Uusi keskustakirjasto from WDC Helsinki 2012 on Vimeo.
I love the direction Helsinki City Library has gone with their new building. From this article about it, check out some of these highlights:
- designed for the urban dwellers of Helsinki by the residents themselves
- That’s the reason why the new library will have, among other things, a movie theatre, music studio, restaurant, open workspaces and a “citizen balcony”
- opinion leaders and celebrities encouraged people to come up with fresh and groundbreaking ideas that the new library could adopt
- participatory budgeting – that’s a new one for me!
- the library was envisioned as a place for experimenting, learning, 21st century civics and peer learning, along with the enrichment of ideas and thoughts, and acting as a service provider for immigrants and tourists.
Go read the whole article – it’s really good. So – are you starting plans for a new building? A new service area of the library? A new collection? Maybe see if you can get your customers involved.
Because as Tuula Haavisto (director of Helsinki City Library) says, “We noticed that visitors feel a stronger ownership of the library and visit it more when they have been included in the planning.”
