Valmieras integrētā bibliotēka - Valmiera Joint Library

Background

Valmiera Joint library is a form of cooperation between a city public library (Valmiera Library) and university library (Vidzeme University College Library).

The basic principle – legally and financially independent libraries professionally collaborate by coordinating, merging and rationally utilising informative and personnel resources to extend the offered services by promoting interrelationship between the academic environment and community accessibility of information and knowledge.

Facts

Population: ~27 495
Construction completed: 2007 Architect: L. Šmits (SIA „Arhitekta L.Šmita darbnīca” http://www.arh-smits.lv/ )
Visitors: 133 313 (in 2007)
Hours of opening per week: 51
Stock: 90 117 items (2008)
Loans: 120 438 (2007)
Stock of periodicals: 144 titles (2008)
Computers for public use: 59
Group study rooms: 4
Individual study booths: 4
Staff: 25 (public library): 6 (university libary)
Other facilities and services:

• The regional training centre
• EUROPE DIRECT - European Commission information point in Valmiera
• Conference rooms
• Specially equipped computer for persons with seeing disabilities

Organization

Valmiera is the biggest city of Vidzeme region in Latvia with 27 495 inhabitants. Beginnings of libraries in Valmiera date back to the 19th century, but documentary proof of opening a library in Valmiera goes back to 1919. Vidzeme University College Library was founded in 1996, at the same time with the institution.

In 2000, Vidzeme University College in cooperation with Valmiera Library and Valmiera City Council launched a project of reconstruction of the premises at Cēsu iela 4 with an aim to combine the resources of all Valmiera libraries and to create a joint library. The new joint library building opened on November 9, 2007.

The staff of both libraries works together and serves children, adults as well as students and teachers. The joint library is a meeting place for all people. The library offers everyone a full scale service and is a centre for knowledge, information and culture. Suppoting life-long learning is a significant library contribution to the community.

Valmiera Library provides methodological and consultative support to Valmiera District Local government's public libraries. The library is the main library of Valmiera District.

Some pictures

The Library Building

Students in the library

Children's department

Interior of Children's department

Interior of Children's department

Periodicals' area

Cultural event in library

Specially equipped computer for persons with seeing disabilities

Library service area

Computers' room

European Commission information point EUROPE DIRECT in Valmiera