Library – a Meeting Place

Västeras city library has a rich supply of programs for adults and children. The Auditorium is an important meeting place for many citizens. Practically every evening there are arrangements for the public: Lectures, author visits, debates and concerts, often in co-operation with various organisations. Real-life meetings are important in our virtual society.

The project "Room for Words" aims at stimulating reading and writing. It is open for everyone interested in literature. The library is the obvious room. There you can meet authors and persons interested in writing in word workshops. Special books on reading and writing have been procured. The staff also arranges special discussions on modern literature.

The active role of the library has made the citizens of Västeras active and experienced visitors of the library. The young and students are regularly invited to the library. 6 out of 10 persons using the Information desks were students.

The project "Student Västeras" is cooperation project between the university "Mälardalens Högskola" and the municipal library. The aim was to improve the service for the university students in Västeras. The city politicians gave 800 000 SEK as a grant for purchases of books, and a librarian was engaged. More reading places were arranged for the students and booklets on how to use the library were printed.

The selection of the 2000+ books purchased answers to the need of the student. Valuable contacts between the University and the Library were established, and co-ordinated lectures were arranged.

The project was finalised in the summer of 2000. The results were so encouraging that the grant and the contacts between the municipal library and the University were made permanent.