This summer from 1 June to 10 August, the Oodi Central Library in central Helsinki will be open Mondays to Fridays from 8 am to 8 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 6 pm.
Some of Oodi’s library services, facilities and equipment will remain limited or off-limits, however. For example, premises that can be booked for private use will be used at 50% capacity to ensure social distancing. Some of the library premises, for example, studios, Konehuone and gaming rooms, will not be taken back into use, but Oodi’s famous balcony area will be reopened and furniture will return to the space.
Computer workstations and multimedia equipment at Oodi will be available once again, as will printers and copy machines. Among the other devices at the library, sewing machines, sergers and 3D printers will be available for use, but equipment made of porous material, such as headphones, VR headsets and toys, will not. Customers can use the online booking system varaamo.hel.fi to see which Oodi premises and equipment will be available.
The number of computer workstations in Helsinki’s libraries has been cut back, along with seating in the reading room. This will ensure that people in the libraries will maintain the one to two-metre distance that the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare has deemed safe. If it proves necessary, Oodi staff may have to limit the number of customers at times. It is recommended that customers use the loan and return automats and practice self-service until further notice, if possible. Customers seeking face-to-face guidance are asked to respect the social distancing guidelines and take care of their business quickly, paying with credit or debit cards instead of cash. Cleaning will be stepped up at Oodi, in accordance with guidelines issued by the Finnish Institute of Occupation Health. Customers will be given the opportunity to disinfect computer keyboards before using, if they wish.
The café and restaurant services of Oodi’s partner Food & Co. will resume services in the first week of June, as will the Helsinki-info service point. The Kino Regina cinema will start screenings again on 2 June.
Library events at Oodi will continue to be live-streamed and archived on the City of Helsinki’s Helsinki-kanava video service through the month of June. Oodi events such as author interviews, concerts, children’s nursery rhyme circles, book clubs and language cafes will begin once more in September. Streamed content will also continue in the autumn.
The schedule of upcoming streams on the Helmet website
Read more on the 1 June resumption of services at metropolitan area libraries on the Helmet website