Name of the Library: John Paul II Municipal Public Library in Opole
Street Address: Minorytów 4
Postal Address: 45-017 Opole,Poland
Telephone : 00 48 77 454 80 30
Web Address http://www.mbp.opole.pl
Library Email promocja@mbp.opole.pl
Type of Library :Central/ Main
Population served:
Project Type Refurbishment
Size (square metres): 2366 m2
Date of Completion October 2010
Architect Małgorzata and Andrzej Zatwarniccy
Description
The library building consists of two externally and stylistically different modules: the older module covers the nineteenth-century tenement with its neoclassical façade, whereas the simple form of the new one is made of glass with pylons symbolizing sheets of paper covered with Edward Stachura’s poems.
The architectural solutions enable people with disabilities to visit the library. The ramp, elevator, adequate door width and lack of doorsteps allow people in wheelchairs to enter the library.
The building consists of four floors. The ground floor holds the conference room (a space for literary meetings, discussions, concerts, conferences, and other cultural events), gallery (a space for art and literary exhibitions attracting attention with its unique atmosphere), photo gallery (a space for unique photographs and inspiring exhibitions), and café. On the first and second floors, there are lending departments, reading rooms, the Fairy Tale Room, and the media room. The third floor holds the Instructional Department, library stacks, and Library Administration.
Children’s Lending Department is the most colorful place in the library. You may find there books, toys, picture books, fables, fairy-tales, short stories, popular science books, comics, but also… the tree of wishes, the scientist’s room, board games, and computer stands. There is also place for family events such as Saturdays with Mum and Dad in Library, Night with Andersen, talks for preschoolers, reader accolades, literary and art competitions, meetings with favorite book authors.
The media room is a modern and fully computerized department of the Municipal Public Library, located on the second floor and having about 4 thousand items in its collection. It is equipped with audiovisual stands connected to the Internet and fitted with DVD/Blu-Ray players and the Office software, a great variety of multimedia: Polish and World Cinema, Blu-Ray films, book novelties, music and concerts, audiobooks in Polish and foreign languages, comic book collection, CZYTAK-s for the blind and visually impaired people, e-book devices designed for the purpose of reading digital books. The media room is a space for meetings with culture, film, art, and entertainment.
The Main Lending Department is fully computerized and offers its readers the collection covering about 52 thousand books on open shelves protected by the RFID system. The lending department offers Polish and foreign literature, popular science literature, help in literature choice, electronic book holds after opening hours, information (via e-mail or telephone) about the library collection and book renewals. It is fitted with electronic lending system SOWA, self-service machines for borrowing and returning books, computer stands with the online catalogue access and online SOWA catalogue.
The press reading room offers all-Polish and local journals, sociopolitical weekly magazines, popular science, literary, and women’s magazines, weekly magazines in English, German, and French.
The Main Reading Room and the Information Department offer over 4,5 thousand titles in the general reference collection, 2,7 thousand items in Book Cabinet, and about 1,1 thousand items in Rare Books and Manuscripts Section. In that department you may take advantage of the online reading room, regional and special collections, the European information point, interlibrary loan services, a keyword catalogue. You may also use computer stands connected to the Internet and fitted with text editors, juridical database LEX, services covering library, factographic, and bibliographic information, xerox copying, printing, scanning services.
The Municipal Public Library organizes library lessons for teenagers, courses for seniors in basic computer skills and online catalogue use, and a variety of regular cultural events such as: All-Polish Essay Competition, Opole Literary Autumn, A Literary Competition: A Legend About Opole, All of Poland Reads to Kids, Out of a Suitcase with a Book, Children’s Literature Days, Movie Café Festival, Opole Art Encounters, Book Clubs, English Language Zone, The Days of Opole, and The Night of Culture. It is also engaged in the project America@yourlibrary.
Awards, case studies, further information
The modern looks and original architecture of the library were appreciated in all-Polish competitions. The library came off second best in the plebiscite for the best architectural realization, The Form of the Year 2010, organized by Bryla.pl web portal.
The library building won also recognition in the competition Poland Is Growing Beautiful – 7 Wonders of the European Funds, in which the most interesting projects subsidized by the European funds were awarded prizes. In one of the seven competition categories, namely Revitalization, the city of Opole was awarded the main prize by the Ministry of Regional Development for the project “Alteration, outward and upward extension of the Municipal Public Library building in Opole.”
The Library was also awarded the title of The Master of Reading Promotion in the year 2012.
1001 Libraries to see before you die 