computer-science
Not just books: renting a sewing machine from the library can improve democracy
Key takeaways
- Erika Benke Oodi Library, Helsinki(Credit: Oodi Library, Helsinki)Finland's libraries are increasingly being valued not by how many books they lend, but how they help societies function.
- On a freezing January morning in Helsinki, around 20 people gather outside Oodi, the city's central library, waiting for the doors to open.
- "I have tears in my eyes when I see people almost run into the building at 08:00, heading straight to their favourite spots," says Katri Vänttinen, director of library services for the whole of the Finnish capital.
Erika Benke Oodi Library, Helsinki(Credit: Oodi Library, Helsinki)Finland's libraries are increasingly being valued not by how many books they lend, but how they help societies function.
On a freezing January morning in Helsinki, around 20 people gather outside Oodi, the city's central library, waiting for the doors to open.
"I have tears in my eyes when I see people almost run into the building at 08:00, heading straight to their favourite spots," says Katri Vänttinen, director of library services for the whole of the Finnish capital. "It shows that the library really belongs to the public."
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