Successful start of Open Library on March 13, 2019 in the Bremen-Vahr district library!

The Bremen-Vahr district library is the first library in Bremen to offer open library times.

In the presence of representatives from the district and politics, Finance Senator Karoline Linnert opened the library in a good mood with her BIBCard as the first Open Library customer.

A door opened to a new world of services that Dr. Andreas Mackeben from the Senator for Culture described it as a “spearhead” for the development of the district, as the library can now also be used by staff outside of opening hours. Anyone aged 18 or over with a valid BIBCard can now use the library without staff. Reading, playing, using WiFi, borrowing and returning – everything is possible until an automatic announcement announces the end of opening hours. The introduction of further Open Library times will take place gradually, and Barbara Lison, Executive Director of the Stadtbibliothek Bremen , hopes for a continuous expansion of this promising offer. In a first step, the library will also be available to its users without staff on Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The Open Library concept is already being successfully practiced, especially in Scandinavian countries, and is groundbreaking for the library landscape. As part of the action area of ​​digitalization and citizen service, the Senator for Finance is supporting the implementation of this offer in Bremen with reinforcement materials. Mayor Karoline Linnert emphasizes that the longer opening hours are a good example of better citizen service in the age of the digital society.

February 20, 2019