During July and August, books, other items and furniture were removed from the library due to the water damage. Repair work is about to begin and is expected to continue at least until the end of the year. The exact reopening date of the library is not yet known.
“Luckily, the water damage occurred during the library’s self-service hours and customers who were there at the time called for help. Because of this, the damage was less extensive than it would have been had the accident occurred while the library was closed. The initial drying process could be started during the same weekend,” comments Chief Librarian of Viikki Library Mari Heino.
The books and furniture were not damaged
Moisture surveys showed that drying out and partially replacing the structures will take several months. The entire library hall has been cleared of furniture, books and bookshelves. The full extent of the repair needs will be determined once the floors and walls are opened.
“The bookshelves will need to be repaired, but fortunately all the books and other items available for borrowing, as well as the majority of the furniture, were left undamaged,” says Heino.
During the autumn, the staff of Viikki Library will be working at other libraries in Helsinki. Services will be provided to first-graders in the Viikki area via the mobile library, and plans are currently being drawn up for serving other schools and daycare centres in the area as well as possible. The library prioritises library services for children.
The City is also looking into potentially providing temporary premises for the library in the Viikki area, so that minimum services, such as picking up reservations and returning loans, can be provided.
Other libraries in the Helmet area are open
The libraries closest to Viikki Library are Oulunkylä and Itäkeskus Library, which can be reached by the light rail line, and Malmi, Arabianranta and Jakomäki Library, which can be reached by bus from Viikki. You can return and reserve items at any library within the Helmet area, i.e. in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa or Kauniainen.
Customers of Viikki Library are advised to move their reservation pick-up point to another open library of their choice in the Helmet online library. If the current reservation pick-up point is Viikki Library, any reserved items will be automatically redirected to Malmi Library. You can also cancel your reservation via the Helmet online library if you no longer need it.
The University of Helsinki’s Viikki Campus Library, which is also located in the same building as Viikki Library, is closed until further notice, and course books have been temporarily moved to the Kaisa House. The University of Helsinki provides updates on its current library situation on the Helsinki University Library website.