The document provides an overview of the NCCU School of Library and Information Science study abroad program in Denmark in 2011. It discusses experiences visiting various Danish libraries and learning about Danish culture and library systems. Key points covered include: - The program explored blending old and new architecture, politics, and lifestyles in Danish culture. - Sites visited included the Royal School of Library and Information Science, Copenhagen Main Library, and libraries serving communities, universities, and special populations. - Common features of Danish libraries included cafes, active community roles, and a focus on children and services. - Lectures provided context on Scandinavian library models and trends, political libraries, and entrepreneurship in the field

1. NCCU School of Library and Information Science Study abroadDenmark 2011

2. Presented by Megan Lawson, Danielle’ McGhee, Kafi-Ayanna Allah, and Jason Howard

3. Getting to know Denmark and Exploring Danish Culture Denmark is an impressive country, and Copenhagen is full of old-world charm, even though it is one of the largest cities in northern Europe. Having spent two weeks in Copenhagen, we had the opportunity to get to know the country and the people, their lifestyle, politics, and culture helping us to form a context by which to understand their libraries.

5. Blending the Old with the New: architecture The interior of AmagerbroKultur’sSunby Library and cultural center reflects typical modern Danish design, focusing on light wood and natural lighting.

6. Blending the Old with the New: architecture Developers of Amager neighborhoods began incorporating modern design into the original exteriors as part of revitalization projects that began in the 2000’s.

7. Blending the Old with the New: Unique Neighborhoods The practices of creating modern buildings in empty spaces, preserving historic architecture, and modernizing some of the older buildings have made the neighborhoods and districts of city very distinct and unique. We could often tell what district we were in by the buildings around us. The Bella Sky Hotel in Ørestad District Photo Credit: housevariety.blogspot.com

8. Blending the Old with the New: Unique Neighborhoods NyhavnHarbourand KongensNytorv where Magasin is found have older, more traditional housing structures because these areas are closer to the center of the city. Strøgetis the longest pedestrian shopping area in Europe. This downtown district consists mostly of row houses that have been converted into shops and restaurants.

9. Blending the Old with the New: Unique Neighborhoods Parts of Copenhagen University are also in the Islands Bryyge area. This modern dorm on the University’s newest campus is an architectural masterpiece. The Islands Bryggedistrict has newer, more modern construction mixed with older structures because it is placed further outside the city.

10. Blending the Old with the New: Government Danish political system is an example of blending old with new as their government is a constitutional monarchy. Though she has little formal power, there is still much respect and pride for the monarch, Queen Margarethe. Citizens are also proud of their right to vote. We learned that around 80% of the Danish population votes, and they are allowed to elect a new government if they are not satisfied with the current one. This process is occurring right now, making it a very exciting time to visit the country. Queen Magarethe II Photo Credit: clausdjensen.com

11. Blending the old with the New: Government Christiansborg Palace was used for centuries as the monarch’s residence, but is now home to Parliament, the Danish Supreme Court, and the Office of the Prime Minister. It is the only building in the world that can claim it houses all three branches of the government.

12. Taxes and Danish Services Citizens have to pay very high taxes, about 50-70% of their income, but they see the benefits in everyday life through: free public health care and education wonderful maternity benefits and retirement plans welfare for unemployed citizens for up to 2 years free access to libraries, cultural centers, museums, etc. The Danes are proud of the taxes they pay because they know they have quality services and that their government takes care of its people.

13. University of Copenhagen Post-secondary education in Denmark is free.

14. AmagerbroKultur Danish citizens have free access to public libraries and cultural centers like Amagerbro Cultural Center that incorporates artistic spaces and athletic centers.

15. Blending the Old with the New:DanskeHygge Danskehyggemeans “Danish relaxation” or “Danish well-being.” Although Copenhagen is a metropolis and one of the largest cities in Scandinavia, the Danes there have a simple way of living.Because of the harsh winters and months of darkness they must live in, hygge is taken seriously as a necessity for well being. This equates to: mandatory summer vacations from work a lack of summer school little crime in the city a very trusting nature; mothers leave babies in strollers outside on nice days for fresh air Danskehyggereally means that Danes are able to find relaxation and enjoyment in every part of life. We were told that Danes only need 3 things to be happy: good weather, a cup of coffee, and a pastry. By Danish standards, we were very happy the whole trip!

16. Danish Summer Weather In summer, Danes can be seen everywhere enjoying the wonderful weather, as they are here in the King’s Gardens.

17. Danish Pastries If it only takes good weather, coffee, and a pastry to make a Dane happy, we were very happy travelers by Danish standards!

18. An introduction to Danish Library Systems and Education Experiencing Copenhagen helped us to better grasp Danish society, and we were able to understand Danish libraries through that lens. After two days of touring the city, we began our course of study. Our education about the country’s libraries began with an introduction to library science education at the Royal School of Library and Information Science.

