DOK Library Concept Center

(Reader Contribution to 20 of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries)


Discover Innovations at DOK, Holland's 'Library Concept Center'
By Erik Boekesteijn

This rendering of the soon-to-be-ready DOK Agora, or ?storyboard of your life' project, illustrates how your grandmother's (?Oma' in Dutch) birthday celebration might be displayed.

These cool multimedia chairs provide the ultimate music and film experience.
[Click for full-size image]

Dutch patrons can use these Tank U stations to download Bluetooth content to their phones so they can enjoy it whenever they like.
[Click for full-size image]
In the Netherlands, in Delft, a medium-sized town (100,000) just a little below sea level (famous for the Girl with the Pearl Earring painting and the blue pottery known as Delftware), stands a library that at first glance may appear to be just a regular public library, but how special it is! DOK can best be described as a media center that combines three unique collections: Music and Film (?Discotake? in Dutch), Literature (?Openbare Bibliotheek?), and Art (?Kunstcentrum?). These three components make DOK much more than an ordinary library. The outstanding collections, together with the expertise of the staff, are the basis for the flow of creativity and energy that inspires the inhabitants of Delft. Together with two other branch libraries, DOK Tanthof and DOK Voorhof, DOK serves 80% of the population. It is the most frequently visited public institute in Delft. More than 500,000 people annually visit DOK, and every kid at school is a member. The motto ?Borrow the World in Delft? truly sums it up and makes DOK an easily accessible cultural information center.

I've been working in the communication and innovation department here at DOK for 3 years now, and I'm deeply involved in many of our outreach activities. In this article, I'll explain the way we view DOK's mission, and I'll introduce you to some of the innovative projects we've done, such as taking mobile film studios to schools and letting people download content via Bluetooth applications.

http://www.infotoday.com/mls/mar08/Boekesteijn.shtml


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