Modern library cannot just lend books

Tišnov - The library that would only function as a book rental, according to the head of the library in Tišnov, Dagmar Kopřivová, would not attract today's children. A modern library, in her view, must be a place where children meet, solve their problems, spend time, and perhaps even attend clubs. Today, the Tišnov children's library was announced as the best in the Czech Republic in the competition "Kamarádka knihovna".
    "Children need to be drawn to the library by something other than just books," she said, noting that in Tišnov, the library building serves as an informal environment for meetings. Children share their concerns here, and a special educator helps them with their troubles. In the informal environment, children tend to confide more in her. "It is neutral ground for them, not school, a hospital, or an institution," Kopřivová pointed out.
    The Tišnov library has been located in a newly built building since 2005. The children's department occupies about 300 square meters. It consists of a large room with low shelves arranged so that children can reach them. Some shelves are straight, others are circular. The facility also includes a garden, a lecture hall, a reading room, and a stage. "There is a lot of space, and the children like it there," Kopřivová stated.
    According to Kopřivová, the Tišnov librarians will boast about today's success, but they are not planning to hang a sign saying "best library in the country" next to the door. "We will probably buy a lot of books," Kopřivová described a possible form of celebration. The Tišnov librarians received a prize of 30,000 crowns from the competition organizer as winners.