Night of the Libraries 2025: Discover and share knowledge in Düsseldorf!

Night of the Libraries 2025: Discover and share knowledge in Düsseldorf!

On March 31, 2025, the Düsseldorf University and State Library (ULB) will celebrate a special anniversary. In the year that marks 55 years of the ULB, 60 years of the Heinrich Heine University and 255 years of the State Library, the library is taking part in the first nationwide Night of Libraries. This event will take place on Friday, April 4, 2025, from 5:45 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. at the ULB, Universitätsstraße 140, Düsseldorf. The motto of the event is “Knowledge. Share. Discover” and promises a varied program with short lectures, hands-on activities and interactive experiences.

The night's program includes, among other things, creative gifts made from old book pages, comic research and the digitization of historical documents. Particular attention is paid to the interactive philosophy project “denXte”, which discusses knowledge. In the so-called ULB.Wissenkiste, five experts will give short lectures on various topics. The listeners can look forward to contributions from biochemist Christina Herold on knowledge in the brain and lawyer Rupprecht Podszun on the control of knowledge, among others. The event is complemented by the Frizzles improvisational theater with programs on knowledge, science and the library.

Opening details and participation options

The event will be opened by Prof. Dr. Anja Steinbeck, the rector of the university, and Kathrin Kessen, the director of the ULB. Participation in the Night of the Libraries is free of charge. If you have any questions, please contact Carola Spies on +49 211 81-15641.

This Night of Libraries is not only a worthwhile event for those curious, but also a pioneering initiative that began in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2005. From then on, more and more libraries from other federal states and even internationally joined. From 2025, the Night of Libraries will take place every two years in all 16 federal states, organized by the German Library Association. The patronage lies in the hands of Elke Büdenbender, the wife of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Digital aspects and social engagement

While the ULB is planning its events, another example from Düsseldorf shows how libraries remain vital even in digital formats. The city's public libraries took part in the “Night of the Libraries”, which took place digitally on March 19th. The event brought a plethora of activities aimed at encouraging citizens to actively participate in social discussions.

The digital activities ranged from live videos and lectures to collaborative creative projects, such as making vases out of cement and packaging. The central topics of the discussions included the introduction of the “Düsseldorf Aktiv” association and a musical reading about “Secrets of Beautiful Women”. The evening was moderated by Stephan Schwering, head of the city libraries, and ended with a final discussion.

In science, access to information is fundamental. The focus here is on promoting open access publications. Since September 2023, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research has launched 24 projects to establish an open access culture in Germany. These projects support universities, research institutions and non-profit organizations to improve access to scientific results for the general public. Open Access not only enables barrier-free access to knowledge, but also promotes scientific communication and transparency in research.

The progress and results of these projects are important for closing research gaps and increasing the recognition of open access in science. More information about the funded projects can be viewed via the open-access.network platform.

In summary, both the planned Night of Libraries as well as the activities of the city libraries and the initiatives in the area of ​​open access reflect the growing desire to share knowledge, promote access and actively involve the public in the scientific dialogue. How hhu.de, rp-online.de and education-research.digital report, participation in such events and projects not only represents the appreciation of libraries, but also an active civil society that is committed to knowledge and participation.