Public Libraries as Network Agencies for Culture and Education

"Currently 10,705 libraries with professional staff do exist all over Germany. All of these libraries count about 680,000 visits per day und 205 million visits per year. The total amount of items on loan is 364 million and the circulation rate is 474 million per year. 8.75 million people are using libraries regularly – a number from the German Library Statistics that does not even include persons younger than 12 years of age. For a long time public libraries defined themselves as cultural institutions within a municipality. From their very beginnings end of the 19th/begin of the 20th century they were and until now they still are an important part of the cultural infrastructure which cities finance within the public services for their inhabitants. During the sixties of the 20th century most of the public libraries started to support actively as well primary as secondary schools and highschools to promote the ability of language and reading.

In most of the German cities public libraries cooperate with adult education centers. In some cities the two publicly funded institutions are placed under one umbrella – in Duisburg this is going to be realized in spring 2014 within a new building right in the centre of the city. The profit of such an arrangement is on both sides: on the one side the engagement of the public libraries in the field  of language learning (German as a foreign language, learning of foreign languages for Germans), job qualification und cultural education is strengthened; on the other side  the participants of seminars at the adult’s education center are enabled to use the printed, audiovisual and digital materials of the library and can profit from the high professionality of librarians in winning information about different subjects. But the success of such a cooperation is dependent on co-ordinated concepts for the seminars and library materials as well as for the joint usage of rooms."

Beyond the cooperations between the institutions with educational background Duisburg City Library is creative with many ideas. The Duisburg Philhamonic Orchestra and the Zoological Garden is one a the attractive partners to enhance a broader understanding what means to be a "Duisburger".

Dr. Jan-Pieter Barbian, Director of Duisburg City Libraries will give an insight view what all is possible if institutions are working together.