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Archaeologists in Cologne believe they have uncovered the foundations of the oldest known library in Germany, dating back to the 2nd Century.

A team from the city's Roman-Germanic Museum discovered the library remains while excavating the site of a Protestant church.

The building likely housed up to 20,000 scrolls, according to Dr Dirk Schmitz, a researcher on the expedition.

He described the find as "truly spectacular".

The archaeologists involved in the parish church project uncovered the remains of a Roman building from the 2nd Century.

Cologne was founded by the Romans under the name Colonia in 50 AD.

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The former library is thought to have had a size of around 20 metres by nine and was two storeys high.

"At first we thought they were the remains of a space for public gatherings," Marcus Trier, director of the city's Romano-Germanic Museum said, but the walls had "unusual, cavernous structures".

After intensive research and comparison with ancient buildings such as the Ephesus in Turkey, the archaeologists were confident they had found the remains of what used to be a library.

"It took us some time to match up the parallels - we could see the niches were too small to bear statues inside," said Dr Schmitz, from the Roman-Germanic Museum of Cologne.

"They are very particular to libraries - you can see the same ones in the library at Ephesus."

The historic ruins have also revealed niches and cases, which likely stored an incredible number of parchment and papyrus rolls. "Maybe 20,000," he estimates.

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The western German city on the Rhine River is over 2,000 years old - so stumbling upon ancient ruins is not unusual.

The foundations are now to be integrated as a significant part into the new protestant church and will be open to the public. Other remains of the newly found library will be left for further archaeological examinations.

Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.</s>Archaeologists have discovered what appears to be Germany's oldest known library with a structure dating back to Roman times and wall niches designed to house scrolls, not books, as seen in images made available to epa on Wednesday.

The discovery was made during construction work next to the Antoniter Church in what is now an important shopping area in the eastern city of Cologne.

"It is at least the earliest library in Germany, and perhaps in the northern provinces of Rome,” Dirk Schmitz, an archaeologist at the Roman-Germanic Museum of Cologne, told journalists.

The library's walls were first revealed during an excavation on the grounds of the church in 2017, Schmitz said.

Archaeologists recognized the Roman structures, something that did not surprise them as Cologne is among Germany’s oldest cities, having been founded in 50 AD and given the Latin name of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium.

To begin with, the niches, measuring approximately 80 by 50 centimeters, were unexplained.

“It took us some time to match up the similarities," said Schmitz. "We could see the niches were too small to display statues. But they were cabinets for scrolls,” he added. “They are very particular to libraries, you can see similar ones in the library at Ephesus.”

It was not immediately known how many scrolls the library could have held, but Schmitz said it might have been “maybe 20,000.”

The construction would have been smaller than the celebrated library at Ephesus, which was built in 117 AD.

The find was made at a spot that has seen human activity for thousands of years, he said.

The Antoniter Church was erected as a Protestant church in 1802 on top of an older religious building.

It was badly damaged in World War II, then painstakingly restored and reopened in 1952.

The excavation revealed a room 20 meters (66 feet) long and nine meters wide that had an apse, an architectural feature that is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, the Roman-Germanic Museum of Cologne said.

The walls were made of a mixture of lime sand and a volcanic rock called trachyte, and archeologists have revealed two small polished floor pieces, the museum said.

Schmitz described the discovery as “really incredible, a spectacular find.”

He said the building would have been used as a public library due to its central location.

It is in the middle of Cologne, in the marketplace, or forum, a public space in the city center.

"Also, it is built using very strong materials, and such buildings, because of their large size, would have been public,” he said.

The walls will be preserved, with the three niches to remain viewable in the underground basement of the church's community center which is currently being built.</s>There is a job opening available at the Yadkin County Public Library for a library assistant. This is a 20-hour-a-week position with daytime and some evening hours required. The focus will be on children’s programming. For more information, visit the Facebook page or website at nwrl.org.

There is a book sale in the front entryway. With a variety of books to choose from, there is something for everyone at a great price that cannot be beat. We have recently weeded our nonfiction and movie collections. We have both adult and children movies on VHS available for purchase. Come see what we have to offer.

NC Works has changed locations and no longer has a representative at the library. There will be a Surry Community College employment specialist here on Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. She will be able to assist you in job searches, creating resumes, signing up for NC Works, and more.

