Curators painstakingly mount a potentially controversial exhibit; conservators care for and encradle precious books; a performance artist interacts directly and intimately with material objects; a researcher interrelates his subject and his subject’s subject; panelists debate and discourse. These multifarious universes coexist in the Royal Danish Library, where collections spring to life. Exterior shots of the old building’s architecturally dramatic modern addition, known as the Black Diamond, lead to interior scenes that reveal the warmth and humanity of the users and workers who inhabit the library and archives. With crisp cinematography and an objective lens, Mauricio González-Aranda’s observational film paints a portrait of the inner life of library staff and users, revealing the day-to-day workings that bring conversation and culture to Copenhagen and beyond.

Curators painstakingly mount a potentially controversial exhibit; conservators care for and encradle precious books; a performance artist interacts directly and intimately with material objects; a researcher interrelates his subject and his subject’s subject; panelists debate and discourse. These multifarious universes coexist in the Royal Danish Library, where collections spring to life. Exterior shots of the old building’s architecturally dramatic modern addition, known as the Black Diamond, lead to interior scenes that reveal the warmth and humanity of the users and workers who inhabit the library and archives. With crisp cinematography and an objective lens, Mauricio González-Aranda’s observational film paints a portrait of the inner life of library staff and users, revealing the day-to-day workings that bring conversation and culture to Copenhagen and beyond.