Amersfoort library realignment a success

Libraries are mostly negative in the news. Branches have to close, members walk away and there is an ongoing debate about their right to exist. But in Amersfoort, the library is on the rise. Over the past year, the number of visitors has risen sharply.

An advance confession: I am a nostalgic library visitor. As a little boy, I used to borrow The Ship-boys of Bontekoe, Eagle's Eye and the trilogies of K. Norel. Later, thanks to the library, I was introduced to much of the world's literature. But now, when I enter the Amersfoort library (nominated for best library in the country, along with Alkmaar, Gouda, Apeldoorn, Oude Pekela and Weert) in the Eemhuis, at first glance there is not a novel or book of poetry to be seen.

The Amersfoort library looks something like a modern lecture hall. The space with the striking half-metal spheres on the ceiling has seven 'terraces'. Visitors read a newspaper, search the internet behind fixed computers, work on their laptops or drink a cappuccino at the coffee bar. The book collection is located in side aisles and galleries.

'How is it going?" I ask Erno de Groot, director of the library.

"Almost a year ago, we moved to the Eemhuis. Since then, our visitor numbers have skyrocketed. We estimate to reach 750,000 visitors this year; at our old location the figure was around 450,000. Something new naturally attracts extra interest. Another big advantage is that the Eemhuis also houses other cultural institutions, such as Scholen voor de Kunst. That creates an interaction."

(citation continues after photo)

"Parents bring their child to music lessons and pick up a book right away, come and read the newspaper or have a cup of coffee. Sometimes there are joint activities. The location on the Eemplein also provides a walk-in. There are shops here, a big cinema, restaurants, you have museum KAdE, all of which generate extra traffic. And we do our best to respond even better to our customers' wishes. For instance, we are now open on Sunday afternoons. That is a huge success and we will definitely keep doing it, even if it puts a lot of pressure on the organisation. People meet each other here."

The library as a meeting place. Part of what has been called the ´reorientation of libraries´. Or, as minister Bussemaker put it in the NRC last year: 'libraries need to reinvent themselves'.

"We really are more than just a meeting place. People can read, study, deepen their knowledge here. Our information function has become less. If people want to know something, they can look it up on Google at home. But to deepen their search, they can come to us again. Because there is also a lot of rubbish on the Internet. How do you select information? We give courses on that. And we offer more in-depth information through our book collection. Through lectures and courses. On the most diverse subjects, right up to complex philosophical issues. To sum up: we see ourselves as a centre for information, knowledge deepening, meeting and culture."

Speaking of culture. Once upon a time, the library started as a lending place for books. I fell in love with reading there myself. But when I enter here now, I hardly see a book, let alone a novel or book of poetry. Isn't that a huge loss?

"I don't identify with that image at all. Of course, fewer and fewer books are being lent out, but they are still enormously important to us. You could call it the cultural arm of the library. In it, the book is central. It's about literary experience, writing, book presentations. We have a digital story table. As the only library in the Netherlands, we have a shop with books by writers from the region.

We organise writing courses, readings by writers, the 'book of the month' conversation. Creating communities is very important here. We try to connect small groups around one theme, for instance a certain writer. That not only creates a bond among themselves, it also connects people with the library."

Something else. Minister Bussemaker favours a national digital library. The result seems to be that more and more municipalities seem to be closing their physical libraries.

"The premise is that more and more people are reading digitally, even though it is not taking off nearly as much as perhaps once thought. We also have a digital offering because we want to keep up with the development. But apart from that, I think the law is far too one-sided and focused only on the digital side of the library. Physical contact, organising meaning, things like that are missing. Physical library branches are really indispensable. At most, you could combine it with a digital environment in smaller communities around it. Not to mention the risk of increasing illiteracy and excluding people who don't have access to a digital environment."

Yet libraries Eemland has also already had to close some branches and the danger of more closures is on the cards. In possible austerity proposals by the municipality of Amersfoort branches in the new housing estate Vathorst and the village of Hoogland are mentioned.

"We are getting signals from the College that this will not happen. What I am immensely happy about is the support we received from the public when the austerity options were announced. That shows how much sympathy and support there is for us."

Author: Onno Weggemans

Featured photo: Bert van As