Innovative and interactive library in Kongsberg, Norway
18 June 2015 / Project news
Anyone who has a relation to the library business should plan a trip to Kongsberg during the autumn, where you, from August, can experience the library of the future in the Krona Culture House!
The Krona Culture House will become a hub for the Kongsberg region and will include the College of Buskerud, the Higher College Tinius Olsen, a composites laboratory, Kongsberg Norwegian centre, three cinemas, a musical theatre and lecture room, black-box theatre as well as municipal offices. Last, but not least, both the School of Library and the public library will have a prominent place in the Culture House and will become spectacular meeting places of the future. They are two ultra-modern libraries showing the options a library can offer in form of meeting places and modern knowledge- and experience centres anno 2015.
A collaboration between the public library, Danish Redia and our sister company in Norway, BS Eurobib, was established on innovative design, with design by interior designer Lykke Boening Jørgin from Lammhults Biblioteksdesign. The decor includes new winning interactive solutions from Redia, where the digital platform is integrated with numerous opportunities for experiences, communication and accessibility.
Lykke Bøning Jørgin, Interior Design
Lammhults Biblioteksdesign
If you want to experience advanced library innovation, you must go to Norway and visit Kongsberg and the Krona Culture House soon!
Interactive floor for games and playing
The interactive floor invites you to play and learn and spreads life and activity throughout the library. Besides the many already integrated standard games, new games from other developers or games you have developed can be integrated at a later stage. This ensures the continuous development of new and exciting games. The children’s zone will have memory games and quizzes that are based on the book covers, characters and authors in the children’s zone. A fun approach to loaning a book!
Panorama from the book’s universe
Lean back and read aloud, while scenes from the book will be shown to the audience on the big, visual panoramic screen. It will feel like you are standing in the rain forest yourself or actually flying on the back of a dragon!
Audio factor for music experiences
The music department will have a new and exciting instrument: Audio Factor is a tool that shows what music is composed of, by combining known tracks in a new way. Via touch screen and headphones, the user can combine different tracks and genres, thus composing new music. The audio tracks can be edited in many different ways.
Digital signage
Digital posters makes a library dynamic and market-orientated. Brand new technology conveys everything you want to express! Here you can brand books, events, campaigns and themes. A great deal of the themed material will automatically download content via external sources, update content from the event calendar and promote library services at all times
Book machines
The book machines displays book covers, but only the books available in the library. If you want the book, it is retrieved automatically. One can also find information on a specific book; make suggestions on what others have borrowed together with the book, as well as other books from the same author, in the same genre and within the same series.
Applications for search and reservations - for users of the library
In Denmark, Redia has developed an application for use by all Danish library users. With this application, you can use the library around the clock, the whole year. It includes advanced search, handling of your own reservations, loan renewal, book suggestions as well as it informs about activities and events. This application is ideal for self-service, so the library instead can use its resources communication and events instead of administrative tasks. In the application, you can of course also read e-books and listen to audio books!
Application - for the librarian
With the librarian's own application, tasks are mobile and fast. It will optimize librarian availability and service levels.
Extended search, material statistics and history and search lists are some of the features provided by the application. The librarian can also easily change the setup and the visual impression on all devices such as signage, web and user application with camera phone and tablet via the application. Just imagine that you can change a digital sign with your mobile phone while standing in the library!
Interactive "Eye"
The College of Buskerud at Kongsberg is the only school in Norway that educates opticians, and they will therefore set up a large interactive "eye" at the entrance to the public library. How to use the eye will be a secret until the opening; however, a slight hint is that it involves touch sensitivity and projection.