Friday, 17th October

Up early and left the house with Christel at about 7.30a.m. as she had to be at work early for a meeting. Solna Library is located in a shopping complex and has Central Library and one branch . It is on three levels and is very attractive to look at. The ground floor has the check-out and check-in machines and an information desk at the entrance, as well as magazines and newspapers. There is also a 'download' jukebox where people can plug in their USB and download music to take away. Beside the information desk is the extensive music collection, which Christel looks after- books, scores and sound recordings and DVDs.
The children's area is very attractive and school classes were visiting for a theatrical performance in a meeting area. The Youth Section is nearby and is called 'Chill' (written on the windows) It has a funky pink lantern and other furniture suitable for young people . It also has its own public PC area and the books and other material are attractively arranged to entice . Every library has large comic sections, I noticed.
Upstairs is the Adult Library and there is also an information desk on this floor. On the top floor there are various other facilities, but this floor is no longer staffed, as they are short of people. It has meeting rooms, a performance space, with a grand piano , a 'quiet room' for study and a local history collection. I was particularly impressed with a large screen for a newspaper database, to which the library subscribes. People still like to handle the hand copy, though, Christel told me.
Christel and the Library Manager, Barbro too me out to lunch at the nearby hoteland it was very nice.
Then I had to negotiate the underground again and go to the centre of Stocholm where I had an appointment with a librarian, Anneke, at the Kulturhuset. What an amazing concept. It is a large complex which was built in the 1970's and houses many activities such as theatre , music and art and has a large lending library of material related to these activities. My photos will explain the concept better, but the place is huge and very interactive . They have a children's library section arranged in age groups and decorated accordingly. People were queuing to get in ! In fact the place was packed and they were decorating and organising a celebration for the building's anniversary that evening - a big music and dance party. so the library was a hive of activity and people were sitting everywhere reading newspapers, looking at books and magazines and using listening posts. They subscribe to a fantastic database for listening to music - details will be provided later as they are in my notes. I was able to have a little play with it.
So it was an exciting visit to such a valuable asset to city life in Stockholm.
I then wended my weary way back to Nacka and Christel's house. Astrid had originally organized for an outing to take place that evening as the IAML board were meeting in Stockholm at the Musik Academie that day. however, it had to becancelled as Astrid was taken ill and Christina could not come down from Gavle as her husband is ill. I was disappointed but had a lovely last night in Sweden with Christel and Lennart at their home, with good conversation ,listening to lovely music, drinking beer and vodka and Adkvit? while eating another traditional Swedish meal of herrings, cheese, crispbreads etc.
What a way to end such a fantastic week.