On 19 January, after a year and a half of reconstruction, the reconstructed Oak Grove Library opened its doors in Kaunas, welcoming visitors with perhaps the most modern interior in the country, a park in the library, oases of relaxation, modern workplaces, and, of course, books awaiting the long-awaited readers. At the opening ceremony, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania Simonas Kairys and the Director of the Library Edita Urbonavičienė said their greetings, and the chaplain of the Kaunas Church of St. Michael the Archangel (Įgulos), priest Tomas Karklys, gave his blessing to the Oak Tree Library. According to the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, Simono Kairio, a modern library must meet all the needs of a modern person, which are not limited to a large collection of books, although they remain one of the library’s essential values: “Quality services, accessibility for different groups, modern technology and, last but not least, a cosy and comfortable environment are also very important. I have no doubt that visitors returning to the library after the reconstruction will appreciate all of these advantages and will open the doors of the Oak Grove Library even more often.” A large number of Kaunas citizens and guests visited the modernised library, took part in excursions and events, and got acquainted with the new spaces. All afternoon the library was buzzing with various events – in the Star Hall the performer Linas Adomaitis and his band gave a concert, in the Oak Hall the architectural historian dr. The dance troupe Ulna and the performance master Gediminas Jurgelevičius amazed the visitors in the Park Square, and the Minister of Culture S. Kairys and the Director of the Library E. Urbonavičienė cut and treated the guests to a festive cake. “As we are a library in a park and we let the park into the library, visitors are greeted by oases of relaxation with the greenery of the park. I am sure we will not stop and will also open up the hitherto unimproved spaces of the library one after the other – until the park blooms in all spaces. So let’s open our doors for respite and inspiration!” – said Edita Urbonavičienė, Director of the Oak Grove Library. Opening month events After the opening weekend, the marathon of events will continue with a month and a half programme of activities for respite and inspiration. On 23 January, visitors are already invited to the educational event “Postcard from the Oak Wood”, and on 30 January, we will be welcoming everyone to a concert by the band Sakai in the Hall of Stars. The Oak Grove Library is also relaunching its book club with a new lease of life. We invite you to start the new season of the Oak Grove Readers’ Club on 25 January. During the first meeting we will take a tour of the renewed spaces of respite and inspiration, choose the cosiest reading and discussion corner in the library, and together create the rules of the readers’ club. On 31 January, a new chat club “Let’s Talk” will start. As sociologist Ieva Dryžaitė, the initiator of the club, says, the aim is to create a culture of dialogue that is respectful and pushes the boundaries of our knowledge, and the topics of conversation will range from practices of interrelationships, intercultural and intergenerational specificities, changes in the concept of work, the impact of technology on everyday life, and the interpretation of works of art, to the discussion of the global manifestations of inequality, risks and opportunities. On 1 February, you will have the opportunity to attend Kristina Petrauske’s lecture “The Centenary of Witch Hunting in Kaunas”. We will talk about the historical myths that are very much part of our historical imagination, and we will take a closer look at the imprint that the witch-hunting centenary left on our city. In February, we will invite you to attend the Spring Film Screenings at the Hall of Stars – on 6 February we will see Petite Maman, on 15 February we will see The Little Mother. “First Cow, 23rd “Arthur Rambo”. Visitors can look forward to a wide range of events, exhibition openings, book presentations, workshops, training sessions and other activities. See you at the modernised Oakwood Library! We invite you to follow the information about the opening of the Oak Library on the website azuolynobiblioteka.lt. Also on Facebook (Ąžuolyno biblioteka) or Instagram (@azuolyno_biblioteka). Events will be photographed and/or filmed and you may be featured in photographs or videos of the event, which may be published in various media outlets. Atidarymo renginių rėmėjai Bundu bakery, Gardėsis, Prezo, Elmenhorster, Bella toscana, UAB Osama (Kubuš), Kasdienybės Bakehouse, Volfas Engelman Nealkoholinis (Vanduo Uniqa), Pelėdų kava
The modernisation of the library building was financed by the European Union Structural Funds through the implementation of two investment projects No.04.3.1-VIPA-V-101-01-0001 “Renovation of the library building located at Radastų g. 2, increasing energy efficiency” and No.07.1.1-CPVA-V-304-01-0018 “Modernisation of the Kaunas County Public Library”.
Raimundas Labutis, project manager of the modernisation project of the Oak Grove Library, building Radastų g. 2, architects Ramūnas Grubinskas and Laura Amankavičiūtė, interior architect Laima Čijunskaitė. The building was designed by architect Boleslovas Zabulionis.
