Written by Nathalie Clot For how to contribute to Library Planet look here: https://libraryplanet.net/contribute/ La Bibliothèque universitaire de Belle Beille is a academic library, in Angers, a french town of 150 000 inhabitants in the Loire Valley. Build in 1993 on a green out-of-the-town campus, it offers 1000 places, and only 300 of them a…
Category: European Libraries
Gladstone’s Library – a knowledge oasis born in the tin tabernacle
Written by Amy Sumner For how to contribute to Library Planet look here: https://libraryplanet.net/contribute/ NESTLED in a small village in North Wales is Britain’s finest residential library. Gladstone’s Library in Hawarden is Britain’s only Prime Ministerial library and the national memorial to the great Victorian statesman and four times Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone. It…
Gaismas Pils – Latvia’s “Castle of Light” illuminates and enthrals
Written by Phil Segall For how to contribute to Library Planet look here: https://libraryplanet.net/contribute/ Rīga is home to the incredible National Library of Latvia. The “Castle of Light” (“Gaismas Pils” in Latvian) as it is known locally, opened in 2014. This iconic building houses some 4.5 million items, including the Baltic Central Library. It is immense!…
Helsinki University Library – sleek design and a corkscrew staircase
Written by Dr. Derek Cash For how to contribute to Library Planet look here: https://libraryplanet.net/contribute/ Helsinki University Library in Helsinki, Finland is an academic library with over a million volumes. Although the institution has the primary goal of serving the students and faculty, the public has free access to the facility. The library is located…
Middelfart Library – Culture Island
Written by Library Planet editor Marie Eiriksson, library consultant at Gladsaxe Public Libraries, Denmark. For how to contribute to Library Planet look here: https://libraryplanet.net/contribute/ This library is special to me. Middelfart is the town i grew up in, but in the 80’s when I would ride my bike to and from the library, it was situated in…
Aarhus University Library – a garden with books and pingpong
Written by Library Planet editor Christian Lauersen, director of Libraries and Citizen Services in Roskilde Municipality, Denmark. For how to contribute to Library Planet look here: https://libraryplanet.net/contribute/ Aarhus University Library (a part of The Royal Danish Library) is located in the center of Aarhus closely integrated with Aarhus University. The buildings on campus are classy yellow stone…
Education instead of coal: The new Recklinghausen Public Library is open!
Written by Andreas Mittrowann For how to contribute to Library Planet look here: https://libraryplanet.net/contribute/ Recklinghausen is located in the Ruhr area, in the Northwest of the state of Northrhine-Westphalia. It is the largest city and the adminstrative center in its district. Recklinghausen is part of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region and nationally known for its annual…
Menningarhús Grófinni library in Reykjavik – infographics and a very knitted christmas
Written by Valerie Sherman For how to contribute to Library Planet look here: https://libraryplanet.net/contribute/ I visited the Menningarhús Grófinni branch of the Reykjavik library system on December 8 and was struck by the fabulous Christmas decorations and excellent selection of English language materials. I also loved their infographic to show the ways that people use…
The Word wants to transform a visitor’s perception of what a library can be – also they serve beer
Written by Phil Segall For how to contribute to Library Planet look here: https://libraryplanet.net/contribute/ The National Centre for the Written Word, also known simply as “The Word”, opened in October 2016. It sits at the very heart of a major redevelopment of the South Shields area in the North-East of England and has successfully become a cornerstone…
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