Wandering Librarian: 1st post of the new year

Continuing our popular series about our wandering, this is a delayed post from this summer’s wandering in Europe. This time I was in Leiden, Netherlands. No, I did not visit Bibliotheca Thysiana, the only surviving 17th-century public library in the Netherlands or the Leiden University Library which manages the largest collections worldwide on Indonesia and the Caribbean.

Embarrassingly, my family was seeking shelter from a sudden rainstorm and ducked into the closes library; BplusC Bibliotheek Nieuwstraat (Library and Centre for Art and Culture). While my family went to the children’s area, I toured the library and noticed many similarities with American public libraries; SISO classification system which is very similar to Dewey’s system, a wide array of public programs, event spaces, self-check out system, coffee shop, etc. However, there were many firsts for me also; a fully equipped music studio complete with guitars, grand piano and drums, a printer system that accepts credit card payments, and a Plextalk devices – digital talking book players that have been especially designed for the print disabled.

Disconcertingly, in a conversation with a staff member I also learned that they share the same woes as American public libraries; mainly less & less public funding. In fact, BplusC is a paid membership for adults.

All in all a nice library experience even if it was by happenstance.