On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Ljubljana Travelling Library, a special festival will take place on Thursday, 16 May, from 10am to 5pm at Congress Square and Vegova Street, where you will be able to see buses, trucks and vans converted into mobile libraries. The 18 travelling libraries come from Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Bulgaria. The Oton Župančič Library will also host the 22nd International Expert Consultation on Travelling Libraries.
Millions of books borrowed
The first library bus set off in autumn 1974 and since then five vehicles have been replaced, thousands of kilometres have been travelled, millions of books have been borrowed and many invaluable bonds have been forged between travelling librarians. The Ljubljana Travelling Library currently visits 47 stops in the Municipality of Ljubljana and suburban municipalities, and is on the road every working day, usually in the afternoon and evening. The stops are in towns and villages that are far from stationary libraries, as well as in special institutions that provide materials to the more vulnerable members of our society.
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Travelling librarianship has a long history in Ljubljana and its surroundings, with a network of stops. In one month, the Bibliobus visits almost 50 stops in ten municipalities. Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
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The Bibliobus visits places where there are no fixed libraries in the vicinity, making library materials, information and services more accessible to everyone in the library network. Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
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Inside the 12-metre-long vehicle, users can choose from 7,500 items, while modern information and communication equipment also provides access to the library's electronic material. Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
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The Bibliobus visits most places once or twice a month in the afternoon. Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
The Bibliobus travels around 10,000 kilometres a year and borrows an average of 400 items a day. Inside the 12-metre-long vehicle, users can choose from 7,500 items, while modern information and communication equipment also provides access to the library's electronic material. The library bus has a built-in lift and a flat interior surface, making it accessible to the disabled and the elderly.
The average stop time of the library bus is one hour, depending on the size of the place and the frequency of visits. Most places are visited once or twice a month in the afternoon.
Date: 16. May 2024
Time to read: 2 min
