ESPOO MAGAZINE 2/2019

TIMO PORTHAN
THE WORLD’S BEST LIBRARY
THE INNOVATIVE approach of Espoo City Library has turned
heads around the world. Espoo City Library was awarded the
title of Library of the Year 2019 at the London Book Fair. The
jury said the decision was based on the library’s area open
to everyone and the reading challenges offered for people of
all age groups.
Espoo City Library was among the first to introduce a selfservice
library that customers can use when the personnel
are not present. The self-service library has doubled the
opening hours of small libraries in Espoo.
This pioneering approach has also garnered national attention.
Espoo was elected the Library Municipality of the
Year in autumn 2018. In the first such competition arranged
by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities
and the Finnish Library Association, Espoo won plaudits
for the diversity of its activities and its special investments in
services for immigrants.
Awards were given at the Book Fair to the City of Espoo
as well as Espoo library pedagogue Riikka Utriainen who invented
the reading challenge, which has spread throughout
Finland on social media. The idea was created on an impulse,
and it was first launched at Helmet libraries in Greater Helsinki.
Not only
books
Libraries have become
centres of activity where
you can find much more
than just books.
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