises are inviting and suitable forindividual and group work.
The number of visitors and the length ofvisits have been calculated with the helpof a visitor counter during the periodbetween November 7 to December 7every year. Observations on the premisesconfirm the results, according to librarystaff.
An interesting question is whether this istrue for public libraries as well. This willbe studied first at Gentofte and then inother Danish public libraries.
Danmarks biblioteker 1/2013http://db.dk/files/dbf.dk/DB0113.pdf
TOP NOTCH SERVICE SAY LIBRARY USERSOver 27 000 Danish library users took asurvey on the services of 179 public libra-ries in 42 municipalities. The majorityare happy with their libraries and thehelp and guidance they get from librarystaff. The typical user is a 45+ year-oldfemale.
A third of the users have children and theaverage user's level of education is higherthan the non-users'. The results alsoshow that while 31 percent visit thelibrary during the week between 1-4 pm,only 3 percent come to the library on aSaturday afternoon.
Even if most users still come to thelibrary to borrow materials, there aresegments that use the library in differentways. This is why the respondents have
been categorized in four target groups:the Major user (16 percent of users), theEngaged (29 percent), the Student (24percent) and the Borrower (31 percent)who all represent different ways of usingthe library and its collections and ser-vices.
The Student and the Borrower, forexample, have little contact with the staff.The Engaged, typically a 50+ female,
comes to the library a lot and is mostlypositive about the services while theStudent tends to be more critical.
The whole report Bedre biblioteker 2013.Nationale resultater can be found onhttp://www.kulturstyrelsen.dk
28 SLQ:2 2013
ScandinavianShortcuts
MOBILE LIBRARIES AND THE GOOD LIFEEven if Denmark is quite a compactcountry when it comes to geography,mobile libraries are still seen as animportant form of library service. Whatsets mobile library staff apart from otherpublic services is their ability to create asense of community, to offer a localservice characterized by engagement.
These were at least the values the usersinterviewed during the Good Life projectwere expecting of the service. The parti-cipating libraries of Brønderslev, Esbjerg,Ringkøbing-Skjern, Skive, Vordingborg,Aabenraa and the Danish Central Libraryin Sydslesvig see mobile libraries as animportant resource in digital learning:
the digital book bus can be booked toinstruct users in IT in front of a work-place, school or nursing home, in muchthe same way as the Finnish NettiNysse(http://kirjasto.tampere.fi/kirjastot-ja-aukiolot/netti-nysse/).
Children are one of the central targetgroups, but new user groups have alsobeen approached: men with an interest inhunting, young recruits in military ser-vice, pupils in after-school activities. Therole of the library is also to act as a facili-tator in the local community: the mobilelibrary helps bring together local actors.
Danmarks biblioteker 1/2013http://db.dk/files/dbf.dk/DB0113.pdf
Library bus driving home ... Photo: Peter Birk
FINLAND
LIBRARIES EVALUATED BY OVER 30 000 USERS For the third time users in the wholecountry have had their say on the impor-tance, effects and performance of libraryservices. While the national survey has itsorigins in the libraries at the universitiesof applied sciences now the users ofuniversity, special and public librarieshave also taken the same questionnaire,among them around 12 000 public libra-ry users. All in all, over 31 000 users tookthe survey.
90 percent of the users of research libra-ries considered web services to be veryimportant; 82 percent thought the webservices were functioning either well orvery well.
On the whole, users appreciate theservices libraries have to offer. Accordingto the results, users are especially happywith the staff and consider personalservice to be important.
Only 3 percent of the respondents fromthe research libraries saw library serviceshaving no effect on the quality of theirstudies or work whatsoever, while 55percent reported a considerable increasein the quality and 36 percent said libraryservices had somewhat improved thequality of their studies or work.
The National Library of Finlandhttp://www.kansalliskirjasto.fi/kirjastoala/
uutiset/1366711791873.html
COUNCIL FOR FINNISH UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES' STRATEGY ON VIDEODuring the 2012 World Library andInformation Congress in Helsinki, theFinnish university libraries presentedtheir cooperation which has resulted inmany joint projects, services and thecouncil for the library sector itself. Avideo on the strategy of the universitylibraries is a result of the desire forsharing knowledge and know-how, notonly nationally but also internationally.
