The Hague 30 September-3 October

Arriving in The Hague by train I noticed from the window the sign for the central library building, which is part of the massive, white, town hall complex (designed by Richard Meier).  The image of the central library was a million miles removed from the branch libraries I had been visiting in Copenhagen. I started musing about all the international bureaucrats and business people who comprise the ex-pat population here (about 30,000 people out of a total population of 472,000 I discovered later), multicultural relationships and the role of public libraries in this context. Later, I also found a copy of  The Hague public library service annual report for 2006 in English, which gives an idea of the wide scope of activities taking place in different libraries across the city.

But it was Sunday, and I was determined to take a break from visiting or even thinking about libraries and had a thoroughly enjoyable wander through the city instead, taking in the Mauritshuis.

The following day, I went to the Netherlands Public Library Association, having met Lourina de Voogd earlier in the year in London and gave a presentation about Welcome To Your Library. Afterwards, Dr Marian Koren, Head of the Research and International Affairs Department, very kindly gave me a brief introduction to the way Dutch public libraries are organised. This was really useful, so I was aware that the Association is an association of institutions rather than individuals, and also that because of the history of how public libraries began, there is still a membership fee for users to join a public library in the Netherlands. I came away feeling very humbled by the work going on in relation to international exchange, advocacy and library development.

The next day, Irene de Jonge, from The Hague public library service, who had attended my presentation the previous day, took me to visit three branch libraries. At the first, in Schilderswijk, MarieAnne Hartman Kok and Thea Schellekens gave a presentation about networking with local ethnic communities and their experiences. I felt I connected with them immediately and was delighted to discover that they were not only attending the conference in Mechelen, Belgium that was also my next (and last) port of call, but they were also presenting at a workshop there. I was in effect, the audience for a personalised practice run. 

The key content and messages of their presentation were very familiar:

• an analysis of the characteristics and attitudes needed in staff to make networking really work (open-minded, curious, interested, respectful, creative, communicative)
• starting a network: who to contact, what to organize, how to build up internal support and motivation
• developing a network: participation in local community meetings, being proactive and informed about what is going on, and getting involved by asking how the library can offer support
• setting up new activities in the library (education at all levels including learning Dutch, collections in different languages, exhibitions on various cultures/themes, telematic centre, meetings, lectures and programmes in different languages and using unconventional themes and methods)
• maintaining networks and innovation (importance of communication, offering space and facilities, cooperation and support, being proactive in seeking new groups)
• difficulties and pitfalls (time involved, needing sensitivity and awareness of problems caused by language, cultural and religious differences or political orientation)
• benefits: new contacts means new members and visitors, publicity, recognition for the library and opportunity to be a trendsetter; for communities it means a cosy, safe and reliable place for men, women and children from all backgrounds, with collections and activities made to measure and a real partner and supporter of community affairs.     

I should add that MarieAnne has been working with the local community for 30 years with evident passion and 101% commitment; Thea is not a librarian, but has an international development background and has been working on a very successful project facilitating emancipation activities for migrant women via the library. This is an area with 33,000 residents of whom 86% are of non-Dutch origin. It was a fascinating visit. It was also very much in contrast to the last branch library I visited in Copenhagen, in the sense that this area seemed to have so many community-based networks that the library could tap into. I have no doubt that keeping up with the constant shifting local landscape must be quite a challenge.

From here, we went on to Scheveningen, a seaside resort I hadn’t visited since I was nine years old. It was great to see the sea. We visited a library where they had run a lovely and very touching oral history project with the older fishermen of the community, talked with the project’s co-ordinator and watched a delightful film including some reminiscences . Even though I do not speak Dutch, I could hear the accents, tone and emotion in their voices. A very important part of the future heritage of the community. We wound up at the branch library in Tansvaalkwartier in Hobbemaplein, which has a very active, supervised homework club. Arriving just as school finished I was able to see this in action with young people starting to pour in to use the computers. The librarian also showed me the work he has done with young people in the school holidays and how many of them had used the library’s computers to make short clips that they posted on youtube.

I was particularly taken with a leaflet I was given by a member of staff about a forthcoming series of free cultural debates and readings he had organised in the Schilderswijk library on the theme of identity with a series of experts from different backgrounds. Once again many thanks to everyone I met and the welcome I received.

On 3 October, I went to Leiden for the day to celebrate the Leidens Ontzet.  It’s very much a local festival and I was lucky to have the chance to be invited by Conny Reijngoudt (who had visited me earlier in the year in London and who works as an adviser to an organisation called ProBiblio that supports public libraries) and to be welcomed like one of the family.  A memorable day….and a town to go back to for sure.

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• 10 aug 08
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