His first official day at work was a great one. There was a lot of commotion in the library. Young and old attended Nemo’s experiment show. “It was completely full here,” says Roy de Witte, the new director of the Hoogeveen library. “I saw parents with children, but also grandfathers and grandmothers with grandchildren, refugees. And I saw a lot of people walking into the library after the show to take a look there too.” He thought it was a party. But who is that new director?
De Witte comes from politics. He was a councilor and alderman in Tubbergen and deputy for the province of Overijssel. He succeeds Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle, who is on the list of candidates for the European Parliament for D66 and aspires to a career in politics.
The new director consciously chose to leave the political scene. “You have to be on 24 hours a day,” he says. Work and private life were not in balance. The children Ties (12), Sepp (10), Pim (8) and Maud (6) increasingly showed that dad was often away. “You leave the house early in the morning and you’re usually home around eleven. You get less from the children than you would like. It has nothing to do with current politics, purely with family life. I have always said if things don’t go well at home, I will stop immediately.”
Feeling of recognition
He took the time to sober up. I left app groups and didn’t read newspapers. “I expected to encounter myself. But that didn’t happen.” What followed was an application at the Hoogeveen library. “I was looking for something other than the region I come from. And I must say, I feel at home here. It is a feeling of recognition.”
Being director of a library is something completely different. “In politics you have a whole team of people around you. Here, for example, I have to do the personnel contracts myself,” he laughs. For De Witte it was certain that the continuation of his political career would always be social. “As a councilor and deputy, I have had culture and education in my portfolio. That also included the library. I wanted what I would do next to contribute to people’s well-being and not to make shareholders richer.”
The fact that he views life this way undoubtedly has to do with his origins. He calls himself a child of Manderveen, where he was born and raised. Where, just like in Drenthe, naobership is of paramount importance. A village of ours knows us and it takes a village to raise a child . “My mother died quite early and people looked after me in Manderveen. You experience that when you experience setbacks. It’s home. In the village I am just Roy, not the councilor or deputy or director.”
Football training
His wife Joyce and the children fully supported the choice to take this job. “They really thought it was something for me,” he said. “And, I can go with them more often and give football training to the boys again. Previously, there was always pressure on those things.”
Over the years, the library has been given many new tasks, including from the municipality. In the past you could only go there to borrow books. Nowadays courses are also given and there are many different activities. From collection to connection. “I applaud that. The library is no longer just a place to borrow books but also a place to meet. Society has become more complex. It is important that we make people more digitally skilled. For example, by giving workshops about DigiD. It must be a safe home where you can learn. As a library, we are good at connecting.”
But he says: “It has to fit within the organization. It should not be thrown over the fence.” He hastens to add that he doesn’t experience it that way either. “Well-being comes first. We are now trying to see if we can organize something with internet banking. Banking matters are becoming increasingly complex and customers can visit a branch less and less often. Please note: we do not intend to take over the tasks of a bank. We do it from the perspective of the people who come here and what they need.” In addition, it is important not to forget the core. “That is the collection and the reading.”
Making basic skills
Hoogeveen is a municipality with a high percentage of low-literate people. De Witte doesn’t like that word. “We have to help people learn basic skills,” he says. “I have a lot of respect for people who have low literacy. They are very skilled in coming up with ways to participate in society. Start with talent instead of limitations.”
Not everyone is encouraged to read at home. It’s important to make reading fun. “We have to include everyone in this, education, parents, associations, library and also pre-school care. Ten minutes of compulsory reading is not fun. You have to make it interesting, entice the children. Feeding their fantasies.”
Podcasts
The Mandevener himself grew up reading. He often went to the library and when he was 16, 17, he read three to four newspapers a day. As a politician he mainly did speed reading. “I really have to unlearn that,” he laughs. “Now I sometimes still think that I can skip a few pages in a book and then I talk about it with someone later and then I discover that I have missed something. I’m currently reading a lot of biographies and I often listen to podcasts in the car.”
He feels at home in his new working environment and is enthusiastic about the municipality. He thinks that the residents should be a little more proud. “High-ranking people are modest. I don’t think people themselves see how special Hoogeveen is. There are great facilities, also in the surrounding villages. And there is a lot of industry.”
To go outside
Last year, 190,000 unique visitors came to the library. How will De Witte ensure that he and his team of employees and volunteers get even more people through the doors? “By making it even more interesting for us. We already have a wide range. The first time a child goes to the child health clinic, Boekstart receives a gift, memberships up to and including 18 years are free and we have a very wide range. But we can do more,” he emphasizes. “We can go outside. To the villages and ask: ‘what do you need?’ That is one of our strategic goals. I like to talk to people.”
In recent years, there have been significant budget cuts in the library. Are there any new ones in the pipeline? “Don’t know. You should ask councilor Mark Tuit that. The cuts have done something. The organization is vulnerable. But we’ll see what we can do. I have already had good conversations with the councilor and it should not always be about money.”