Apr 11, 2024
Cooperation with the Dresden Municipal Libraries launched
The collaboration between the Chair of School Education and the Dresden Municipal Libraries began just in time for the start of the semester.
Schools and libraries have one thing in common: they are regarded as places where knowledge is acquired. However, both schools and libraries are undergoing a change: it is no longer (solely) a matter of accumulating, storing, imparting and - if necessary - reproducing knowledge. The focus is shifting to the acquisition of skills and abilities. The '4 Cs' are representative of this international development: critical thinking, creativity and the ability to collaborate and communicate.
The demands placed on libraries have also changed, not least as a result of the digital revolution. As far as physical collections are concerned, for example, the trend is towards digital archives. So when we proclaim the 'death of the printed book' in public debates, are we also burying the library as a place of learning?
Not at all! This was demonstrated at the opening event in the Central Library in the Kulturpalast. The bright, spacious rooms of the library were well filled: Children browsed through lavishly illustrated new publications; teenagers tested out new board games; young people met in study groups to prepare for their A-levels together. In the mornings, groups regularly visit the library, which maintains close relationships with Dresden's kindergartens and schools. Promoting reading is, of course, a top priority here; maintaining contacts in combination with effective public relations work and a wide range of events for young and old obviously make the central library a popular place to visit.
As a 'library for all', the Central Library also attaches great importance to inclusion: it offers media for people with visual impairments, books for people with different reading skills (such as books in so-called 'simple language') or books in various foreign languages, such as Arabic and Farsi. In addition to fiction, there is a selection of specialist literature, travel literature and magazines, films, board games and computer games. There is also a wide range of sheet music and - in the Library of Things - even instruments to borrow. Certainly; the collection of CDs will be phased out in the future. However, the library's own Sonic Chairs, where the library's digital music and audio book archive can be accessed, are always occupied. Overall, however, the Central Library - following the Scandinavian model - is also tending towards an increasingly smaller physical collection. The so-called "quality of stay" is becoming more important.
The 30 student teachers who took part in the tour were able to see for themselves that the Dresden Central Library is certainly not a "chamber of horrors". The Dresden Central Library in the Kulturpalast invites you to linger, learn, exchange ideas, try things out and browse... For (future) teachers, it offers a wealth of (teaching) opportunities and also competent contacts. In the course of the joint seminar "School libraries: chamber of horrors or a treasure trove of knowledge?" , we will explore the question of how public libraries and schools interact today and how a school library can respond to changes in schools and society. We look forward to further cooperation!
Contact for the cooperation project:
*In fact, more libraries have been built in the last three decades than ever before.
