A “mini library” on Római-part, in Budapest

It was a hot afternoon. Downtown was unbearably hot. I went to Római-part (Roman Beach), because a friend of mine, who is a librarian invited me to ”Fellini Római Kultúrbisztró”.

(Here are some pictures about this place: http://agyasztaltv.blog.hu/2010/07/04/fellini_romai_kulturbisztro)

Római-part (Roman Beach) is a 10-kilometer-long part of the Danube shore on the Buda side, in Budapest. It is really like a resort. There are hotels, summer houses, camping sites, boathouses, sports facilities and restaurants by the riverside. You can eat pancakes and a favourite, Hungarian snack, lángos. The boathouses are standing next to each other all the way long, so you can rent a canoe or a kayak. But if you are not a sport fan, you can have a rest or listen to a concert that a local band gives on summer evenings in one of the restaurants. You can dance and have fun. 

After that busy day, I was walking by the restaurants, where people were eating fish and drinking beer and I was happy to feel the gentle wind. 

”Fellini Római Kultúrbisztró” often gives place to concerts and cultural events. And in these summer months, a ”mini library” operates there. The day I went there was the first day when you could borrow books and journals, and could read them while you were drinking a cold beer or fresh lemonade (then returned them). 

You can enjoy reading in these deck-chairs

The organizer of this mini library is one of the public libraries in Budapest, called ”Óbudai Platán Könyvtár”. This mini library is ”officially” called ”Bibliocikli”, because books and journals are brought to the ”Kultúrbisztró” by bike every day. The mini library is opened between 19th June and 19th August (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 14.00-18.00 and Saturday, Sunday 11.00-19.00)

“Mini Library” – “Bibliocikli”

 

I think it is a good initiative. There are some other examples for ”summer libraries” in Hungary. Some ”beach libraries” operate at Lake Balaton (e.g. in Siófok). These ”mini libraries” ensure that books ”go to” readers. The aim of running them is to please readers and popularize books, reading and libraries.

“Mini library” (Bibliocikli) is an easy and liberal way of borrowing books. People can choose from about a hundred books/journals, and if they ask for a title, it will be ”bicycled along” the next day from the library. 

And I have to mention that it is a real “green library”.  🙂 

The “mini library” is ”closed”. Szuszi is bringing the books back to the library.

How can yout get to Római-part?

Take the No. 5 HÉV (suburban railway – green and white trains) from Batthyány tér to „Rómaifürdő” or „Csillaghegy”. Alternatively, catch a 34  bus from „Árpád híd” metro stop on the blue M3 line. You can get off at „Nánási út”. Plus 10 minutes walk. (From the HÉV station it can be a 20-30 minutes walk.)

 

You can find the Hungarian version of this post here:

https://booksandsoul.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/mini-konyvtar-a-fellini-romai-kulturbisztroban-a-romai-parton/

”Bring a book! Take a book!” – Two ”BookStations” were opened in Obuda, Budapest

(Translated by Andrea Hagymási. The original Hungarian version: https://booksandsoul.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/hozzal-egy-konyvet-vigyel-egy-konyvet-konyvmegallok-nyiltak-obudan/)

Two free 24-hour pop-up libraries (called ”BookStations”) were created by the local government of Obuda Bekasmegyer (3rd district of Budapest), “Platan” Public Library and  “Kulturmontazs” Civil Association. BookStations were opened on 6th June, 2012. 

They are situated in the busy areas of the district: 

 1. Aquincum BookStation – Budapest, 3rd district, near Római tér 1.

2. Csillaghegy BookStation – Budapest, 3rd district, near Mátyás király út  5.

3. San Marco Bookstation – Budapest, 3rd district, 81. San Marco Street

4. Children Bookstation – Budapest, 3rd district, 9-13. Silvanus Sétány

The aim of running them is not only to popularize reading, but also to be conducive to caring for each other. BookStations operate on the basis of reciprocity. I have already written about how libraries can be public places. Libraries offer the most essential condition of community activities: a meeting place. It is especially true in case of pop-up libraries. While you are looking for a book on the shelves, you can chat with people who are around the BookStation. You can meet new people from the neighbourhood. You can pick up an unfamiliar book. Or you can choose an interesting title. And you can replace it with another.

The aim is to run BookStations by people and civil associations.

Pop-up libraries, which can be found and are very similar all around the world, have been established to ensure that books “go to” readers. These libraries are always in change. New books appear on their shelves day by day. There is a pop-up library in New York. It was created from an old phone booth.

(http://www.travelettes.net/new-yorks-pop-up-libraries/)

There are some in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. You can find a list of them here (with photos): http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_%C3%B6ffentlicher_B%C3%BCcherschr%C3%A4nke

I wish BookStations  became kind and useful places.

