A lady turns 150

Curt Bertram

The Chemnitz City Library began its work as an educational institution 150 years ago with 444 donated books. Today, 25,000 customers borrow over 280,000 books, radio plays, films and games. The fact that the city library is an integral part of Chemnitz's cultural landscape is thanks in part to the Förderer der Stadtbibliothek Chemnitz e.V. (Friends of Chemnitz City Library). For more than a quarter of a century, the association has been committed to the interests of the city library and is a passionate advocate of books and their survival. Curt Bertram has been the chairman of the association for a decade.

What exactly does the Friends of the City Library do?
Curt Bertram: It promotes and supports the city library in all areas, is involved in projects and organises events. If necessary, we contact the political representatives in the city council, talk to the head of the culture department and liaise with the support associations of the institutions located in Tietz. In the event of cost-cutting pressures, the public library, as a free service provided by the local authority, is cut back. Here we raise our voice to the administration and politicians for solid basic funding to ensure that the city library can fulfil its cultural and educational mission.

The publisher Wolfgang Weidlich founded the Friends of the City Library in 1992 with seven fellow students from Chemnitz. Four years later, the association was entered in the Chemnitz register of associations. Since then, the association has been campaigning against budget cuts in times of consolidation, initiating readings with authors such as Christa Wolf or Heinz-Rudolf Kunze and organising various programmes and projects.

One of your projects is the book sponsors. What do you do in this project?
Since 1994, the association has also been looking after the historical book collections, including the incunabula [Editor's note: printed books between 1454 and 1500 are referred to as incunabula or cradle prints]. The Friends' Association is endeavouring to have these historically valuable relics restored. This is why we have launched the "Book sponsors wanted" project. On the one hand, we want to raise awareness of these valuable artefacts of the past, but on the other hand we also want to raise donations in order to preserve the historical collections. To date, we have already had over 150 treasures restored.
Whether Aurelius Augustinus' "Epistolae" from 1493, Richard Wagner's letter "Queisser" from 1875 or the commemorative publication for the 100th anniversary of Richard Hartmann's birth in 1966. Richard Hartmann's centenary commemorative publication from 1937: the Friends of the City Library have already been able to restore more than 150 writings with the "Book Sponsors Wanted" programme and thus save them from decay.

How much does it cost to restore an incunabulum and where can you see it?
That depends on the book, of course. It starts at 100 euros and goes up to 1500 euros. It varies greatly. The library offers guided tours of the stacks twice a year, where you can see these historical books. As part of the anniversary celebrations, an exhibition of historical writings entitled "Agricola's Books" will open on 6 July.

In addition to the book sponsors, there are also projects for children. What is the response there?
In the "Auf leisen Sohlen" project, our reading mentors read to around 1,500 enthusiastic children in city library facilities or kindergartens every year. There is also the "Book Summer". Our organisation buys the latest books for this. The participants - schoolchildren - must read at least three of them over the summer holidays. They are then tested by city library staff to see whether they have actually read the book. If they pass the test, they are presented with a certificate at the closing party. Most schools recognise this certificate as a grade for German lessons.

To what extent does digitalisation influence the importance of (pre-)reading?
Participation in our projects for children remains high. The fact that over 450 young people take part in the Book Summer every year shows that there is interest. Reading is also a timeless basic skill. I can't travel digitally if I can't read. Reading brings people together and promotes participation in community life. That's why we spend a lot of time in retirement homes and meeting places to encourage people to read together. We are committed to this. The "Reading against violence" project, for example, also encourages discussion with one another. In this way, we convey fundamental values, especially in the context of refugees and migration. "Bücher werden mobil" is another project in which we provide library customers who are immobile with books. So reading is actually becoming increasingly important in order not to lose touch with social coexistence as a result of digitalisation.

The city library is increasingly focussing on the changing use of media. In addition to audio books, computer games and e-books, library introductions for pupils in years 5 and 6 take place using tablets. One of the latest offers in the digital field is the in-house streaming service "filmfriend". Library users can choose from over 2100 feature films, documentaries and series and watch them in the comfort of their own homes.

What do you wish for the city library in the next 150 years?
Digitalisation arrived at the city library years ago. It must continue to face up to this social development in the future. Even back then, many people said that books would disappear because of the digitisation process. But that has not happened. Books are still widely used. Many people say that I miss something when I read a book on a tablet. They miss turning the pages and the smell. I hope that books don't disappear, but that acquiring education with the help of books will always remain a valuable asset.

What significance does the 150th anniversary have for you as a member of the Friends' Association?
We are proud to be able to support a 150-year-old lady. This is an institution with a remarkable tradition in Chemnitz. It is a place and a centre of cultures. We helped to design the celebratory programme. We also sponsor events from behind the scenes and are the publisher of "Milestones of the City Library 1869 - 2019" - a small brochure on the 150-year history of the city library.

The anniversary programme includes various readings by Dominique Horwitz and Max Goldt, for example. There will also be exciting lectures on the old and new (university) library location in the old Aktienspinnerei. The photo competition "My universe the library - more than books", initiated by the Friends of the Library, will be presenting the submitted works relating to the library in an exhibition in the entrance area of the city library from 26 June. The entire programme can be found on the city library's homepage: www.stadtbibliothek-chemnitz.de

What are you currently reading?
I'm currently reading Christoph Hein, Glückskind mit Vater. I'm also reading Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman, inspired by the Days of Jewish Culture.

Speaking of culture: Chemnitz is applying to be European Capital of Culture 2025? What do you think of this endeavour?
The city must go public in order to inspire and involve its citizens on the way to becoming the European Capital of Culture. The people of Chemnitz tend to be somewhat reserved and the application has to inspire everyone. You have to make it clear to the citizens what the Capital of Culture means. Culture is not just theatre, drama or libraries, but goes far beyond that. You have to communicate this to the people of Chemnitz and show them how they can get involved. That's what I want from the application.