OBA and Almere Public libraries study visit

OBA and Almere Public libraries study visit
We were a small group of librarians that wanted
to study two of the forward looking libraries in
Netherlands. OBA in Amsterdam and Almere
Library, both public libraries.
OBA Public Library
1919 the first public library, community service, in
Amsterdam was established. The new library was
finished in 2007 and opened 7/7. 73m€ was
invested then and now it is open 10AM-10PM
It is one of 26 libraries, 330 FTE staff, serving the
Amsterdam community of 800 000 inhabitants with a total of 178 nationalities.
Total yearly cost is 30m€. 12m€ is the central library part. The budget is
centralised.
The library staff, librarians and service officers, have
different backgrounds, 30-40% are non-Dutch.
About 2m loans of books in total with about
850 000 in the main library alone. Music and dvd:s
are adding to that but in shrinking proportions. For
example, DVDs has in a few years gone down from
over 200 000 loans a year to 115 000. Non-fiction
books also suffers a slight downfall the last 10 years.
A note is that only 1/3 comes to the library to
borrow books.
In Netherlands as an adult you have to pay to be
a member, then having access to the services. 35€
a year. Less if you are between 19 and 23 years and you do not pay at all as
a child (<19 years). As a member you can use the library computers and wifi
for free. 1/5th of the grown up population are members and this figure is
falling. This is explained by the fact that there is information at the internet,
reducing the libraries information service status.
600 000 books and 900 periodicals are at
the members’ disposal. Non-traditional
services as a radio studio, theatre/forum
facility and exhibition area complements.
Martin Berendse, the chief librarian since
a couple of years gives credit to his
predecessors for the progress the
Amsterdam public library has achieved.
He is certain there will be more
demand for the libraries because of
the work initiated. The Amsterdam
library works in an environment where
51% are non-indigenous and as many
as 34% non-Europeans. 29% of the
population do have a higher
education level. Unemployment is a
challenge.
One goal is that there should be one library per 30 000 inhabitants. More small
ones than a few big ones. The branches do cover 60% of the total
(loans/visits). After the building of the new central library the focus is now on
the branches. Branch libraries could very well be combined with other spaces
like a Community centres, schools and so on. But the library should be
profiled, no stepping down in quality of services.
The Bijlmer branch with a 70% non-dutch-born
population is especially strong in working with
community groups and staging program activities.
The Imagine IC Heritage is especially worth
mentioning. It is the heritage of the immigrants’
home countries that is represented.
http://www.imagineic.nl/english
Some of the forward looking activity concern
cooperation with the community. As well as with
individuals and groups as with corporations like the
large Albert Heijn grocery chain. With the Albert
Heijn corporation the library has initiated language
programs with homework classes for the grocery chain staff.
The cooperation strategy is labelled CoOBA. According to the director OBA
librarians are transforming form actors to co-operators, or curators if you like.
IHLIA LGBT (HBQT) heritage collection forms a part of the OBA services which is
a perfect example of how to work with community inclusion.
http://www.ihlia.nl/?lang=en
Digital literacy program activities form strong part of
the educational programs. Improve digital skills
among young people is a definite! Cooperation
with adult education programs is part of the work in
digital literacy.
Immigrant women do visit the library, for some the
only public spot they attend.
One particular service that makes OBA proud is the
Radio Broadcasting studio in which pupils from all
over Amsterdam are invited to create a show.
Impressive!
Martin Berendse states that the resources of the OBA are the basis, the
platform for the communication between the people of the community.
Organizing the cooperation, having people sharing their skills is the work of
the librarian staff. Curators indeed.
Then you have to meet the community eye to eye, tell them about your
resources and inspire.
It seems to be a new tendency among local politicians to see libraries as a
social-economic asset instead of cultural. A social-cultural hub.
“We have a library, we are not a library”, Berendse said. At the library learning
and cultural activities are ongoing and the librarians use the collections as a
means of supporting these activities. Understanding this gives a different
perspective on a librarians’ work.
Martin Berendse ends his dialogue with us by pointing out that the new
directions of the library surely will mean an end to budget cuts.
Almere Public Library - De nieuwe bibliotheek
Almere has 200 000 inhabitants and at the library there are 90 FTE occupied
by 140 staff.
Visits are increasing up till this year, now a slight downfall ((3%), around
100 000 a month is still very impressive for a town of that size. They have 1m
loans in a year. Loans and members are decreasing. Digital visits are up.
The construction of the library started in 2005. It is famous
for taking a full and consistent approach in the showing
off the physical library in the best possible retail
approach.
Awards:
- In November 2010 the professional jury awarded Meyer
en Van Schooten, the architects, the Architectuurprijs
Almere (Architecture Award Almere) for their design of
de nieuwe bibliotheek.
- In November 2010 Concrete Architectural Associates,
the interior decorators, won the Lensvelt de Architect
Interior award (LAi 2010) for their interior design of de
nieuwe bibliotheek;
- In December 2010 de nieuwe bibliotheek was chosen as
the best library in the Netherlands by Bibliotheekblad (a professional
magazine).
Almere has also experimented with different services on the net like
https://www.seats2meet.com/ to connect people with different skills in need
of each other.
E-books, as in all Dutch libraries, are served through a national service.
http://www.bibliotheek.nl/e-books.html
Look here http://www.readersfirst.org/program for a discussion on such an
arrangement.
According to our host the Almere library
has shifted focus from supply to demand.
Most community members don’t know
what they want visiting public libraries, she
said.
Up to 70-75 percent of the customers do
not visit the library with a specific title in
mind.
As a comment this is very much the
difference between public and research
libraries.
Research libraries concentrates on building the best possible access to
research material.
A public library like Almere tries to understand the community inhabitants
needs and address the services accordingly.
The architects and the library staff have worked hard to get it right in the
physical library transforming a large space in to a “sense of place”.
They want to become a point where the library nurture, educate and bring
people together.
It should be a warm and inviting place. At the same time part so f the library,
like the reading room should communicate seriousity and “business”.
Walking around in the library we feel that
the attempt of making an attractive library
with inspiring presentations of the media is
successful. The arrangement of the
shelves, the graphic communication
works. We can see what all the buzz
around this library is about. And we like it.
We question though the arrangement of the collection and partly the
supporting graphics.
A collection of shelves is designated mainly for men and another mainly for
women. The first presented by high voltage symbols in blue, the second with
yellow flowers.
One change from the original set of furniture is the exclusion of cosy sofas for
teenagers. They were once set on fire. No cosier sofas after that incident.
A much bigger change is the change of focus. The retail orientation is still
there and it helps people inside. But now is the time to finds new ways of work.
A proactive attitude is required.
This resembles the staff strategy in OBA (and other libraries around the world).
Digital innovation is key and the library will try out different actions to find the
right ways in improving the community in digital literacy. Also including
edutainment. One far out experiment was arranging a drone race. Inside the
library! https://youtu.be/3iVWhXp262Y Publicity is easy :-)
The video is done in cooperation with a close by educational institution. These
institution pupils are part of library services in programs, labs and so on.
Program events, like digital labs, are more and more important. Some
programs are for free. High class authors may cost 10€.
Worth mentioning is the theatre forum facility which is functioning as an arthouse cinema three-four times a week.
Our host finishes the tour by stating that a library has to stay develop itself
constantly, stay new and inspiring!