READING FORWARD. DIALOGHI SULLA BIBLIOTECA

» Wednesday, March 11, 6:00 PM
Cuneo, Spazio Incontri Fondazione CRC
Palazzo Vitale | via Roma 15

MARIE ØSTERGAARD
Director, Aarhus Public Libraries (Denmark)

In conversation with:

Cristina Clerico,Councillor for Culture, Municipality of Cuneo
Stefania Chiavero, Director, Cuneo Civic Library
Davide De Luca, Director, Fondazione Artea
Krist Biebauw, Strategic Development, Reading Forward 2026

Live streaming on Fondazione Artea’s YouTube channel.

Libraries must serve as strong reference points for the community and are a key element in urban development. Marie Østergaard will illustrate how the Aarhus Public Libraries have adopted co-creation and design thinking to innovate not only the services and spaces they offer, but also the way these processes are embedded in organizational culture. With democracy at the core of its mission, the institution continues to challenge the traditional role of the library, exploring new areas of action and experimentation.

Marie Østergaard, Director of Aarhus Public Libraries, works actively to transform libraries into democratic, inclusive spaces and drivers of active citizenship. Since 2001, she has focused on library innovation, with particular attention to knowledge cities, user engagement, partnerships, design thinking, and the redefinition of spaces. She explores new technologies, participatory processes, and organizational learning models to strengthen the social role of libraries. She led the development of Dokk1, Aarhus’s central library, introducing innovative approaches to involve users and citizens from the early stages of design and construction.

The Aarhus library network is one of the most innovative cultural systems in Denmark, characterized by a widespread presence across neighborhoods and a strong focus on inclusion. Its centerpiece is Dokk1, the central library located on the city’s waterfront and designed as an open, multifunctional hub. The building, distinguished by modern and sustainable architecture, includes large study areas, family spaces, event rooms, and advanced digital technologies. Dokk1 is not just a library, but a true community center that promotes participation, creativity, and learning. As a whole, the network integrates physical and digital services, ensuring accessibility and strong connections between the city’s various branches.

READING FORWARD. Dialoghi sulla Biblioteca is a journey accompanying the creation of Cuneo’s new library hub, which in 2026 will find its home in the historic Palazzo Santa Croce. Through a series of talks, it aims to explore and examine the role and identity of libraries, future challenges, and management, enhancement and development processes that can foster cultural growth and social well-being. It is an important opportunity to find inspiration and good practices to draw on, and to rethink how a civic library can be conceived so that it is ever more a space at the service of the city, a welcoming place for books but above all for people, and a cultural and community centre in all its many forms.

READING FORWARD is a project by the Municipality of Cuneo and Fondazione Artea, with the support of Banca di Caraglio, in collaboration with Confindustria Cuneo. Media partner La Stampa