Bibliography:

 Gerilla könyvtárosok a Wall Streeten. KIT Hírlevél. 2011. október 28. 

http://www.kithirlevel.hu/index.php?=gerilla_konyvtarosok_a_wall_streeten

Sajtóközlemény KönyvMegálló átadásáról

The “Pop-Up” Library: A Mini-Movement of Knowledge.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-mack/the-pop-up-librarya-mini-_b_1470544.html

Kávészünet. Az Országos Idegennyelvű Könyvtár blogja. Könyvtári hírek a világból.

http://www.oik.hu:8080/?p=10521

New York’s Pop Up Libraries. Travelletes, 2012. március 9. 

http://www.travelettes.net/new-yorks-pop-up-libraries/

„Public libraries as meeting places” – comments on Prof. Ragnar Audunson’s lecture on Books and Soul

„Public libraries as meeting places” – comments on Prof. Ragnar Audunson’s lecture

Libraries, as public places, have possibilities to become the most lively places of the local community, because they offer services to the whole society. Libraries offer the most essential condition of community activities: a meeting place.

In Budapest, on 19th April 2012, Prof. Ragnar Audunson[1] lectured about the PLACE project. The title of his talk was „Public libraries as meeting places”. The event was organized by the Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the Eötvös Loránd University. The lecture was translated by Agnes Hajdu Barát[2].

I would like to write – without attempting to be comprehensive – about some interesting parts of this lecture. They inspired me to think about the social role of libraries.

The Norwegian professor talked about the PLACE („Public Libraries as Arenas for Citizenship”) project. I would like to highlight one of the most important aims of this project. The questions are: how do libraries become real meeting places in multicultural local communities? How can they help the communication between people with totally different cultural and religious backgrounds? How can they help to solve integration problems of immigrants? (As I wrote it, I realized that he did not mention the word „problem” related to this topic…)

Before answering these questions, I pinpoint some facts about Norway.

The North Germanic Norwegian language has two official written forms, Bokmål and Nynorsk and both of them are recognized as official languages. They are both used in public administration, in schools, churches, and the media. This rather special situation is complicated by many dialects and the fact that 11% of the population are immigrants.

Most immigrants in Norway come from Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Russia and Afganistan. About 25% of the population of Oslo are non-Western immigrants. There are some schools, where 70-80% of the students are immigrants.

It is interesting that muslim women are allowed to go to libraries (in contrast to other public places), because muslim families think that libraries are safe places. For these women libraries are places where they can learn the local customs and socialize. Even a superficial knowledge of muslim customs reveals how important this might be. It proves that that „meeting place function in the library has a different social profile and has a potential of creating communities across social, economic and ethnic cleavages”[3].

I was taken by Mr. Audunson’s attitude of supposing goodwill related to everything. He stated  that he would leave his wallet on the table, because he assumed goodwill. In his opinion, this trust should be the basis of society. And it must be the same for politicians, too: „A” party and „B” party have to suppose goodwill behind the other’s steps and decisions.

Another interesting feature of the PLACE project is that students and PhD students took part in it for years. It would be good to have more similar projects in Hungary. This way students would have a glimpse into the real world of libraries by taking part in this kind of projects.

You can find more information about the PLACE project, about Norway and about this lecture in English and in Hungarian in the bibliography:

You can hear the whole lecture and find the power point presentation of the lecture on ELTE BTK KT Blog:

http://elte-lis.blogspot.com/2012/04/prof-ragnar-audunson-eloadasa.html

Svanhild Aabø, Ragnar Audunson and Andreas Vårheim: How do public libraries function as meeting places? Online: https://oda.hio.no/jspui/bitstream/10642/335/2/503013.pdf

 Beszámoló Ragnar professzor úr előadásáról az ELTE Egyetemi Könyvtári Szolgálat honlapján (with pictures and the power point presentation of the lecture). Online: http://konyvtar.elte.hu/web/hu/node/1987

Beszámoló Ragnar professzor úr előadásáról az ELTE BTK honlapján: http://www.btk.elte.hu/hir?id=NW-855

Bodrogi Enikő: Nyelvi jogok Norvégiában. Online: http://klimala.web.elte.hu/18/10MBodrogiEniko.pdf

Norway. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway

Koller Inez:  Migrációs tendenciák Európában

Online: http://publikon.hu/application/essay/490_1.pdf

Ragnar Audunson: The public library as a meeting-place in a multicultural and digital context: The necessity of low-intensive meeting-places. Online: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1465043

Tóth Máté: A könyvtár mint találkozóhely – A PLACE projekt. In: Könyv, könyvtár, könyvtáros. 2009. 7. sz.

http://ki.oszk.hu/3k/2010/12/a-konyvtar-mint-talalkozohely-a-place-projekt/

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[1] Ragnar Audunson is Professor in Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences  and was the president of European Association for Library & Information Education and Research (EUCLID)

[2] Agnes Hajdu Barát is a college professor at the Department of Library and Museum Pedagogy, Institute of Adult Education, Gyula Juhász Faculty of Education, University of Szeged, and a guest lecturer at the Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. 

[3] From the power point presentation of the lecture, that you can find here: http://elte-lis.blogspot.com/2012/04/prof-ragnar-audunson-eloadasa.html

Libraries for sustainability

How can libraries do more for the future generations and for the sustainable development?

