The Norwegian Apple Library
is to be in Tromsø

The public library and city archives of
Tromsø have been chosen to establish
the first Norwegian Apple Library. The
aim of this project is to create a model
library which will offer good services to
children with disabilities while at the
same time inspiring others to do the
same. The project will run for two
years from August 2007.

The Norwegian Archive, Library and
Museum Authority announced last
April a project to develop such a model
library, creating library services and
environments suited to the needs of
disabled children. All children are entitled
to have equal access to their local
public library, whether alone or with
friends, family or schoolmates. The
strategy will be a combination of
universal design and specific arrangements
to meet special needs. The training
of staff and the cooperation of
various user groups will be vital to
achieving the aims of the project. Inspiration
can be drawn from the Swedish
Apple Library established ten years
ago.

Nine libraries and institutions applied
for financing to establish an Apple Library,
all showing great enthusiasm
and the will to achieve results in this
field. Many of them had a sound basis
with good local conditions, highly
skilled staff and a knowledge of universal
design. Some had already identified
local partners who could make a
useful contribution in support of their
efforts.

Tromsø Public Library and City Archives
had already included services to
children with disabilities in their action
plan approved by the local city council
only last year. They have a great awareness
of the need to improve relevant
knowledge skills throughout the whole
staff, and they appreciate the challenges
to be faced and the problems to be
solved. They also emphasise the need
to evaluate and document the results of
the project as it goes along, if it is to
serve as a model Apple Library from
which the rest of Norway can draw
experience and gain knowledge.

Tone Moseid Senior adviser,
Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority
tone.moseid@abm-utvikling.no

Prison library

- improving the quality of life
This project to promote reading in prisons
was started in August 2005 at the
Oslo Prison branch of the Deichman
Library. At the moment it is set to continue
until the end of 2007, but we
hope it will be possible to carry on
beyond that date. The project leader is
employed on a 50% basis.

The main objective of the project is to
determine how a prison library can
best contribute to improving the
quality of life among the prison inmates.
They are given the opportunity of
access to cultural experiences by means
of literature, both orally and in written
form. At times new and alternative
methods are also tried out. Personal
development is an underlying aim, and
we therefore consider it important that
the inmates themselves play an active
part in the project.

The idea is to carry out various initiatives
promoting literature, although
not necessarily through the standard
method of direct reading. Variation
and creativity are important in this
context.We hope these initiatives can
encourage the inmates to read more
widely, thereby creating a basis for
shared references through the medium
of literature.

The project is supported by the Norwegian
Archive, Library and Museum
Authority, the organisation ‘Reader
seeks book’, Arts Council Norway, the
Norwegian Council for Cultural Affairs,
the Norwegian Writers’ Centre
and the Ministry of Justice and the
Police. In addition we cooperate with
the Oslo Prison’s department for
leisure activities and with the Greenland
(Oslo) Adult Learning Resource
Centre.
The many initiatives introduced in
2006 and 2007 included courses in writing,
celebration of World Book Day,
philosophy café, exhibitions, literary
quizzes, book café, visits by various
authors and a talk by Kjetil André
Aamodt, the world-famous alpine
skier, followed by a seminar.
These activities are of a qualitative nature
and therefore not so easily
measured with regard to the results
achieved.We have, however, observed
that the library has become more visible
as an arena for multiple uses. Our
cooperation with the Adult Learning
Resource Centre has also been considerably
strengthened.

Sissel Rødland
Librarian, Oslo Prison, Dept.A
fengsela@deichman.no

Translated by Eric Deverill