News item | 04-11-2022 | 15:20
In the coming years millions of euros will go to public libraries. State Secretary Uslu (Culture and Media) wants to use that money to ensure that every municipality has a future-oriented library facility. In concrete terms, this means that gaps in the physical library network will be closed and the online library will be expanded. Linked to this, Uslu also wants to introduce a duty of care for municipalities, so that access to libraries is guaranteed in the future. Next year, 29.7 million euros will be available, and that increases to a structural amount of 58.7 million euros from 2025.
State Secretary Uslu: “If you are a member of the public library, you have a subscription to the whole world. Because reading is fundamental, and a library brings you much more than that. It is a place where people awaken and grow culturally and socially. Where as a child worlds open up for you. Where you as a parent can send your child with peace of mind. A place where knowledge, stories and other perspectives are within reach for everyone. That is why I invest a large part of the extra culture budget in the public library.”
Together with municipalities
There are currently gaps in the national library network. In the short term, the measures are aimed at closing those gaps. Especially in municipalities without a physical library and in places where the distance to the library has become too great. Of course, the government does not do this alone. The local government often has the best view of what is needed in a municipality. From 2025, municipalities will receive structural extra money for the libraries, coupled with a duty of care. This means that they have to provide the presence of and access to the library with the money from the government. From 2025 approximately 54 million euros will be available for this. Over the next three years, a total of 5 million euros will be available to invest in the library network on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
Online library
A customer-friendly online library is a logical and important part of the library. During the corona period, the online library has really taken off and State Secretary Uslu wants to strengthen this function. This requires an innovative national infrastructure, which it will work on together with the Koninklijke Bibliotheek and other partners. An annual amount of 5 million euros is available for this, and an additional 8 million euros in 2023 and 2024.
The public library can play an important role in increasing equality of opportunity and is one of the most visited socio-cultural facilities in the Netherlands. About 3.4 million people are members, of which 2.2 million are young people.