Make It, Take It is a class where you make crafts to take home. It is held on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 3 p.m. Some projects will be finished in one session, but others may take a little more time. Examples of some of the crafts we might make include paper crafts, felt ornaments, and designing a kaleidoscope. If you would like to join us, please let us know at least two days before the scheduled session so we can have enough supplies on hand.

If you are in high school and you love to read, then be our book buddies and come join our Teen Book Club. We meet on the third Monday of each month at 4 p.m. Each month, we will choose a book to read, and when we come together again at the next meeting, we will discuss our thoughts about it. It is okay if you end up not enjoying the book. There are no wrong opinions. For next time, we are reading “Legend” by Marie Lu.

Our writer’s group is open to writers of all skill levels from high school and up. We meet on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 4 p.m. Join us for a fun time of writing, discussions, workshops, and support with like-minded people. All you need is a pencil, some paper, and your imagination.

If you are interested in tracing your family roots or need help in learning to use Ancestry.com, the library offers free workshops. Classes are now being offered on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and on Thursdays at 1 p.m. at the Yadkin County Public Library. All NWRL libraries offer free access to the Ancestry.com Library Edition. No advanced registration is required, and all workshops are free and open to the public.

Are you new to the area or new to the library? Your library card gives you access to a multitude of free resources such as books, magazines, movies, genealogy resources, music CDs, and eBooks. With a growing consortium through NC Cardinal, it also gives you access to over 5.1 million circulating items and over 27 library systems. Stop by the library and register for a card and learn even more ways to use your library card.

For a complete list of events going on at the Yadkin County Public Library or any of the NWRL libraries, please visit our webpage at www.nwrl.org. Also, the library has a Facebook page. Like our page to stay up to date on events, news, and photos.

The Yadkin County Public Library is a member of the Northwestern Regional Library system, comprised of libraries in Alleghany, Stokes, Surry, and Yadkin counties. The library’s normal operating hours are as follows: Mondays and Thursdays 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.</s>More Space and Support Found At Fowlerville Library's New Location

The Fowlerville District Library is already seeing a jump in success at its new location, despite only having occupied the site for about a month and a half.

 

 The library’s Board of Trustees purchased the building at the old site of the Curtis Grocery Store on Grand Street in Fowlerville in May of 2017. It officially opened June 15th and took the library that was once housed in a building of 4,225 square-feet to a total of 17,000 square-feet. Board member Marion Cornett says the 11-member staff loves their new home and is proud it was purchased for $625,000 with money the board had already saved, instead of having to go to taxpayers for money.

 

 Since opening, Library Director Beth Lowe says they have already issued three times as many library cards compared to this time last year and have library patrons visiting two to three times more often. Lowe says that’s just one piece of proof that libraries are not becoming obsolete.

 

 In addition to more space, the library’s new location allows for the presence of therapy and reading dogs, and can be utilized as a warming or cooling center on days with extreme weather temperatures. Once the library’s former building is sold, the money will be used to fund phase two of the library’s transformation, which will include fencing and exterior work. (DK)</s>GUYSBOROUGH: Right about the time winter kicks-in, the Cyril Ward Memorial Library will stop locking their door. Seriously.

Don’t worry – it isn’t being converted into anything, but they are making access to the library more attainable and personal.

The Eastern counties regional library (ECRL) received $88,000 in funding from the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage’s Culture Innovation Fund for the creation of Nova Scotia’s very first truly ‘Open Library.’

Lloyd Hines, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal and MLA for Guysborough-Eastern Shore-Tracadie made the announcement of the three-year pilot project at Cyril Ward Memorial Library in Guysborough last Friday.

“The Government of Nova Scotia is proud to support this innovation project,” he said. “The ECRL do a tremendous job, it’s not hard to become inspired when you see people who are working as hard as these ladies have worked for so many years in a difficult situation.”

We now have a real opportunity to figure out a future for rural public libraries, said Laura Emery, CEO and Chief Librarian, who was bouncing with excitement and grinning ear-to-ear by the announcement.

“An ‘Open Library’ uses technology to deliver an individualized and customized on demand service to its users, providing community members with expanded access to cultural, technological and educational resources held at the library.”

Hines said he was very pleased to honour ECRL’s leading-edge work in bridging the gap to make libraries more relevant to the community members.

“This group is not waiting for somebody to tell them what to do, they have stepped ahead with an extremely innovative process.”

Vernon Pitts, Warden Municipality of the District of Guysborough, said the municipality will be there to partner with the ECRL well into the future.

