Kingfisher & Wombat: The Helsinki library is like the apotheosis of Library As Useful Public Space. I am in awe.

The Helsinki library is like the apotheosis of Library As Useful Public Space. I am in awe.

“Ok, let’s make a bright accessible kid-friendly space with stacks and games to check out and chess tables and a cafe on every floor and if you want a book, just go through the website and we’ll pull it out and have it ready for you!”

“Check out a musical instrument with your library card, and reserve one of our recording studios to play in!”

“This floor is the computer lab and this floor is the maker’s space. Do you want to reserve the giant vinyl cutter or the laser engraver?”

“Would you like to sew? Library card!”

I just. The glimpse of a society where you actually fund the library? Like a lot? And people USE it? It was packed!

If they're like Swedish libraries, it's all free too. But then again Scandinavians pay rather more income tax than you do in the US.

This is no mere library. This is a Palace of Culture.

Without the Finnish library system I would not be the person I am today. My local was a block away and I regularly carried home big stacks of books of every genre when I was a kid. Nobody batted an eye if it was ”above my level”. So there is long tradition.

We have most of these things here in Christchurch, although on a smaller scale. Hopefully we can entice you to New Zealand some time. You like birds, we have birds like you wouldn’t believe!

They also have stuff like power drills, (ice) skates, tennis racquets, pedometers and more you can borrow. At one point, you could even borrow a rowboat!

It also has AC! Considering how hot things have been...

The Ann Arbor District Library has most of these things at their main branch. I was very pleasantly surprised. I never imagined getting a telescope from the library or using their 3D printer maker space. Wish more libraries were this way.

I am SO lucky, my city has an incredible new library and folks are really using it. It's a spot of wonderful.

I have seen exactly one library in the US that does about 80% of that, and it was at a small private liberal arts college in Saint Paul. The sewing spaces with tools, the free art supplies, the 3D printers, the massage chairs--! I miss it so much.

Libraries around here aren't quite so well funded, I think, but a lot of them in my city have a tool library at the very least. 1 has food for hungry people to just take if they need a meal. In recent summers, they give out free passes for provincial parks to anyone with a library card.

Ooh I hope you come to Toronto someday! We love our libraries! www.torontopubliclibrary.ca

Homewww.torontopubliclibrary.ca TPL is one of the world's busiest urban public library systems, with 100 branches across the city and over 10 million books, movies, and other items to borrow or download online.

Much as I approve of libraries going this way, I end up mourning "library as quiet space" I tried to work in an updated library recently, and there were no quiet spaces at all. Evolution is good, but smaller libraries especially lose the ability to have quiet corners.

My god this is gorgeous tho

I would pay more for my audiobook to come through on Libby.

We do community libraries pretty well in Australia, too. They're run by local government. Funding is always a work in progress but they do a lot with what they have, and they're very popular for it.

The Chattanooga library is like this! They just recently added outdoor gear like tents, backpacks, hiking poles, and other gear you can check out. I’m a big fan of their tool and seed libraries as well.

you posting these from oodi makes me feel like i’m living in a democratic socialist utopia (helsinki), although our current government is doing their best to ruin it. and visiting a library does always make me feel better. so thanks for reminding me!

Yes please to all.

and the VR headsets!!

whoa ah finland again doing the most to make their unbearable climate totally bearable

Can't be true. You are definitly lying to upset us.

omg 🤯

I’m impressed, they even have left-handed guitars!

this is what you should get with your tax money.

@ass.golf you might appreciate this

Oh man!

There are people who grumble that this too much of multi-functional hangout space* and not a proper library i.e. a temple for books and learning. *Meaning there are too many youths loitering about.

God forbid we create desperately needed thirds spaces for people

I would be thrilled to see an increase in the number of youths loitering at libraries.

Some things are universal I guess.

My friends were talking about "the death of the mall" and how when we were teens it was the place to go to see and be seen. Now it's signs at the entrances saying "no one under 18 after 5 pm (or earlier) unless escorted by an adult."

Also the seating and calm spots/play areas are gone, and store rents soar... so *that's* a "town square" setting that's gone/vanishing.

In the small town where I grew up, for many years the library branch was in shop space across from the video arcade.

shop.space

Sorry, don't know where link came from; it's useless, please ignore.

So this is what libraries, if left unchecked, will become.

I'd definitely prefer unchecked library instead of unchecked capitalism

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Warren G - Regulate (Official Music Video) ft. Nate Doggwww.youtube.com REMASTERED IN HD!Official Music Video for "Regulate" performed by Warren G feat. Nate Dogg, from the album 'Regulate...G Funk Era.' The song was released in ...

you can also walk up to the desk and someone will get it for you while you're waiting. and check this out, these are your books in the helsinki area libraries:

"Kingfisher, T" | Hakutulokset | helmet.fihelmet.finna.fi Varaa ja lainaa sisältöjä Helsingin, Espoon, Vantaan ja Kauniaisten kirjastoista helposti ja kätevästi verkossa. Tutustu kirjaston laajaan valikoimaan ja hyödynnä palveluita kirjojen, äänikirjojen, el...

@nixostorme.bsky.social @jcmuscuk.bsky.social

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