MUNICIPAL LIBRARY OF CHANIA in brief
Founded in 1953, it is housed in an 800 m² space in the Town Hall building and plays an important role in the local community with its remarkable collection, which includes:
• printed material,
• books,
• newspapers,
• magazines,
• rare publications,
• archives,
• photographs,
• maps,
• posters and
• audiovisual material (CDs, DVDs).
Today, it is one of the largest and most valuable municipal lending libraries in Greece.
The museum collection consists of Eleftherios Venizelos’ personal library, which includes 8,500 volumes of books, photographs, rare maps, documents, etc.
The creation of the Media Lab (2013), donated by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, completely transformed and breathed new life into the Municipal Library of Chania. The Media Lab, a new, pleasant, modern and attractive space, is for everyone.
At your disposal:
• Collaborative meeting spaces
• Reading
• Internet browsing
• Music studio for recording and video creation
• Brain pulse for relaxation and entertainment
Children and teenagers are served by the branches of the Municipal Library:
· Municipal Garden Children’s and Teen Library, tel. 2821 3 41774
· Souda Children’s and Teen Library, tel. 2821 3 41221
· Stalos Library, tel. 2821 180635 2821 0 99787
The Mobile Library covers the needs of the school community, students who do not have access to school and municipal libraries.
Every year, our municipal libraries collaborate with cultural organizations, libraries, schools, museums, foundations, etc. and organize a number of events.
Meetings with authors and book presentations, seminars, reading clubs, reading programs for children and teenagers, various activities for children and educational activities, a summer reading and creativity campaign, chess lessons, theater lessons, etc.
It also gives primary and secondary school teachers and students the chance to take part in creative activities, reading programs, teen month, guided tours and more.
Visits by students of all levels of education to the libraries are a daily occurrence. The aim of the programs is to cultivate reading, inventiveness, creative imagination, humor and the joy of learning! The aim of the programs is to cultivate reading, inventiveness, creative imagination, humor and the joy of learning!
In recent years (2009), two reading clubs for adults have been operating in the Municipal Library.
During this difficult year, due to the emergency measures taken to protect public health, our municipal libraries sent an optimistic message to young and old alike, so that they would not be deprived of reading and the joy of reading, offering new services and serving their public.
The services offered by our municipal libraries under the new conditions of the pandemic are:
• Loans by order
• Home loans
• Storytelling program – reading children’s books & activities for children.
• Remote reading programs – via Webex – with primary school students.
Search for new videos as well as older ones.
• Remote reading programs via Webex with primary school students
The Municipal Library of Chania is supporting by selecting hundreds of copies from its collection:
• The Exchange Library, which was recently donated to the General Hospital of Chania by the Municipality of Chania and has now been converted into a reading spot for patients, companions and medical and nursing staff,
• the Exchange Library operating in the atrium of the Chania Town Hall, available to all citizens, and
• newly established libraries and libraries of institutions in our prefecture.
The Municipal Library of Chania participates in the annual publication of our municipality’s magazine
“In Chania” The Head of the Library is a member of the editorial committee and has contributed articles since its launch in 2007.
Art Exhibitions
For the past 8 years, the Municipal Library of Chania has been collaborating with various organizations and organizing exhibitions in the foyer of the Library, which combine books with the visual arts. Some examples include: Some examples include:
• art exhibition “Climbing from A to Z” by Ioannis Monogios,
• engraving exhibition “Tracking Erotokritos” by Grigoris Niolis,
• art exhibition “Nei Matogrosso: Handsome as a Greek – Greek Mythology inspires a Revolutionary” by Alkistis Michilidou,
• Contemporary art exhibition “Second Reading” by Alexandros Dimitriadis,
• Photography exhibition “Bridging Cultures” by Katerina Kalogeraki et al.
The Chania Municipality Libraries employ specialized staff, namely 7 librarians and a theater teacher. The Headmistress and the staff participate in World and Panhellenic Conferences, Scientific Conferences and Online Seminars.
Awards
•With its work and actions, the Chania Municipal Library managed to be distinguished and to be characterized among the 10 selected regional libraries of the country by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, hence the creation of the MEDIA LAB space, a donation from the Foundation.
• at the 3rd Future Library Unconference, held in Thessaloniki, on 27 & 28 November 2015, attended by libraries from all over Greece and more than 17 countries from abroad, it was represented by its head, where she presented a video with the actions of the two years 2013-2015 of the operation of the Library’s Media Lab, receiving positive reviews and comments of admiration for the important work carried out at the Library. A relevant letter was also sent to the Mayor Mr. Skoulakis.
• The Municipal Library of Chania was ranked among the “Silver” Libraries, according to the General Library Ranking in the evaluation of the National Library of Greece, for the Summer Campaign 2016. Our library won the silver medal, ranked 11th out of a total of 123 libraries from all over the country.
It will soon acquire its own space in a neoclassical building, purchased by the Municipality of Chania, in the center of our city.
Become a member too
• If you are a permanent resident of the Prefecture, you can borrow books, magazines, CDs, DVDs.
• Participate in Reading Clubs, events or offer volunteer work.
• You can see your own ideas and suggestions become reality.
More information:
www.librarychania.gr
www.facebook.com/librarychania
e-mail: [email protected]
Address: Ypsilanton 30, P.C. 73135
Phones: 28213 41661-2-3
MUNICIPAL LIBRARY HOURS
Winter Hours
Monday-Friday: 8.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m.
Afternoons Monday & Thursday: 5.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m.
Saturday: 10.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.
Summer Hours
Monday-Friday: 8.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m.
Afternoons Monday & Thursday: 6.00 pm – 9.00 pm
Saturday: 10.00 am – 1.00 pm (Closed July and August)
