Biblioteca Bettini Junior, Venice, Italy

We stumbled upon the Biblioteca Bettini Junior, a children's library, while we were exploring beautiful Venice! It looked absolutely adorable from the outside, so we could not pass up the chance to visit. 

We were immediately greeted by the children’s librarian, Georgia. She was stationed at the desk closest to the door and was quick to answer our questions about the library. We were told that the main floor housed the collection for younger readers, the second floor (or the first floor rather, as it is the custom in Europe) housed the collection for teenagers. The floor above was a school, where the teachers and librarians worked together in making sure the kids have access to the library. There is another school nearby, and the librarians also partnered with the teachers at that location. Outreach at other locations is also important. As much as Venice is a stunning place to be, getting around isn’t easy for a lot of folks. This fantastic conversation was interrupted by a patron who needed assistance. So we left Georgia to help them and started to explore. 

As Georgia said, the collection on this main floor was geared towards younger readers. There were picture books, board books, and first chapter books that lined the shelves along the walls. Most of the collection was in Italian, but there was a small collection of books in other languages. There was a play area in the corner and a darling table and chairs set in the middle of the room. The chairs were made to look like bears and frogs. (If you didn’t know, frogs are beloved at Library Land.) What stuck out the most to us, was the stunning painted ceiling. Our biggest regret was not asking Georgia about the artwork. We were in awe of it! 

The main floor was a little quiet, however, the floor above had more energy. A group of pre-teens were running about, and the librarian on this floor was busy attending to them. We did see materials for older kids and places to either work or play. A table or two had a child reading while others played around them. Bean bags sat scattered throughout the floor. Despite not being used during our visit, during our visit, we could tell they were very much loved and have seen a lot of use! Lastly, we noticed a door to the balcony was open. It overlooked one of the many canals throughout Venice. It provided an excellent view and a welcome breeze. 

We finished admiring this floor and made our way back downstairs. We noticed Georgia was free and had to ask her one last question. We asked her what it was that she loved most about working at this library. She pondered the question and concluded that working with the kids was her favorite part. Especially getting to know the regulars! She recounted a story how a boy had stopped in on his way to swim practice just to say hi. As librarians ourselves, we can recognize and appreciate the privilege of being an integral part of the community. 

This visit was completely accidental. It was an extraordinary accident! We were pleased to have made Georgia’s acquaintance and to have had the opportunity to scope out a fantastic children’s library. The care in the collection, outreach, and programming was evident at every turn. If you are ever in Venice, we can’t recommend a visit to the Biblioteca Bettini Junior enough!