The English-lanugage video is availableon YouTube and is based on the new stra-tegy for 2013-2017.
The Council for Finnish University Libraries on YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=cLkPxjWZiEg
29SLQ:2 2013
READING TO DOGS BECOMING MORE AND MORE POPULAREver since Börje, the Maltese reading dog(also called reading education assistancedog or reading therapy dog) based inEspoo, started listening to childrenreading to him in the libraries of themetropolitan region, the lovable readingdog has been in the limelight with inter-views, appearances in the news, a profileon Facebook et cetera.
Börje and his colleagues in Kaarina werethe first Finnish reading dogs, but todaylibrary dogs are being introduced in allparts of the country. Carlo, a Flat-coatedRetriever, has recently started his librarycareer in Mikkeli, Eastern Finland andNuma the Whippet is employed by Pirk-kala Public Library and Luna by Pori CityLibrary.The Miniature Schnauzer girls Luru andLempi listen to reading children in Käm-
menniemi Public Library in Tampere,with Ada, Piki, Jaxu, Pilke, Venla and Wiliworking elsewhere in Finnish libraries.Kouvola and Vantaa also have their ownreading dogs who visit the libraries. Evenwith its positive PISA results in reading,Finland seems to embrace the dogs whoinitially were meant to help children withreading difficulties.
Visit Facebook or google “Börje Espoo”
Börje, the reading education assistant!
children could e.g. have their questionsabout reading answered. “Is it okay toread in dialect?” “Is reading comic booksaloud good for children?”
The National Library of Norwayhttp://www.nb.no/Bibliotekutvikling/Aktuelt/Nyheter/Leselyststrategi-2013
SWEDEN
CYCLING FOR LIBRARIES SPREADS OUTSwedish librarians took to wheels beforethe annual library conference in May.A bunch of library professionals cycledfrom Stockholm, through four provincesto Örebro, pausing for workshops andlibrary visits on their way to the moretraditional form of conference.
The Cycling for Libraries – Sweden tourand conference is a manifestation of thesignificance of libraries in society, justlike its international model and counter-part, Cycling for Libraries, now in its thirdyear. Meeting colleagues – and libraryusers – is an integral part of Cyc4lib.
Cycling for Libraries Sweden www.facebook.com/cyc4libse
FIRST NATIONAL HOSPITAL LIBRARY WEEKApart from promoting cycling, librariescan and do contribute to health issues invarious ways. The National Hospital Li-brary week was observed in April for thefirst time.
During the themed week a number ofworkshops, lectures and visits were orga-nized to present the many services hos-pital libraries have to offer from e-resources for the staff to patient informa-tion and help for hospital patients indownloading e-books on their mobiledevices.
Biblioteksbladethttp://biblioteksbladet.se/2013/04/23/
sjukhusbibliotekens-vecka-2013/
GAME ON IN NORWAYThe Nordic Game Day has for a few yearsgathered users to libraries in November,and the date of the next Game Day,November 16th, was announced in April.The players are not only children shoot-ing angry birds at pigs or teenagerswishing to be guitar heroes, but in-creasingly also grown-ups, even userswho could be described as extremelygrown-up.
The average age of a gamer today is 33,and they are not likely to stop playingboard or computer games just becausethey're getting older. In Drammen, theolder players are the focus and the aim isto get them to the library. Some of thegames can also help rehabilitate older
persons with memory problems anddementia. The library maintains a SeniorGamers’ blog at http://seniorgamer.no/ aspart of the national project.
Nordic Game Day http://nordicgameday.wordpress.com
JOY OF READING Inspiring children and young people toread is the aim of a four-year nationalreading programme in Norway. A stra-tegy for reading zeal is being drawn up bythe National Library and several projectsto spark up the love of reading are underway.
