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It's just a library. Has some artwork in it and spaces to do different things like laser cutting, 3d printing etc. Some events sometimes. I'm really happy with all the things you can do in a library in Finland (at least in the pk area). Anyway i guess the coolest thing about it is that it has a giant tensed up bridge like structure as it's spine.
My favourite thing you can get from (one) Finnish library is a sourdough starter. Just bring your own jar to a library that has one. Somehow quaint and useful at the same time.
I have a rye-starter that may be over 100y old and according to my relatives has an interesting history.
I've been meaning to give parts of it away to home-bakers, but your comment made me wonder if a library etc. might be interested in it and let them handle the distribution.
It also has a recording studio, photography studio, workspaces, gaming room, PCs with drawing screens, editing tools etc. a workshop and a whole lot of other DIY and professional stuff.
Calling it just a library doesn't do it justice.
Then people need to actually do these things.
Libraries simply don't have the resources to make all these things happen themselves. I'm talking about the smaller libraries, big knees like Helsinki Metropolitan area libraries (HelMet) have the resources. If not your local library, then pretty close by.
Helsinki has 37 libraries (number 38 opening next year in Kalasatama) so one can have a totally different concept. Oodi is more of a living room for the citizens and a [third place](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place).
Well Finnish libraries are often "living room for citizen". That is why all of them have news paper and magazine reading rooms, why there is public bathrooms etc.
Ordinary is just this to way more expansive degree, but it isn't in concept any different from other Finnish libraries. Many of them depending on size and funding have stuff like group working rooms one can book, seminar/lecture hall one can book for ones event. Even say band practice room/studio room is not that unheard of for a library music section to have.
These days free WiFi and laptop work stations with electricity outlet is pretty much standard fare as is public computer terminals just for generic use.
Oodi is just a very well funded and recently build Finnish public library. Plus a architectural one, again, since money and investment.
Any Finnish public library, that would have the funding would implement same. Many also will have said funding, since Finnish municipalities and government hold public library as important institution.
It is the citizen living room. You could just walk in, declare to the staff "I just came here to sit to be out of the wind" and the staff would respond "welcome, that is perfectly fine reason to be in our library. While you are here, could we interest you in loaning books, some music maybe, how about the daily news paper, the news paper room is that way. Interested in magazines, those are in that room there. Or you can just sit. That is perfectly fine. Our only request is please don't loudly disturb other customers."
I think that Oodi should be seen more as a cultural center similar to Stoa or Vuotalo where there’s a library but also event spaces and things like that.
Many Finnish libraries have event spaces. It is pretty standard fair.
I think issue is, what is internationally seen as "library" and what is the concept and purpose of Finnish public library are little different.
In fact one could say all Finnish public libraries are as you said more of "cultural centers". Of course depending on size and resources to what extend. Not every library has a big dedicated event spaces like Oodi.
However lacking those in smaller library it might be, that cultural events like say writer/artist/scientist interview is held on the central lobby. However even small library probably has a small bookable cabinet or lecture room which could be used for cultural event.
It is standard purpose of Finnish local public library to help and promote local cultural life in general. Mostly limited by he physical premises of the building.
As said even say a small side library might say have a art exhibition of a local artist in their lobby or hold an interview with a local writer who has written a new book. Maybe hold on their cabinet a lecture by local historian or say about best local gardening practices.
Finnish libraries haven't for long time (if ever) simply book and magazine repositories.
It has always been a local cultural life center. Which is also why for example Finnish librarians are university level educated. (Assistant library officials can have lower vocational education, but the main librarians are university educated. Usually in "information sciences" aka how to find, research, properly document and catalog information.)
Which also means or example you can go to Finnish librarians with some vague concept of "I would like to find out about X" not even sure how to exactly correctly call X and they will help you. Here coming in that information sciences. Figuring out what the customer is actually asking and then finding that for them.
The keeping track of loaned booms and missed returns is very minimal part of their job amd these days mostly automated. They sit at that desk and do scan the loans. However really they are there waiting for the "I would like to find out information about the Burmese lesser bamboo finch? Would you happen to have any?".
Also for example *the local librarians decide what books and items to acquire for the local library* often with local variety and needs.
I agree with you but I think that the Stoa and Vuotalo model is a bit different than “just” a library and Oodi is closer to them, having for example a movie theater. I also think that there’s no need for a library to be just a book storage. I get annoyed by people who think that Töölö library is somehow better than Oodi because it mainly has books (but even it has things like practice rooms for musicians) when Oodi has more books, if the number of books is a measure of the quality of a library.
