LAFA Experiences: The Jyväskylä City Library

Photo credit to my 8-year old

Today is a super snow filled day and because my children and I are a group of 4 (ages are 6-10) - we decided to get an all day ticket for the Linkki bus on their app and do some shopping about.

One thing we did was going to the Jyväskylä City Library.  It is free to get a library card with proof of identity and a Finnish Social ID number.
I actually have forgotten to bring my library card with me a couple of times and have provided my Finnish ID card at the desk and was able to still borrow a library book.

You also get a PIN code for your library card that you can choose yourself - so when checking out books you can confirm your identity by punching in the code.
Library books are good to borrow for 4 weeks at a time unless otherwise noted.
Movies are good for 1 week (as far as I know but it has been awhile) and the JKL City library has actually been under some renovations and re-designing recently!

There is a children-friendly area, along with a newly designed gaming area (the game on display to play was chess), lots of comfortable seating areas and you are also able to have snacks in designated areas as well.
There are rooms to rent to play musical instruments and they now have a "Self-Service Library" (Facebook link for info in English).

A new digital map

Of course the JKL City library does not compare to the newest Helsinki addition "Oodi" but it's still quite nice to be in with plenty of events and things to do!
And I can most certainly recommend the Oodi library if you ever want to see a not so typical tourist attraction while visiting Helsinki!

Board games to play!

The library is easily accessible by most Linkki buses or by foot depending where you live and very high tech in terms of returning books, checking books out and even renewing books online!

Here is a list of all the Central Finland libraries "Keski Libraries" available for you to access via Facebook and yes, you can use the same library card along with returning books to the other linked libraries.

Little tablets can be found to help you search for books in the aisles!

Returning items to the library

It is also worth following them on Facebook for any last minute updates or cancellations there may be - along with general knowledge of local events happening at the various libraries throughout Jyväskylä!

The primary one that I visit is the downtown location for convenience in terms of location.

Upstairs in the children's area are a collection of fish tanks!

My son's library card! Mine is in Turku in a different wallet!

Libraries are not just full of books these days - they seem to be evolving with the changing of the times and keeping up relatively well with the modern technology as well.

And if you didn't know already - Finland is one of the top countries that uses their library services the most!

Comfy seating in the board game area!

A community puzzle anyone can contribute to!

Going to the library for me brings back fond memories of going with my parents on the weekend - returning my borrowed books and borrowing new ones to read!  I am hoping to instill the same fond memories for my children and let's face it.  Books in the shop are expensive and being able to have access to a very well stocked library is one of the greatest gifts one can have!

Just FYI - during the winter months - you cannot enter the library with metal studded footwear or metal grips to prevent slipping on the ice inside!

Thank you for reading!
LAFA