Central Library - The Heart of Metropolis, The Heart of Helsinki

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Central Library - The Heart of Metropolis, The
Heart of Helsinki

• Århus 23.9.2008Library Director Maija Berndtson

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Triple Jump
The opening of the main library in Pasila, 7500
m2, of which a half for public spaces and and
another half for resource center, for example
book mobiles, home delivery sevice, hospital
libraries, acquisitions and cataloguing,
admistration, logistics, information management
office
Culture minister Claes Andersson proposes that
the main library should be located on the site,
where the annex to the Finnish Parliament is
today
The opening of Rikhardinkatu library
?
1882
1986
1998
2017
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Rikhardinkatu library 1881
Rikhardinkatu library served as the main library
until 1986. It was the first public library
building in the Nordic countries
Carl Theodor Höijer worked as an architect. His
many new reneissance buildings are still part of
Helsinkis townscape.
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Pasila library 1986
A resource centre for 35 branch librariesand 2
book mobiles.

• The new main library was located outside
  downtown.

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Library 10, 2005

Library 10 has the most extensive collection of
music materials within the City Library,
including highly versatile IT-equipment. Library
also provides possibilities for spontaneous
production of culture and media.

• Library 10 is located in the very heart of
  Helsinki. Its open and accesible for everyone
  to work, play or linger.

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Meetingpoint_at_lasipalatsi
The service includes experts from different
fields providing guidance to those seeking
information on the use of Internet-based
electronic services, mobile services and digital
TV.
Meetingpoint_at_lasipalatsi isalso a venue where
hardware manufacturers and service providers put
their services on display. Its an opportunity to
meet customer groups and get direct feedback of
their services.
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Library network in Helsinki

• 36 Libraries all expect Library 10 are local
  libraries
• Historically unique and architecturally beautiful
  library buildings Rikhardinkatu, Kallio, Töölö,
  Pasila,Vallila,Arabianranta, Viikki,Vuosaari
• All library buildings are small 200 m2 3 500
  m2 for public spaces

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Library 10, Rikhardinkatu Library and Pasila
Library in comparison
  RikhardinkatuLibrary Library 10 Pasila Library
Loans 624 350 570 830 777 704
Opening hours per week 53 69 50
Area  2312  1078 3500 (public area)
Visits 581 840 583 859 300 324
Visits per area  252  542 86
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Parts of the centrallibrary already exists

• IT- and music libraryLibrary 10
• Meetingpoint_at_lasipalatsi a meeting point with
  different partners, both from private and public
  sector
• Some parts of the main library will move into the
  new central library
• Central library is not a new main library

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Long live the library!

• Mikko Leistis review report, appointed by The
  City of Helsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen, Central
  Library The Heart of Helsinki, The Heart of
  Metropolis was published 12.3.2008
• Based on
• - 150 Interviews and group discussions with
  representatives from different branches, fields
  and areas
• - Researches and source books
• - Strategies on national and local level
• - Study tours in Finland, Stockholm, Sendai,
  Seattle, Amsterdam and Rotterdam

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The Heart of Metropolis - review

• Proposes 25 000 m2 Central Library in Helsinki
  comprising
• 12 000 m2 of space for library services, 8000 m2
  for variety of events and other programming and
  5000 m2 for commersial activities
• The cost is estimated at some 100 m
• Three potential locations the Lasipalatsi
  building, the Post House, the Töölönlahti area
• A joint, national project between the Finnish
  state, the City of Helsinki and other cities in
  the Helsinki Metropolitan Area

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Rikhardinkatu library, Library 10 and the new
central library
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Three potential locations for the new central
library
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Töölönlahti area in the future
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Common vision for the Helsinki Metropolitan
Area

• The Helsinki Metropolitan Area is a dynamic
  world-class centre for business and innovation.
  Its high-quality services, arts and science,
  creativity and adaptability promote the
  prosperity of its citizens and bring benefits to
  all of Finland. The Metropolitan Area is being
  developed as a unified region close to nature
  where it is good to live, learn, work and do
  business.

