Ing-Marie Perzon
Innovator
Ryssby Bibliotek
Sweden
Social
Rural Areas
Rural area close to city
The innovation journey
In 2019, the municipality, that the village of Ryssby belongs to, decided to close the village library. However, a group of engaged readers protested vehemently against this decision. Ing-Marie was the first villager to hear about this news from the librarian and decided that this could not happen to her village. So, she brought this issue up with the village’s voluntary associations, and they initiated talks with the municipality.
A consultant from Coompanion was engaged by the municipality and he suggested to the municipal officials and electives that the library could be run as a Civil Society Public Partnership (CSPP). Subsequently, a cooperation agreement was written between the municipality and fourteen local associations. A facility to house the library was offered by the municipality, plus some basic financing for expenses and new books. In the autumn of 2021, the new library opened.
Moving and re-cataloguing all the books and staffing the library during opening hours twice a week are done by a group of ten volunteers, all of whom are senior citizens.
The innovation impact
Ryssby’s library is Sweden’s first CSPP library. The new library has become a model for how things can be done in rural Sweden. In the municipality that Ryssby belongs to, there are now several CSPP agreements in place.
The library project managed to secure funding from the municipality and from an external fund. Many new people now use the library. The library has garnered interest from the newspaper and the library sector in Sweden.
In addition to its book collection, the library has become a ‘local living-room’ that is used by other village associations. The library also hosts cultural events, not least for children.