Oodi (or “Ode” in English), the Central Library of Helsinki, Finland, is a source of wonderment and inspiration. Selected as the 2019 winner of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ World Public Library of the Year award (OodiHelsinki.fi, 2019), Oodi is at first striking to the eye due to its futuristic shape emerging from the cityscape, but its true splendor is found inside the walls.

Standing and evolving as a true exemplar of a participatory endeavor, Oodi was “designed together with the city’s residents, with a focus on the needs of its future users” (Richards, 2019). With this approach, “designed together with customers for a long period of time,” Oodi officials “received more than 2,000 ideas from customers to serve as the basis of the architectural [plan]” (OodiHelsinki.fi, 2019). In this respect, with regard to participatory envisionment, Oodi wasn’t “a library;” it was THEIR library. Director Anna-Maria Soininvaara commented that “the customers immediately made Oodi their own” (OodiHelsinki.fi, 2019).

Oodi users play video games in 2019. (Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons by Federico Leva)

As Cord (2018) described, “the second floor is about creativity, and includes studios, music rooms, media rooms and a makerspace with 3D printers, sewing machines and other equipment. The first floor is for interactions. It has a café, restaurant, cinema, information points and a space curated by the EU.” This resonated with me because the future of library spaces will be realized through rethinking and repackaging floors, rooms, booths, patios, balconies, tables, studios, desks, gardens, shelves, displays, and seating areas along these lines. Indeed, as Oodi director Katri Vänttinen explained, “Libraries today need to be thought of as a physical space, a platform for activities such as reading, learning and public discussion. They also provide access to equipment, data networks or expertise” (Cord, 2018). Personally, this is precisely the kind of lively, dynamic, and versatile environment I’d aspire to contribute to as an LIS staff member in years ahead!

A patron uses the UltiMaker 3D printing lab at Oodi, Helsinki’s Central Library. (Courtesy Press Photo by Tuomas Uusheimo)

Not only does Oodi offer so much, but it does so as “a free space, open seven days a week” (Cord, 2018). This is an example of a planning idea which connects with real-world library service because libraries are faced with recognizing strategies to appeal to new or previously disengaged prospective users. For so many working folks, including those working on weekends, regular Monday-through-Friday, 8-to-5 hours may make library spaces or services inaccessible. The more we as a field can proactively meet people where they are, the more our services and offerings can be utilized in support of cultural, economic, educational, and social well-being.

The sewing stations are frequented at Oodi in 2019. (Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons by Federico Leva)

In conjunction with reconfiguring the library spatially to provide a variety of purposes for patrons, Oodi also has challenged assumptions about library offerings and sparked possibilities for future considerations of lending items, upon expansion of its dynamic “library of things.” In addition to books, movies, and records, “a patron can borrow  musical instruments or specialized machinery” (Cord, 2018). Regardless, as Cord (2018) observed, “Oodi is designed to “play an important role in modern society by bringing people together, creating interactions.”

Igarashi et al. (2023) similarly found that “Oodi can bridge the social divide between groups of citizens and promote social equality. Furthermore, many programs and events [are] held to connect citizens by utilizing the library’s physical space” (p. 691). Regardless of collection variety and scope, Oodi, thus, represents a participatory environment for its community, the likes of which can inspire libraries everywhere, whether academic, public, special, or otherwise.

— @sjsudon

References

Cord, D. J. (2018). Helsinki invests in its people with a library that reinvents the genre: Helsinki’s new central library, Oodi, is the place to go if you want to read a book, meet up with your friends, borrow a cello or cut metal with lasers. Finland Promotion Board. https://finland.fi/life-society/helsinki-invests-in-its-people-with-a-library-that-reinvents-the-genre/?fbclid=IwAR02YiMMaUOXanedOfFbDrzhou_4s1_oHQInvzYDk3bPJeu9Vx3D_ItX5Zs

Igarashi, T., Watanabe, M., Tomita, Y., Sugeno, Y., Yamagishi, M., & Koizumi, M. (2023). Public library events with spaces and collections: Case analysis of the Helsinki Central Library Oodi. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 55(3), 681–693. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006221097405

OodiHelsinki.fi. (2019, August 27). Helsinki Central Library Oodi chosen as the best new public library in the world. https://oodihelsinki.fi/en/helsinki-central-library-oodi-chosen-as-the-best-new-public-library-in-the-world/?fbclid=IwAR1s8tUj7PoFGt27m4JMfpzPtjdSTAEopK_sqU7FcviZWxOe4AMXurKmjM0

Richards, J. (2019, May 27). And the nominees for the 2019 IFLA/Systematic Public Library of the Year Award are … The jury has now agreed on the four shortlisted libraries for the 2019 IFLA/Systematic Public Library of the Year award. International Federation of Library Associations. https://blogs.ifla.org/public-libraries/2019/05/27/and-the-nominees-for-the-2019-iflasystematic-public-library-of-the-year-award-are