Last week Espoo City Library was awarded the international prize Library of the Year at the London Book Fair 2019. As an enthusiastic library user, I cannot but uphold their new title. This post is not sponsored or anything: I’m just a book nerd. How nerd, you ask? Enough to weekly check the new titles section on the library website. Anyway, this article is not purely celebratory. I want to share with my international readers what great services my library has made available to its users, so that you can suggest them to your own library and make the world a better place. Let’s dig in!

#1. A library at every corner

Espoo City Library includes 18 units, all throughout City of Espoo. In practice, this means that almost every neighbourhood has a library available. Together with the delivery service (see below), this translates in everyone in town being able to easily access culture and library services.

#2. Free delivery

Every item can be delivered to the library of your choice. Espoo City Library shares its collection with Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kaunianen under the Helmet network. A user can search a title through the Helmet website, book it and request that it’s delivered to the closest library unit. After a couple of days, you get an email that your book is ready to for pick-up. All free of charge!

#3. Books ain’t the only thing you can borrow

The library in Finland doesn’t include only books. You can borrow music, videogames, dvds, blue-rays, ebooks, boardgames. The list goes on: you can borrow even working tools or digital cameras. I went to the library to sew my curtains with a sewing machine, all for free!

#4. It’s a safe place

I am an immigrant in Finland and the library is one of very few places where I feel welcome and completely at ease. Everyone, even tourists, can enter the Espoo City Library. The library is not just a book archive: it’s a place where to meet with your friends, have a chat, go to events, spend time with your family. Some libraries are located within malls, others have a cafeteria, and while they are generally quiet places, there’s no strict silence rule.

#5. It’s multilingual and international

The library has a huge role in allowing our family to cultivate bilingualism. Their collection of Italian books makes it possible for me to read to my kids and develop their language skills. Espoo City Library has children books in plenty of languages, actually. The adults collection includes several books in languages other than Finnish or Swedish. 90% of my own reads are borrowed from the library and I regularly find movies there too.

#6. Open at (almost) all hours

Most libraries are open during weekends and after working hours. In several, it’s possible to let yourself in also after opening hours thanks to your personal library card and a scan reader. Checking items in and out is completely handled by machines and you can return items at virtually every hour.

#7. A space for children to play

Most library units have a play corner for small children. The Entresse library has a play room and a collection of costumes to play dress-up. Sello Library has a play corner with toys, paper and pencils, and even a microwave to warm up baby meals. It’s actually very common to meet up with other parents at the library, let the children freely play, and alternate with book reading. Children books are easy to access (no high shelves) and the smart archiving system makes it easy to tidy up afterwards. Older kids often meet and play videogames at the library on the consoles and computers available.

#8. Plenty of space for events

Espoo City Library has a lot of space for events and a rich programme for all ages. There are stages, as well as rooms for musicians to record or play. There’s a film editing lab. There are meeting rooms. You can attend children’s events, concerts, book clubs, language cafes. The library has always a space to offer (for free in most or all cases). It’s a true cultural hub and a great resource for the community.

#9. Great user interface

Items are smartly tagged and easy to find through the Helmet website. There are several search filters, for example collection or language. This is how I easily find new reads or movies in Italian language for my kids. Most books are archived with a cover picture. All relevant information are listed in the description. Users are notified via email of upcoming deadlines or items ready for pick-up. Through the app Taskukirjasto keep your holds and loans in check. Fines can be paid online. It’s so user-centered!

#10. The library belongs to the community

Overall, I appreciate how the library is built on trust and sharing. As I mentioned, libraries are accessible outside of opening hours. Spaces are easy to rent. There’s an underlying sense of inclusion and participation. The library is a common resource and we all hold the responsibility of taking care of it, enriching it with events and our participation, and valuing the services it provides.

Espoo City Library is an enriching part of our daily life as parents, expats, and individuals. It’s a fantastic resource for people living in Espoo. I hope you found interesting ideas in this post if you live outside of Finland. Congrats to my library for this incredible achievement!

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