19. The Royal School of Library and Information Science (RSLIS) The Royal School of Library and Information Science (RSLIS), DetInformationsvidenskabeligeAkademi(IVA) in Danish

20. Survey and Discuss We were given a tour of the facility by Ragnhild Riis, Research Officer at RSLIS,as well as a chance to sit and discuss with her the institution, its programs, and some of the challenges and concerns RSLIS and Danish libraries are facing. Photo Credit: identitydesigned.com/iva/

21. Basic Background and Statistics Founded in 1956, RSLIS replaced the Danish State Library School that had been established in 1918. The School has ~1,000 students and a branch campus in Aalborg. Accredited Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD programs are available. RSLIS also offers an English language Master’s Program for non-Danes and seeks partnerships with foreign universities. We were able to meet international Master’s students, however there are currently no international PhD students.

22. Challenges to RSLIS: Enrollment Because education is free in Denmark, institutions are funded based upon enrollment. To keep enrollment up, RSLIS: recruits young people as they graduate high school. advertises the School’s programs in newspapers and in short films. creates connections with library and information science (LIS) schools at universities abroad, such as the recent partnership created with Wuhan University in China. However, the lack of interest in librarianship still resulted in low enrollment. RSLIS’s solution was to rebrand itself by employing a fresh look to its advertisements and, more notably, by changing the Danish version of its name from DanmarksBiblioteksskole (Danish Library School) toDetInformationsvidenskabeligeAkademi(The Information Science Academy). Enrollment has increased.

23. Award Winners Photo Credit: http://www.make.dk/news/all/all/makestuff As a matter of fact, for its work on its visual identity, RSLIS received the Distinction Award this year in the international brand transformation showcase competition hosted by Rebrand. http://www.rebrand.com/distinction-iva

28. discovering Scandinavian Library Culture and Style Through Lectures Our initial discussion at RSLIS provided us with a better framework for understanding the Danish library world. The lectures we received at RSLIS in our first week of study oriented Danish library culture within context of broader Scandinavian library culture and established it as both unique and part of the regional whole.

29. LIS Education in Scandinavia:by Ole Harbo Introduction to the geographical structure of Scandinavian countries Scandinavian countries consist of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark also Iceland, Finland, and the Faroe Islands Library Systems Heavily influenced by Germany and the public library system was strongly influenced by the United Stated of America. Establishment of library education programs in Scandinavia Most libraries have their own library program, and if not programs and additional resources are shared amongst the universities.

30. Denmark’s History Historically Denmark controlled parts of Sweden. Nordic countries tried to create their own federation to share resources with one another. This only worked culturally for library organizations in the Nordic area. Education After a peasant uprising, an opportunity was created to send all children to school for equality purposes. This education includes not only scholarly lessons, but also lessons on trust, culture, and social responsibilities. An Introduction to Denmark:by Ismail Abdullahi

34. The Nordic Library Model and Trends in Scandinavian Library Architectural Design by Nan Dahlkild Successful Knowledge Environments require openness, lighting, sustainability, comfort and “fixability” as components that make a learning environment successful. Architecture and practices of Nordic libraries church (3 levels) “pharmacy-like” order open access modernized structures Examples of libraries that embody the elements of a successful knowledge environment: Chicago Public Library Nashville Main Library The Royal Library (Black Diamond) in Copenhagen

35. Scenario Planning Scenario planning is a risk taking plan that leads one to think about how to execute a plan/ Based on the “what if” question. Creates an enlightened way of thinking Execute a plan with the realistic mind. Entrepreneurship in the Library Profession by Michael Kristiansson

36. The Exploration of Various types of Danish Libraries In the second week of our study with our anticipation at its peak, we were able to tour and explore different kinds of libraries in Denmark, each with a different purpose and/or target population.

37. Danish Libraries We had the opportunity to visit a wide variety of libraries in Copenhagen and elsewhere in Denmark. AmagerbroKultur’sSundbyBibliotek – A library created as part of a revitalization project for a lower income neighborhood providing state of the art programs for youth and a number of social services for its patrons Copenhagen Main Library – The head library of Copenhagen located in the center of the city’s downtown area FrederiksburgKommunesBiblioteker – A regular-sized community branch library HelsingørKommunesBiblioteker – A remodeled library in a somewhat rural yet historic coastal area that serves the public and takes on the responsibilities of a tourism office KUBIS-Hum at Copenhagen University – Humanities library serving students and faculty at Copenhagen University The Royal Danish Library – A research library containing a wealth of primary sources from the middle ages through to the present

38. Danish Libraries:Common Characteristics Though each library we visited was quite different from the last, we found several common characteristics in them, such as: a café an active community strong children’s facilities in the public libraries a focus on service

39. Danish Libraries:AmagerbroKultur’sSundbyBibliotek

41. Electronic Bulletin Board

43. Education

45. Danish Libraries:Copenhagen Main Library In the heart of Copenhagen, this library has multiple levels: Ground - Cafe & Reception 2nd Floor - Children & Youth, Art & Literature 3rd Floor - Humanities and Social Studies 4th Floor - Sociology, Government, Cooking, others

46. Danish Libraries:Frederiksberg KommunesBiblioteker Set in blah blahblah, this friendly branch library was just across the street from our hotel and our only real source of internet access. It quickly became a favorite for that reason alone. Two floors with adult materials located on the ground floor Some AV materials are loaned as well as video games A modest amount of computers in the adult and children’s areas

47. Danish Libraries:HelsingørKommunesBiblioteker

48. Danish Libraries:HelsingørKommunesBiblioteker Located in the town of Helsingør, HelsingørKommunesBiblioteker, aka Helsbib., is roughly thirty miles away from Copenhagen. This state of the art library is set up in three levels: 1st Floor – Children’s 2nd Floor - Fiction 3rd Floor – Facts (Nonfiction) This library is also fully equipped with a concert hall, exercise room, and an play area for adults.

