An appropriation of €800,000 for a national acquisition of digital media for public libraries has been set aside from the Parliament’s additional budget which was prepared due to the coronavirus epidemic. The sum will be spent on procuring e-materials for children and young people. The aim of the project initiated with the appropriation is to promote literacy, increase learning opportunities and reduce inequality.

The Centre for Cultural Policy Research, Cupore, published a fact booklet of their study on Finnish public’s opinions on the copyright system. The booklet is also available in English.

The study aimed to find out how well the concept of copyright is understood, how common is the authorised and unauthorised use of online contents, how common is the use of existing works for follow-on creation, and what opinions and attitudes there are towards copyright and to what extent is the system considered acceptable. 

Lukupuhetta, talking about reading, is a weekly podcast produced by Seinäjoki Public Library, which has the national special task of promoting children and young people’s reading and literacy in Finland. The Lukupuhetta podcast deals with topics around children and young adults’ library work, literacy, literature, reading, and reading promotion. Normally the weekly shows are in Finnish, but now there are two episodes available in English.

As a part of the implementation of the Finnish government’s programme, the Ministry of Education and Culture grants a sum of one million euros for municipalities to purchase new mobile libraries. Nine municipalities will receive the grant to support their acquisition of a new mobile library. Altogether 23 municipalities applied for the grant within the application period. The municipalities receiving the grant are Haapajärvi, Ilmajoki, Kurikka, Nurmes, Salla, Sievi, Suomussalmi, Tammela and Tornio.

In Helsinki, children’s brand new mobile library ‘Stoori’ starts on its route in November replacing the earlier mobile library Stara. The new mobile library has modifiable interior to make it more suitable for diverse use, such as events and workshops for children. The vehicle has solar panels on the rooftop to supply energy to the on-board electronic devices. The new bookmobile is also more accessible, as it has a lift for users with wheelchairs. The artwork on the bus is made by an artist Riku Ounaslehto, and it is inspired by children’s literature and Helsinki’s nature.

Oulu City Library is implementing a Sustainable Library 2030 Roadmap to support libraries’ sustainability work. The roadmap is produced by Oulu City Library and it is based on the United Nation’s 2030 sustainable development goals (SDG) and the environmental goals set by the city library in 2015.

Kirkkonummi municipality opens a new library building in the heart of the municipality. The brand new building Fyyri hosts the main library, a youth club, a music school for children, a residents’ park, and a café. The new library offers possibilities for all kinds of activities. In addition to traditional library services, Fyyri has a makerspace area, a music studio and rehearsal room, and a stage with cutting edge technology for creative activities, as well as gaming and meeting rooms and a gallery area for art exhibitions.

Helsinki Central Library Oodi receives the Best in Heritage Project of Influence Award 2020. The recognition was awarded during the Best in Heritage annual conference, which was held virtually this year. 

The annual Project of Influence award is granted to projects that significantly impact the future of the cultural heritage field, develop the field and set an example for other operators. The Best in Heritage is a Zagreb based cultural heritage NGO.

Mikkeli Regional Library launches a new service that brings the library professionals and collections out of the library into other premises. The new mobile library service is not a traditional book bus, but a service on wheels that brings the library services, for example in pop-up form, to areas where the local branch library has lately been closed down. Compared with a traditional bus-sized bookmobile, the vehicle itself is smaller whilst the service concept is more targeted.

Helsinki City Library turns 160 years today on Wednesday the 7 October. The first branch, initially called Helsinki People’s Library, was opened by a noblewomen’s association Fruntimmersföreningen i Helsingfors in the city centre in 1860.

Read more about the 160 years of Helsinki City Library in English on the City of Helsinki website.