Excerpt:
„Two years ago, in autumn 2023, an 800 m² extension called Pop-Up was opened next to the main building. Essentially, it is a large, flexible community and event space that community representatives can reserve for non-commercial events. The Pop-Up extension also includes restrooms, showers, and several smaller rooms: media labs where users can record audio and video, use 3D printers, and rooms with carpets for yoga, dance, music, presentations, and other activities. All of these services are provided free of charge.
[…]
The electronic catalog helps users locate materials on reading room shelves by providing virtual paths to exact locations. The library includes a children’s literature reading room with historical children’s books and original illustrations, mainly used for research. Rare materials reading rooms are also available, where pens and liquids (including water) are prohibited. These special collections have reduced opening hours.
[…]
The Federal Foreign Office Library proved surprisingly large and rich. It is led by Karen Schmohl, President of the BID. This is a special library, accessible to external users only in exceptional cases – when a specific resource is unavailable elsewhere. Nine librarians work there, fulfilling information requests during business hours. Every German ministry and state institution has its own specialized library with trained professionals.[…]„
You can read the full report here.
