The new roles of libraries in the Netherlands

On Thursday morning, if you visit the Library of Eindhoven, a Southern city of the Netherlands, you will see the scenery which subvert the notion that libraries are quiet; groups of foreigners are practicing Dutch conversation, several elderly people are supported by a young staff with laptops in front of them, and a group of women are drinking coffee while they let little children play together...it looks like a community center or a park on a weekend.

Recently, the library in the Netherlands is changing drastically as a place for people to get together and develop themselves.? What is the background of their changes?? What kind of activities are created?? Introducing the Eindhoven Library, which has been particularly progressive in the Netherlands, we will consider the new roles of the libraries.

Comfortable “Town House”

“Library is not just a building with full of books, but it is one of the few places where you can just come to “be” with no obligations.? You don’t have to buy anything, and you don’t have to have a library card.? It is a true public space where you can drop by and stay as long as you want”, Andrea Wewer, a collector of children’s books at Eindhoven Library explains the role of the library.

According to her, it was about 15 years ago that the café came into the center of the library and it became not only a place to borrow books and read, but also for people to come together.

“In Denmark you saw this movement for some time, which inspired us. The space became livelier and it fitted with our mission to support people to develop themselves, not only through books, but also through activities and meetings” (Wewer)

Activities to support diverse citizens

To support diverse citizens including elderly and newcomers, Eindhoven Library is currently engaged in a wide range of activities under three themes: language, digital, and people & society. The main activities are listed below.

Digital government supports: Renewing drivers’ licences, filing tax returns, applying for nursing, pensions and subsidies -- While many administrative procedures are done online in recent years, this has been challenging for those without digital skills, such as the elderly. For this reason, the library has specialist staff at a certain time each week to assist with these procedures free of charge.

In addition, workshops are regularly organised on how to use popular apps and 'DigiCafé' for exchanging information with experts and peers. These are not only improving the digital skills of the people but are also helping to solve social problems such as loneliness.

MakersClub: A science workshop for children aged 7-13, held every Friday and Saturday at fixed times. With the support of experts, children make crafts and learn programming using authentic equipment such as 3D printers, laser cutters and soldering equipment etc.

Breastfeeding Café: Community activities for mothers with babies. They can get advice from an expert on breastfeeding and baby food.? It is also a place for participants to meet other mothers over a cup of coffee. Between 40-50 people gather each time.

Language Café: A place for newcommers to practise Dutch conversation. It is held every Thursday from at 10.30 - 12.00, with the help of about 20 Dutch volunteers.? This initiative was started about 10 years ago mainly for refugees migrating to the Netherlands, but now 80-90% of the participants are intellectual workers and their families who have migrated to the Netherlands for their work.

During the corona pandemic, it was held online.? It was so popular that 300 people registered over two days. ?As there were not enough Dutch volunteers, a major local company, ASML (the world's largest semiconductor equipment manufacturer), was enlisted to help secure volunteers. After the pandemic, the online implementation continued. About 60-70 people join, who cannot be at the library during daytimes on the weekdays.

Children's books in 20 languages, to reflect the internationalisation of the city

As seen in the thriving Language Café, Eindhoven has seen a strong influx of foreigners in recent years. This is because the city is located in an area with one of the highest concentrations of high-tech companies in the Netherlands, and that technical personnel are recruited from all over the world. In particular, the aforementioned ASML has grown remarkably in response to the recent increase in demand for high-end semiconductor equipment, and the company has speeded up the internationalization of the city.

In response to this change, Eindhoven Library is now equipped with 7,000 children's books in about 20 languages, including Japanese.

“In the past, the general idea was that when children immigrated to the Netherlands with their parents, they had to speak Dutch at home, but now we know that having access to the heritage languages (the language spoken at home after emigration abroad) has a positive effect on a child's development and their brain” (Wewer)

The introduction of children's books in multiple languages was triggered by “Heritage Language Education Network (HLE Network)”, an organisation in the city that promotes awareness of the importance of heritage language education and forms a network for it. The collection of books is facilitated by this network, as well as by "The Reading Pier", a private library of English books.

“The foreign language books are the property of Reading Pier and each language school under the HLE Network, and the libraries are allowed to keep them. In exchange, these organisations can use the library space to held regular reading activities and workshops” (Wewer)

In September this year, an international event organized by the city hall was held in the library.? Some language groups under the HLE Network participated, and they introduced their culture and promoted their language school.? The Japanese group also took place in the event, and they held Origami and calligraphy workshops, which was very popular.

Gisi Cannizzaro, managing director of HLE Network, describes these activities as follows.

“The international workshops organized in the library are inclusive cultural exchange, with the local people also involved. Furthermore, when the events are held in the heritage languages at a public place like the library, multilingual children feel more confident, recognizing that it's okay to do something publicly in their own language. Library is open to children with all kinds of background”.

But aren’t there any complaints from the users when the library is not quiet?

“Some criticise, but mostly people are enthusiastic about our activities” answered Wewer.? Some of the users also gave me positive comments, such as “I feel welcomed whenever I come to the library”.

Continuously evolving libraries

Reflecting citizen’s voices, the city's budget for libraries is also expanding. According to Wewer, this was also driven by the throne speech of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, expressing the expected role of libraries in society.

Currently, four small district libraries are planned to be set up in the city. But the format will be different from the traditional stand-alone library.? They are going to be in the same building with a community centre etc., and there will be more collaboration with the local organizations and residents.

“Each district has different needs. We listen to everyone's opinions and reflect what kind of books they want and what services they need" (Wewer)

Eindhoven Library will also extend its opening hours from 30 October this year. The library's current opening hours of 10am-5pm will be extended to 7pm, and from 5-7pm it will become an 'unmanned library' with no staff. “Many libraries in the Netherlands have already introduced unmanned libraries. This is another measure to make libraries accessible to all.” (Wewer)

The library, which aims to be a 'true public space' by involving various people, organizations, and companies, continues to evolve itself along with the growth of its citizens.