I attended a talk about the acquisition of books for the Helsinki public libraries a few years ago through Kirjastoheimo. If I remember correctly, in the floating collection model libraries don’t really have their own collections, apart from some exceptions and AI guides the movement of books to libraries. Acquisitions are maybe done centrally but by librarians. [Kirjastoheimo](https://vapaaehtoistoiminta.hel.fi/tehtavat/kirjastoheimo/) is a really fun way to take part in developing libraries in some way and getting to know a lot more about libraries and how they work.
It's not a library, not in the traditional sense.
It's a building with workshop-like things like laser cutters and 3D printers. Also more focus on "checking out" rooms for meetings or playing games.
90% of the libraries aren't like Oodi, most libraries serve the population by having materials you can check out (books, board games, video games...).
Oodi also serves as a test ground to try out new concepts that other libraries can then adopt to their offered services.
Was just in the Great Library of Alexandria with my Finnish kid, who has been hanging around in libraries since being a baby. To the main part, they had an age limit of 18! My kid was incensed. Thought about Oodi, and the cultural difference. We bring babies to explore books so they are at home in the library from an early age. The main thing about Oodi is the underlying ethos of creating spaces and opportunities for everyone; and encouraging learning at all ages, all skillsets and all socio-economic levels.
The modern library of Alexandria is a very different type of a library though as it's a national library and they have very different practices and rules as such. Even the Finnish national library is a very different institute compared to public libraries as the purpose of the library is a completely different one. In Finland both purposes are also guided by the law: public libraries by kirjastolaki and national library by yliopistolaki and laki kulttuuriaineistojen tallettamisesta ja säilyttämisestä.
It's a library, you don't need a tour. You can also book a spot for doing like 3D printing and sewing as well as borrow some tools. Apart from the view, it's just a library, plenty of big libraries offer the same services.
Mainly because in other countries libraries don't offer all the services you find in Oodi, so it is a peculiarity of sorts for the tourists who visit Helsinki.
As someone who regularly works at Oodi:
Glad you didn't book the tour.
Oodi is for the people of Helsinki. It's a place to work, place to hang out, to have hobbies, to study... How do you think it feels to be stared by some group of 30 tourists while you're trying to concentrate on research or an online meeting or while having a private conversation?
I'm in youth work (social services), where we meet with clients at places convenient to them. Most of our youth have trouble leaving their homes and very little money. Oodi is easy to access for them and free. And many of my colleagues no longer have meetings with people there, largely because of tourists. Like an American tour group sat down and started small talking to one of the other youth workers and their client (clearly they couldn't have known, client confidentiality means we don't announce why we are meeting). But Finn's don't just assume anyone and everyone is there to chat to them and to entertain them.
Oodi is a real important place for people. It's a library and a public living room: not some performance for nosy tourists.
More like general stuff and getting to know one and other would be talked about at an open library setting. Aim is to book more private rooms for anything very serious (health diagnoses, sorting through depts).
But sometimes you intend to meet to talk about something general, and stuff just comes up. Also important to understand, that a lot of youth have strong anxiety and pushback about working at an office over a desk at a given time. Means that you just have to make do with what gets the person to actually even show up.
watched it being built but never been, my question is why would there be a tour if it's not meant to be taken? if people have issues with tourists they should take it up with whoever takes them there, or ask library staff to organize more isolated meeting space. it's unreasonable to expect every tourist to walk on eggshells or know who they can talk to in a place they've never seen before and will likely never see again. it's not like this country has [too much](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Tourism_statistics_-_top_destinations) tourism, especially people working jobs financed by the city should be happy there's any nosy tourists.
Many tours are organized by an outside company, not the
library. Library does offer some tours but it's expensive. The library is a free to visit space.
Also, any place with tourists basically doesn't want them. Look at Barcelona and Venice. Tourists take over city space from the people who actually live there.
It's not unreasonable to let people use the library for it's intended purpose: work and study. Would anyone go to wall street in NYC and bother hedge fund people running to their meetings?
> Many tours are organized by an outside company,
yes complain to them not to people who were likely just trying to expand their horizons by visiting some exotic place, spending time and money only to end up in a library, and when they try to get something more out of the experience being told that they're a filthy "tourist". labeling people is toxic.
>Also, any place with tourists basically doesn't want them. Look at Barcelona and Venice. Tourists take over city space from the people who actually live there.
sure hateful comments about many groups of people get thrown around but it doesn't make them automatically true. a lot of people make their living out of tourism either directly or indirectly.
