Unione Romana Biblioteche Scientifiche (URBS)

In 1943, in Amsterdam, a librarian named Hendrik Vos guarded not just books, but lives. His small neighborhood library, lined with worn shelves and the smell of paper, appeared to the occupiers as nothing more than a dull refuge of silence. Yet among the dusty volumes and index cards, Hendrik built a network of protection.

He used his position to issue false library cards—disguised as borrower slips—that served as temporary identity papers. When people in hiding came to him, he guided them toward safe houses by slipping coded instructions into borrowed books. A request for a certain author might earn a novel with a pressed flower marking a page—directions hidden in plain sight.

One afternoon, German soldiers stormed the library, demanding records of Jewish borrowers. Hendrik calmly produced a tidy stack of files. What they did not know was that he had spent the night burning the real lists in his stove, his hands trembling as the flames consumed names he refused to surrender.

After the war, one survivor remembered his courage: “In his library, the stories on the shelves were not the only ones that saved us. He wrote new ones—our own.”

Hendrik’s library was more than a place of learning. It was a sanctuary where paper and ink became shields, and where silence spoke the loudest defiance.

An open-air library in Ruurlo, Netherlands, features books housed within a centuries-old chestnut tree trunk, transformed into bookcases by carpenter Rene Bruns. 🌳📚

Public libraries are sacred spaces—not just because they hold knowledge, but because they offer it without a price tag. In a world where almost everything is behind a paywall, libraries quietly resist. They affirm a radical truth: learning should not be a luxury. Every shelf, every book, every story is an open door. This is what equality looks like—not theory, but practice. When we protect public libraries, we protect possibility. 📚🏛️

ENSULIB is delighted to announce the publication of our new book, Libraries Driving Education for Sustainable Development. Eds.: Petra Hauke, Antonia Mocatta, and Priscilla Nga Ian Pun.

The book is available open access via De Gruyter: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111336466/html and is number 186 in the IFLA Publications Series.

The world is facing urgent and dramatic environmental, social and economic challenges. The focus for change is through the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 agenda. Education for sustainable development (ESD) is UNESCO’s response to fostering personal and societal transformation required for a successful future. Libraries and librarians are well positioned to drive the educational processes required. This book brings together successful initiatives on ESD sustainable development from libraries across the world to provide exemplars and inspiration for others.

Congratulations and thanks to all the authors who contributed to this important publication.