Nordland County Library /NCL) is part of the county administration. NCL aims to be a strong contributor to library development in the whole county, which consists of 41 public, municipal libraries in addition to libraries in schools and universities. Norwegian public libraries are not only repositories of knowledge, but also active centres for debate, meeting places, cultural experiences, and inclusion.
NCL takes care of regional library tasks, development of professional skills, digital and physical meetings, interlibrary loans, counselling, and guidance, and we have a goal of fostering a learning community within the libraries, that continuously increases the quality of the library services.
The Querini adventure is relevant to the libraries because it bears an important message from the 15th century to our communities today. When Querini and his crew involuntarily stranded in Nordland, on one of the Røst islands far out in the Norwegian Sea, they met a welcoming society, and both the Italian guests and the inhabitants of Røst showed each other respect and understanding.
NCLs main focus in the Via Querinissima initiative is the intercultural perspective, the positive curiosity and the openness that the Querini-story tells us. These are values that are essential for public libraries in Norway, and therefore we aim to focus especially on the word Hospitality (or Gjestfrihet, in Norwegian) in our commitment in Via Querinissima. We hope that the project will bring knowledge, an international network and enthusiasm to the Norwegian libraries and our partners.
Reading along Via Querinissima
Useful Links
For more information on Nordland’s tourist attractions, history, and the Querini story, visit the official website or explore the interactive maps available online.
Tourist information on Nordland: https://nordnorge.com/en/
Organise your trip, see our interactive map with places to visit in the area: https://viaquerinissima.net/interactive-maps/