Recently crowned Norway’s most visited cultural institution (it attracted 3.3 million visitors since its opening in 2020), the Deichman Bjørvika library is located in the heart of Oslo, at a stone’s throw from the central station and the opera house, and is spread over six floors. At the opening, library director Knut Skansen said: “this library is a building that offers an abundance of light, air and spectacular views. It is open, in every sense of the word. The library is the bedrock of democracy and culture. The library is the opposite of echo chambers and social exclusion. The library is a vaccine against one of the city’s biggest challenges: loneliness. This will be a library for children, for adults, for the east, for the west – a library for Oslo“. Beyond its sleek modern architecture, Deichman Bjørvika is intended to be a social hub, as there are plenty of places where you can be social: for starters, it is a great place to practice Norwegian (every Monday the Red Cross holds Norwegian language training at 5pm), then there are various talks and lectures offered on an almost weekly basis, meeting rooms, Friday night social meetings and a free junior cinema for younger visitors. You can also book a private cinema screening for free: the mini cinema (on the 3rd floor) can host films, documentaries, and short films in a screening room for 20 people (a minimum of three people is required to make a booking). There are also plenty of opportunities to get creative: 3D printers, sewing machines and vinyl cutters are some equipment visitors can use at the library. There is also a creative workshop with tools that can be borrowed and where you can meet others who quite like tinkering. There’s a DJ deck with headphones, Serrato DJ Pro software, Pioneer DDJ-SR2 controllers, and a touch screen interface: aspiring DJs can even use the library’s Tidal subscription.