“We were really impressed to see your group come forward with a vision, a plan for the future,” he said. “Numbers make us strong, as long as we all try to attain the same goal, it’s achievable by working together.”

This has the potential to double, even triple the access to libraries for the public, Emery said.

“And I think that would be a good thing in everybody’s books.”

Members of the ECRL will be able to access the secure entrance which can be unlocked by scanning a library card and entering a PIN. A security system will be installed, including CCTV cameras that will record activity in the library during extended hours, and a control system that regulates the lights, announcements, and the surveillance system.

The general experience in existing ‘Open Libraries’ is that people do genuinely care for their library and respect and appreciate the additional operating hours, Emery said.

“Our whole operation runs on trust, nothing tragic happens when you radically trust the public,” she said. “We loan out 100,000 items a year and they only come back, if people want to bring them back.”

To enhance the security of the library’s collection itself, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tracking will be issued to all ECRL inventory. The ECRL will become the first rural region in the province to use this technology.

Trish McCormick, Deputy Chief Librarian and RFID Implementation Lead, said the RFID is a tag that will need to be applied to every book on their shelves, replacing the current barcodes.

“The idea is when you put these tags on, when you go to leave the library, if it didn’t check out properly, we know it has left the library and we’ll know when it comes back in.”

Along with the added security, the RFID system will allow for smoother operations. The new reader machine the libraries will be using is a flat-plate, similar to the security scanners at the checkouts of department stores.

“So if you had five books you could set them on top of it, it would check them all in or out,” McCormick said. “Instead of having to scan every one of the barcodes individually.”

Library staff will continue to be available during the same business hours and will continue to help those who need assistance, Emery said.

“Before and after those regular hours, library customers will be able to help themselves to the library. Customers will be able to use the library at times most convenient to them, keeping the library relevant to their daily lives.”

Emery emphasized ‘Open Libraries’ in no way are intended to replace library staff.

The personal service, assistance, and community engagement that library staff provides can’t be replaced by technology, she said.

“An ‘Open Library’ increases access to library resources, without decreasing the availability of existing services. An ‘Open Library’ is not a staff-less library,” Emery said. “The addition of extended open hours will allow us to continue to serve our existing customers, while also reaching out to our community members who are currently under-served by their library.”

The project will be completed in two phases, the first will see a self-service kiosk being installed by the fall of 2018, which will allow customers to have plenty of time to familiarize themselves with the self-serve process before the launch of the ‘Open Library’ which is expected in late winter 2019.

ECRL is working with Bibliotheca, a German library technology company, who will supply their Open+™ system to operate the ‘Open Library’ during extended hours and will also supply the self-service kiosk that will allow customers to check out and return materials without the help of library staff. There are over 500 libraries in the world that have successfully extended their service with Bibliotheca’s Open+™ system since 2004.

The Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage launched the Culture Innovation Fund which supports new and innovative culture initiatives that address social priorities and economic opportunities across the province. Creation of the fund was a priority action item in the province’s Culture Action Plan. The Culture Innovation Fund is made possible through Support4Culture, a designated lottery program from Nova Scotia Gaming that supports arts, culture, and heritage communities across Nova Scotia.

Emery really wanted to drive home the fact even though their locations are in small, rural communities, really innovative and interesting things happen at their libraries.

“Libraries can help Nova Scotians help themselves make really good things happen.”</s>We are writing this letter on behalf of the Stratford Library Board of Trustees, in response to the recent allegation that an individual utilized Internet access at the Library to print materials of a pornographic nature. We would like the community to be aware that the Stratford Library has a policy and safeguards in place to prevent such activity.

In compliance with the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act, the Stratford Library’s Internet access uses filters in an attempt to prevent access to obscene materials. Users are expected to exercise good judgment and discretion. All local, state and federal laws must be followed. Any use of the Stratford Library’s Internet connection for illegal, inappropriate or obscene purposes, or in support of such activities is prohibited. Patrons who fail to adhere to these guidelines may have their privileges suspended or revoked at the library’s discretion. This policy has been in place and enforced at the Stratford Library for more than 15 years, and was most recently reviewed and updated by the Stratford Library Board in April 2018.

We are confident that the filters and controls in place at the Stratford Library are effective in preventing such access.</s>The St. Marys Public Library is on the move.

Starting Aug. 27, the library’s regular services and programs, as well as a limited selection of books, DVDs, and audiobooks will be available at the Pyramid Recreation Centre while the library’s interior is painted and new carpet is installed.

