Dutch library wins 2018 Public Library of the Year
The School 7 library in the Netherlands (KopGroep Libraries) has won the Public Library of the Year award for 2018, reports Dutch News.
Announced at the World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Kuala Lumpur this August, the library won out of a shortlist of five that included libraries in the US, Brazil, Norway and Singapore.
Award judges were impressed by the way the library cooperated with local partners, and also praised the library’s architecture and layout. The building is a 100-year old former school, which had been empty for many years before a local housing association decided to buy it and turn it into a library.
‘When we started School 7 we wanted to be able to serve as “the living room for the community”—and we’ve already succeeded in that,’ said School 7 director Jacinta Krimp. ‘You can get married in the theatre or celebrate your birthday in the café. Everything is possible in School 7.’
The Public Library of the Year award is presented each year to a public library that is either newly built or set up in premises not previously used for library purposes.
For more information about the award, click here.
Category: Library news International
