Erland Kolding Nielsen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Erland Kolding-Nielsen
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Eræand Kolding-Nielsen in April 2016
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| Chief Executive of the Royal Danish Library | |
| In office 1986–2017 |
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| Preceded by | Torkil Olsen |
| Succeeded by | Svend Larsen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 January 1947 Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Died | 23 January 2017 (aged 70) |
| Spouse | Inger Sørensen |
| Children | Two |
| Alma mater | University of Copenhagen |
Erland Kolding Nielsen (born January 13, 1947 – died January 23, 2017) was a very important person in the world of libraries. He was the Director General and CEO of the Danish Royal Library. This library is now part of the larger National Library of Denmark.
Contents
Erland Kolding-Nielsen's Early Life and Education
Erland Kolding-Nielsen was born in Frederiksberg, a part of Copenhagen, Denmark. This was on January 13, 1947. He studied history at the University of Copenhagen. In 1973, he earned his Master of Arts degree. He even won a Gold Medal for his excellent work.
After finishing his studies, Erland became a teacher. He taught history and library science. He worked at the Royal School of Librarianship in Copenhagen from 1971 to 1980. Later, he led different departments there. He also taught at the University of Copenhagen as a professor.
Leading the Royal Library
In March 1986, Erland Kolding-Nielsen became the Director General of the Royal Library. He led the library for many years, until 2017. During his time, he helped the library grow a lot. He focused on making the library modern and digital.
Digital Growth of the Library
- In 1987, the library launched its first online catalog, called REX.
- By 1990, people could borrow books using electronic systems.
- By 2007, almost everything in the library was digital. This made it a full digital library.
- Old paper catalogs were also turned into digital records. By 2015, over 9 million records were in REX.
Erland also helped create a new law in 1997. This law made sure that all new books and digital materials were sent to the library. This is called "Legal Deposit." It was updated again in 2004 to include all digital formats.
Expanding the Library's Collections
The library's collections grew a lot under Erland's leadership.
- By 2015, the library had 35 million items.
- The collection of photographs more than doubled to 20 million.
- Many large music and private collections were added.
- In 2005, the Netarchive.dk was started. This project saves Danish websites. It now has billions of documents and millions of websites.
Library as a Research Center
Erland also made the library a stronger place for research.
- Important scholarly works were published. One example is the Carl Nielsen Edition, a huge music collection.
- He helped bring back important old manuscripts to Denmark. This included a special exchange with Sweden in 2011.
- He worked to make sure valuable cultural items stayed in Denmark.
Cultural Activities at the Library
From 1999, the library started offering more cultural events for the public.
- A chamber orchestra, the DiamondEnsemble, began performing there in 2004.
- The library opened a special exhibition hall, the Montana Hall, in 2006.
- The International Author’s Stage started in 2008. Here, famous writers would give talks.
- Many other exhibitions, lectures, and events were held.
New Buildings and Mergers
A big change was the building of the Black Diamond. This new part of the library opened in 1999. It has a beautiful hall called The Queen’s Hall. The old university library building was also renovated in 1997.
Erland also oversaw the merging of 11 other institutions into the Royal Library. This made the library even bigger and more important. For example, the National Library for Science and Medicine joined in 2005.
Working with International Libraries
Erland Kolding-Nielsen was also very active in international library groups.
- He was on the board of the European Commission on Preservation and Access (ECPA).
- He was involved with IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. He helped organize a big IFLA conference in Copenhagen in 1997.
- He was a leader in LIBER, a group for European research libraries. He was their president from 2003 to 2006.
- He helped with TEL (the European Library).
- He was part of many groups that chose designs for new library buildings. He also helped choose leaders for other national libraries.
Working with National Library Groups
Erland was also very involved in library organizations within Denmark.
- He chaired the Library Section of National Union Academics for many years.
- He was a leader in the Research Librarians' Council.
- He served on the board of the Danish Research Library Association.
- He was part of councils that advised on research libraries and national bibliographies.
- He chaired the Danish National Commission on Export of Cultural Assets. This group works to keep important cultural items in Denmark.
- He also chaired the Danish Memory of the World Committee of UNESCO.
Personal Life
Erland Kolding Nielsen was married to Inger Sørensen. She was also a senior research librarian and music expert. Erland had two children from an earlier marriage.
Honors and Awards
Erland Kolding-Nielsen received several important awards for his work:
- He was made a Knight Commander of the Danish Order of Dannebrog.
- He received the Commander of the Latvian Order of the Cross of Recognition.
- He was given a Medal in Honour of the 800th Anniversary of the Great Mongolian Statehood.
- He also received the Commander of the Norwegian Royal Order of Merit.
