A mother who avoids the library for an outstanding fine – that is what Rotterdam wants to remedy with a free membership for all residents

There is no book in the corner on the first floor of the library – but the men at the table do not appear. John van Berkel (70) Staart to the chessboard, patiently waiting for his opponent’s move. « We are now matched, » says Fred (83) – he only wants to be in the newspaper first.

The men come here ‘once or twice’ a week. « That is not too bad, » says John. « Some people come every day. »

« You come across a lot of chess addicts, » agrees Fred, who knows ‘almost everyone’ here. As far as he is concerned, it is « the most beautiful meeting place in Rotterdam ». « I mainly come to the library to meet people. Especially younger people. If I have a good conversation, chess is not that important. »

The Rotterdam city library attracts around 2.5 million visitors annually, spread throughout 23 branches through the city. Yet a considerable part of the inhabitants never sees the library on the inside. They don’t have the money or simply do not know what the library has to offer.

To persuade them, Rotterdam is taking an exceptional step: from 1 May all residents can become a free member of the library. Anyone who returns a book too late is also no longer fined. « A long -held wish in libraries, » said Alice Vlaanderen, director of the Rotterdam Library.

Low -literate

Gidsing through the Central Library on Hoogstraat, Flanders sees « the world coming together ». Young people are delved into the screen of their laptop, parents read their children, but visitors also receive help with their tax return or a WhatsApp fast course.

« If you sit here for a while, » says Flanders, « you see people from all the layers of the city. But we think that can be even better. » The municipality gets « many signals that people don’t find the library accessible enough, » says culture alderman Said Kasmi (D66) in his office in the town hall. « While it is a place where everyone should be able to read a book, follow a course, meet other people. »

Low literacy you only prevent in one way: by practicing a lot and reading a lot

Recently: a teacher who had heard from a child that her mother did not want to go to the library because of an open fine. Flanders: « That really happens regularly. »

« A lot of Rotterdammers have to deal with poverty, » says Kasmi. « Then a fine or membership fee is too high a threshold. » He points out that one in five Rotterdammers is low literate – that is well above the national average (12 percent). « You only prevent low literacy in one way: by practicing a lot and reading a lot. »

Twin thousand

With the free membership, members can borrow a maximum of six books per year. Those who want more must take out an additional subscription for 4 euros per month.

The alderman does not expect this to prevent people from becoming a member. The majority of the library is also free of charge, says Kasmi. « The goal is to get people into the library at all. Once you are inside, there are also all kinds of other facilities and facilities. But people don’t even know that. »

The question is whether the library reaches the wider public that they need to reach. Flanders: « I do not want to say that it is a breeze, but we do have a lot of contact with schools, general practitioners, daycare centers. We also want to bring this to the attention through them, for example by placing brochures down. »

The objective is ambitious: the library thinks it is, based on a pilot, that it can bring in twenty thousand new members – 20 percent of the current file. According to the alderman, the extra costs (including for purchasing books) are covered by « a combination of our own subsidy and that of the government ».

Age limit

In the Netherlands, a membership of the library up to the eighteenth birthday is free. Then there is usually an e-mail with a congratulation and the message that membership will cost money from now on. To prevent young people from dropping out, a Growing number of municipalities the age limit of the free membership.

In Spijkenisse, one of the forerunners in this area, a membership has been free since 2018 up to thirty years. With success: it resulted in the library five thousand members, says director Victor Thissen. « We received many more young people who came to drink or study a cup of coffee here. »

We received many more young people who came to drink or study a cup of coffee here

Rotterdam hopes that other municipalities will follow. And wants to send a signal to Politiek The Hague, on which the VAT increase is on books still hangs in the air – The alternative promised by the government is missing for the time being. « This is also a bit of a response, » said Kasmi.

The library says it wants to monitor the effect on member and visitor numbers. « I don’t think a free membership is the Panacee, » says Flanders. « But I think it helps to get a group in. And hopefully they will be tempted to read a book. »

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