“We’re just closing the library for about a month to undergo the carpet and paint renovations,” said Rebecca Webb, the library’s service coordinator. “They’re going to be replacing the carpet in the entire building and the paint as well.”

While a limited selection of the library’s offerings will be moved to the End Zone — on the second floor of the Pyramid Centre — along with a few public computer stations, the library’s printing services, and free wireless internet, most of the library’s collection will be packed in boxes and stored while the painting and carpet replacement is in progress.

“We have to pack up all of the books in the library and move the furniture. We don’t actually have to remove all the furniture from the building, but we do have to move it around to accommodate the workers replacing the carpets,” Webb said.

While the library is at its temporary location and the majority of its collection is unavailable, patrons will be encouraged to use the library’s online catalogue — https://stmarys.bibliocommons.com/dashboard — to order books from any library in Perth County.

“This is the perfect time to become familiar with our online catalogue, which allows patrons to browse and place holds on the physical and digital titles that are available across all the Perth County libraries,” said library CEO Matthew Corbett in a press release. “Our knowledgeable staff will guide you through the process of creating an account to ensure you can access this extensive collection during and after the move.”

All books ordered through the online catalogue will be delivered to the End Zone.

While the library will be open on Aug. 24, there will be no public access to its computers and there won’t be any chairs in the reading room as they are being moved to the temporary location. The library will be closed on Aug. 25 to allow staff to prepare for the move. Once it is up and running at the End Zone, the library will be open during regular hours.

Programs such as Tales for Tots, Tinker Toddlers, the twice-weekly Mahjong games, and book clubs will all run at their normal times at the Pyramid Centre.

Webb said she expects work at the St. Marys Public Library building to be complete by the end of September or early October.</s>On July 21, Forbes published a piece by economist Panos Mourdoukoutas arguing that Amazon.com stores should replace public libraries. The backlash was rapid and unforgiving; library lovers from around the world responded with angry tweets, and Forbes removed the piece two days later. Yet the article highlights a concerning fact: Too many Americans misunderstand the role of the public library.

The library is not a warehouse of books like Amazon, a tech developer like Apple or a cafe like Starbucks. It is a public institution of learning predicated on the principle that all Americans should be able to access information, education and culture free of cost. In practice, the unique mission of the public library leads to a distinct set of services, ranging from book-lending to computer- and English- language classes. The growing diversity of library activities is not a means of compensating for the rise of the internet or a decline in the number of library users. Libraries have been reinventing their programs for over a century to advance the same old mission: information for all.

It’s true that some people can gain the educational and cultural resources they seek at for-profit venues. However, as library advocates point out, the quality and diversity of library events and educational resources are rarely surpassed. Licensed librarians are available to curate books and online resources around any question a patron might ask. There are story-time events, job assistance resources for homeless people and citizenship classes for recent immigrants.

But to compare the library to a bookstore or cafe is to miss the point. The existence of for-profit alternatives to some library services does not undermine the need for libraries, just like the existence of private attorneys does not diminish the importance of our public defenders.

For over a century, American libraries have mastered the craft of ensuring that everyone has access to the highest quality services in a free and open manner. Today, nearly every library provides free computer access and runs digital literacy classes. These services are not meant to compensate for waning interest in books or to compete with Amazon. Rather, public libraries provide free training and technology because the internet is a tool to access information even though that tool is distributed unequally in the U.S., where only 65 percent of Americans have broadband access at home, including 57 percent and 47 percent of blacks and Latinos respectively.

This summer, my organization, Libraries Without Borders, is working with the Providence Community Library in Rhode Island to bring legal information, Wi-Fi access, and library resources into flea markets, laundromats and housing developments. We know that too many families want to meet with a lawyer, study for their GEDs, or learn English but don’t know where to begin. Some lack the time to pursue these interests while others are simply unaware of existing services. The library is the first step to achieving these goals, but library services extend far beyond a building or the books inside it.

These outreach activities are emblematic of the decades of mission-driven work by public libraries across the United States. There are few systems as representative of this fact as the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. In 1886, Enoch Pratt was opened with the intent to provide information to all regardless of race; in October that year, Harry S. Cummings was the first African-American to get a Pratt library card. In 1943, the library sponsored a horse-drawn bookmobile designed to travel throughout the city. During World War II, the Brooklyn Branch of Enoch Pratt served as an information bureau for Civil Defense, while operating a day care center for working mothers and hosting Red Cross meetings. And all these initiatives? Done before the advent of the internet.

