The Veria Central Public Library, a focal point for literature and art, has brought the northern Greek city to the forefront as a centre of creativity and knowledge, a place where modern requirements are met while, at the same time, local tradition is reverently observed.
The city’s library has deservedly established itself as a Veria highlight. It has emerged as a leader in Greece by offering a range of services and programmes for children and adults. In 2010, the library reintroduced itself to the public after winning a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “Access to Learning” Award, coming with prizemoney of one million dollars. This achievement marked the beginning of a new era for the library, contributing to its further development and bolstering the services it provides.
Nowadays an ultra-modern complex in the heart of Veria, the Veria Central Public Library, spread over three floors, promises visitors a unique experience.
The library, upon entry, features a colourful and spirited children’s corner with intelligent games, an enormous variety of books, as well as a creative workshop for constructions. The library is available for exclusive school group visits, an experience that includes interactive games, specialised library staff providing assistance.
The library’s intermediate floor, an attraction for visitors interested in being informed about social, political and economic developments in Greece and abroad, offers numerous newspapers and magazines.
The library’s first floor combines education, art and technology in an incredibly harmonious way. This section offers a pleasant study area for students, its vibrant colours blending with the ample natural light flooding in through large windows.
The first floor offers visitors free access to modern PCs, laptops and tablets, while other attractions here include the opportunity to use a 3D printer and scanner. The library staff is generally very helpful. An aquarium hosting a variety of fish species is a lovely touch. It is definitely worth spending a little time at the library’s “inspiration space”, offering a sound-proofed environment that is ideal for concentration and relaxation. Its comfortable, multi-coloured sofas make for pleasant reading.
The first floor is also equipped with all the technology needed for online lessons as well as professional teleconferences. Quite unanticipated, a recording studio, for aspiring artists, adds yet another dimension to the many services offered by the library.
The library’s second storey, the top floor, features a bright and spacious hall for events and conferences. The variety of events includes cinema nights, often staged here, along with robotic classes for children, which the youngsters find very appealing. Given the fact that the interest of children in the field of robotics is at a high, the library’s free robotic classes, filling in for their absence at state schools, are invaluable. They help establish the library as a greenhouse offering exploration into new worldsThe library’s outdoor reading area, a shady space with a colorful flower garden at the back of the building, is another attraction that wins over visitors.
As highlighted above, the financial support coming with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation award just over a decade ago was certainly pivotal for the Veria library’s upgrade and development. However, its emergence and maintenance as a modern, knowledge-centred complex could not have been achieved without the never-ending efforts and creativity of the people who staff the library. The staff’s tireless actions during the pandemic have been remarkable. Talking with them, they expressed concerns about pandemic-related repercussions regarding the library’s ability to keep operating smoothly, as well as hope that the quest for knowledge will bring people back together.
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