Finland

Helsinki Central Library Oodi

A Byrd

— 4 min read
Helsinki Central Library Oodi
Helsinki Central Library Oodi.

On Friday afternoon (still the same day we landed in Finland!), we took the tram into the centre of Helsinki and spent an hour or two hanging out at the public library. It was AMAZING!!!

The view of the library on our approach.
A different angle, seen when we departed.
Ground floor.
Chess tables.
F won!
Cool stairs!
Level 3.
B took this wide angle shot from the top of the slope that meets the ceiling at one end of Level 3 (the opposite end of the building to the children's area below).

I had a great time in the children's area on Level 3, looking at the collection of Finnish/Swedish children's books and reading some with the help of Google Lens to translate the words!

Level 3 children's area.
This photo was taken from the stairs/slope visible in the above pic. Out of shot to the left is a children's play area with a big mat and cushions etc, where people have to take their shoes off and lots of little kids were running around (no photos allowed).
The only Australian books I saw were this one (The 104-Storey Treehouse, though this is a different cover to any we've seen before) and a Bluey book!
The 104-Storey Treehouse.
Mamma Moo is a classic Swedish children's series about a cow. I hadn't already heard of it; I was just googling author names to try to figure out which books were local!
This is a page from Mamma Moo Cleans, where Crow cleans up by putting everything in a big pile so he can easily find each item because he "put them all on top". 😁
Here's a screenshot showing the page of a book before Google Lens translated it...
... and after! As you can see, the translation is not perfect and led to some amusing moments!
Here's another example. We know this book as Oi Puppies!
😂
I found some fairytales under G for Grimm in the picture book boxes. This one is called Rose and is the story of Sleeping Beauty.
This is a graphic novel we have at home. It was being promoted on a staff recommendations shelf.
This book is one I read and loved recently, but I didn't even recognise it until I saw the translation because the cover is so different!
The translation of the Crookhaven recommendation sign.

We thought the library was just magnificent! Apart from being in an extremely cool building, it was a bustling hub for people of all ages. We saw many young families enjoying the children's area, university-aged students studying on their laptops, teens hanging out in a dedicated youth zone (no photos allowed), people playing chess or eating at the cafe, and a small performance theatre with tiered seating being opened up ready for use.

B also explored level 2 — the Urban Workshop — and saw a 3D printing area with at least six 3D printers of various kinds, a sewing area with at least six sewing machines (including big industrial ones), recording studios, podcast studios, PC and console gaming facilities, meeting rooms and a group kitchen. He didn't take any photos as he was rushing around looking for F at the time. 😄 But the library's website has a virtual tour where you can see all of this if you're interested!

According to the website, the library hosts more than 1000 events per year, mostly organised by community members. I looked at what was coming up and saw book and art exhibitions, Minecraft and gaming groups, English and Finnish lessons, an exchange market for leftover craft supplies, baby groups, etc.

All in all, B and I would have to say this is the coolest library we have ever seen! I think we'll have to go back to see all the things we've just discovered (via the website) that we missed seeing... including a secret room that is apparently accessed through a shelf in the children's area!!

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