''Epos'' is a floating

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

that operated in the counties of

Hordaland Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Munici ...

Sogn og Fjordane Sogn og Fjordane (; English: "Sogn and Fjordane") was, up to 1 January 2020, a county in western Norway, when it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland, the cou ...

and Møre og Romsdal in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. The service started in 1959 and visited tiny places in the three counties twice a year. In 2005 the ship was in service 126 days per year, lending 53,300 books. In 2020, the last trip the boat was to take was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the service officially ended. The ship had room for 6,000 books, with a further 20,000 books out on loan at any given time. It often offered cultural activities for children, including musicians or dramas. This was often the only cultural services provided in the places it visited. The ship was crewed by a captain, an able sailor, three librarians and one or two performers. The service was funded by the county libraries in the participating counties.English website
accessed 25 October 2013

History

The first floating library service started in 1959 using a range of ships. The first custom-built ship was put into service in 1963. It is built at Oma Yard and is 24 m (80 ft) long. The ship is owned by Vinnes Skyssbåtservice, and is used for tourist cruises in the summer.

References

{{Authority control Libraries in Norway Ships built in Norway Ships of Norway 1959 establishments in Norway Ship libraries 1963 ships