History of the Library Service

The Library Service of the Velocity Interoperability Network is a young institution built on older foundations. The milestones below record the reading rooms it inherited, its establishment and the opening of its branches, and will be extended as the Service's programme comes into operation.

1. Before September 2026

   Reading rooms maintained by member organisations

   Before the Service existed, six member organisations of the Network maintained reading rooms and lending collections for their own staff. Each kept its own catalogue, its own conditions of membership and its own loan rules, and a reader registered with one could not borrow from another. There was no common provision for citizens, no shared digital collection and no single place in which the publications of the Network's departments were kept.

2. 10 August to 5 September 2026

   The transition period

   In the four weeks before establishment, the six reading rooms, their 214,600 items and the registrations of 8,340 readers were transferred to the new Service under interim arrangements. The collections were catalogued on a single system, the digital subscriptions of member organisations were consolidated, and 1,260 official publications were deposited. Lending continued throughout, and 61,250 loans were recorded.

3. 6 September 2026

   Library Service established

   The Library Service of the Velocity Interoperability Network was formally established, with responsibility for the branch libraries at the principal sites, for membership and lending, for the digital collections and for the deposit of the official publications of the Network.

4. 6 September 2026

   Official website launched

   The Service launched libraries.gov.vin, carrying press releases, the locations and opening hours of the branches, the conditions of membership, the loan rules, a guide to the digital collections and the first statistical release.

5. 6 September 2026

   Branches, membership and digital collections confirmed

   On the day of its establishment the Service confirmed the opening of seven branches between 7 and 11 September 2026, opened membership to new applicants, launched the digital collections with 41,800 e-book and audiobook titles, and published its first statistical release.

6. 7 to 11 September 2026

   The branches open

   The Central Library, the Harbour Branch and the University Branch open on 7 September, followed by the Northern, Western and Eastern Branches and, on 11 September, the new Transit Reading Room at the Transport Interchange.

7. Forthcoming

   Mobile library and quarterly reporting

   The route and timetable of the mobile library serving the smaller sites of the Network, and the Service's first full quarterly statistical report, covering the quarter ending 30 September 2026, will be announced in the Newsroom.

Announcements are published in the Newsroom. For the Service's present responsibilities, see About the Library Service; for its reporting on loans, membership and stock, see Statistics.