[caption id="attachment_65628" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Photo: Schmidt, Hammer, Lassen[/caption]

DOKK1 in Aarhus has won the international ‘Systematic – Public Library of the Year 2016’ award as the best new public library in the world. This is the first time a Danish library has received this honour. The prize was awarded at the annual meeting of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). There were four nominees for the Award, including two new libraries in Australia.

The Danish Minister for Culture, Bertel Haarder said:

”Dokk1 is an unusually successful encounter between two beautiful Danish traditions: On one hand, our cultural ambitions to open up all branches of knowledge to every generation and social class and, on the other hand, our sense of functional and beautiful design. Dokk1 is an excellent example of how you create visionary and modern architecture that takes into account the library’s many, diverse tasks and digital opportunities. I am very happy about the prize, which is a huge credit to Aarhus.”

[caption id="attachment_65630" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Success Public Library, Cockburn, Western Australia[/caption]

The ’Systematic – Public Library of the Year’ award is an international library prize that is given to the best new public library in the world. The new library must take into consideration new digital developments, the needs and desires of users, the local culture, and the desire to accommodate a diverse population group with an open and functional architectural expression.

[caption id="attachment_65629" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Geelong Library and Heritage Centre, Australia[/caption]

The prize is awarded by the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces as a part of the Model Programme for Public Libraries with IT company Systematic as sponsor. Therefore the award is named ‘Systematic – Public Library of the Year Award’.

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