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Summary of the Main Articles
A New Perspective on Libraries / Four Days
of Top-Level Continuing Education at the
98th German Library Convention in Erfurt –
Strict Selection Criteria for Speakers – Exciting
Topics (Bernd Schleh) (pp. 342–345)
The 98th German Library Convention will
take place in Erfurt from June 2-5, 2009. At
this largest continuing education event for librarians
and information specialists in German-speaking
countries nearly 400 speakers
and moderators will be actively involved.
Alone in the academic section 76 events are
scheduled. In addition, there will be company
presentations, discussion sessions, and excursions
to libraries in Erfurt and surroundings.
Among the latter will be real treats for friends
of historical libraries: a visit to the library of
the Augustine monastery in Erfurt – with one
of the most significant religion collections in
Germany – and the Herzogin Anna Amalia Library
in nearby Weimar.
This year three cross-disciplinary keynote
events will form the anchor-pin to the many-sided
program being offered on the three
main days of the convention (Wednesday
through Friday) that will demonstrate current
and future trends and political goals of the library
profession. The conference organizers
– the professional association Information
and Librarianship (BIB) and the Association of
German Librarians (VDB) – hope in this way to
bring in an outside view. Lectures are therefore
being held mainly by journalists, politicians,
and academic researchers from other disciplines.
Their topics range from the future of
media usage to the library as an architectonic
edifice and social gathering place to the library
as educational institution.
Altogether 3 000 participants are expected
to attend the convention being held at the Erfurt
Conference and Trade Fair Center. Already
130 companies have registered to present
their goods and services in the 2 000 square
meter sized trade fair hall.
BuB | 61 (2009) 05
The Imposing Heart / Médiathèque André
Malraux in Strasbourg, France, Hopes to Liven
Up an Entire City Quarter (Florian Nantscheff)
(pp. 374–377)
In mid-September 2008 the Médiathèque
André Malraux was opened up in the old industrial
harbor area of Strasbourg. It is a fine
example of how a monument to the industrial
age can be transformed into a super-modern
library building. The project was executed
by the architectural office Marc Ibos and
Myrto Vitard.
The médiathèque is at the heart of this new
city center. Four gangways lead to the 135
meter long building; the exterior of the old
part has been maintained and extended by
an annex of glass and metal. Starting in the
front courtyard a red stripe continues through
the building as an optical companion. Conspicuous
on the external and internal walls
are the lettered graphics: citations by authors
such as Handke, Butor, and Artaud act as directional
signs through the house. The Swiss
designer Ruedi Baur has thus created a literary-based
guidance scheme.
The médiathèque covers 11,800 square
meters over six floors and is divided into eight
thematic sub-divisions. With construction
costs of 80 million Euros, the médiathèque is
designed to be a magnet for Strasbourg residents,
particularly young people. And it is
equipped to do just that: there are dozens
of stations for listening to music, 40 stations
for watching films, and 120 internet stations
with access to multimedia and theme-oriented
cable television channels. Altogether the
médiathèque offers 1 100 seats and work stations.
It employs 102 staff members.
The construction of the Médiathèque André
Malraux is a key building stone for a comprehensive
library development plan for the
municipal region of Strasbourg. The network
will eventually include three further largescale,
médiathèques which are yet to be built.
www.B–u–B.de
Summary Lesesaal | BuB 391
Computer Usage and Internet Access in U.S.
Public Libraries / Pro and Cons of the Bill and
Melinda Gates’ Library Program (Maximilian
Schreiber) (pp. 378–382)
Bill Gates is once again the richest man in the
world. A considerable chunk of the Microsoft
founder’s fortune is wrapped up in the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation. One important
area of the foundation’s involvements is
the support of U.S. and international librarianship
through computer hardware and internet
access.
Today internet provision often enables exclusive
access to information. An outstanding
role in providing free-of-charge, publicly
available access to computers is being played
by public libraries. However, in 1996 only 44
percent of the public libraries in the U.S.A.
had access to the Internet.
The main reasons for this poor situation included
the reluctance to take on additional
costs and the lack of trained staff members.
This is where the foundation could help. Its
goal has been to guarantee every U.S. resident
access to the Internet. Public libraries
were supplied hardware and software and
free-of-charge Internet service. Another particular
feature of the U.S. Library Program
involved the training of library staff by employees
of the foundation. The program was
scheduled to last five years and by the end of
1993 it had achieved impressive results.
Critics describe the program as a marketing
strategy aimed at winning new customers, especially
as it coincided with the height of the
so-called «browser software wars«. Gates
was never able to completely dispel these accusations.
In recent years it has become ever clearer
that U.S. public libraries are not in a position
to maintain public access computer services.
Hence, the foundation has resolved to renew
its support in this area. The revamped version
of the program shows that the idea of eventually
gaining state financial support has not
succeeded. The foundation is thus fulfilling
responsibilities which should in fact be part of
public spending.
Translated by Martha Baker