The open library concept is increasingly coming to Germany from Denmark: in Danish cities, it has proven its worth for more than ten years that selected public libraries allow their visitors to stay and borrow books even late in the evening and at weekends. The Danish libraries do not employ additional staff outside regular opening hours, but rely on camera surveillance and alarm systems. In a pilot project in Berlin's Kladow district, the IZT investigated the extent to which open library concepts previously implemented in Germany can be transferred to Berlin. Public libraries from various countries that are willing to experiment have reported that they have been able to noticeably increase the number of loans and regular customers thanks to extended opening hours.

With their broad range of services aimed at all population and age groups, public libraries occupy an important position in municipal services of general interest. In order to meet the demand for flexible services that are adapted to the users' lifestyles, an internationally growing number of libraries are expanding their range of services and integrating so-called open library concepts.

In addition to regular opening hours, selected libraries are also operated late in the evening and at weekends without staff. Denmark, where open library models have been successfully in use for years, is considered a role model.

In the interdisciplinary study for the Spandau district office, the opportunities and risks of the open library concept in Berlin were assessed. Based on initially selected examples of application, which exemplify the implementation for different locations and target groups in other German cities, the opportunities and risks of an implementation at the district library Kladow as a pilot project were shown. The results of this research are transferable to other Berlin locations.