This is book heaven,” says Katri Vänttinen, beaming. As the City of Helsinki’s library director, she should know. Standing on the third floor of the brand new Oodi library in the city centre, it is a little bit heavenly. Trees, beautiful furniture and books fill the huge space, which follows one sweeping curvature as natural light floods through the glass that encloses it.
In Helsinki – home to almost 650,000 people – there are 36 public libraries. “Libraries are the second-highest rated public service in Helsinki; the number one is drinking water,” explains Helsinki’s executive director of culture Tommi Laitio. It is enshrined in law that every Finnish municipality must have a public library, and as a result there are 853 across the country.
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