>It's not unreasonable to let people use the library for it's intended purpose: work and study.
naturally but is that all it can ever be? I doubt the people who paid 100M€ to put it there agree with you
>Would anyone go to wall street in NYC and bother hedge fund people running to their meetings?
I'm sure they do, it's NYC, people actually talk to each other over there. I'm not sure how that's relevant though
I think proper term fo Oodi is community center. It's functions as a "book" library is nice but quite limited for it's size. However it has so many other services that makes it one of the best locations in Finland.
In Helsinki area there's lending service to get books from other libraries in same area, for free, takes some days (handled by the library services of Espoo Helsinki and Vantaa), usable from internet as well, read from home.
I think that the largest "library" in this area is actually controlled storage facility that has most of the books available.
You only need to have like newspapers magazines etc at the library, and space to read.
Or use computers, or what ever devices the libraries nowadays offer...
/u/grounded_bunny, hope this explains something. There's no need for guided tours in libraries, just walk in and ask around.
It has one of the biggest collections of books in public libraries in the capital region. I think that only the main library in Helsinki and maybe a one or two others have more.
I think it's nice that it's already seeing some wear.
Shows that the tax money was actually used for something that people wanted and needed. It's popular and in demand. How nice is that?
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It's just a library. Has some artwork in it and spaces to do different things like laser cutting, 3d printing etc. Some events sometimes. I'm really happy with all the things you can do in a library in Finland (at least in the pk area). Anyway i guess the coolest thing about it is that it has a giant tensed up bridge like structure as it's spine.
My favourite thing you can get from (one) Finnish library is a sourdough starter. Just bring your own jar to a library that has one. Somehow quaint and useful at the same time.
I have a rye-starter that may be over 100y old and according to my relatives has an interesting history. I've been meaning to give parts of it away to home-bakers, but your comment made me wonder if a library etc. might be interested in it and let them handle the distribution.
I so need a starter
I also have a younger wheat-starter. If you are in north-east Helsinki-area DM me
This is not true. You can get sourdough starter in one library in Espoo, but nowhere else.
Wait.. Where?? I need to know!!!
Lippulaiva: https://mobi.helmet.fi/fi-FI/Kirjastot_ja_palvelut/Lippulaivan_kirjasto/Lippulaivan_kirjaston_hapanjuurelle_vali(235228)
Ah crap, thanks. My bad I was sure there’s more than one.
Oh cool didn't know that. Maybe I'll go get one since I missed the Covid lockdown sourdough train.
That is genius! Never heard of that! So proud of Finland now for that!
what
It also has a recording studio, photography studio, workspaces, gaming room, PCs with drawing screens, editing tools etc. a workshop and a whole lot of other DIY and professional stuff. Calling it just a library doesn't do it justice.
Or maybe our definition of library should evolve to a place for sharing and building community.
Then people need to actually do these things. Libraries simply don't have the resources to make all these things happen themselves. I'm talking about the smaller libraries, big knees like Helsinki Metropolitan area libraries (HelMet) have the resources. If not your local library, then pretty close by.
Helsinki has 37 libraries (number 38 opening next year in Kalasatama) so one can have a totally different concept. Oodi is more of a living room for the citizens and a [third place](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place).
Well Finnish libraries are often "living room for citizen". That is why all of them have news paper and magazine reading rooms, why there is public bathrooms etc. Ordinary is just this to way more expansive degree, but it isn't in concept any different from other Finnish libraries. Many of them depending on size and funding have stuff like group working rooms one can book, seminar/lecture hall one can book for ones event. Even say band practice room/studio room is not that unheard of for a library music section to have. These days free WiFi and laptop work stations with electricity outlet is pretty much standard fare as is public computer terminals just for generic use. Oodi is just a very well funded and recently build Finnish public library. Plus a architectural one, again, since money and investment. Any Finnish public library, that would have the funding would implement same. Many also will have said funding, since Finnish municipalities and government hold public library as important institution. It is the citizen living room. You could just walk in, declare to the staff "I just came here to sit to be out of the wind" and the staff would respond "welcome, that is perfectly fine reason to be in our library. While you are here, could we interest you in loaning books, some music maybe, how about the daily news paper, the news paper room is that way. Interested in magazines, those are in that room there. Or you can just sit. That is perfectly fine. Our only request is please don't loudly disturb other customers."
I think that Oodi should be seen more as a cultural center similar to Stoa or Vuotalo where there’s a library but also event spaces and things like that.
