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T u r k u C i t y L i b r a r ycentre of knowledge, experiences and learning

Turun kaupunginkirjasto

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Turku City Library

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Welcome to the new age library!Turku Main Library comprises the new section com-pleted in 2007, the old library building built in 1903, and the former governor’s office from 1818, which now houses the library’s conference rooms and café. The library’s elegant, modern new section is the location of the Non-Fiction Department, the Children and Youth Department, the Reception and the News Area. Refurbished in 2008, the splendid old

library building makes an imposing setting for the Arts Department.

The individual buildings together form a func-tional whole. Welcome to our library. You can enter either through the massive oak doors and get a taste of a hundred years of history, or through the electric glass doors straight into a new age!

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The library is arranged by contentThe Main Library is divided into departments according to subject matter. All material – books, magazines, CDs and DVDs - related to the same subject matter is situated in the same department, regardless of the publi-cation type and the way the material is used. The staff in each department have specialised knowledge of the subject in question.

New technology increases flexibilityModern technology at the Main Library offers new services and makes it easier to use the library independently. You can borrow and return material in every department using automatic lending machines. The staff are on hand to help if necessary. All the departments feature this auto-matic borrowing system. To use it you need a library card and a PIN. You can get the free library card simply by proving your identity.

Borrowed items are returned to the automatic machines located by the main entrances. Here they are sorted and sent to the relevant departments. The library’s reception desk is the place to go if anything is unclear or there are charges to pay.

The library card is also a Culture Card If you like, you can use your new library card as a Culture Card. The card enables you to obtain information and concessions on cultural events in Turku that you are interested in.

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Have fun, find out and linger a while

The library features several areas for events, exhibitions and meetings as well as plenty of places to read. In the News Area you can read printed or electronic versions of newspapers from different countries.

Customers can use the internet workstations that are to be found here and there around the building and some can be booked in advance. The wireless network, SparkNet – available in all areas - can be used with the library computers or with your own laptop.

The library café can be found in the old governor’s office. Café Sirius serves delicious snacks and refresh-ments and opens its terrace in the courtyard during the summer time. The library courtyard is an oasis for

culture offering a diverse programme of events all year round, including music, exhibitions and book sales.Group tours of the Main Library can also be arranged. Just ask the Library!

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Find out more about the library’s rooms and facilities using the virtual map on the library’s website at www.turku.fi/library

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Lift Stairs

SocietyPeoples and culturesNature and hobbiesEurope InformationInfo MarketRegional collectionStaff workspaceAssembly roomsMusicReading roomMusic room

LobbyReceptionStudioSaga, children’s zoneStory, youth zoneToiletCloakroomNews AreaCafé SiriusLiteratureArtsStaff workspaceInfo

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The children’s zone, Saga, is on the ground floor. Saga is a world where the funniest stories and the most exciting information are hidden. In the shade of the fairy tale forest curtain, children can plunge into literary adven-tures, play or do their homework. They can curl up in the reading dens to devour comics. Borrowing with the children’s mini robots is such fun that you feel like throwing in a few films as well!

The ‘square’ is surrounded by book houses. Above there is a mysterious planet and a huge zeppelin. Every book is always a new, silent world. You can begin your journey at Saga!

Saga - a limitless world of fairy tales and adventure

ilending robots

reading dens

book theatreSaga’s book houses

nature and animalshobbies and technology countries and peoplesfairy tales in Swedishpicture booksfairy talesfantasy

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The young themselves create the look of Story, putting on their own exhibitions in vitrines, on the exhibition wall and on a screen. The sofa niche is a tempting space for reading, doing homeworks and socialising.

The materials for young people have a very contem-porary feel: the collections of books, comics, magazines, films and games are always being updated.

There are several computers for surfing the internet in Story and young people of 13 or over can book them in advance. The games club that meets every Tuesday plays board games.

Make the library your pastime! Join the customer council at Story’s Facebook: www.facebook.com

Follow Story’s blog and participate yourself too at stoori.blogspot.com

Fact, fiction and feelings in the same Story

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Information in a variety of formatsOn the first floor of the new section is the Non-Fiction Department with its various collections. More than a thousand magazines can be found here, and there is a growing number of data-bases in different fields.

The department is divided into sections, which makes it easier to look for infor-mation and make interest-ing discoveries. The staff, who are specialists in the subject matters, will be only too happy to help you with information sources.

In the quiet reading zone you can become engrossed in study.

