The Mobile Library
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
The mobile library is a multifunctional cultural space used alternatingly by a couple of neighboring rural villages in Upper Austia. Due to its mobility the library can be placed on lively sites like the village square or in front of public schools. The library is designed to revitalize the public space in its function as a meeting place and enhance leisure opportunities. Apart from its function as a library, it can also be used as a public stage for lectures or readings.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Other Funds
LEADER-Programm 2018
Description of the project
Summary
Building and maintaining cultural infrastructure can be challenging for small villages. In Austria a couple of villages have found a solution: sharing. A tractor is pulling a mobile library from village to village. The Mobile Library is not only a home for books but also an important public space for people and the local cultural life and it delivers reading material directly to the heart of the village, where everyday life takes place. Next to the public school, the local playground or the municipal office the Mobile Library awaits people on their way to their daily routines.
The Mobile Library was initiated and built by the architecture student Florian Radner, who developed the project together with volunteers from the three villages as his diploma thesis. “With the project I wanted to show that innovative architecture and progressive ideas also have their place in the countryside. And that books and tractors are an unusual but exciting combination” he says.
Volunteers have been running the library with a lot of commitment and passion since July 2019. The first year of operation showed how passers-by turned into readers. “The Mobile Library is a literary-cultural local supplier. In the first few months I was totally surprised how many locals turned into true bookworms. Especially the great interest shown by the children is very gratifying. ", says the library employee Conny Pachleitner. With more than 150 active users and over 1000 borrowed books after one year in operation, the initiators' expectations were exceeded.
Key objectives for sustainability
Fragile rural municipalities are often dealing with problems such as falling population numbers and a decrease in cultural offerings. Those municipalities usually don‘t have their own library. If there is a library it is often badly equipped and not visited by most people due to its remote location.
The concept of the mobile library can be understood as an answer to these challenges. The Mobile Library is shared by several municipalities, each using it for a fixed period of time (e.g. 2 weeks). The Mobile Library is therefore available at regular intervals in each of the communities and works like a conventional public library with fixed opening times.
For smaller communities, this concept is a promising alternative to a conventional library for various reasons. Sharing a shared library saves resources and promotes exchange between the communities. This strengthens the culture of cooperation and the life quality in the region.
In May 2018 the project idea won a price from the Federal Environment Agency for innovative projects in rural areas that focus on sustainability.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
The design of the MoBib was significantly influenced by three factors: First of all, functional requirements determine the interior space, furnishing and access. Furthermore the need for mobility results in various restrictions with regard to the dimensions, weight and shape of the built object. In addition, the fact that the project is a design-build project with a manageable budget also had a significant influence on the materiality and dimensions of the library.
The interior is divided into three areas: In the front half of the room is the librarian's workstation - here information is obtained, media borrowed and returned. In the back there is a small storage room with space for flexible furniture (deck chairs, folding armchairs, entrance platform at the back, etc.) and various utensils (extension cables, brooms, etc.).
Immediately after the librarian's workstation, there are bookshelves for around 1000 books in the middle of the room. The windows situated behind the shelves allow glimpses of the books inside and are intended to rise the curiosity of passers-by.
In addition to just lending books, it is important that the Mobile Library offers an atmosphere in which one likes to stay, to browse and read a book in peace. There are two long benches in the rear end of the Mobile Library for this purpose.
The Mobile Library can be operated all year round, regardless of the weather. The insulated wood-frame construction and the relatively thin planking on the inside saves weight on the one hand and on the other hand allows the room to be heated up quickly during the (relatively short) opening times. When the weather is nice, the large double door at the rear opens up and the reading zone is expanded to the outside area.
Key objectives for inclusion
Rural exodus, especially among young women, is a major problem for rural communities. The way from the country to the city is often an emacipatory step. In rural regions there are often fewer opportunities for women to participate. For example, local councils are almost exclusively made up of men. As a result, there are less attractive public meeting places for women.The most important and often the only public meeting point in many communities is the local pub. Meeting places such as Coffeehouse, cinemas or libraries are often missing. Surveys show that women in rural areas meet for the most part informally, at home or in private clubs.
The Mobile Library is a space developed and run mainly by women (3/4 of those actively involved in the project are women). The first years show that the mobile library is used by women (and their children) mainly. So the concept of the mobile library can be understood as an answer to the challenges mentioned above.
Results in relation to category
After more than one year in use, the initiators expectations were exceeded. Here is a brief summary based on user statistics (as of October 2020):
167 users have registered with the Mobile Library since it opened. (That’s about 8% of the population of the participating municipality). The largest user groups are adult women (88), followed by children and teenagers (68 in total). Eleven adult men are using the Mobile Libary. Of the total of 1154 loans, children's and young adult literature make up the majority, closely followed by fiction. About every sixth book is a non-fiction book. A total of 136 games were loaned out.The youngest registered user of the MoBib is 3 years old. The oldest reader was born in 1934 and is 87 years old.
Library employee Conny Pachleitner sums it up, “The mobile library as a literary local supply is a great enrichment for our community. In the first few months I was totally surprised how many locals became real bookworms. The great interest shown by the children is particularly gratifying."
Her colleague Susanne Stubenvoll adds, "The fact that the mobile library is so centrally located in the public makes it easy for parents and children to step inside the library. In summer, the large double doors are open and invite children from the nearby playground to sink into a book in the lounge chairs in front of it or to play a borrowed game on a picnic blanket. "
How Citizens benefit
Over a period of about two years, the project idea was jointly developed in several workshops. Developing the project together with local people who are willing to participate in the project was crucial for the projects success and to embed it in the communities. Most of the people who were participating at the beginning are still active in the project today.
Innovative character
The mobile library is used alternately by several neighboring municipalities. The Mobile Library delivers reading material directly to the heart of the village, where everyday life takes place. Next to the public school, the local playground or the municipal office the Mobile Library awaits people on their way to their daily routines.
Due to its mobility, the library can stop at lively public spaces, for example next to the local school, the public playground, or the municipal office. The Mobile Library thus benefits from the existing frequency of public places and also enlivens them.
In addition to normal library operations, it is also possible to use the Mobile Library for other purposes. In the warm season it can be used as a mobile classroom for local schools and kindergartens. The Mobile Library can serve as a base station for the children and teachers as classes take place in the nearby forest. The children can do research there, playfully discover the environment and let their curiosity run free, all in the middle of nature.
The Mobile Library also offers a space and setting for special occasions. With the double doors at the back open, it was used as a stage for the children's book author Susanne Knauss at the opening. Two weeks later, Helmut Neundlinger read from his current book as part of a public event. It is also ideal for smaller concerts, book flea markets and small-scale cultural events.
