Reflection on Hyperlinked Environments: An Ode to Deichman Bjørvika
When I clicked onto the article titled This Library Was Just Named the Best in the World in the Hyperlinked Environments module, I was not expecting to see a library I visited just two months ago. That being said, I am not at all surprised that it was selected by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) as the best public library in the world in 2021. Stepping into Deichman Bjørvika in Oslo, Norway was like stepping through a portal to another world. I wish I could say that I had known before visiting Oslo that it laid claim to an internationally acclaimed library. The reality is that I bumbled into Deichman Bjørvika through a serendipitous series of events, and for that, I feel lucky beyond measure.
View from the escalator [Photo mine]As my partner and I were waiting in line to check in to our hotel next to the train station in Oslo, I found myself staring out the window at the building across the street. It was a massive, irregularly shaped six-story structure surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides, and through those windows, I saw bookshelves. I opened up Google Maps to zoom in on the building; lo and behold, we had inadvertently chosen the hotel directly across the street from Oslo’s public library.
Original image source: Visit Norway. Edits added by me.
In her article covering Deichman Bjørvika following the announcement of its top-of-the-world status in 2021, Morgane Croissant praised the astonishing diversity of needs that this library accommodates through its wide assortment of community spaces (Croissant, 2021). Having walked through all six floors of the library, I can attest to the impressive flexibility of this building. The first floor alone is home to a cafe, restaurant, and library shop. The basement boasts an in-house cinema and auditorium.
Book-shaped erasers in the Library Shop [Photo mine]The second floor houses event spaces as well as a bustling, imaginative children’s section. The highlight of the third floor is the workshop, a robust makerspace dedicated to providing the tools and resources for artists, makers, and hobbyists alike.
The 3rd-floor workshop [Photo mine]The 4th and 5th floors contain the most impressive assortment of study rooms, work stations, comfortable seating areas, and reservable zones I have personally ever seen in a library. I found a room designated for phone calls, several lecture rooms, and around half a dozen collaboration rooms—just to give you an idea of the dizzying variety of spaces available in this building. Every corner I turned, I was enchanted by something new and unexpected. A peek through one of the glass walls in the back revealed an almighty automatic book sorting machine. As you browse the print collections, some of the subject areas are even themed to coordinate with their corresponding topics; for instance, hanging plants adorn the natural sciences alcove.
Natural sciences alcove at Deichman Bjørvika [Photo mine]In his article Moving Beyond the “Third Place,” Phil Morehart delves into the vision and ideas that fed the creation of the Dokk1 Library in Aarhus. One of the goals that was discussed was for that library to serve as a sort of living room for the community that was “less focused on books and more focused on human needs, providing space for performances, meetings, children’s activities, art installations, and general public gatherings” (Morehart, 2016). A community living room is the perfect way to describe what Deichman Bjørvika felt like. These Scandinavian libraries are truly setting a stunning example of how to show up for our cities in all the ways that matter. In them, we see what it looks like when a library is valued by its patrons, when a library is truly viewed as a haven (Lauersen, 2021).
Flying books in Deichman Bjørvika [Photo mine]Before catching our train from Oslo to Bergen, we had around three hours of extra time. We’d already seen all the sights that we set out to see in the city. We were drawn into Deichman Bjørvika like moths to a flame. In those walls, I felt peaceful. I was able to simply exist in this place for the space of a few hours, reading, surrounded by people browsing, working, studying, exploring, crafting, innovating, reflecting, meeting one another, taking full advantage of their brilliant library.
4 thoughts on “Reflection on Hyperlinked Environments: An Ode to Deichman Bjørvika”
Hi Caitlin,
I really enjoyed being taken through a brief tour of the Deichman Bjørvika library through your post. Two things stood out to me about the library that I would like to see more of in other libraries:
1.) Plants! It adds beauty and nature inside. Which would especially be nice in Minnesota winters (where I live).
2.) Coffee shop. This would appeal to me while I’m studying. I like to have a matcha latte while I study which is why I often study in coffee shops.
A matcha latte is an excellent studying companion! Thanks for your lovely comment, Bella. Definitely on the same page as you… more library plants and coffee shops are in order!
@cvaille it’s so cool you visited this library. It is on my list. Please save this post for your ePortfolio competency O. Because it will be a very good as an artifact for that one.
Hi Caitlin,
I really enjoyed being taken through a brief tour of the Deichman Bjørvika library through your post. Two things stood out to me about the library that I would like to see more of in other libraries:
1.) Plants! It adds beauty and nature inside. Which would especially be nice in Minnesota winters (where I live).
2.) Coffee shop. This would appeal to me while I’m studying. I like to have a matcha latte while I study which is why I often study in coffee shops.
A matcha latte is an excellent studying companion! Thanks for your lovely comment, Bella. Definitely on the same page as you… more library plants and coffee shops are in order!
@cvaille it’s so cool you visited this library. It is on my list. Please save this post for your ePortfolio competency O. Because it will be a very good as an artifact for that one.
It really blew me away, such an immersive space. That’s a great idea to save this for competency O! Thanks for pointing that out 🙂