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Society: a general knowledge and communicationb social sciences and administrationc justiced economy and businesse upbringing and education

Peoples and cultures: f philosophy and psychology g religionsh geography and ethnologyi languagesj historyk biographies

Nature and hobbies:l healthm sciencen technology (loft, upper floor)o hobbies

Sections and subject matter groups in the Non-Fiction Department

Mikael Agricola’s Dauidin Psalter, dating from 1551, is the oldest work in all of Turku City Library’s collections.

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Europe Information in Southwestern Finland and the Info Market intro-ducing changing subjects are also situated in the Non-Fiction Department.

SocietyPeoples and culturesNature and hobbiesEurope InformationInfo MarketRegional collection

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House of Arts: images, tunes and wordsThe old library building, the Bibliotheca donated to the city by Commer-cial Counsellor Fredric von Rettig, is now the House of Arts, where mate-rials relating to fiction, the fine arts and music are housed.

In the poetry room you can lose yourself in the world of drama and poetry. In the reading salon the visitor is surrounded by magazines, recently published books, and surprising discoveries. The round section, the rotunda, is used for visits by writers or artists.

On the first floor you can practise your scales on the pianos in the music room or listen to the latest music on demo recordings. Community singing and other music events are opportunities for music lovers to join in.

The Arts Department has 40,000 musical recordings and 160,000 books and other materials. They enable the customer to spend time delving into entire productions and subjects.

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Music: m general works n popular music o art (classical) music p world music q sacred music r theory and instrument schools s instrument construction and soundengineering t sheet music and scores

Arts: h visual artsi architecturej designk theatre and dancel photography and cinema

Literature: a poetry and dramab novels and short stories in Finnishc novels and short stories in Swedishd fiction in foreign languages e multilingual libraryf literary studyg comics

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Sections and subject matter groups in the Arts Department

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Reading salon Rotunda

Literature Arts

Reading rooms Music room

Music

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Protected by walls“A modern library needs to respond to the challenges of current and future communications. On the other hand, the library institution has a long and worthy legacy as a place where information is stored and cherished. The architect has to confront these opposites and somehow combine them.” Asmo Jaaksi The new section, the governor’s office and the overall plan, year of completion 2007:

Architectural office JKMM Architects Ltdmain architect Asmo Jaaksi interior architect Päivi Meuronengraphic design Aimo Katajamäki

main building contractor NCC Construction Ltd

Total surface area 8638 m2: new section 5477 m2, old library building 2876 m2, governor’s office 315 m2

”The idea behind the refurbishments to do ‘nothing’ means something – albeit something rather special.” Ari PaukioRefurbishment of the old library building, year 2008:

Architectural office C&Co Ltdarchitect Ari Paukio

main building contractor Metsämäki Construction Ltd

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Time and memoryOn all the floors of the Main Library there is art on display, created especially for the space:

Hans-Christian Berg: Visual vortex – The Passage of Events | entrance to new library buildingSaara Ekström: Alkukirjain (Initial Letter) and Aakkoset (the Alphabet) | Non-Fiction DepartmentHilkka Könönen: Vestigia | News AreaMerja Pitkänen: Esiintymä (Occurrence) | Café Sirius Charles Sandison: Sub Rosa | hall in old library building (forthcoming)Ann Sundholm: Hetkinen (Moment) | staff break area

In addition, the House of Arts exhibits among others works of Wladimir Swertschkoff from the City of Turku art collection.

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Turku City Library serves the entire region

Branch and mobile libraries are a way for the library services to reach neighbourhoods outside the city centre. The library also delivers books to home service customers and homes for the elderly.

Turku City Library is the library for the region of Southwest Finland. Its task is to support, update and modernise library services throughout the region.

In spring 2008 a new mobile library was brought into operation in Turku.

Within Vaski co-operation the library’s customer has a possibility to use same library card in all the Vaski libraries and use their common web-based library (www.turku.fi/vaski).

Vaski libraries

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Branch libraries become cultural centres

Branch libraries are a vital feature of the lives of local residents. Many children have their first contact with the world of books in them or use them to exhibit their own creations.

The branch library is a community centre for infor-mation, adventure, IT and other local services.

Turku City Library 2009collections 1 million volumes visits 1,7 million website visits 3,6 million loans 3 millionbudget 10 million eurosstaff 150 person years

Children’s events day – the Library Carousel – tours libraries.

Päivi Tanner’s series of works Aika virtaa (Time Flows) is on at

Nummi Library.

The Main Library is open every day except on holidays.

Opening hours:Monday-Friday 9-20 (Saga and Story 10-20)

Saturday 10-16 Sunday 12-18

Holiday eves on weekdays 10-18

Linnankatu 2, 20100 Turkuwww.turku.fi/library

www.facebook.com/turunkaupunginkirjasto

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Turku City LibraryRegional Library

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