Since July 2023, a new multifunctional service, cultural heritage and community centre facility with the necessary infrastructure to provide library services and diverse cultural and educational activities, contributing to the preservation and development of intangible cultural heritage, is available.
The library offers six new thematic strands related to the preservation of traditional ways of life and their uniqueness. There is an ancient crafts skills centre and creative space, a natural and cultural history research group, literary and writing workshops, events on folklore and Latvian lifestyle. There are also regular family history research events and support for learning and using digital skills and technology. The new library in Gāliņciems ensures that people with visual impairments can also easily use the library’s services, as from July 2023 the library will integrate the existing collection of the Ventspils Branch Library of the Latvian Library for the Blind. The children’s and young people’s section offers the possibility to use a games console, play board games, read and just have fun.
In addition to the existing library services, there will be opportunities to learn about traditional lifestyles and preserving the peculiarities of:
- folklore and Latvian lifestyle
- ancient crafts
- literature and writing
- identification, research, promotion and preservation of natural and cultural history
- family history research
- digital skills and technologies
The building is 620 square metres. It has a separate event room, a large space for the library’s collections, free access to computers and a separate area for children and young people. There are several expressive ash trees and three hybrid alder trees, which have already achieved the status of a Great Tree and are considered to be of special value.