49. Danish Libraries:KUBIS-Hum at Copenhagen University

50. Danish Libraries:KUBIS-Hum at Copenhagen University KUBIS is an acronym (Københavns UniversitetsBibliotekogInformationsService) translating to Copenhagen University Library and Information Service (CULIS) in English. KUBIS-Hum is the Faculty Library of Humanities at KUBIS. This library’s collections hold information for departments related to the arts, linguistic studies, and cultural studies at Copenhagen University. The library also regularly hosts events and exhibits.

51. Danish Libraries:The Royal Danish Library

52. Danish Libraries:The Royal Danish Library The Royal Danish Library is made up of the newer black prism known as the Black Diamond, seen here, as well as the older brick building next to it.

54. It was opened to the public in 1793.

55. The old building was built in its current location in 1906.

56. It merged with Copenhagen University Library in 1989.

58. The National Museum of Cartoon Art

60. Helsbib’s modern interior and experimental design stood out from other libraries we toured. We had the opportunity to view many features at this library that I have never seen anywhere else. Megan’s Favorite Parts of The tripFavorite Library: Helsbib

61. Megan’s Favorite Parts of The tripFavorite Place: Nyhavn Harbor Nyhavn Harbor was my favorite place in Copenhagen. This harbor is off the main canal near the city center, and featured some of the most beautiful, unique houses in the city. These buildings used to be bars and brothels, but now feature restaurants and tourist shops. Hans Christian Anderson’s house is near the end of the harbor.

62. Megan’s Favorite Parts of The TripFavorite Moment: Reaching the top of the Church of Our Savior My favorite moment was the last day of our trip, when we climbed the spire of the Church of Our Savior. Although this experience was terrifying, at over 200 feet in the air with the last steps of the tower on the outside of the spire, we had a great view of the city we had been living in for two weeks. This was an excellent way to say good-bye to the city.

63. Kafi’s Favorite Parts of The TripFavorite Library: Helsbib My favorite library was also Helsbib, set in a remodeled shipyard within view of both Kronborg “Hamlet’s” Castle and the Swedish shoreline.

64. Kafi’s Favorite Parts of The TripFavorite Place: Wild Wonders of Europe Outdoor Exhibit Wild Wonders of Europe is sponsored by the program, Rewilding Europe and is dedicated to educating the world about European natural habitats, wildlife, and endangered species which are far less publicized than those in Africa and Asia. This outdoor exhibit ran in Copenhagen from June 1 to July 31 on Strøget, the longest pedestrian shopping area in Europe.

65. Kafi’s Favorite Parts of The Trip Favorite Moment: Distortion Fest Distortion is a five day techno/dance festival that takes place in summer in Copenhagen. There’s almost no violence, beer is cheap, and the sun doesn’t go down until about 11pm. In the middle of everyone dancing and having a good time, we met a young Dane who said – without prompting – “I like it when they have political debates at the library!” We had just discussed the popularity of political debates in Danish libraries that very day during a lecture. Photo Credits: Richard at webnerhouse.com and cphdistortion.dk

66. Danielle’s Favorite Parts of The tripFavorite Library: FrederiksburgKommunesBiblioteker This library became my favorite because we spent the most time here, and because it was closest in scale to branch libraries I am accustomed to.

67. Danielle’s Favorite Parts of The tripFavorite Place: The Lousiana Museum of Modern Art The Lousiana is located on the coast of North Zealand and houses collections of modern art of various variety from around the world.

68. Danielle’s Favorite Parts of The tripFavorite Moments: Eating Danish Pastries Attending the Distortion Fest Trying

69. Jason’s Favorite Parts of The tripFavorite Library: Helsbib My favorite library is also Helsbib because it is modern, it preserves the history of the old shipyard building, and it meets the communities' needs.

70. Jason’s Favorite Parts of The tripFavorite Place: Shoe Restricted Seating in Helsbib This area of Helsbib can be used for viewing films or presentations, or it can be used as a comfy place to sit and read. With it’s soft carpet, bright color, and step-like seating, this shoe restricted zone is a popular attraction for young people.

71. Jason’s Favorite Parts of The TripFavorite Moment: The DMC Nordic DJ Championship The DMC Nordic DJ Championshipis an annual DJ competition hosted by Disco Mix Club (DMC). This year, it took place at the Vega nightclub in Copenhagen, and I was in attendance. Photo Credit: dmcnordic.com

72. We enjoyed every moment!