WHERE IS BREMEN?

RostockHamburg

Hannover

Magdeburg

Berlin

München

Erfurt Dresden

Stuttgart

Nürnberg

Düsseldorf

BREMEN

Frankfurt

WHERE IS BREMEN?Inhabitants: 550.000 Surface Area: 325 km²

www.stabi-hb.deBarbara Lison 1

http://www.taverna-corfu-bei-vassili.de/images/Deutschland-fahne-wappen.gif

http://www.taverna-corfu-bei-vassili.de/images/Deutschland-fahne-wappen.gif

German Libraries in Figures

• Libraries: 10,400• Media: 363 million• Visits per anno: 220 million• Loans per anno: 472 million• Regist. Readers: 11 million• Programs for 280,000

children and adults per anno

Germany in Figures

• Inhabitants: 82 million• States: 16• Local authorities: 5,000• Universities: 300

• 4,54,5 Media per capitaMedia per capita• 2,6 2,6 Visits per capitaVisits per capita• 55 Loans per capitaLoans per capita>14 percent of the population have a library card>14 percent of the population have a library card

Some facts about German Libraries


WHERE DO GERMANS GO ON SUNDAYS?

Certainly not into the

Public Library !


Why do Germans not go to Public Libraries

on Sundays?


The BACKGROUND



§ 9 Sunday and Holiday Rest

•(1) Employees shall not work on Sundays and Public holidays from 0 to 24 clock.

Working Hours Act1994

Working Hours Act(1954) Last revision 1994


WHERE DO GERMANS GO ON SUNDAYS?§ 10 Labour on Sundays and Public Holidays(1) If the work cannot be carried out on weekdays, employees may work on Sundays and public holidays, deviating from § 9:

... For sport and leisure, recreation and

entertainment facilities, for tourism as well

as in museums and academic libraries with reference collection,

…

Working Hours Act1994

EXCEPTIONS


WHERE DO GERMANS GO ON SUNDAYS?§ 10 Labour on Sundays and Public Holidays

!!!NO EXCEPTIONS

FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES

!!!Working Hours Act

1994

EXCEPTIONS


Where can Germans goon Sundays?



Sunday Opening of Public Libraries is an issue of national

importance



Why should Public Libraries be open on Sundays?

Life has changed and Public Libraries have changed:

•Changes in lifestyles and living patterns

•More and more pupils at Fulltime-Schools

•Families with both parents working

•Single parent working

•Trend of social segregation and isolation

•Libraries claim to be a free public space for learning, communication and inspiration – „Second Living Room“



„Players“ and Stakeholdersaround

the Sunday opening



„Players“ and Stakeholdersaround

the Sunday openingand their position



What are the interest of some of the stakeholders?•Old fashioned understanding / idea of a public library as a place to take out books – many decision makers, many politicians don‘t see the need

•Resistence of library staff to work on Sundays

•Resistence of the Librarian‘s Association „in favour of the staff“

•Resistence of the Union to open up the issue of Sundays and public libraries because of

1. „interests“ of library staff and

2. fear to open up the discussion about labour on Sundays in general


What is the interest of the library patrons / the citizens?

By the way: This should be also the interest of the library management

!!!




The Sunday Pilot Test

of Bremen Public Library



January 2012:

Bremen Parliament Decision:

Bremen Public Library should do a pilot test in order to find out if public libraries are visited on Sundays if they are open regularly.

6 Sundays regularly open between October and April

Every first Sunday from November till April


Communicationof „Sunday Pilot“ in Bremen

„The Central Library will be open coming Sunday“




YES NO PERHAPS

Do you want to join me in going to…?

Communicationof „Sunday Pilot“ in Bremen



The RESULTS


Increasing tendency of the libraries performance during Sunday openings

13.033

4.264

Loans Returns Visits New Library Cards or renewals



587

251

543

178

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Entleihungen Besuche

pro Ö'Stde 2012 im Durchschnitt pro Ö'Stde Sonntage im Durchschnitt

Loans and Visits on Sundays compared to Weekdays(Average per hour)

Loans Visits

Weekdays Sundays



The Main Target Groups for Sunday opening

In general:People who like to stay in the library for a longer time and use it as a „Second Living Room“

• Families with kids

• Mothers / Fathers with kids

• Male visitors

• Visitors, working

• Visitors coming in social groups

Oral feedback of customers

„We like it that you have opened the library for us.“

(Couple)

„Phantastic, we had a great time here together!“

(Mother and daughter)

„Good idea and good place to go to for less well-off people who do not know where to go to on sudays!“

„Just great that you are open on sundays, too!“

(Father with 3 kids)

„It‘s like a long desired wish has been fullfilled now!“ (Mother

and son)


Written Feedback on our feedback cards

„Just great that you are open on Sundays! During the week it is difficultfor us to come to the library with the whole family.“

„Sunday opening is the best !!!“

Just great that you are open on Sundays, too.This is the right dayfor families.Please, now every Sunday!


Reaktionen auf Facebook


Customer Survey on Sunday

WHY ARE YOU COMING TO THE LIBRARY TODAY, ON A SUNDAY?

I feel more relaxed on a SundayToday I can come with my familyI do not want to be lonesomeon SundaysJust by chanceI have time only on SundaysElse



DID YOU COME TO THE LIBRARY WITH SOMEBODY ELSE?

YES, WITH FAMILY / WITH CHILDRENNOYES, WITH FRIENDS



AGE GROUPS


30www.stabi-hb.de


OCCUPATION

WORKING SCHOOL UNEMPLOYED RETIRED STUDENT HOUSEWIFE / HOUSEMANTRAINEE


Percentage of working library users on weekdays and on Sundays


SundaysWeekdays

Weekdays Sundays

YearsYears

Percentage of special age groups of library users on weekdays and on Sundays



Would you recommend to visit the PL on Sundays ?

YESUNDECIDEDNO



The STAFF


Questionaire to the staff who worked on the 6 Sundays

Wären Sie bereit, es weiterhin zu machen?

Ja

Nein

Vielleicht

35,3 % 58,8 %

5,9 %

„Would you work on a Sunday again?“

Yes

No

Perhaps


The main experience of the staff participating was positive:

• „extremely positive cooperation between staff members “

• „relaxed atmosphere“• „relaxed and thankful and kind customers“• „good feeling of being especially useful for the

customers“

Questionaire to the staff who worked on the 6 Sundays



These are the facts!

What‘s next?


What‘s next?

Conclusion:•The pilot in Bremen shows the need in the population for a Sunday opening of public libraries.•Without changes to the national Working Hours Act no regular Sunday opening of PLs is possible.•This issue is highly political and could initiate a political debate about the role of public librariesin our society


What‘s next?

Position of the German Library Association:

The national Working Hours Act has to be changed!


What‘s next?

Advocacy!Advocacy!Advocacy!Advocacy!

•(Try to) Convince politicians•Find supporters !•Build alliances!•Tell stories and

use data and facts!…


When will Germans go to the Public librarieson Sundays?

Thank You

for Your Attention!!!

„I do hope within the next 5 years!One of my general personal professional goal is to get a reform of the national Labour Law so that public libraries can give service to their customers also on Sundays. And this is one of main advocacy issues in the next years.“


WHERE IS BREMEN?

Documents

Transcript of WHERE IS BREMEN?