Public Library

We love the libraries here. Copenhagen has twenty libraries including a main library and 19 branch libraries. Our closest library happens to be the main library, but pretty much any library here has an amazing children's section. It is definitely on our list of places to go on a rainy day. 

Most libraries have good toys to play with besides books, but this particular library even has this big wooden car to ride on, and also these riding toy animals that you can ride around on the floor. They have other toys as well, but these our Mio and Yuto's favorites. The floor is very smooth, so the kids go gliding away on these. Pretty crazy thing to have in a library, but they do, and that's why we love this place.

In this Main library, the whole floor is dedicated to children's books, so the collection is pretty big. Of course, majority of the books are in Danish, but they do have an international section even for the children's section. They have a very good collection of English books, and we have been able to borrow some books that we have been reading in the US. We also found some Japanese books as well (and good ones too), which made me very excited. 

Checking out books at a library here is very modernized. Both checking out, and returning books are automated, meaning it is self-service. There are several stations like this (pictured below) on each floor. First you scan your library card. And you place your books on the table (all stacked up is fine), and "Voila!", you're done! A receipt comes out with your due date printed on it. So easy and so efficient! 

Returning books is also automated. Dropping your books in the "drop-box", the traditional way, may be easier in this case, but this one is still pretty efficient. There are probably four or five of these returning stations located on the ground floor. And as you can see in the picture below, it has a conveyer belt connected from this machine to the "sorting center", so to speak, in the back. You put the book that you are returning, this time one at a time, through this machine. The machine will read the information of the book, and the book gets sent to the back on the conveyer belt. And when you are done, you will get a receipt with the number of books you returned today and the number of books you still have at home, if any. Really great system. Would a librarian checking out books for you be a thing of the past??

So easy even Mio can do it. 

A nice "salon" area where you can read newspapers and magazines.

Entrance hall of the library.