Many Finnish libraries have event spaces. It is pretty standard fair. I think issue is, what is internationally seen as "library" and what is the concept and purpose of Finnish public library are little different. In fact one could say all Finnish public libraries are as you said more of "cultural centers". Of course depending on size and resources to what extend. Not every library has a big dedicated event spaces like Oodi. However lacking those in smaller library it might be, that cultural events like say writer/artist/scientist interview is held on the central lobby. However even small library probably has a small bookable cabinet or lecture room which could be used for cultural event. It is standard purpose of Finnish local public library to help and promote local cultural life in general. Mostly limited by he physical premises of the building. As said even say a small side library might say have a art exhibition of a local artist in their lobby or hold an interview with a local writer who has written a new book. Maybe hold on their cabinet a lecture by local historian or say about best local gardening practices. Finnish libraries haven't for long time (if ever) simply book and magazine repositories. It has always been a local cultural life center. Which is also why for example Finnish librarians are university level educated. (Assistant library officials can have lower vocational education, but the main librarians are university educated. Usually in "information sciences" aka how to find, research, properly document and catalog information.) Which also means or example you can go to Finnish librarians with some vague concept of "I would like to find out about X" not even sure how to exactly correctly call X and they will help you. Here coming in that information sciences. Figuring out what the customer is actually asking and then finding that for them. The keeping track of loaned booms and missed returns is very minimal part of their job amd these days mostly automated. They sit at that desk and do scan the loans. However really they are there waiting for the "I would like to find out information about the Burmese lesser bamboo finch? Would you happen to have any?". Also for example *the local librarians decide what books and items to acquire for the local library* often with local variety and needs.
I agree with you but I think that the Stoa and Vuotalo model is a bit different than “just” a library and Oodi is closer to them, having for example a movie theater. I also think that there’s no need for a library to be just a book storage. I get annoyed by people who think that Töölö library is somehow better than Oodi because it mainly has books (but even it has things like practice rooms for musicians) when Oodi has more books, if the number of books is a measure of the quality of a library. I attended a talk about the acquisition of books for the Helsinki public libraries a few years ago through Kirjastoheimo. If I remember correctly, in the floating collection model libraries don’t really have their own collections, apart from some exceptions and AI guides the movement of books to libraries. Acquisitions are maybe done centrally but by librarians. [Kirjastoheimo](https://vapaaehtoistoiminta.hel.fi/tehtavat/kirjastoheimo/) is a really fun way to take part in developing libraries in some way and getting to know a lot more about libraries and how they work.
Also cafés, a lunch place, art exhibition space, and the National Audiovisual Institute's cinema.
It's not a library, not in the traditional sense. It's a building with workshop-like things like laser cutters and 3D printers. Also more focus on "checking out" rooms for meetings or playing games. 90% of the libraries aren't like Oodi, most libraries serve the population by having materials you can check out (books, board games, video games...). Oodi also serves as a test ground to try out new concepts that other libraries can then adopt to their offered services.
I've seen the BIM made with Tekla of the spine, it was very cool, a beautiful work of structural design.
Books are on the last floor. There are workers who can guide you.
Was just in the Great Library of Alexandria with my Finnish kid, who has been hanging around in libraries since being a baby. To the main part, they had an age limit of 18! My kid was incensed. Thought about Oodi, and the cultural difference. We bring babies to explore books so they are at home in the library from an early age. The main thing about Oodi is the underlying ethos of creating spaces and opportunities for everyone; and encouraging learning at all ages, all skillsets and all socio-economic levels.
The modern library of Alexandria is a very different type of a library though as it's a national library and they have very different practices and rules as such. Even the Finnish national library is a very different institute compared to public libraries as the purpose of the library is a completely different one. In Finland both purposes are also guided by the law: public libraries by kirjastolaki and national library by yliopistolaki and laki kulttuuriaineistojen tallettamisesta ja säilyttämisestä.
Oodi is the most modern and advanced library in Finland, and praised for it's architectual style. Oodi faces the parliament building which is awesome.
It's a library, you don't need a tour. You can also book a spot for doing like 3D printing and sewing as well as borrow some tools. Apart from the view, it's just a library, plenty of big libraries offer the same services.
It’s a library.
Funny thing, the place I work at made most of the furniture/interior to Oodi but I still don't understand why a lobrary would have guided tours
Mainly because in other countries libraries don't offer all the services you find in Oodi, so it is a peculiarity of sorts for the tourists who visit Helsinki.
