Herttoniemi Library and Hertsi youth centre soon on the same frequency in local service centre Hertsi

Library and youth services in southeast Helsinki are currently undergoing a renewal as Herttoniemi Library and the youth centres of Kettutie and Herttoniemenranta move into the local service centre Hertsi. The library and Hertsi youth centre will open in the new premises on 19 March 2020, and the old premises have already closed their doors.

The opening event for the new Herttoniemi Library and Hertsi Youth Club is cancelled due to new instructions concerning the Coronavirus. We’re monitoring the situation and following the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) guidelines. The library and the youth club opens to public on Thursday 19^th of March at 10 a.m.

The location of the local service centre Hertsi next to Herttoniemi metro station is excellent. Herttoniemi Library and Hertsi youth centre will be easily accessible and have extensive opening hours. The library will be open Mon–Thu 8 am–9 pm, Fri 8 am–8 pm, Sat 8 am–8 pm and Sun 12 noon–6 pm. On weekday and Saturday evenings and Sundays, the library will be self-service, meaning that the library can be accessed independently using the library card Mon–Thu 8–9 pm, Fri–Sat 4–8 pm and Sun 12 noon–6 pm. Hertsi youth centre will be open Mon–Thu 10 am–9 pm, Fri 10 am–10 pm, Sat 3–10 pm and Sun 2–9 pm.

The combination of a library and a youth centre in the same space has not been done before in Helsinki. There are already buildings with a library and a youth centre under one roof, such as Maunula House, Stoa, Kanneltalo and Shopping Centre Saari in Laajasalo, but the functions have never been combined in exactly the same space before.

‘Young people have had a significant influence on the activities and opening hours of Hertsi youth centre through the Ruuti Budget. The opening hours are extensive and the youth centre is open every day. Young people will also be involved in creating an art wall into the lounge and will serve as peer instructors, assistant instructors and studio masters in the youth centre. We will also get the café space that young people have long hoped for when the Hertsi one euro café opens for young people in autumn 2020,’ says Sari Granö, Manager of the Herttoniemi Youth Work Unit.

‘Ideally, the front door will open frequently and the residents will adopt the library as their own. One will be making discoveries in the material display area, another will be flipping through an issue of Helsingin Sanomat in the newspaper area and a third will be reading in the Satukattila fairytale pot among giant potatoes. Everyone will find their own thing within the space,’ says Chief Librarian Anne Mankki.

The interior design of Herttoniemi Library and Hertsi youth centre is the work of Rune & Berg Design. The facilities are colourful and attractively cheerful. The new facilities have fewer square metres than the former, but special attention has been paid to their multifunctionality and comfort.