One of these is the Read Aloud! projectin Tromsø where the parents of young
30 SLQ:2 2013
ScandinavianShortcuts
NORWAY
100th ANNIVERSARY RELAYThe Norwegian Library Association iscelebrating its 100 years during 2013 inseveral ways, one of which is the LibraryRelay. The relay started at Lom PublicLibrary – Library of the year 2012 – andwill travel across the country through alltypes of libraries. During some ninemonths the baton – or actually two
batons and a library lamp in the shape of a house – will be passed on to decisionmakers, library staff or users in public,school, research and mobile libraries. Thelast library to receive the baton will beOslo Public Library on October 25thwhich is the date of the national 100thanniversary.
The Library Relay http://bibliotekstafetten.no
READING CANDYIf you find a colourful cotton bag filledwith books hanging on a hallstand in thelocal swimming pool, health care center,church or youth center in Huddinge, it isprobably not left behind by someone bymistake.
Huddinge Pubic Library has salty, sweetand sour bags, three of each, all aroundtown. The salty reading candy consists ofdetective and horror stories. Sweet, ofcourse, refers to feel-good and romancebooks while sour stands for socialrealism.
In addition, there are old-fashionedcaramels – classics, and family mixeswhich offer something for both childrenand grown-ups. Each bag also carries aneasy-to-read book. Promoting and sup-porting reading and literature is a bigtheme in Sweden at the moment as thecoming Library Act stresses the topic.Children and young people will be prio-
ritized and borrowing literature in anyform, even as e-books, shall be free ofcharge also in the future. HuddingeReading Candy certainly serves the pur-pose well.
Everything is made simple for thereaders: you don't need a library card,you just pick up the bag of your choosingand return it when you're done. All bagsalso contain note books where thereaders are encouraged to write downtheir comments on both the selectionand the project as a whole.
It is too early to say if any of the bookswill be returned but the library staff arehopeful: if you trust people they oftenprove themselves worth it. The projectruns the whole year with funding fromthe Cultural Council as part of the nati-onal reading promotion programme.
Biblioteksbladet 3/2013 http://biblioteksbladet.se/
MORE BOOST FOR WELLBEING FROM LIBRARIESWhen Norrköping City Library – and itspatrons – became frustrated withsubstance abusers and addicts lying downon the couches in the children's library,the staff got an idea. Why not try to getthem interested in reading and literature.
The result of the reasoning was the Peoplebetween the lines reading circle whichstarted in 2011. It is a cooperationbetween the library and the social ser-vices, aimed at outpatient addicts. It hasproven to be a popular form of servicewith eight to ten participants in twogroups.
And it is not only the group membersand library staff who read; also the socialservices staff are expected to read thebooks. The members can either read orlisten to talking books, at their own pace.
Some only manage 5 of the 100 pagesthey'd set out to read, some stay quietduring the meetings but all know it issafe and confidential. It is "reading ashealing" as the organizers put it. You feelcalmer and less alone when you readsomething you can identify with.
Biblioteksbladet 2/2013 http://biblioteksbladet.se/
wp-content/uploads/2013/02/22001-BBL-2_2013_low.pdf
Keep up with developments in the Nordic libraries in Scandinavian Library Quarterly. www.slq.nu
Scandinavian Library QuarterlyVolume 46, no. 2, 2013SLQNational Library of SwedenPO Box 24124 SE-104 51 StockholmSweden
Scandinavian Library Quarterly(SLQ) is published by the Nordic Library Authorities
Legally responsible publisher:Gunilla HerdenbergNational Librarian of Sweden
Editor-in-chiefAnnika [email protected] Library of Sweden
Co-editors in Denmark,Finland and Norway:
Jonna Holmgaard [email protected] Agency for Culture
Kristina [email protected] Library of Finland
Susanne [email protected] State Administration AgenciesFinland
Tertit [email protected] Library of Norway...
Lay-out: Staehr [email protected]: C.S.Grafisk A/S
ISSN 0036-5602Electronic ISSN: 1604-4843
Päivi Jokitalo Freelance Library [email protected]
www.slq.nuScandinavian Library Quarterly
Keep up with developments in Scandinavian Public and Research libraries at
