It is shortly after 4 p.m. when a group of visitors gather around a table full of colourful LEGO bricks. A delicate tower rises up. Nearby, a Post-it note reading “talk-to-me table” hangs slightly crooked on a pinboard. Laughter echoes through the vast hall of the former Sulzer factory. The scene marks the start of the University Library’s anniversary celebrations and symbolises what has defined it over the past ten years and what it aims to become even more in the future: a place where ideas are born and people connect.
A decade ago, the six sub-libraries of the ZHAW Schools in Winterthur merged to form one large University Library. To mark this anniversary, the team organised an open house event followed by an official celebration. The event was all about interaction, participation and shared celebration.
Making participation visible
“In a library context, participation means creating spaces where people can come together and get involved,” said Gabriela Lüthi, Head of the University Library, in her address. “In terms of teaching, this means that students do not merely consume content, but also help to shape it.” “And in research, it means opening up scholarship – to other disciplines, to society and to new perspectives.”
What she describes had already become tangible during the open house: visitors from outside the university, together with students, used collages, presentation cards and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY methods to design their visions of the library of the future. The library team used AI image processing to visualise the written contributions, creating a growing gallery of future possibilities.
Gabriela Lüthi
Head of the University Library
“In a library context, participation means creating spaces where people can come together and get involved”
A collection of ideas for the future
The ideas that emerged were as diverse as the visitors themselves:
A creative lab featuring a recording studio, a workbench and a sewing machine. Therapy animals for short breaks. The integration of a hotel or trampolines for active recreation. “Talk-to-me tables” designed to encourage conversations and broader visions of the library as a “guide to navigating the ocean of knowledge” or as a “place for meeting and making things happen – interdisciplinary and for all stages of life.”
Meanwhile, visitors made their way through the hall, exploring the growing collection of ideas and discussing among themselves what libraries might look like in the future.
Looking back: a transformative project with real appeal
Spaces – and especially this large industrial hall – were also the focus of the presentation by Reto Schnellmann, the former Managing Director of the ZHAW. He played a key role in the ambitious renovation project, which aimed not only to bring together extensive media collections, but also to create an attractive learning environment.
This new learning space, constructed on the building’s attic floor, soon gained recognition far beyond Winterthur. “Pilgrimages” by library experts were not uncommon, recalled Rudolf Mumenthaler, Director of the University Library Zurich, during his contribution. The anniversary event itself, held within the repurposed learning space, served as a prime example of how this environment can be used not only for learning, but also, on a temporary basis, as a flexible setting for interaction.
Importance and networking
In her welcoming address, President Regula Jöhl emphasised the importance of the University Library for knowledge transfer and thanked its staff. Its portfolio is broad, ranging from open educational resources and open access support to research consulting and training courses.
The drinks reception that followed highlighted both the strength of the University Library’s networks and the diversity of its stakeholders. Among those present were the Mayor of Winterthur, representatives of the Bibliosuisse board and the library services provider SLSP, as well as numerous members of the university community.
Closing on a high note: a party atmosphere and Balkan beats
When the band Sebass took to the stage, the large hall on the ground floor was transformed once again – this time into a concert venue. With their rousing yet nostalgic Balkan sounds, the band, which is known far beyond Winterthur, created a party atmosphere to round off the evening.
Ten years after moving into the former industrial hall, one thing became particularly clear on this day: the University Library is not just a place of knowledge, but a space for encounters, ideas and the future.
Article from: Beyond Books – a blog of the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
