The Jena City Library, named after its founder Ernst Abbe, is one of Jena's oldest cultural institutions. As a lively and customer-friendly educational and cultural center with an up-to-date and attractive media collection, it is used by more than 237,000 Jena residents and guests every year. Events for different age groups, as well as citizen information and advance ticket sales complete the offer. It sets standards with its service, making it a pioneer in Thuringia. Exhibitions, reading projects and readings, such as the Jena Reading Marathon, are part of the regular program. In 2005, the Ernst Abbe Library was awarded the Thuringian Library Prize. It is the first library in Thuringia to be equipped with a digital self-checkout and media security system. Digital media can be borrowed from the digital library 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is also a delivery service for elderly and disabled people.