Chocoladefabriek, Gouda

Gouda is a medieval town situated in the west of the Netherlands, between Rotterdam and Utrecht. Gouda has a population of 75,000 and is known among other things for its Gouda cheese.  An important person connected to Gouda is Desiderius Erasmus, philosopher, and theologian, who grew up here. The principal building of the Gouda Bibliotheek is in an old chocolate factory. The Dutch name Chocoladefabriek derives from that. The industrial building is well reconstructed to function as an interesting library milieu. On one hand there is a lively café and a lot of different kinds of working places as well as all kinds of makerspaces. On the other hand, there is a shortage of a couple of medias such as film, music, and daily newspapers. The opening hours are generous.  As in all Dutch libraries there are annual library card fees for adults. This is a popular library to visit and to use as a place for work and studies. It is tempting for all ages but especially for younger people. FOUR stars: Very good