Search

The Norwegian Polar Institute was founded in 1948, but can trace its roots back to the first decade of the 20th century. "Norway's Svalbard and Arctic Ocean Survey", as the institute was called from 1928 to -48, already had a library in 1930. A central part of today's NPI library is the polar history book collection. These books are available to the public. In 2012 the institute's historian suggested the creation of a monthly book café event in the library. This has been a regularly scheduled activity since April 2012. At each monthly evening gathering an invited speaker presents a book with a polar connection, of his/her own choice. After a break there are questions and comments from the audience. Wine is sold at cost. Between 20 and 80 people attend each event. This has proven to be a pleasant and successful outreach to the community of Tromsø, particularly those interested in polar literature and history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]