Drammensbiblioteket - The Combined Library of Drammen

Background

In order to exploit to the full the library resources of Drammen and create a high-class, future-oriented library, three library organizations were brought together under one roof. Together they form the Combined Library/Sambiblioteket, which in turn is part of the Papirbredden knowledge center, an integrated campus.

The new library building was completed in the beginning of December 2006 and the library opened officially on 2 March 2007.

Drammensbiblioteket is a coalition of three separate library organisations working together. The three partners are the county library, the municipal library and the university college library. To the visitor Drammensbiblioteket is one unit.

The Combined Library serves as a link between the municipality and the university college, helping to remove any barriers between the two worlds. The library is a creative meeting place for all and a centre of knowledge for researchers, students at all levels as well as citizens in general.

Facts

Number of inhabitants: c. 60 000
Built: 2005/2006
Builder: Entra Eiendom AS and Drammen Eiendom KF merged into one company; Papirbredden Eiendom AS
Architect and Interior design: LPO arkitektur & design, Oslo and landskapsarkitekt Arkitekt Kristine Jensens Tegnestue, Ĺrhus
Building cost:
Total area: 5 500 sq m
Public area: 4 600 sq m
Group study rooms: 9 + 1 small reading room
Computers for public use: c. 60
Stock: c. 190 000 volumes
Stock of periodicals: c. 440
Electronic periodicals: c. 10.000
Visitors: c. 1 500 a day
Visitors (website): c. 3 000/month
Staff: c. 50 (public library: 32, university library: 3,5, county library: 11)
Hours of opening: 56,5 hours a week

Other facilities and services:

• Automatic circulation machine - have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQFx4M-tAqo
• Book delivery service for disabled users
• Café
• Contributor to "Ask the Library"
• Cinema
• Fanfiction.no - internet site for young writers
• ICT training room
• Internet introduction for beginners
• Gaming; Xbox 360 and Nintendo WII
• Lawyer service once a week
• Mobile Library Service
• Virtual map of the Library - look at http://web.wagnerform.se/demo/drammen/

Organization

Drammensbiblioteket is a coalition of three separate library organisations working together. The three partners are the county library, the municipal library and the college university library.

The cooperation between the libraries in the Combined Library is governed by contract. Each library organization concentrates mainly on
its particular target group and has its own budget. However, the users
experience the three as one single library: the book collections are
integrated and the staffs work together on the different information desks. The three leaders have regular meetings. There also is a regular meeting for all of the staffs, “sambo meetings” and we have the
“Bibliotekutvalget” that represent both the leaders and the employed.

Some pictures

Main entrance		Papirbredden - seen from the riverside

Picture gallery of the building of the Drammensbiblioteket http://tjenester.kulturnett.no/quiz/playgallery.php?quizID=454

For more pictures – look at http://www.flickr.com/photos/drammensbiblioteket/