Next Library
Next Library is an organisation that hosts a series of biennial Danish conferences for librarians and library professionals. International editions of the conference series began in 2014 and are referred to as "satellites."
Background
[edit]The conference series was started by Aarhus Public Libraries in 2009,[1] with conferences being held at Dokk1 in Aarhus. In 2014, a Next Library satellite conference took place at Chicago Public Library,[2] that Rahm Emanuel attended. In September 2018, Next Library took place at the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek in Berlin.[3]
It describes itself as "an international gathering of forward-thinking library professionals, innovators and decision-makers who are pushing boundaries and making changes that support learning in the 21st century", and claims that more than 1400 librarians from 96 countries are in its network,[4] with 350 librarians attending the 2015[5] and 2017[6] events in Aarhus.
Satellite conference host countries include the USA, South Korea, Germany, and others.
Editions
[edit]| Date | Location | Themes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Aarhus | ||
| 2011 | Aarhus | ||
| 2013 | Aarhus | ||
| 2015 | Aarhus | ||
| 2017 | Aarhus | Literacy; The Learning Library; Emerging Trends; Community Engagement and Democracy; Strategic Partnerships; Design Thinking; Play | |
| 2019 | Aarhus | Libraries in Times of Social Crisis; Civic Media and Data Democracy; Temporary Spaces; Game Changing Tech & Emerging Trends | [7] |
| 2021 | Virtual | Next Library Online Festival | |
| 2023 | Aarhus | ||
| 2025 | Aarhus | The Sustainable Development Goals, Democracy, and Play |
| Date | Location | Themes | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Helsinki | Next Library Camp | ||
| 2010 | Reykjavik | NORDIC CAMP 1 | ||
| 2011 | Stockholm | NORDIC CAMP 2 | ||
| 2012 | Oslo | NORDIC CAMP 3 | ||
| 2014 | Chicago, USA | |||
| 2018 | Berlin | |||
| 2026 | Myeong-Dong, Seoul | Reimagine the Library; Inclusive Libraries: Beyond Open Doors; Content, Experience, Exploration; Why Place Still Matters: Libraries as Places | First Next Library conference hosted in Asia |
Advocacy and awards
[edit]- International Systematic - Joy of Reading Award winners[8]
- 2017: FunDza Literacy Trust
- 2019: Za'atari Camp Libraries
- 2023: Celebrated the winners of the EIFL Public Library Innovation Award[9][10]
- Biblioteca de la Creatividad in Colombia;
- Eastlands Library in Kenya,
- Naujoji Vilnia Library in Lithuania,
- Public Library ‘Radislav Nikčević’ in Serbia
- 2025: first Changemaker Award
- Take Away Library Packs – Athens Comics Library, Greece
- Craft, Play, Share - Centro Culturale Multiplo di Cavriago, Italy
Notable attendees
[edit]- Glòria Pérez-Salmerón
- Nobuo Yoshinari
- Daliana Suryawinata
- Menno Schilthuizen
- Yoeri Albrecht
- Christopher Breedlove, with Burners Without Borders
- Dr. Louise Bernard, Director of the Museum of the Obama Presidential Center
- Herman Wasserman
- Nina Simon
- Sandi Hilal
- R. David Lankes
- Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands
- Deborah Jacobs, Director of the Global Libraries program with the Gates Foundation[11]
- Rahm Emanuel
- John G. Palfrey, Jr.
- Tina Sciabica, CEO of READ Global
- Gerfried Stocker
- Pat Losinski, former CEO of Columbus Metropolitan Library
- Helene Blowers, founder of 23 Things
- Gene Tan, Chief Innovation Officer at Singapore's Library Board
- Eppo van Nispen tot Sevenaer
- June Garcia, winner of the 2019 ALA Medal of Excellence
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Memories / Archive". www.nextlibrary.net.
- ↑ "Mayor Emanuel Announces Chicago Public Library Awarded Grant for WiFi Hotspot Lending".
- ↑ Bodisco, Corinna von (12 September 2018). "Bibliotheken neu erfinden" – via Tagesspiegel.
- ↑ "About". www.nextlibrary.net.
- ↑ "The Next Library of Aarhus - EIFL". www.eifl.net.
- ↑ "International, Interactive Innovation - Next Library 2017".
- ↑ "Ideas for building the 'next' libraries for Africa | EIFL". www.eifl.net. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ "Systematic kicks off hunt for world's best reading project | Systematic". via.ritzau.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ Ebmark, Emily (2023-05-14). "Prize winners bring play into their libraries". Next Library. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ "Systematic - Joy of Reading". Systematic.com. 15 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022.
- ↑ "How Libraries Are Turning the Page on Global Development". New America. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
External links
[edit]- Official website - https://www.nextlibrary.net/
