Hjørring New City Library

“The Red Thread”

Next Library International Un-conference, June 14’th, 2009

2009/Børge Søndergård, Hjoerring City Library

Municipality of Hjørring

Hjørring City Library - facts 2009

• Visitors all libraries(2008): 449.000 (Main library: first year 330.000)

• Lending (2008): 630.000 (Main Library: 472.000)• Web-lendings (2008): 147.000• Active Users (library tickets!): app. 20.500• Opening Hours in Total Library System: 151 hours per week• Staff: 43 (full time)• Budget net. (2009): app. 4.000.000 €• 67.500 Inhabitants• 10. Largest Municipality in Size: app. 1000 sq. km

Library Structure: Head and Branch Libraries

HL HjoerringMetropol

BL Hirtshals BL Sindal

BL VråBL Loekken

Mobile Library in 16 local areas

Other Library Activities

• Library Deliverance Service– App. 120 Users

• Service to Kindergartens etc. – 44 Day-care Centres, 50

Kindergartens served either by Mobile Library, Reserve Collections or Visits to a Library

• Local Newspaper on CD– App. 110 Users

Library in the “Metropol”Visions, Dreams and Reality

From a book collection to the ”Metropol”

• 1889: First Library• 1901: Public Library• 1921 – 1970: Regional

Library• 1927: New (classical)

Library Building • 1971: Codanhus

(together with Town Hall) app. 1800 sq. meters

• 2008: METROPOL (together with Shopping Centre) app. 5000 sq. meters

The Process – incl. The Political Dimension

• Fall 2004: Mayor and building contractor ”Enggaard” have an agreement on a Shopping Centre including a new Library. Must be ready in March 2008

• January 2005: Staff starts building visions• June 2005: Political decision in past Cultural

Board• Spring 2006: Presentation in City Council –

no final decisions – economical problems• October 2006: Principal decision in City

Council

• Fall/winter 2006/2007: Contracts with BCI/Eurobib and Bosch & Fjord

• May 2007: Workshop with BCI and Bosch & Fjord

• August 2007: Presentation of library project to politicians and staff

• October 2007: Final decisions on budget in City Council (increase in yearly budget 390.000 €)

• Opening of the new library 12.4.2008

Library in the METROPOL: ”the Third Place”

• Changes in Libraries and Cities

• The “Metropol”: The answer to the needs of modern citizens: consumption – body - mind

• The Third Place

What is ”the third place” ?

• The place that is neither home nor work• The Meeting place – the Town Square• A public space you seek to ”look” or ”to be

looked at”• In order to:

– enter into dialog– experience– learn– be– Etc.

“All great cultures have hada vital informal life and,necessarily, they evolvedtheir own popular versionsof those places that playedto host it.”

(Ray Oldenburg: The greatgood place. 1989)

”Once again, we need toinnovate – to re-inventpublic places, towns andcities for the twenty-firstcentury.”

(William J. Mitchell, e-topia”Urban life, Jim –but not as we know it”,1999)

“What sort of meeting places, forums and markets will emerge in the electronically mediated world?

What will be the twenty- first-centuryequivalents of the gathering at thewell, the water cooler, the Greekagora, the Roman forum, the villagegreen, the town square, Main Street,and the Mall?”

(William J. Mitchell, e-topia ”Urbanlife, Jim – but not as we know it”,1999)

The functions of third places

• May serve as offices – open off hours

• Brings youth and adults together• Open for everyone – not a club• A ”neutral ground” – people may

come and go as they want• Locally situated• Not necessarily fine but cozy and

comfortable• Political and intellectual forum –

conversation is the main activity• Give the possibility to visit daily –

the regulars – a low profile, easy to come - continuity

• A ”mixer” – assimilation – a leveler – expand the possibilities

• Uniting the neighborhood – an inclusive place – social place

• A staging area• Neither personal advantage nor

civic duty• Serve elderly as well• Provide ”public characters” –

human personality and individuality• Provide ”fun” – but the

entertainment is provided by the people themselves – the mood is playful

Mads Lindholm: ”Modern nomads need oases”

• ”As we are constantly on the move and as work can be done from everywhere, (possibilities that the technological evolution has made possible already years ago), oases and meeting places become vital”. Mads is arguing, that these oases and meeting places might very well be public libraries.

Things we knew - things we wanted

• 50 % of library users do not borrow materials

• The virtual library must be presented in the physical library

• Long opening hours 24/7/365 – oops!

• People (staff) who want to be there for other people (users)

• Change of ”normal procedures” – habits among staff

• New staff roles

Jan Gehl

• ”Life between the houses”

• We move at a pace of 5 km. pr/h – not 50!

• We build insecurity and fear into our cities

• We need:– Corners– edges– doorways– broken lines– “un-square-ness”– medieval cities

What we require from the room?

• Direct and indirect dissemination of materials

• Invitation to stay• Invitation to learn

and experience• Use the room as a

tool for development• Create contact

between people

                                                

The given facts!

The Stage

• VIP-lounge & Waiting Room• What’s up in town• Café, Culture and Sitting

Room• Experimental Children’s

Library• Private Rooms, Group

Rooms and Meeting Facilities

• Learning and Absorption• Electronically up to date• Different kind of

dissemination

We can’t build a library for the future – We can evolve a library for the future, though!

Rooms for Pieces of Scenery

                                                

Backstage

LIBRARY IN A NEW MANNER=THE MOST CENTRAL PLACE IN THE CITY

THREE KEY FUNCTIONS

CITY’S MEETING PLACECITY’S PEACEFUL WORKING PLACECITY’S CREATIVE INSPIRATION SOURCE & PLACE OF DISSEMINATION

MAIN CHALLENGES IN THE ROOM :

ACTIVITY & ABSORPTIONAGEDISSEMINATION

Age

The ground plan!

And this is how it became!

• Ground Plan

…and the Meeting Hall!