The Bovec library

This summer, I have read an awful lot of great books. I am a fan of psychological thrillers, especially the ones with a twist at the end. But the problem is, that the two libraries that are the closest ones to my home, are very busy in summer time. Of course, people go on vacation and some of them like to take good books with them. So, after a few unsuccessful visits of Tolmin and Kobarid library, I decided to check out the library in Bovec.

I have never been there before, and I heard that it is very small, so I thought that it must not be anything special. After all, Bovec is a small town, so why would they have a lot of books in the library? But I was wrong, and I am glad that I went there. Apparently, the Bovec library has a lot of great books, and not so many inhabitants only means that all of the good books were available.

The Bovec library was established in 2001, and it is situated in the former theatre, which was closed down. So, as you can see, the library is not very old, and therefore, the equipment looks like it was bought yesterday. But you will see more on the pictures below.

How to get there?

As I have mentioned in the previous paragraph, Bovec is a very small town (actually, it is a city, but I call it town because of its size), but it is surrounded by amazing natural wonders. I decided to describe the most interesting ones in my following entries, but the point here is, that because of all those natural wonders, everybody knows where Bovec is situated. So do not worry if you get lost on the way there, people will definitely know to tell you where to go.

Bovec is situated in the western part of Slovenia, and you can get there from two different directions:

The first direction is from the northern part of Slovenia, where you will find cities such as Trenta, Kranjska Gora and Kranj. In all of them, you will find signs for Bovec. From Trenta, it will take you about twenty minutes to get to Bovec, from Kranjska Gora about an hour and from Kranj roughly one hour and a half. So, just follow the road signs for Bovec. Just before the town, you will see a roundabout.

There, you have to take the first exit – there is a sign that points to 'Center'. You will now drive through Bovec. The road will go uphill for some time. When it straightens out again, you have to pay attention where to turn, because if you miss the turn, there are little chances to turn – you will have to drive all the way to the gas station at the other end of town.

So, when you reach the straight part of the road, you have to drive for about two hundred meters. There, you will see a Mercator grocery store on your left, and this is where you have to turn left. There is a parking space, and with a little luck, you will find a free spot. If not, just drive around a bit, because sooner or later, somebody will come out of the store and drive home. The parking is free, even if you are not going to the grocery store. When at the parking, you will see buildings on your right, surrounding the place. The building at the farthest end is the Bovec library.

The second direction is from the south, for example from Kobarid, Tolmin and Nova Gorica. The same as in the north, road signs for Bovec are present in all the towns that I have mentioned. From Nova Gorica, it will take you about an hour and a half to get to Bovec, from Tolmin forty – five minutes and from Kobarid less than half an hour. The first sign of Bovec is the gas station, which you have to pass.

What follows now, is a narrow road through Bovec, and encountering other vehicle might be very difficult there. Same as if you were coming from the north, you have to look out for the Mercator grocery store. But be careful, this time, you have to turn right BEFORE you reach the store.

A peek inside the Bovec library

The library is divided into two floors and a lobby, which you will find just before you enter. In the lobby, you can see various posters and flyers that advertise events that the library is connected to. Sometimes, there are also exhibitions from kids in school, which you can find just next to the library. On the table below the exhibition, you can sometimes find old magazines and books that are not suitable for the library anymore, and you can take them home if you want.

When you enter the library, the main desk will be situated in front of you. It looks very modern, and what I like the most, are two big aquariums with a lot of goldfishes, situated behind it. Those aquariums somehow beat the stereotypes of the typical library that focuses on books. But I must say that the Bovec library is very modern, and I surprisingly liked it.

Besides borrowing and returning books, there are more things that staff at the main desk can help you with:

• First, and the most obvious thing, is asking for help if you are looking for a book recommendation or you would just like some help with finding a certain book in the library. The staff members at this library are very effective, and, speaking from my own experience, they are giving really excellent book suggestions.
• At the main desk, you can also sign up for using the computers, gaming computers or the study room. All you have to do is write your name and library membership card number on a special sheet that is situated at the main desk, and then you leave your card there. The computer usage is limited to one hour, but if there is no one else that would like to use the computer, you can go back to the main desk and extend your browsing time for another hour.
• The Bovec library has a fairly big collection of movies of all genres. And the awesome thing here is, that you can watch any of those movies at the library! You just pick the desired movie, bring it to the main desk, then take a sit at the comfortable sofa, situated in front of the shelves with movies, put the headphones (with a really good stereo sound effect) on, and enjoy the movie. The TV screen is big enough for a nice experience. It almost feels like going to the cinema. Well, with one important difference – it is free.