The value of a library is defined by its steadfast commitment to making information free and open to all. In that respect, there is no company or public institution that could ever replace the library.

Adam Echelman is the director of programs for Libraries Without Borders.</s>We appreciate everyone who has taken advantage of the media conversion kit we have had at the library since the beginning of July. The kit converts slides and 35 mm film negatives to digital. This is the second conversion kit we have brought to the library this year. During the winter months we had a VHS to DVD conversion kit on site for three months. If you would like to use the current kit, please reserve a time through our website at mcintoshmemoriallibrary.org. If you would like to see us bring some additional kits to the library in the future, please let us know! The kits are being made possible in part by the Winding Rivers Library System and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The final week of our children’s summer reading program starts on Monday! It’s hard to believe we’ve already gone through nine weeks of programs and activities. The final week will take us out of the library for several fun adventures. Some of the activities we have planned include a bike trip to the Sparta Elroy Trail, a trip to the Kickapoo River to go canoeing, a carnival at Eckhart Park, and more! If you are interested in being part of our field trips next week you do need to register in advance with Youth Services Director Mary Mulvaney-Kemp. For registration information stop by the library, call 637-7151 or e-mail Mary at m.mulvaney-kemp@wrlsweb.org.

Registration for our 2018-19 after school program will begin on Monday, Aug. 20, at 9 a.m. at the library. The registration materials are posted on the library website at mcintoshmemoriallibrary.org. Hard copies of each required form will be the only method of acceptance. We will not accept electronic forms or ones turned in prior to Aug. 20. Families only need to submit one registration form. However, it is necessary to complete a health form for each participating child. The program will begin Tuesday, Sept. 4, and run through early June. The program is sponsored by the library, the Viroqua Area Foundation and Viroqua Area Schools.

If you haven’t been to the McIntosh Memorial Library before we would encourage you to stop by! The library is located at 205 S. Rock Ave. in downtown Viroqua. We are open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you’re in need of a library card, please bring with you a driver’s license, passport or state issued identification. Children under 18 who would like to get a card need to be able to sign their first and last name on the registration card and have a parent with them. The process of getting a new card or a replacement card takes about five minutes. The library has Wi-Fi service, 19 public computers, a collection of approximately 40,000 items available for checkout, two public meeting rooms, and more! Stop by and visit your local public library and take advantage of all the resources available to you at no charge.

To stay up-to-date on everything happening at the library, like the “Viroqua Library” page on Facebook, visit our website or visit us in person.</s>The San Bernardino County Library invites residents to the library for a Library Luau. Enjoy a variety of fun-filled crafts, a balloon artist, face painter, and more. Don’t forget to take pictures with Moana.

This event is another opportunity to celebrate and support the Countywide Vision’s literacy campaign, Vision2Read. Visitors should bring their library cards, as every 15 items checked out during the event earns visitors an opportunity drawing ticket for a chance to win awesome prizes All activities are free and open to all ages.

The San Bernardino County Library Luau Events will take place in the following locations:

· Aug. 6 from 4 to 6 p.m. The Bloomington Branch Library at 18028 Valley Boulevard in Bloomington.

· Aug. 7 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The Baker Family Learning Center at 2818 Macy Street in Muscoy.

· Aug. 11 from 2 to 4 p.m. The Newton T. Bass Library at 14901 Dale Evans Parkway in Apple Valley.

· Aug. 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. The Lewis Library & Technology Center at 8437 Sierra Avenue in Fontana.

· Aug. 22 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The Sam J. Racadio Library & Environmental Learning Center at 7863 Central Avenue in Highland.

· Aug. 28 from 4 to 7 p.m. The James S. Thalman Library at 14020 City Center Drive in Chino Hills.

· Aug. 29 from 4 to 7 p.m. The Hesperia Branch Library at 9650 7th Avenue in Hesperia.

The San Bernardino County Library System is a dynamic network of 32 branch libraries that serves a diverse population over a vast geographic area. The County library system strives to provide equal access to information, technology, programs, and services for all people who call San Bernardino County home.
Archeologists of the Romano-Germanic Museum report the discovery of the foundations of a Roman library building in Cologne. Dating from the 2nd century CE, it is the oldest library yet discovered in Germany.