Municipal Library of Athens, Athens, Greece

Walking into the cool lobby of the Municipal Library of Athens was welcome, as it was as hot as Hades in Greece! A library worker was stationed at the desk and was friendly when she greeted us. We were told that our bags and purses had to be stored in one of the lockers to the right of the desk, but that we could stay as long as we wanted. Once you walked past the desk, there was a long hallway where the various rooms branched off. 

We went right first and saw a card catalog placed along the wall. Even though we could not read Greek, as always, it was fun to thumb through. Google helped us in translating the signage as we walked around. There was a cart nearby where patrons could leave books that they were finished with. Evidently, no matter the location of the library, librarians will have such a cart out for patrons. We were able to deduce that the fiction collection was housed on one side of the corridor and the nonfiction collection on the other. One room held old archives of past newspapers, and it was interesting to see that it was left out for patrons to enjoy! We did not see a dedicated children’s space. 

There was a single person using the library as we made our explorations. Being it was the middle of the day and during the week, the lack of other visitors was not surprising. The additional tables, chairs, and public computers indicate that this small library can get quite busy. It was in the room with the patron that we saw a sign that needed no translation. The slashes through the images of cigarette smoking, food, and alcoholic beverages make it clear that the library has a no-smoking, eating, and drinking policy. 

When we finished exploring this section of the hallway, we moved to the other end. There was a staff room where a couple of staff members were talking amongst themselves. They stopped and smiled at us as we continued down to the end of the hallway, where it looked like there was room that housed the library’s special collections. Unfortunately (and understandably), we were stopped and told it was a staff-only space.

That is where our visit to the Municipal Library of Athens ended. Exploring and not fully understanding the signage made the visit intriguing. Almost like figuring out the space was a mystery to solve! The staff were amiable, and seeing how the staff used the limited space was impressive. This library visit was brief but fascinating as we got to see for the first time how libraries can be run in this corner of the world!