The Danish Library Centre for Integration
The Danish Library Centre for Integration (SBCI) is part of the Danish State & University Library, (an institution under The Danish Ministry of Culture) which delivers a wide range of shared national services to public libraries throughout Denmark.
Acquisitions:
We purchase books, music, films, audiobooks and e-books in cooperation with our consultants who have comprehensive knowledge of the individual languages and cultural traditions of the various countries we buy from. Each year we purchase materials in around ten languages. Our languages of focus are: Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu. These languages make up 75-80 percent of our total acquisitions and loans.
Loans:
Our core service is lending books, music, and films to Danish public libraries.
We primarily lends out books on a subscription basis. This scheme ensures that the public libraries receive an automatic, up to date, and free delivery of materials in the languages requested by the individual library. The materials are delivered and exchanged two to four times a year. Along with the subscription we send multilingual marketing materials, including post cards, folders etc. in order to support the public libraries’ services to the public.
Library users who have come to Denmark as refugees or immigrants, can borrow books and other materials in their own language at the local library. The library will in turn request it from SBCI, as individuals cannot borrow directly from SBCI, but should go through their local library.
The library user can either request books etc. at the local library or make an order at bibliotek.dk. bibliotek.dk is a database of the items found in the stock of the Danish public libraries. We have produced multilingual guides on how to order books etc. at bibliotek.dk.
Knowledge centre:
We focus on advice and cross-disciplinary knowledge sharing and host a range of workshops and conferences on the topic of multilingual library services. We co-ordinate and manage projects. And we work with both Danish and international agents in order to further multicultural library services.
Nordic Library Conference 2011 : Cultural Diversity, Community and Services:
took place on the 25th and 26th of August 2011 in Copenhagen. Read more.
BibZoom.dk/world:
The world’s first digital library with online access to music, films and e-books from all over the world. The use of the database is limited to Danish citizens only. See bibzoom.dk/world.
Homework Support Online:
The State and University Library runs the Homework Support Online project – a development project managed by representatives from the Ministry of Integration, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Culture as well as by the State and University Library.
The idea behind Homework Support Online is that students and homework helpers meet online in real time in an environment with chat, web cams, file sharing, and a digital whiteboard.
The project is still being developed, and the goal is to roll out the scheme on a nationwide basis by the end of 2011. Read more (in Danish).
Newcomers:
In the future, Denmark will have to attract and retain a large number of skilled foreign workers (Newcomers). Together with the Danish National Centre for Social Research and Greve Public Library we run a nationwide library project focusing on the Newcomer group. The project is funded by the Danish Agency for Libraries and Media and finishes on 30 November 2011.
The Newcomer project continues from 1December 2011 until 30 June 2012. This time financially supported by the Ministry of Refugee, Immigration, and Integration Affairs.
Read more about the project (in Danish).
FINFO:
FINFO operates as a network of key stakeholders in the Danish society, who want to ease the way to integration of ethnic Danes and ethnic minorities by offering action-oriented, multilingual information about the Danish society in 9 languages. See www.finfo.dk.
