Tag Archives: Norway

Meet the candidates: Hege Kristine Myhrebakken

Hege Kristine Myhrebakken
Østre Toten folkebibliotek
Norway

My name is Hege Kristine and I am 29 years old. I started my library career in 2015, in a public library in a small municipality of 15 000 people. I am a fulltime youth librarian at Østre Toten folkebibliotek, and my background is an education in creative writing and cultural project management.

In 2017 I attended my first IFLA congress, thanks to a scholarship from Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees (Fagforbundet). After IFLA17 I became a member of Fagforbundets library interest group, which gives guiding advice on library politics. I received yet another scholarship last year, and attended IFLA in Kuala Lumpur. Whilst there, I attended several Public Libraries business meetings/sessions, and found your work something I myself would like to be a part of.

As a librarian and a member of my union, I am interested in further development of public libraries and the access to knowledge and information. I would like to work for strengthening the role that the public library has in society, both as a free and equal place to meet other people and as a democratic arena for debates and discussions.

I would love to be a part of shaping the future of public libraries, and to work with talented and unique colleagues from all over the world! I will bring my passion for libraries and reading, and convert them into actions that will be a part of the shaping of the future.

For more information about voting for members of the Public Libraries Standing Committee take the time to read our post.

Norway’s First Youth-Only Library for kids ages 10 to 15

 

 

 

 

Forget what you think about libraries!

Biblo Tøyen, one of Oslo Public Library’s (Deichmanske bibliotek) newest additions, is breaking and changing all the library rules! This is a unique and innovative space, created for young people ages 10 to 15. Adults are not allowed to visit the space.

A library to upgrade an entire district – is that even possible? Biblo Tøyen is located on the Tøyen Torg in a social deprived area of the city. The library and is the only one of its kind; A library that only caters to children aged 10 to 15 years. The Oslo Public Library (called Deichmanske Library ) wanted to create an atypical Culture House, “a third place”, reflecting the motto of the library: “Keep Your Awake!” They desire to enrich the children’s everyday life by inspiring them so they created the coolest place in the city where you can gather ,work and hang around. Architecture psychology was used as a tool to understand the needs of the target groups.

New concept
The design team went directly to the source to begin their mission to rethink and redesign the library space. They held focus groups with young people to find out their wants and needs. The youth said they wanted a place to hang out, relax, and escape parents and siblings. In addition, they needed a safe place to socialize and said it should be a space where they can create and do things together. The library has achieved these goals by creating a cool and comfortable ‘third’ space between school and home where youth can learn, explore, and be themselves.

Library design that let´s you float away into fascination
The answer to the children’s vision was to multiply the creative solutions in the design. A team of skilled craftsmen was employed to create a cool yet pleasant “third place”, a stopover heading home from school. The design boasts creativity and imagination, creating an exciting and inspiring experience for the young visitors. The library’s program extends far beyond just books and reading, and offers everything from cooking to 3D printing.

Biblo Tøyen is the youth library of the future with a drone flying around, scanning and locating media. The interior consists of many exciting elements – like a Vespa veteran car turned into a workshop, the Volvo Bamse car, which contains a multifunctional kitchen, old gondola lanes converted into a workroom, a traditional British phone booth that serves as an entrance to the backstage area and bookshelves made of old wooden shelves.

All major interior elements can be easily moved to make the room more universally available. By using movable and moving objects in the interior, you get a free and flexible floor plan that can be adapted to future needs.
And to put it simple: Biblo Tøyen changes the library paradigm !

I recommend a look at the architect Aat Vo´s creative guide and his own description about this project, with extraordinary pictures !

Leikny Haga Indergaard – Norway – Nominee for PLS Standing Committee

Leikny Haga Indergaard has also nominated for the PLS Standing Committee for the term 2017-2021. Leikny is currently in her first term on the Standing Committee.

 

 

 

Name: Leikny Haga Indergaard 
Institution: Bergen Public Library
Country: Norway

What experience will you bring to the role of Standing Committee Member?

First of all I will bring my experiences as the director of a public library which has changed from a traditional library to a modern, user oriented library. Bergen Public Library facilitates and lead change by linking all generations in the community together to build local capacities and multiple literacies through library programs and activities. We create networks in the local society, and invite our users to be a resource in the sculpting of the library´s services, and we want to be the cultural meeting place and learning space required by future citizens.

Bergen Public Library is the host of the IFLA Satellite meeting Managing change- Libraries in transition August 16-17th 2017, and we invite librarians from all over the world to our city. Together with presentations from colleagues from the IFLA society we will also present our library and our ongoing projects that aim to shape a library for the future!

As a member of IFLA Public Libraries Section I have given papers about library strategies, smart ideas and experiences from our library on the IFLA conferences in Sydney, March 2017, in Philadelphia and IFLA Congress Columbus Ohio in August 2016; and about literacy matters in other international conferences.

I have had the position as a public library director in different libraries, and have also experiences from public library strategies at a national level as a former director at the National Library and earlier from the National Authority of Archives, Libraries and Museums and my engagement in different projects about literature and cultural activities.

I have also other international experiences and engagement, and I ´m now the vice chair of the board of ICORN, The International Cities of Refuge Network. ICORN is an independent organization of cities and regions offering shelter to writers and artists at risk, advancing freedom of expression, defending democratic values and promoting international solidarity.

In IFLA I have had the position as chair of the Literacy and Reading Section and as a member of the Children and Young Adult Section. I have organized IFLA preconferences and satellite Meetings in Stavanger 2005, Oslo 2007 and Bergen 2017. I have also been a part of the National Committee of IFLA 2005 in Oslo.

Norwegian Tales in Outback Australia

Ruth Ornholt, Head of Hordaland County Library in Bergen Norway, travelled to Wagga Wagga in country Australia last weekend to speak at the Australasian Mobile Library  Conference. A former member of the Public Library Standing Committee Ruth wowed the audience with tales of her library ‘boat’. It goes to show how ‘mobile’ libraries come in all shapes and sizes!

http://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/1729688/librarians-conference-looks-to-next-chapter-of-service/?cs=148