Libraries adding value to the city Library Director, Helsinki City LibraryTuula Haavisto

Libraries: a firm foundation for an evolving societyPre-conference for Decision Makers at the IFLA President´s Meeting 2014May 21-22, 2014 Helsinki, Finland

How to add the capacity and innovativeness of a city?

EducationSocial safetySystematical offering of open possibilitiesMeeting points, possibilities to communicate – people with

people, people with ideas, people with DIY (Do it yourself)

Today, inspirational spaces are being built in universities, colleges, business incubators and other more or less closed environments

What about an easily accessible public space equipped and tuned to inspire whomever? A place where everyman can join in creating new city culture, new businesses and social capital?

Libraries as everyman’s innovation centres

As genuinely open environments, libraries are – or could be - a very good everyman’s version of innovation centres - Easy access invites all kind of people to participate in an atmosphere of inspiration and cooperation- Libraries provide an environment in which new activities can be created- Libraries can exploit and utilize existing diverse stimuli, a place where people can meet friends and make new acquaintances as well as run into unexpected new phenomena- Libraries can be a crossing-point of cultures

All in all, libraries can improve the overall welfare, creativity and capacity of the city.

Present concepts, inspired by the Central Library project

In the Experiment Point customers can acquaint themselves with the products of Finnish small-scale entrepreneurs and give feed-back to the developers (both physical and virtual)

The project has run from 2010 and is financed by theEuropean Structural Fund, and has visited numerous libraries in Southern Finland

Helsinki is planning to form an international co-operation project under the name ‘Labrary’ to launch the Experiment Point operation model

Present concepts, inspired by the Central Library project

Urban workshop under the slogan “Library is a verb”, created by the library users - library users can try and experiment with their own ideas - new tools and innovations like 3D printers, vinyl cutters and various other gadgets provided by the library invite to try them ‘hands on’ - for small-scale entrepreneurs this is an important advantage

Mapping of library acoustics and audio landscapes (a pre-study is ready) - a concrete test environment Suvanto (“Stream pool”) to be opened soon

Use of digital surfaces in the libraries to be experimented - the design principles of these services are to be accepted soon.

Practical support for solo entrepreneurs and free lancers

The amount of free lancers and others working outside the traditional working places is rapidly raising – one can see it e.g. in cafees and libraries where these laptop workers spend their days

Helsinki City Library is planning a service package for this kind of users, a combination of selected materials, guidance, space and linking people

- Urban Office with working places and meeting rooms- Material to use, e.g. Zinio including international journals , Library

PressDisplay incl. international daily papers, and of course all the physical material

- Help in finding information and materials - In future: connections between people on-site

10 0002,5 million

Library Is the Most

Popular Culture Service

• Helsinki University Library –

The New Main Library Kaisa

• visits 6500 a day

• Library 10• visits 2000 a day

• Turku City Library – The New

Main Library• visits 5000 a day

•Apila–Library in Seinäjoki

• visits 2000 a day

Aarhus/ Dokk 1Urban Mediaspace will provide you with many opportunities for experience, learning, activity and contemplation.

BirminghamRewriting the book. We aim to transform lives through learning, knowledge and culture.

Oslo/ New DeichmanskeKeeps Oslo awake. The most innovative, visible and available library and public space in Europe.

ZLB/ A new library for BerlinA hub of historic learning with 3,200 seats for readers, galleries, event spaces, restaurants and a children's library.

Helsinki Central Library, to be opened in 2018

|Meeting- and lounge area 440 m2 | Stage 30 m2 | Pop-up-infos 100m2 | Cinema 490m2 | Multi-purpose hall 350m2 | Lobby areas 150m2 | Back Stage 40m2 |

Living lab 200m2 | Exhibition spaces 300m2 | Café 200m2 | Restaurant 300m2 | Interactive spaces 240m2 | Living rooms 500m2 | Children’s World 600m2 |

PersonalOffice-area 400m2 | Studios 160m2 | Makerspace 100m2 | Listening, viewing, games room 230m2 | Music, recording and videostudio 400m2 | Service-

points & collection area1600 m2

Why We Need the Library of The New Era

Open, non-commercial, public space – 2.5 million visits annuallyInformation and skills for a more functional society

Rich city experience created by the residents themselves

Why We Need the Library of The New Era  The book’s new life – a house of reading in the new cultural centre of

HelsinkiPioneer in intelligent everyday life

A library for all senses – a new programme every day

Three different floors, three different athmospheres

The ground floor is busy and frequently updated space suitable for quick visits and walk-throughs. The active, zero-threshold

public spaces in the ground floor will be visible, attractive, understandable and welcoming to all visitors.

Three different floors, three different athmospheres

The middle floor will offer opportunities for working, concentrating and learning-by-doing in an environment optimized for media and

latest tools. It will contain workshop spaces for music and multimedia, as well as a public sauna and a citizen balcony.

Three different floors, three different athmospheres

The traditional, serene library atmosphere can be found on the top floor. This will be a calm area for contemplation, floating

above the busy central Helsinki. It will offer great views to the surrounding park and cityscape. 

An imaginary Monday event calendar of the library

Helsinki Central Library 2018 is a new type of project where the contents and modes of activity are developed through collaboration between the library, city residents

and partners.

we

library an enricher

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ideas

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The

Vision of the Helsinki City Library

Keskustakirjasto.fi/en

PHOTO CREDITSHelsinki City LibraryCity of Helsinki Media BankCC licensed Flickr photos shared by adoephoto Ed Yourdon Hembo Pagi mbiebusch Judy ** piet_musterd psd Señor Hans Tim_Arai Thomas Hawk ZagatBuzz

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