Just next to the main desk, there is my favourite part of the Bovec library – a shelf with freshly returned books, and the new books. Here, I usually find the most interesting books, but sometimes, there is nothing interesting. Depends on the day.

On the right side of the entrance, here is the music terminal. Surprisingly, people rarely use it, but the reason is definitely not the poor collection. At the music terminal, you can choose music for all tastes, both old and new.

On the left side of the entrance, there is a space for watching movies, shelves that contain thriller books, love stories and historical dramas. At the back side, there is a collection of movies and a reading corner with newspapers. This is also a rarely occupied place, and besides the newspapers, you can also read the books there.

On the right side, next to the music terminal, there is another collection of books, divided into various categories: pets, tourist guides, history related books and science books. There are also three sofas that you can use for reading the books, and a terminal with three computers, where you can print documents or just browse the internet. To use them, you have to sign at the main desk, and printing is, of course, payable, but it is cheap (a few cents per page).

Opposite the main desk, there is a department for kids, where you can also find some English books for young readers, and teen magazines. There is also a playing corner for little kids, but they usually get very noisy, so maybe this is the reason not many parents allow them to play there.

At the back side of the library, you will find an entrance to E-Basement. I will write more about it in addition, but here is the short description: E-Basement consists of eight computers, a TV and the comfy bags for sitting, books about technology, and teenage books (such as Twilight, Harry Potter, and other less known ones). This is, without a doubt, the busiest place in the Bovec library.

Multimedia

This is by far the most technology equipped library I have ever been to. I have already mentioned some of the technology items above, and now it is time for a more detailed description of some of them.

• E-Basement: You will find a few computers there, which you can use for browsing the internet or whatever you would like to do, but those computers are mainly there for gaming. Yes, gaming in the library! Each one of those computers is equipped with a webcam, headphones and joystick. Besides the computers, there is also a TV in the e - basement, where you can watch the movie by your choice, you just have to ask at the main desk to prepare it for you. E-Basement also has a very interesting decoration - a glass floor with a collection of old objects!





• Listening to music: next to the main desk, there is the previously mentioned music terminal. Here, you can browse hundreds of music CDs, and what is even better, you can listen to them! At the terminal, you will find headphones, and all you have to do is scan the barcode of the CD at the terminal and enjoy the music. To use the music terminal, you do not have to ask at the main desk for permission, and there is usually no people there, so you can listen to your favourite artist for as long as you would like. The only downside is that there are no chairs, so you have to stand all the time.
• Watching movies: there is a huge LCD TV, high quality headphones and a comfy sofa. What else would you want? Oh, I already mentioned it, you can watch movies by your choice here!

Study room

Above the main desk, you will see a staircase that leads to the place that looks like a glass birdcage. This is the so – called study room, where you can go if you would like to study in peace or do some research. There is also a computer inside, or, if you want, you can bring your own laptop, because the place features a free WiFi connection. The use of the study room is free, you can use it up to three hours at once, and all you have to do if you would like to use it, is to leave your library membership card at the main desk. You can also take books upstairs, but when you are finished, you have to bring them back down.

I think that the concept of a study room is very interesting, but I have never seen anybody use it. When I will start writing my graduation thesis, I am definitely planning to take advantage in the study room. After all, all the books that I might need for my research, are situated just next to me.

Exhibitions

At the beginning of this entry, I have already written something about the exhibitions that this library hosts from time to time. They mostly exhibit paintings from the local school or from local, not yet recognized artists. But once a year, they also host a very special event. They collect some great works of art, then make an auction, and the earned money is given to those in need. Once, they were selling used books this way, and a lot of people actually bought them.

Opening times

The Bovec library has different opening times, which depend on the time of the year. In general, the schedule is divided into summer schedule and rest of the year.

Summer schedule is confusing and if you are working shifts, you will hardly be able to visit the library just because of the strange opening times.

The schedule for the rest of the year is much more reasonable than summer schedule. The library is at this time open in the afternoon (from 13. 00 o'clock to 19. 00 o'clock) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and in the morning (from 8. 00 o'clock to 14. 00 o'clock) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sadly, the Bovec library is closed on Saturdays (and, of course, Sundays).

Conclusion

Bovec library has something for everyone. If you are looking for some peace to read a book or yesterday's newspaper, wanting to do some work for school, watch a movie, play games or chat with your friends, then you should definitely consider visiting this place. This is, without a doubt, the best library in the western part of Slovenia.

Although it does not even feel like a library with all that gadgets, it is totally worth paying a visit.