Finland is one of the top countries in the world
in the field of library services
In Finland, libraries are used in a versatile manner. They are used not only to obtain information or to utilise and borrow materials but also to spend time, meet people and act together. Library premises are increasingly used for recreational activities, studies and work, and a range of different events is arranged at libraries. For this reason, libraries are these days called ‘citizens’ living rooms’ – or, along with the increased immigration to Finland, ‘multicultural living rooms’.
Finnish library network consists of different kinds of libraries
The Finnish network of libraries consists of public i.e. municipal libraries, research libraries (university libraries, libraries of universities of applied sciences and special libraries), and libraries located at schools and other educational institutions. Municipal libraries and research libraries are open for everyone.
The collections and information services provided by the public libraries are considered to be part of society’s intellectual capital, which is why the basic services are free of charge for all users. Under the Library Act, every Finnish municipality must provide library services that meet certain standards. Public library services, as all other public services, must be equally accessible to everyone. Public libraries utilise digitalisation in their service production and
development of operations, and they support and guide library users in managing the digital environment. As part of the project for the digitalisation of public services, metadata and system services have been introduced to guarantee the interoperability of libraries.
Libraries are accessible to all
The Finnish system of municipal libraries is of high quality by international
standards. There is a total of 738 main and branch libraries in Finland. Up to
70 per cent of Finns live within three kilometres from a library, and 93 per cent
of Finns have at most 10 kilometres to the nearest library. Furthermore, mobile libraries – a total of 140 – complete the network of library services. Mobile libraries have long traditions in Finland, as the first mobile library started its operations as early as in 1913.
Mobile libraries serve users of all ages and provide an opportunity to use
library services also for those who for one reason or another cannot access a regular library. Mobile libraries stop at agreed places usually once a week.
In Finland, the number of visits to a library per resident and the social
appreciation for libraries are among the highest in the world. Library services
are among the most frequently used municipal services, and the users come
from all age groups. Almost 80 per cent of municipal residents use library
services. In 2015, the number of library visits per resident was over 9 and the
number of items borrowed over 16. The number and variety of electronic
materials and services are on the rise. Municipalities used an average of EUR
58.30 per resident for the production of library services in 2015.
Ministry is responsible for library policy
The Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for the national library policy
in Finland. The key objective for the policy is to promote citizens’ cultural rights and access to information and culture. The national library policy is implemented by applying different steering measures and by funding the development measures of public libraries. The key steering measures applied by the Ministry are enforcement and development of the Library Act. The Library Act has been revised recently and the amendments will enter into force in 2017. The objective of the revision of the Library Act is to strengthen the operational preconditions of public libraries and to promote active citizenship, democracy and lifelong learning. The revised Act also takes account of the changes in the municipal and regional structures in Finland. The number of municipalities has been high in Finland, but many smaller municipalities have merged in recent years. In addition, changes in the age structure, internal migration and immigration affect the activities of public libraries. As a consequence, libraries are required to provide activities and services that are more pluralistic and multicultural than before.
Libraries are financed by the municipalities and the state
The operating costs of libraries have on average constituted less than one per cent of the total expenditure of municipalities. Municipalities are responsible for arranging the public library services. Library services are financed by the municipalities and the state together. The government funding is based on central government transfers to local government. The purpose of the system of central government transfers to local government is to guarantee the availability of public services and to balance out the differences between municipalities when it comes to the costs for arranging the services. In addition, the Ministry of Education and Culture grants discretionary government transfers to support the production of national online services and other library projects of national significance. This funding has been used to create, for example, a set of online library services (www.libraries.fi), which is open for everyone and provides access to all library services. Discretionary government transfers are also used to finance the development of regional library operations. Moreover, transfers are used to support the attendance to the national special tasks. These include the Multilangual Library, the Saami Library, the Russian Library, and the Sign Language Library.
Source for statistics: http://tilastot.kirjastot.fi/?lang=en
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