SFP

The library as part of the regional impact of a town
Eli K. Wilhelmsen, Ullensaker Public Library

Introduction

It is with pleasure I am going to present to you some experiences from Norwegian public library life and from my own region in particular. I suppose the library situation in Norway is not very different from the situation in other western countries. I also suppose that some of you are already acquainted with the Norwegian library system. Yet it is always useful to get a brief survey from different persons and points of view and I shall try to give some highlights with focus on my own library.

The municipality of Ullensaker is situated in the north of the county of Akershus which surrounds Oslo (maps). The municipality serves about 25 000 inhabitants, which is quite large by Norwegian standards (population figures). It is the biggest municipality in the region and has a status as a regional center. There are two main centers in the municipality, Jessheim and Kløfta, with about 12 000 and 7 000 people each. Ullensaker public library consists of two libraries: the main library is situated at Jessheim and the other at Kløfta.

I shall leave Ullensaker for a while to present you to some national events which have had, and still have, an important effect on everyday Norwegian library life.

Centralization

In Norway as in many other countries the tendency is to migrate from the more peripheral districts into urban and suburban areas. This of course has to do with general policies such as EU policies, finance industries and the labour market. It also has to do with limited economic resources, or as some would say political priorities. Smaller shops and privat and public services (banks, post offices, libraries) in villages and districts are being closed down or moved to towns or townlike areas.

This is also the case with public libraries. Since 2001, 82 library branches (8 %) have closed down. We all know that this is a disadvantage to several population groups, such as school children and older people who do not have the same transport facilities as car drivers. You may have heard that the public transportation system in Norway is not very cooperative with hectic everyday lives.

Centralization of public libraries of course gives us the opportunity to develop existing libraries into vital, active and creative centres of culture, information and learning. We see in Norway that the use of the public libraries is growing in several ways. You may be familiar with our Public Library Act og 1971, which declares that library services in Norway is free of charge to everyone residing in the country. You may also be familiar with the high cost of living in Norway. Library services in Norway are maybe the only remaining services free of charge to the public. (Acts).

Education Act

This act is in itself of great importance to library activities. In addition to its influence on library activities there is a section in our Education Act which states that all municipalities shall provide training in music and other cultural activities for children and young people. This is organized in cooperation with the school system and local cultural organizations. I dare say that local cultural life is quite flourishing in Norway. This is also the case in the municipality of Ullensaker. It does have a significant influence on public library activity, which of course we are very pleased to have.

Educational reforms

During the last ten years Norway has put into effect educational reforms at all age levels. These reforms have had a great effect on the activities in public libraries. I shall give you a short presentation of the reforms to illustrate the implications on the situation for public libraries (Reform 94, Reform 97, Life long learning).

Reform 94

The main principle of this reform which was launched i 1994 is that it gives every young person between 16 and 22 years of age the right to high school education. This has lead to an increasing number of school pupils on this level and also on higher levels. High schools in Norway are quite well physically equipped , they also have decent school libraries and internet facilites. But modern teaching methods require more active use of resources so that we frequently find young students as our library users.

Reform 97

This reform was launched in 1997 and concerns children in primary school. Important for this conference are the new methods of teaching. From the very beginninn, in first grade, the methods inclide team and projecy work– in classes, in cooperation with other classes and across age levels. Traditional teaching in 45 minute classes are being replaced by more flexible methods.

These new methods require, as for the high scools, an extensive use of books, other media, internet and space/rooms, in learning. In Norway the library situation at the primary school level is quite sad. In consequence the public libraries function as school libraries and a source of knowledge for these pupils. In fact our Act relating to public libraries states that cooperation with school libraries in the municipality shall be ensured by means of agreements. Such formal agreements do not always exist, but there is a wide cooperation on this field.

The Reform of competence – Life long learning 2000

The target group of this reform is adults. Its main principle is to give to adults the right to complete elementary, secondary and continuing education and to be given this possibility by their employer.
For some years we have been experiencing an increasing growth in number of adult students at all ages using the public library as their academic library. This implies a growth in interlibrary lending, time-consuming tasks for the employees and of course additional costs in our budgets.

Unemployment

In Norway the percentage of unemployment is about 4,5 %. As the public educational system in Norway is free of charge (which is based on a fundamental principle of equality), many people are seeking to strengthen their competence in competition with other job seekers. It is also a (good) way to keep oneself busy instead of just hanging around. Thus many adult students become public library users in several ways.

Asylum politics

I shall not lead you into discussion of the Norwegian asylum politics, but rather say something very briefly about its consequences for public libraries. In Norway, as in many western countries, asylum seekers have an important influence on traditional community life and of course make our society more colourful. Public libraries are popular meeting points for all groups of people. As the municipality of Ullensaker is hosting the new Oslo airport, persons applying for political asylum in Norway are often located in Jessheim. Challenges for library employees in this aspect are for example language, religion and respect for library regulations.

The municipality of Ullensaker and the region of Romerike

Let us continue to focus on the municipality of Ullensaker (map). The Romerike region is a traditional rural area with inhabitants with ordinary incomes, and hence ordinary levels of income taxes to the municipalities. This is also reflected in the budgets of our libraries. Public libraries in Romerike have not had a very glamorous development - until recently - although the region lies near the capital.

