"The notion of a library can and must be lived differently," explains Dr. Helge Steenweg, head of the University of Stuttgart Library. This is why the libraries of the University of Stuttgart, the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW), and the Stuttgart Technology University of Applied Sciences (HFT) launched the collaborative C-HUB project, which developed a number of innovative ideas for a future joint library space concept, for which they were awarded the Deutscher Bibliotheksverband e.V. (German Library Association) sponsorship prize on 19 October. In this interview, Helge Steenweg explains how the C-HUB vision was developed and describes how users will experience the library of the future.
Mr. Steenweg, as head of the University Library at the Stadtmitte campus, you played a key role in shaping the project. What is C-HUB and what is the idea behind it?
C-HUB stands for campus hub. The idea is to create a meeting place and knowledge center in the heart of Stuttgart for all university members and interested members of the public. We, the HFT and the DHBW have already been working on this collaborative partnership project since 2019.
We first carried out a feasibility study to refine our visions into viable ideas: at the same time, we thought about what our visitors need in order to create a place that can meet their burgeoning needs. To this end, we and our collaboration partners have developed a concept that rethinks the traditional library. One thing is clear: we want to be more than "just" a library. On the one hand, we want to be both an offline and a digital learning and information center for students and researchers and, on the other, we want to reinforce the links between the library and the residents of Stuttgart. Having the Linden Museum and the Liederhalle close by, the addition of our library will help make this area into an attractive cultural center. The University of Stuttgart's Stadtmitte campus is ideally located for this purpose as it is close to the city center, the main train station, and the metropolitan infrastructure.
As a visitor to the library, what can I expect to find at the C-HUB?
Our vision is to provide you with a forum for academic dialog and communication. We set out in concrete terms what such a place would offer in our feasibility study.
One of our goals is to create more learning spaces at the Stadtmitte campus, which can be used digitally as well as offline and, in the future, in hybrid mode. Students will still come to the library to work in study groups: the visitor numbers from the year before the pandemic – 1.2 million visits to Stuttgart UB – speak for themselves. Of course, in addition to students this figure also includes scientists and residents of Stuttgart as the information content we provide is only one of the services we offer. For example, we have the facilities here to host scientific conferences and also serve as a competence center for around thirty-five of the University Institute’s collections, which, in addition to books, also include antique coins, aerospace navigation devices and mathematical models, some of which we can already display online. What we want to do by modernizing and structurally expanding the University Library is to create access to a knowledge center where academia and urban society can come together.
What is the next step for C-HUB?
Well, it's clear to me that we can't just draw visions on the wall, which is why we the DHBW and the HFT are preparing plans for a potential implementation. One of the things this will entail is working with the stakeholders and the responsible authorities to further substantiate the results of the feasibility study, in addition to submitting a C-HUB 2 project application to the Ministry for Science, Research and Art. We will then work with external consultants, such as architects, to develop a spatial concept for the concrete implementation of our plans.
What does the award mean for you and your collaboration partners?
The award indicates that our ideas are attracting interest and are in line with the zeitgeist, but also that we are needed as a new kind of library: all the more motivation for us to continue pursuing our goals and working to achieve them.
The University of Stuttgart's University Communications Department would like to thank Mr. Steenweg for the informative and interesting interview.