The FëBLux local public library creation support program
Art. 1. Purpose
Financially support the CREATION of sustainable public libraries by local government (French: bibliothèques de lecture publique communales / German: öffentliche Gemeindebibliotheken) in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, as the national Law on public libraries of 2010 is only reduced to the support of the existing public libraries.
Art. 2. Definition of “public library”: general library that is open to the public and that serves the whole population of a local community and is financed in whole from public funds. A public library is defined as open to the public, even if its services are primarily intended for a particular part of the population to be served, such as children, visually impaired persons, or hospital patients. Its basic services are free of charge. This definition includes services provided to schools by a public library organization. (adapted from ISO 2789:2022 (en))
N.B. The public library, a Democratic Agency for Education. „The public library is a product of modern democracy and a practical demonstration of democracy’s faith in universal education as a life-long process. […]“ Read further on this: 1st Unesco public library manifesto, 16.05.1949.
Excluded are the creation of A) public libraries by associations (i.e. community libraries), foundations and churches, B) branch libraries (French: bibliothèques annexes / German: Zweigstellen), C) external service points (French: points de desserte extérieurs / German: Wanderbibliotheken), D) any type of mobile libraries (most common type: motor vehicles / French: bibliobus / German: Fahrbibliotheken), even if financed by public funds, and E) public bookcases (French: boîtes à livres dans l’espace public / German: Bücherschränke im öffentlichen Raum).
“The public library is the local centre of information, making all kinds of knowledge and information readily available to its users.” (Ifla-Unesco Public Library Manifesto 2022) Are also excluded the following unpopular and not by chance rare public library forms: inter-municipal libraries or public libraries of or groups of municipalities (French: bibliothèques intercommunales / German: Interkommunale Bibliotheken) and cantonal or regional libraries (French: bibliothèques cantonales ou régionales / German: Kantonale oder regionale Bibliotheken).
The FëBLux subvention for the creation of local public libraries is a unique financial support.
Art. 3. Time period and budget limits
This program is normally limited in time, valid for one year, according to article 3 of our statutes (“The financial support is given annually […]“) and to the limited financial reserves of FëBLux. The FëBLux Executive Committee (EC) normally decides on the prolongation of the program at the end of every year. But, since 2023, there is an automatic renewal at the end of the year. The EC can temporally suspend the program in case of a too rapid consumption of the association’s funds.
Art. 4. Scope of application – Who can participate?
All local communities (French: communes / German: Gemeinden) with less than 30.000 inhabitants, located on the territory of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, can apply for FëBLux funding if they correspond to the following criteria.
Excluded are those local communities which never ever granted FëBLux a tiny subvention (minimum 12,50 Euro) since 2009. However, an immediate or former once-in-a-lifetime grant of a municipality to FëBLux (published under Municipal donors) is enough to be eligible for this program.
Art. 5. General criteria for participation
Accordingly to article 4 of the FëBLux bylaws of 2009, inspired by the IFLA/Unesco Public Library Manifesto of 1994, in order to benefit from the help of FëBlux, the public libraries have to:
- be the 1st historic establishment of a public library in a town/village,
- constitute a modern public library with a reading room, a children’s department and an animation area inside the same building, never focused on book loan only,
- make accessible library services to all, regardless of age, race, sex, religion, nationality, language or social status, including general municipal services on evenings and Saturdays, or special services related to citizens’ advice, public writer, computer literacy, e-government, etc.
- offer collections and services, which are not subject to any form of ideological, political or religious censorship, nor commercial pressures,
- provide not only fiction, but also non-fiction collections and,
- can be easily reached by a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or public transit ride from any point in the municipal area (15-minute city).
Art. 6. Selection and free professional project counselling
Article 2 of the FëBLux constitution says: To ensure an efficient use of subsidies, FëBLux also offers [free] information services and guidance for project executing bodies, which means municipalities in this case. (French original: « Afin de garantir un emploi efficace de son aide, l’association propose en outre des services [gratuits] d’information et de conseil aux porteurs de projets. ») Note: there is still no state library agency/national authority on public libraries existing in the Grand-Duchy.
