Libraries are no longer awe-inspiring oases of calm. In the last decades they've undergone a transformation to become popular meeting places with cafes and events. But they still have to overcome the challenges posed by e-books, Sunday opening and budget cuts.
Nuremberg, Germany (dpa) - To view a library simply as a place to borrow books is out of date nowadays. Today, nearly every large library has an inviting cafe, as well as readings and special offers for students, children and pensioners.
Despite the spread of e-readers, smartphones and tablets, the traditional library is far from being past its sell-by-date.
"Surprisingly the exact opposite is the case: university and local libraries have never been so attractive as places," says Frank Simon-Ritz, chairman of the German Library Association (DBV). "We've got increasing visitor numbers everywhere."
Libraries have a certain special quality, he says. "A lot of people don't come to the library any more to look for a particular book, instead they appreciate that the library is a stimulating and inspiring place."
And, he adds, the library is one of the few places left where there isn't a constant pressure to buy things.
There are almost 10,200 libraries in Germany. According to the DBV, they receive 700,000 visits every day and almost 470 million media are lent out every year.
Lending figures are still very high. The numbers of books and CDs may have retreated slightly, but the use of electronic gadgets like e-readers has "well-nigh exploded," says Simon-Ritz.
This week, 4,000 library experts from Germany and abroad met in Nuremberg to discuss the challenges and problems faced by libraries.
One of their greatest concerns is Sunday opening. Until now, only academic libraries are allowed to open on Sundays in Germany.
"That seems obsolete and outmoded," says Simon-Ritz. Libraries are cultural institutions like museums and theatres, and Sunday is the best day to be open for many people, especially families, he argues.
The largest libraries trade association in Germany, the BIB, has also put its weight behind a change in the Sunday opening laws, although a poll of its members showed there was only a small majority in favour.
"But our jobs depend on it," says Simon-Ritz.
Successful pilot projects in the cities of Bremen and Moenchengladbach have showed that Sunday is "an extremely good day for a library to open," says Simon-Ritz.
Another headache for libraries is the spread of e-books. At the moment, libraries cannot offer all available e-books as the publishers themselves can decide whether to grant libraries licences - and many refuse.
They fear the competition between libraries and online booksellers, a spokeswoman for the German Publishers and Booksellers Association says.
The association is therefore against a change in the law, instead supporting talks between libraries, booksellers and publishers. But, "a book is a book," the libraries say, whether in printed or electronic form.
Consequently the same rules and regulations should apply to both forms, including the same level of sales tax, currently at 7 per cent, but only applicable to printed books.
Simon-Ritz says that e-books are on the coalition government's agenda, and he is confident that libraries "can explain convincingly that a correction is needed [to the law]."
"Libraries are not paper museums," he adds. "They provide an important service."
For students they are an indispensable tool, he says, and libraries can help them find their way through a maze of information by putting on courses and information sessions.
For public libraries the picture is a bit more difficult, he says.
"Public libraries are under more pressure to attract users' curiosity and acceptance," he says.
In order to stay attractive they have to critically assess their contents. "What's being borrowed, what's important, what's attractive?" he says.
"I think that librarians - to say this rather provocatively - have to separate themselves from the idea that a good library is a fully stocked library, which meets noble educational standards."
There have hardly been any mass library closures in larger municipalities in the past few years though libraries have suffered from savings measures.
"Costs are a real problem," says Simon-Ritz. Savings, budget and job cuts are a daily reality.
"It does make you worry when it's such a clear overall trend. How are you supposed to keep up a good selection?" he asks.
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