With the establishment of the new airport a new era seems to have begun. It has indeed changed the situation on the whole and in the region as such. Ullensaker is now the municipality in Norway with the most rapid growth in the population. This is indeed a challenge with regard to infrastructure, etc. Luckily, when the decision to build the new airport of Oslo in Romerike was taken, it was decided to upgrade “cultural life” in the region as well. That is to say economic means were made available on certain conditions to construct local houses of culture.

A splendid modern house of culture for the whole region was built at Jessheim and opened a few months after the opening of the airport in 1998 (photos). The house offers several halls for varied activities and performances - and of course a magnificent library. The house of culture has become an active and very vital center of activity, which is very beneficial for the library. In addition the shopping mall is just across the street and we are living in a state of happy partnership.

Challenges

Focusing on town and regional libraries like my own.
How do we cope with increasing activities? (more visitors)
How do we cope with additional functions? (internet guidance, consumer information)
How do we cope with more demanding library users? (students and interlending)
How do we cope with additional cultural activities (theatre performances, author visits, exhibitions, concerts)?
How do we cope with increasing numbers of users from neighbouring municipalities?
What role do we play to support our town center in the process of urbanization?

How can increased activity in many areas be realized with decreasing budgets?
How can we meet increasing demands with reduced personnel resources? (challenges)

As mentioned above, Ullensaker and the whole region is experiencing a very rapid growth in population, which heavily affects the municipality budgets. This is not reflected in increasing grants from the national budget The municipalities must manage within rather static economic frames which consequently lead to drastic budget cuts.

Strategies

There has recently been a reorganization of the archive, museum and library field on a national level. Several government organizations have been merged into a single directorate: The Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority (ABM-Utvikling). Initiatives towards a national electronic library card and a national digital library have been taken. These are important strategies on a national level. And of course the Norwegian Library Association is a very important interest group (strategies).

The Ullensaker library is fortunate to have two modern library locations that are well equipped with information technology. The digitalization of the libraries has completely changed library life and routines. There is no need to mention all the elements, but self service is one way to free personnel resources and is being taken into use in the more important libraries in Norway. Within limited resources we are trying to build new competence in our staff in order to meet new functions.

Networking between libraries

Networking between libraries has already been implemented in several regions. Norway is a country where the geography has a certain influence on peoples lives. We have to “climb mountains and swim fjords” to get in contact with each other. The networking libraries are often located in areas that have a natural geographical connection.

The Ullensaker library has a leading role in the development of regional library co-operation in this area. In Romerike we have established a regional network based on a broad political consensus with, so far, eleven neighbouring municipalities. Our network is mainly based on electronic cooperation. The major purpose of this electronic cooperation is of cost-effective interest to the municipalities and to create more benefits for the population in the region by offering unified and interactive services.

In addition there exists already an effective system of transportion between the county library and the neighbouring public libraries. These days this system is being elaborated to include the academic libraries in the neighbouring counties as well. We are also planning to have a “bank of skills” for mutual benefit. The schools will be included in our network. It is also of common interest to offer information on and access to museums and public archives in the region through our regional website.

Policy

Are there other strategies to take into consideration than the technical and practical ones?
Yes, steps have been taken to establish organizations to deal with new library challenges. Important to mention is the establishment of a national network to deal with national library policy for small and medium sized libraries (Special group on public library policy (SFP)) (policy).

My colleague in Gjerdrum, one of the smallest neighbouring municipalities, invited me a year ago to start a nationwide group to work with library policy for small and medium sized libraries like ours. The Norwegian Library Association (NBF) gave its support. We soon found out that there was a willingness in the country, including academic circles, to participate in this work. A working group was soon established. In April this year it was formally accepted as a special group, SFP, within the NBF organization (http://home.hio.no/~tord/afo/index.htm). The group is working mainly through internet: e-democracy.

The focus of SFP is to develop a new vision for public libraries, seeing them as obvious, serious and necessary cooperative partners in local societies and politics. It should be natural to involve the public library in the planning of local infrastructure, such as new settlements, schools, kindergardens, sporting fields, road systems, parking lots etc. Where do people meet, where do people assemble, where is it strategic to locate such and such facilities - including libraries? What is the role of the library in a modern and flexible society? How can the public library contribute in making people active participants in life and local societies?

How can we achieve these aims?

A formal and legal group like the SFP is a natural board for hearings on important matters on a national level. It can also contribute as a reference group. Furthermore it can work on an activist level to establish alliances with politicians and local leaders.

My colleague from Gjerdrum and I also want to extend this network internationally, as part of the SFP work. So far we are only three libraries, Gjerdrum, Ullensaker and one library from Great Britain. We call our group SMILE, International Forum for Small and Medium-sized Public Libraries. We see this as a working and discussion group for local and creative engagement and solidarity between North and South. Our aims are: to develop local culture and identity, to work with children and youngsters, and to help integrate new groups (ethnic, religious, etc.) in local and national cultures. We have just started our work and welcome anyone who would like to participate in this effort.

Finally I would like to draw your attention to an important event in Norway next year:

Oslo is hosting the IFLA General Conference and Council in august 2005. Gjerdrum and Ullensaker libraries are through SMILE on the list of visiting libraries during the conference. Welcome to our interesting and charming region!