The Dortmund Library

The Central Library in Dortmund was founded in 1907. Back then, it was called "Wilhelm-Auguste-Viktoria-Bücherei der Stadt Dortmund“, while today it's called the Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Dortmund ( Dortmund City and State Library ). It is located in the inner city of Dortmund, on the opposite side of the main railway station. The building was designed by the Swiss architect and professor of architecture, Mario Botta.

The Dortmund Library owns approximately 1 million items, out of which 300,000 in freehand and 700,000 in the magazine inventory. The interior of the library building, also houses the Institute for Newspaper Research. The City and State Library of Dortmund has a well-known influence in the field of electronic resources and digital library (DigiBib). It offers an Internet portal to provide access to scientific information, as well as where and how the found information is available, whether as a printed medium, at a library, or in an electronic format or in online bookstores.

The new Dortmund Library was opened in May 1999. It should be "future-proofed" to all known future technologies that could be incorporated into it. Thanks to the architecture, the Library had a high "technology capability" and was able to function since its opening in 1999, continuing to engage constructively in the implementation of new technologies. The subsequent wiring was much facilitated by the possibility of passing the wires through the false floor of the House. The good information infrastructure has laid the foundations for the implementation of the "Digital Library in Public Libraries" project.

The total area is 14,500 square meters and it can support a total number of visitors of about 65,000. A public library has a high importance in a city's infrastructure, so it was built beside the main railway station. The building is composed of two parts: a rectangle and a glass rotunda. The rectangle provides a modern library with the all space requirements met while the rotunda guarantees a futuristic design. The rotunda is located at the north part of the rectangle and is constructed entirely out of glass. It is a semi-circular structure that comes forward out of the rectangle. This structure has an unusual form that induces a state of surprise. The lucid architecture complies with the principle of the library, which is "transparent house."

The library was designed with the idea of accessibility in mind. The surfaces in the house are straightforward and directly accessible. This is achieved by the presence of the escalators. A magnificent building in itself, the Dortmund Library is a must see for anyone who visits the city and wants to get a glimpse of the city's most important attractions.

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