Norrköpings stadsbibliotek, Public library in central Norrköping, Sweden
Norrköpings stadsbibliotek is a public library on Södra Promenaden, spread across several floors with dedicated areas for reading, individual work, and group use. The collection covers books, magazines, and digital media in Swedish and other languages.
The Norrköpings biblioteksförening was founded in 1901 and opened a public library on Bråddgatan on 6 April 1902. In 1905 the city bought the De Geer family's Finspång castle library, and in 1912 Carl Swartz donated the 40-room Villa Swartz on Södra Promenaden. The city library opened there on 22 October 1913 with 10,000 books from the association. The current concrete building by Sten Samuelson was erected in 1971–1972.
The library's name comes from Villa Swartz, the 1912 villa donated by former minister Carl Swartz, which housed the first public library from 1913. The Finspong Collection, bought from the De Geer family in 1903 for 35,000 kronor, is its most valuable holding. The library is part of Götabiblioteken, a partnership of 14 municipalities in Östergötland and Tranås with a shared catalogue and free interlibrary loans.
The library offers free Wi-Fi and laptop loans for a few hours, which makes it a convenient place to work or study. Group study rooms in different sizes can be booked on site.
The library runs a home delivery service for people who cannot visit in person due to age or health. Books and other materials are brought directly to their door, so physical distance does not limit access to the collection.
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