After local government is accepting the general criteria for the establishment of a public library at the previous article, the FëBLux Executive Committee, mostly composed of experts, is evaluating every subvention request. Free advice is provided in advance on every library project by qualified librarians, members of FëBLux. In case of positive progress, a report with personal recommendations, a profile analysis tailored to local requirements for every interested municipality, will be provided by FëBLux for free.
Art. 7. Distribution of subsidies
FëBLux subsidies are distributed by the actually official class of population chart for municipalities, in force in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg:
| Class of population | FëBLux grant |
| A) > 60.000 residents | [0,00 per inhabitant due to lack of funds] |
| B) 30.001-60.000 | [0,00 per inhabitant due to lack of funds] |
| C) 10.001-30.000 | 1 Euro per inhabitant 10.001 – 30.000€ maximum |
| DE) 3.001-10.000 | 1,5 Euro per inhabitant 4.501,5 – 15.000€ maximum |
| F) 2.001-3.000 | 2 Euro per inhabitant 4002 – 6.000€ maximum |
| G) 2.000-1 hab. | 2,5 Euro per inhabitant 5.000€ maximum |
Art. 8. Bonus subvention for local public libraries in urban areas
As the Grand-Duchy is only in possession of 7 local public libraries, FëBLux wants to support the creation of public libraries in urban areas as a priority. Actually, article 81 of the Loi du 2 août 2023 concernant le soutien au développement durable des zones rurales identifies 81 [i.e. 79, due to 2 fusions] of 100 as rural communities. Actually, 21 communities can take advantage of the following privilege: FëBLux adds a bonus of 0,25€ per inhabitant to the subvention scheme mentioned above for urbanised municipalities. This aid does not apply to inter-municipal libraries or groups of municipalities.
List of urbanised municipalities: 1) Bertrange, 2) Bettembourg, 3) Diekirch, 4) Differdange, 5) Dudelange, 6) Esch-sur-Alzette, 7) Ettelbruck, 8) Hesperange, 9) Käerjeng, 10) Kayl, 11) Kopstal, 12) Luxembourg, 13) Mamer, 14) Mondercange, 15) Pétange, 16) Rumelange, 17) Sandweiler, 18) Sanem, 19) Schifflange, 20) Strassen and 21) Walferdange.
Note: 12 municipalities in the Grand-Duchy are detaining the official title of “TOWN” (French: Ville / German: Stadt) under Luxembourgish legislation on city rights. But they are not all automatically urbanized municipalities under the Law of 2nd August 2023 on support for the sustainable development of rural areas. Indeed, 5 towns (with coat of arms and city rights since the Middle Ages) are not considered as urbanized: Echternach, Grevenmacher, Remich, Vianden and Wiltz.
Example
The town of Bettembourg actually (01.01.2024) counts 11.521 inhabitants. These are all potential readers aka public library users (from baby till senior readers). This town is supporting FëBLux with regular subsidies since 2012 (totally 850€ until 2023). As a municipality of the population class C (10.001-30.000 inhabitants) Bettembourg can expect 1€ per inhabitant, which means a 11.521€ FëBLux subvention for the creation of a local public library. By adding the bonus as urbanised community of 0,25€ per inhabitant, if Bettembourg chooses the sustainable public library model, which means 100% supported by the town, this city can look forward to get 11.521 x 1,25 (1+0,25) = 14.401,25€ in total by FëBLux.
N.B. The classes of population (French: classes de population / German: Bevölkerungsklassen) chart in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg is actually based on the “Règlement grand-ducal du 4 avril 1964 portant assimilation des traitements des fonctionnaires des communes, syndicats de communes et établissements publics placés sous la surveillance des communes, à ceux des fonctionnaires de l’Etat“ (Annexe A, p. 595), modified by the „Règlement grand-ducal du 27 août 2014 modifiant 1. le règlement grand-ducal modifié du 4 avril 1964 portant assimilation des traitements des fonctionnaires des communes, syndicats de communes et des établissements publics placés sous la surveillance des communes, à ceux des fonctionnaires de l’Etat, 2. le règlement grand-ducal modifié du 20 décembre 1990 portant fixation des conditions d’admission et d’examen des fonctionnaires communaux“ (Art. 1er, (1), p. 3660).