Live-stream recording from the conference Nordic Libraries Annual 2026. This live-streamed video includes a presentation by Stine-Marie Schmedling, sociologist and manager of the department for democracy and freedom of speech, Tønsberg and Færder Library, Norway: “Civil Protection and What the Public Libraries Can Do”.
Tønsberg and Færder Library and the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) have developed a guide for public libraries on what libraries can do to strengthen civil protection (in Norwegian: Biblioteket som beredskapsressurs). Schmedling explains how the guide grew out of Norway’s 2024 white paper on total preparedness and why libraries’ core mission already supports preparedness: free access to books and media, an open meeting place and support for critical thinking. Her main message is that every municipality should connect its emergency preparedness coordinator with the library, since every Norwegian municipality has both. She also discusses the library’s independence from its municipality and why a library can function as an information point without being a designated community safety point. Examples of pre-crisis activities include open office days with the preparedness coordinator, exhibitions on household emergency stockpiles for adults and children, a teddy bear hospital with the Red Cross, courses on preserving food and repair workshops, as well as media literacy and source criticism. In the Q&A with the moderator, Päivi Jokitalo, she discusses balancing cooperation with the authorities and independence, and how the coordinator and the library work together.
Nordic Libraries Annual is an annual conference that addresses topical issues in public libraries and library development. NLA 2026 was organized as a webinar on October 27, 2026 by the Finnish Supervisory Agency (LVV) in collaboration with Library Channel (Kirjastokaista).
The theme of the 2026 conference was “Libraries and preparedness”. The conference examined preparedness from different perspectives and from across Europe: what it means for the public and for public libraries, and what examples and experiences already exist within the library sector.
Read more:
All videos from the conference
Live-stream: Mikko Helander and Joonas Nevalainen
Producer: Riitta Taarasti
Produced by Library Channel (Kirjastokaista), 2026
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