{"id":23201,"date":"2017-10-31T16:19:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-31T16:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bibliodev.local\/?p=23201"},"modified":"2025-04-29T15:01:19","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T15:01:19","slug":"library-story-cologne-public","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bibliotheca.com\/library-story-cologne-public\/","title":{"rendered":"Cologne Public Library: Discover how world-class design and tech can turn a library into a community\u2019s third-place"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tKalk Library Reimagined as a Third Place With open+ Access\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 31, 2017\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Cologne Public Library hired renowned architect Aat Vos to turn the Kalk Library into the community\u2019s \u201cthird place.\u201d They needed top-notch tech that would expand access and provide a library experience worthy of the space. \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe library installed a full range of RFID products including self-checkout stations, premium security gates, and an open access system that provides extended hours and library access even when the library is unstaffed.\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tUsing open+ access, Kalk Library was able to increase access to their new, modern space by 53%. The library has been praised as a beacon for the city as a whole.\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kalk Library: Cologne\u2019s new library becomes a third place and extends access to the community with open+ access\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>

The Cologne Public Library, Germany\u2019s 2015 Library of the Year<\/a> and fourth largest public library system in Germany, turned to internationally renowned creative guide and\u00a0architect Aat Vos<\/a>\u00a0to transform the Kalk Library branch into a vibrant, modern space and create a third place for the community.<\/p>

The Cologne Public Library partnered with Bibliotheca to utilize\u00a0open+ access<\/a>, a comprehensive product that offers access to building and services when the library is unstaffed. In addition to 32 staffed hours, the Kalk Library is now open an additional 17 hours each week with open+ access<\/a> self-service technology<\/strong>, resulting in a 53% increase in open hours and accessibility for the community. With its high experiential value and flexible hours for users, the requirements of a forward-looking Library 4.0 are fulfilled.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Designing a third place<\/b><\/h3>

The inviting design and cutting-edge technology make the Kalk Library one of the most modern and innovative non-commercial spaces in Germany.\u00a0Aat Vos<\/a>\u2019s creative concepts are inspired by the philosophy of Dr. Ray Oldenburg, an urban sociologist who writes about a Third Place and the importance of informal public gathering places.\u00a0Ray Oldenburg<\/a>\u00a0describes one\u2019s home as first place, one\u2019s work or study place as the second place and a third place within the community that facilitates and fosters broader, more creative interaction, often public spaces, like a public park, or other favorite hangouts like your local coffee bar.<\/p>

Aat Vos has a clear vision: \u201cOur third places should be fair, informal, inspiring and personal. They should be places where everybody feels welcome. Contemporary designed rooms within the Kalk Library not only invite you to do gaming or relax on your own, but also to interact. This new library is the result of a participatory design thinking process that involved citizens, library users, and library staff. The library team was highly motivated and engaged to create the best possible result for the customers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Hannelore Vogt, Director of the Cologne Public Library shares the vision of the library as a third place: \u201cThe aim of remodeling is to create spaces and services that demonstrate how libraries are evolving in a contemporary way. Young people are encouraged to learn through creative play and interaction. The Kalk Library has been transformed into a shared space that invites library users to gain new experiences, forge plans, deepen their knowledge, learn social cohesion, or simply enjoy the comforts of a non-commercial and friendly environment.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>

Rita H\u00f6ft, Head of the Decentralized Library System at the Cologne Public Library, adds: \u201cKalk is a vibrant, blossoming district, with a colorful, engaged and creative community. The redesigned branch library manages, with its playful aesthetic, casual interior design, and innovative technological solutions, to create the ideal conditions for diverse educational opportunities in such a heterogeneous, multicultural environment as Kalk.\u201d<\/p>

In order for the library to function as a true third place, it was crucial to maximize access to the building and services. The library sought economical ways to extend open hours and\u00a0open+ access<\/a>\u00a0presented itself as a first-class library technology solution.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Extended opening hours with open+ access<\/b><\/h4>

Bibliotheca\u2019s open+ access solution<\/a>\u00a0makes it possible to run the entire technical infrastructure, including lighting, alarms and library systems, unstaffed.\u00a0 The building, collection and computers are controlled from a remote, central location.<\/p>

The Kalk Library\u2019s state-of-the-art\u00a0RFID technology<\/a>\u00a0incorporates\u00a0security gates<\/a>, self-check bins with integrated payment functions, and\u00a0automated return bins<\/a>. To gain access to the building during unstaffed hours, visitors scan their library cards at the entry panel. Patrons use\u00a0selfCheck 1000 kiosks<\/a>\u00a0to borrow and return library materials, as well as to pay fees using cash, card, or NFC. The attached return bins include sorting options to optimize the return process.\u00a0 The\u00a0self-service kiosks<\/a>\u00a0feature intuitive touchscreens that users come to expect in the smartphone age.\u00a0<\/p>

Markus R\u00f6sch, Bibliotheca\u2019s Managing Director of Central Europe, emphasizes that \u201cPublic libraries play a central role as non-commercial public zones where people can meet, talk, learn, read, play, work or even grab a coffee. With\u00a0open+ access<\/a>, Bibliotheca\u2019s open library solution, the public library can extend and adapt its open hours according to local needs and offer an extended range of services.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

A beacon for the community<\/b><\/h4>

During the opening ceremony, Cologne\u2019s Vice Mayor Elfi Scho-Antwerpes described the library as a \u201cbeacon for Cologne.\u201d She further stated that the district was \u201cUp and coming, emerging from its old, industrial past and reinventing itself as a modern, trendy neighborhood. With the exceptional new library branch, it is getting what it deserves \u2013 a place for experimentation and well-being, topped off by a\u00a0visionary design<\/a>\u00a0that has until now not been seen in Germany.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Even before the renovation, the Kalk Library drew in young people with its experimental gaming and digital offerings. Now the entire upper floor of the library is a haven for the younger generation, with its whimsical, comfortable atmosphere and specially created electronic Tagtool wall. The library provides the children and teens, 75% of whom are immigrants, a place to hang out, study, and enjoy a wide variety of creative, interactive makerspace programs, thus opening a door to the future for the younger generation and discarding the notion of libraries as outdated and irrelevant.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cThe Kalk Library has been transformed into a shared space that invites library users to gain new experiences, forge plans, deepen their knowledge, learn social cohesion, or simply enjoy the comforts of a non-commercial and friendly environment.\u201d \n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHannelore Vogt<\/span>Director, Cologne Public Library<\/span><\/cite>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u201cKalk is a vibrant, blossoming district, with a colorful, engaged and creative community. The redesigned branch library manages, with its playful aesthetic, casual interior design, and innovative technological solutions, to create the ideal conditions for diverse educational opportunities in such a heterogeneous, multicultural environment as Kalk.\u201d\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRita H\u00f6ft<\/span>Head of the Decentralized Library System, Cologne Public Library<\/span><\/cite>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Cologne\u2019s Kalk Library expanded access by 53% with open+ and RFID tech, turning a redesigned space into a modern third place for the community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":93749,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[74,78,113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-library-stories","category-blog","category-library-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bibliotheca.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bibliotheca.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bibliotheca.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bibliotheca.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bibliotheca.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23201"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bibliotheca.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23201\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bibliotheca.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bibliotheca.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bibliotheca.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bibliotheca.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}