Deichmanske bibliotek / Oslo Public Library, Holmlia Branch

The Holmlia branch lies in the Søndre Nordstrand district, 12 minutes by train from downtown Oslo, and can be found in Holmlia Centre. Søndre Nordstrand is one of  the city´s largest urban district with inhabitants from many different cultures.  With its approximately 35000 inhabitants, the district can in fact be compared with a middle-sized Norwegian town, and is continually growing.  

 App. 43 per cent of the inhabitants have foreign background, and of the total population there are app 32, 5 per cent between the ages of 0-19. The aim for the library on Holmlia is to increase the multi-lingual collection and offer material on several languages. We also offer material in 15 different languages together with a large number of easy-to-read literature in Norwegian as an aid to Norwegian language training.

Through different initiatives the local authorities have placed greath emphasis in teaching the minority peoples' children Norwegian before they start school.  This effort involves the library in the  project Lesefrø ;  where the library provides a number of kindergardens with literature including picture books in a large scale.  Thus the  children are sourrounded by norwegian language from a very young age.

The library places a great emphasis on anti-racist work through OXLO (Oslo Extra Large), and by building up and presenting the ARI-collection. ARI is a collection dedicated to literature about racism and anti-racism in several languages.  Its target group is mainly children and young people, but there is also information and books of interest to adults.  The library´s goal is to spread information that contributes to the public´s knowledge of racism, and to be a driving force in shaping attitudes in the district.   There are also different activities connected to this special collection of media.

Holmlia branch cooperate with several local organizations and municipal actors: 

The forum ”Treffpunkt Holmlia”  is a cooperative effort between the library , Holmlia church and the municipal authorities' language program for refugees and immigrants.  It's goal is to give the local inhabitants an arena in which to meet and become acquainted through cultural acitivities.

Holmlia library  should be ”an extended classroom”, and a place of learning for all, regardless of background and cultural point of departure.
 

Address: Holmlia sentervei 16
Tel : 23 19 19 40
Fax: 23 19 19 50
e-mail:fho@deichman.no
Branch head: Elin Bergstrøm Hermansen
elin.bergstrom.hermansen@kul.oslo.kommune.no