1. The role of the National Library in the Norwegian library landscape Arne Gundersen Senior adviser National Library of Norway

2. The landscape of public libraries in Norway 4,5 mill. inhabitants in Norway 430 municipalities – 800 public libraries Public Libraries founded on the Public Library Act Owned and financed by the municipalities 67 % of the municipalities have a qualified chief librarian 1830 full-time equivalents in Norwegian public libraries

3. Size of municipalities

4. The Public Library Act ”Public libraries shall be responsible for promoting knowledge, education and other cultural activities by providing access to information and by making available books and other suitable material, free of charge, to everyone residing in Norway.” New amendments just decided.

5. Library Reform 2014 (2006) – 3 target areas 1.Contents and services – traditional and digital ones 2.Structure and organisation - stronger library units with a broader range of services 3.Competence and research – competence a key factor for development of the libraries

6. Libraries - Knowledge Commons, Meeting Place and Cultural Arena in a Digital Age – White Paper (2009) ”Libraries are meeting places and arenas that can help to attain the overriding objectives of the Government’s cultural and knowledge policy.”

7. National Library of Norway 400 employees, 50/50 men/women NOK 400 mill. annual budget 100 shelf km of conventional content 1 000 km from the stacks to the reading room Design: Spirenett

8. The main objectives of the National Library of Norway 1.The National Library of Norway shall be one of Europe’s most modern and exciting national libraries 2.The National Library of Norway shall contribute to the development of a national library policy 3.The National Library of Norway shall form the core of the Norwegian digital library 4.The National Library of Norway shall offer knowledge and experiences 5.The National Library of Norway shall offer technological knowledge and cultural understanding 6.The National Library of Norway shall be an adaptable organisation

9. Tasks and vision - National library policy “Based on the development of in-house services and experience, the National Library of Norway shall bear particular responsibility for developing and reinforcing Norwegian libraries as active and relevant social institutions. As the government’s development body, the National Library of Norway shall help to formulate and implement a national library policy, both for individual libraries and at an overarching level. The National Library of Norway has been allocated project funds to stimulate development of Norwegian libraries.” http://www.nb.no/English/About-us/Tasks-and-vision

10. A policy for library development. How obtain the objectives? Be a central infrastructure for all libraries Lay the groundwork for the use of digital content and the development of new digital services Allocate project grants for the development of better library services Communicate with libraries and library owners -Administer the Library Act

11. National library policy– advisory group The advisory group shall advise the National Librarian on the use of project grants for libraries. This applies both to national priorities and development of national services in the National Library. The group will participate in setting up criteria for the allocation of grants after the Ministry has announced the budget, and will give recommendations before the final decisions on grants are made.

12. Project applications for 2013 – a few facts Number of applications: 127 Number of granted projects: 90 Projects already in progress: 16 Total amount applied for: 40,5 mill. NOK Total amount granted: 21,5 mill. NOK New projects: 15,4 mill. NOK

13. Project funds 2013. Types of libraries

14. Project funds – priority areas for 2014 Diversity and inclusion The Reading Campaign 2010-2014 New services and methods in promotion of content The library as a meeting place Cooperation and partnerhips The digitial services of the National Library as foundation for new services

15. Collaboration Projects: Bokhylla.no (The Bookshelf) Online access to literature published in Norwegian based on a formal agreement between the National Library of Norway and Norwegian beneficial owners represented by Kopinor The service will cover around 250,000 books when completed in 2017 Books full-text searchable Books from the entire 20th century will be available to anyone with a Norwegian IP address The right to withdraw work Books not protected by copyright may be downloaded

16. Collaboration Projects: Newspaper Service The digital newspaper service is based on agreements between the National Library and a growing number of Norwegian newspapers These agreements secure digital delivery of new publications and the digitization of historical newspaper archives A central aspect of these agreements is the right of Norwegian libraries to make newspaper archives available on their premises.

17. National/regional search/delivery http://www.nb.no/bibsok/start.jsf

18. Exhibitions