Libraries can do a lot in different actions as follows:

• Libraries preserve books for future generations.
• Libraries preserve knowledge for future generations.
• Libraries can be built originally as green libraries or they can be modernized according to one of the green building rating systems (e.g.: LEED)
• Libraries can be established essentially by green collections or some sections of traditional libraries can be improved to green deparments or corners. (Topics of the books can be sustainable development, enviroment protection, enviroment pollution, ecology, climate, enviromental education, global problems etc.)
• Libraries can take part in enviromental education.

“Libraries can be built originally as green libraries …” – What does it mean exactly?

Green libraries are a part of the larger green buliding movement. Also known as sustainable libraries and they are being built all over the world. Along with library 2.0, green library design is a new trend, defining the library of the 21st century.

These new library buildings are built according to one of the green building rating systems.

The most familiar green building rating systems are

–        BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assesment Method) – United Kingdom

–        LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) – USA

–        DGNB – a german system

–        Green Building Programme – European Union

In the case of green libraries the most popular system is LEED.

Under the LEED system, a green building is one that is built incorporating the following design elements:

–        Sustainable site selection and development

–        Water conservation

–        Energy efficiency

–        Local resources, material conservation and waste reduction

–        Indoor environmental quality

–        Innovation in design

The levels of qualifications are: Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum

 In case of library buildings there are special needs that you can take into consideration.  

Books must be kept away from extreme temperatures, moisture, and sunlight (especially damaging ultra-violet rays). A common strategy in green design is to raise the floors to increase circulation. The weight of the stacks makes it difficult to carry out. Green libraries would be built to last, to flexibly respond to changing functional demands, to provide an environment that is inspiring and safe, as well as to perform efficiently, providing great financial value to the community that supported its creation. Green libraries need to be built flexibly, in order to make room for expansions in size and in wiring capabilities. They are long term investments into the community, so when designing them architects need to be looking 50 or 100 years into the future.

One of my favourite green libraries is Minneapolis Central Library from the USA.

It was built in 2005. It is 32.800 gross square metres. And there is an additional 13.000 square metres of underground parking.

96% of the previous existing library was recycled as was construction waste whenever possible.

Underfloor displacement cooling technology adds 20% running efficiency.

The self-supporting stair and glass railings and elevator makes the interior feel very much connected.

With no interior load-bearing walls, the library will accommodate changes in technology and use of space.

There is an 1700 gross square metres green roof on the top of the Minneapolis Central Library.

What is a green roof?

 Green roof refers to a system of roofing that uses plant life for roof covering instead of traditional covering materials. The plants that cover the roof provide an excellent insulation to the building reducing business electricity and business gas consumption significantly, but they also act as a natural filter for rainwater which means that they significantly reduce the amount of rain drainage.

On the green roof system of the library employs two water management systems, working together, to retain the storm water that reaches the property to be captured and reused.

The benefits anticipated for the green roofs on the new library go beyond storm water management and also include:

• Reduced building energy consumption
• New green space in downtown Minneapolis
• Reduction of urban heat island signature
• Improved internal air quality
• Increased longevity of the library’s roof system
• Establishes a model for clean and sustainable building design in Minneapolis

And for librarians I would like to mention an interesting fact. Almost 100% of the collection accessible to the public (earlier it was 15%).

In these days sustainability is a current topic. I think, through these examples, you can see that libraries can do a lot in different actions for sustainable development.These green library buildings are not only for reducing energy consumption, for cut the save money. These buildings are for giving good examples how we could live and how we can be environment-conscious. There will be more and more green libraries with more an more functions that make the world better.

Pictures about Minneapolis Central Library by Attila Pegán. 

More pictures: 

https://picasaweb.google.com/115457077502684161467/MinneapolisKonyvtar

Bibliography

Check out the new Library. Minneapolis Central Library. Online:http://www.startribune.com/projects/12869607.html (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)

 Extensive green roofs top off the new minneapolis central public library. Online: http://www.henry.com/casestudies/mnlibrary  (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)

 Green Design. Minneapolis Central Library. Online: http://www.larsonengr.com/grn_05.html (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)

 Green Library. Online:http://thegreenlibraryblog.blogspot.com/ (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)

 Green Library. Wikipedia. Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_library (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)   

 The greenroof projects database. Minneapolis Central Library. Online:

http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=232 (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)

 Information about Green and Sustainable Libraries. Online: http://www.greenlibraries.org/ (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)

 Inhabitat. Green Library. Online: http://inhabitat.com/tag/green-library/ (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)

 Minneapolis Central Library. Online:

http://libraryarchitecture.wikispaces.com/Minneapolis+Central+Library,+Hennepin+County+Library,+Minneapolis,+Minnesota+(building (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)

 The Minneapolis Central Library by Cesar Pelli. Online: http://www.designrelated.com/inspiration/view/mattsung/entry/3189/the-minneapolis-central-library-by-cesar-pelli  (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)

 A new central library opens its previously closed stacks to literate Minneapolis. Online:

http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/bts/archives/libraries/08_Minneapolis/ (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)

 Sustainable development. Wikipedia. Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_development (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)

 Sustainable Library. Online: http://sustainablelibraries.org/ (Date of download: 05.05.2012.)