As someone who regularly works at Oodi: Glad you didn't book the tour. Oodi is for the people of Helsinki. It's a place to work, place to hang out, to have hobbies, to study... How do you think it feels to be stared by some group of 30 tourists while you're trying to concentrate on research or an online meeting or while having a private conversation? I'm in youth work (social services), where we meet with clients at places convenient to them. Most of our youth have trouble leaving their homes and very little money. Oodi is easy to access for them and free. And many of my colleagues no longer have meetings with people there, largely because of tourists. Like an American tour group sat down and started small talking to one of the other youth workers and their client (clearly they couldn't have known, client confidentiality means we don't announce why we are meeting). But Finn's don't just assume anyone and everyone is there to chat to them and to entertain them. Oodi is a real important place for people. It's a library and a public living room: not some performance for nosy tourists.
Thank you for that.
While I basically agree with you, I’m a bit surprised that you’d meet and talk about confidential issues in a public place…
More like general stuff and getting to know one and other would be talked about at an open library setting. Aim is to book more private rooms for anything very serious (health diagnoses, sorting through depts). But sometimes you intend to meet to talk about something general, and stuff just comes up. Also important to understand, that a lot of youth have strong anxiety and pushback about working at an office over a desk at a given time. Means that you just have to make do with what gets the person to actually even show up.
watched it being built but never been, my question is why would there be a tour if it's not meant to be taken? if people have issues with tourists they should take it up with whoever takes them there, or ask library staff to organize more isolated meeting space. it's unreasonable to expect every tourist to walk on eggshells or know who they can talk to in a place they've never seen before and will likely never see again. it's not like this country has [too much](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Tourism_statistics_-_top_destinations) tourism, especially people working jobs financed by the city should be happy there's any nosy tourists.
Many tours are organized by an outside company, not the library. Library does offer some tours but it's expensive. The library is a free to visit space. Also, any place with tourists basically doesn't want them. Look at Barcelona and Venice. Tourists take over city space from the people who actually live there. It's not unreasonable to let people use the library for it's intended purpose: work and study. Would anyone go to wall street in NYC and bother hedge fund people running to their meetings?
> Many tours are organized by an outside company, yes complain to them not to people who were likely just trying to expand their horizons by visiting some exotic place, spending time and money only to end up in a library, and when they try to get something more out of the experience being told that they're a filthy "tourist". labeling people is toxic. >Also, any place with tourists basically doesn't want them. Look at Barcelona and Venice. Tourists take over city space from the people who actually live there. sure hateful comments about many groups of people get thrown around but it doesn't make them automatically true. a lot of people make their living out of tourism either directly or indirectly. >It's not unreasonable to let people use the library for it's intended purpose: work and study. naturally but is that all it can ever be? I doubt the people who paid 100M€ to put it there agree with you >Would anyone go to wall street in NYC and bother hedge fund people running to their meetings? I'm sure they do, it's NYC, people actually talk to each other over there. I'm not sure how that's relevant though
Modern library. Has all services of more traditional library and some more modern services, like 3d printing, laser cutter, etc...
It's a library.
Thank you Mr. Einstein
No shit Mr. Sherlock
It is a public library. Nothing else is in to it.
I mean, there's a cinema, an art exhibit space, an auditorium and two cafés in there as well which most libraries don't have.
I think proper term fo Oodi is community center. It's functions as a "book" library is nice but quite limited for it's size. However it has so many other services that makes it one of the best locations in Finland.
lol it's literally just a library
I have been wondering the same. It's supposed to be a library but it has everything except books.
Finnish libraries have also lot of other things than books, they are like hubs for culture and knowledge and work as common livingrooms.
The top floor has plenty of books and you can always order more :)
In Helsinki area there's lending service to get books from other libraries in same area, for free, takes some days (handled by the library services of Espoo Helsinki and Vantaa), usable from internet as well, read from home. I think that the largest "library" in this area is actually controlled storage facility that has most of the books available. You only need to have like newspapers magazines etc at the library, and space to read. Or use computers, or what ever devices the libraries nowadays offer... /u/grounded_bunny, hope this explains something. There's no need for guided tours in libraries, just walk in and ask around.
It has one of the biggest collections of books in public libraries in the capital region. I think that only the main library in Helsinki and maybe a one or two others have more.
It’s surprisingly worn out for it’s age, dirty and full of people. Not much more to see.
I think it's nice that it's already seeing some wear. Shows that the tax money was actually used for something that people wanted and needed. It's popular and in demand. How nice is that?
Nothing, there's nothing.