Viikki libraries to undergo renovations as of 1 June 2020

 The libraries will remain open as normal until the end of May. The renovation will begin on 1 June and will mean the libraries are closed for approximately one year. During the summer, a temporary library will be opened on the fourth floor of the info centre, which will serve the customers of both the university library and the public library until the libraries’ new facilities are completed in autumn 2021. The temporary library will carry a limited amount of material, but services such as the pick-up of reservations will operate normally. The temporary library will also include a newspaper and magazine reading room and approximately 100 reading and working spaces.     

Info Centre Korona is being renovated with the aim of better adapting the facilities to current needs and the changes being introduced by the Jokeri Light Rail line. The renovation will provide the libraries with a new entrance, new reservable facilities, a fresher overall appearance and a new shared customer service desk. The plan is to build a pleasant and versatile space for everyone that also offers a wider range of services to customers.    

One of the starting points of the renovation has been to carry out the renewal as ecologically as possible. To this end, the renovation will implement new technologies for realising the building’s energy-saving objectives, in addition to which the possibility of utilising a geothermal heat system is being looked into.    

Library customers have also been given an active role in the planning of the renovation. The City organised a survey on the renovation for library customers, in addition to which the staff of Viikki Library visited local comprehensive schools to ask young people about their wishes in regard to the libraries. In addition to this, library customers were given the opportunity to post comments about the new facilities on the library notice board. The students and researchers of the University of Helsinki were also heard in regard to the planning of the new library facilities. Feedback and suggestions were collected at both the Viikki Campus Library and at events organised by the university.