United Kingdom · U.S. · Canada · bbc.com
Instead, Hirvonen argues, institutions should ask why the service is not tapped
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
"Usage is not only reflective of the value of the service: it's shaped by things like visibility and availability," says Hirvonen.
Key facts
- In the UK, data analysis suggests a person visits roughly 2.5 times a year on average; in the US, 2.4 and in the EU average is around 3.5 visits
- Between 2008 and 2019, 766 public libraries closed across the United States, while in the United Kingdom, between 2016 and 2023, more than 180 council-run libraries were either closed or handed
- I have tears in my eyes when I see people almost run into the building at 08:00, heading straight to their favourite spots," says Katri Vänttinen, director of library services for the whole
- Finland has more than 700 libraries for a population of 5.6 million, offering everything from podcast studios and 3D printing to tennis rackets and swimming pool passes
Summary
Finland's libraries are increasingly being valued not by how many books they lend, but how they help societies function. On a freezing January morning in Helsinki, around 20 people gather outside Oodi, the city's central library, waiting for the doors to open. "I have tears in my eyes when I see people almost run into the building at 08:00, heading straight to their favourite spots," says Katri Vänttinen, director of library services for the whole of the Finnish capital. By lunchtime, the building is so full that visitors wander between floors looking for an empty seat. A small group sits in a circle: they're knitting woollen socks, those with more experience helping newcomers with techniques and patterns.