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Importance of Libraries

• Libraries as an opportunity
• - Libraries as the cornerstones of our success
• - Attractive and dynamic Finland
• - A look into the future
• - Building skills
• - Libraries are for everyone

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The Heart of Metropolis

• The library of the future
• A new library concept for a hub of knowledge,
  skills and stories
• Content resources, encounters and communication

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Keywords in planning the new central library

• Innovative the future is the sum of the
  creativity in use today
• Concrete the project is alive already today,
  practice and tests (for example
  Meetingpoint_at_lasipalatsi, rethinking the brand
  concept, projects with partners)
• Communicative we tell, ask and listen web,
  discussions, conferences
• Participating we take part and we do it together

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The new central library,by yardstick

• Total area 25 000 m2
• Libray 12 000 m2
• Meeting point 8 000 m2
• - Exhibiton spaces, Suomi-experience, biography,
  studysauna, sauna, studio, auditorium, cinema,
  wintergarden, meeting rooms, free speakers
  corner, brainstorm, play room, family space,
  space for young people
• Commercial premises 5 000 m2
• -Restaurants, cafés, shops, market, gallery
• -Visitors 1,5 mil., in other words approximately
  4000-5000 daily

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WLAN
- Visitors in Helsinki
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Place for people not for magazine

• The library space is meant for people, not for
  books/ media
• Collection approximately 200 000 (the stock stays
  in Pasila) Seattle 1 million
• 1,5 million visitors is being calculated
  Library 10580 000, Rikhardinkatu library 580 000

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Librarys strenghts

• The most used cultural institution
• Secure, non-profit public space, often also
  aesthetic
• Free for all
• Offers every day something new
• The third place (Ray Oldenburg)

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To be little better

• More programme every day something new
• More topicality and flexibility new season
  new collection, new trends to the fore
• Pleasent, cool spaces and premises
• Variety of spaces silent rooms, groupwork rooms,
  activities, place for young people, exhibitions,
  studios, living-labs
• Open and attractive
• Appealing details

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What happens next ?

• The central library working group
• -Appointed by the Mayor Jussi Pajunen, members
  Tuula Haatainen, Deputy Mayor, Maija Berndtson,
  Library Director Eero Holstila, Economic
  Development Director Tapio Korhonen, Finance
  Director, Tuomas Rajajärvi, Director of Planning,
  Mikael Nordqvist, Director, City of Helsinki Real
  Estate Department and Pekka Timonen, Director,
  City of Helsinki Cultural Office
• A joint effort
• -Discussions with the state and other partners,
  in order to raise additional funding and to
  bring added value to the project
• A two-phase international architecturecompetiti
  on 2010

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Steps ahead

• Political decision making in the city council and
  the city government
• Librarys own projects which deal with customer
  service culture and premises, in other words the
  new library concept, the central library is
  based on existing library network
• One aspect the contradiction between the big
  and the small libraries are the big ones
  really a threat to the small?

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Questions to be solved

• The organisational structure of planning process
• Public relations and marketing
• What kind of architecture competition?

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Trend is the same all over Europe

• In Denmark, read Fra boger til brugere
  Handlingsplan til ny formidlingsstrategi for
  folkbibliotekerne, www.bs.dk
• In Holland, read The Future of The Dutch Public
  Library Ten Years On, The Netherlands Institute
  of Social Research (SCP) http//www.scp.nl/publica
  ties/boeken/0789037703801.shtml
• In Finland, read Mikko Leistis Review Report,The
  Central Library the Heart of the Metropolis,
  the Heart of Helsinki, http//www.lib.hel.fi/en-GB
  /keskustakirjasto/

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More information

• Review was published on the web both in English
  and in Swedish
• Take a look at www.lib.hel.fi to find some more
  information about the Central Library!