Finland has more than 700 libraries for a population of 5.6 million, offering everything from podcast studios and 3D printing to tennis rackets and swimming pool passes, according to a report published by the BBC in June 2026.
Finland’s public libraries are lending far more than novels and textbooks.The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said in a report that Finland’s libraries are increasingly being valued not by how many books they lend, but how they help societies function.
In Finland, libraries are the places where anyone can access knowledge, meet others and take part in public debate, regardless of income or background.
Katri Vanttinen, director of library services for the whole of the Finnish capital noted that the most borrowed items after books in Helsinki are free, pre-bookable rooms for study, meetings, music practice, and political discussions. Among portable items, board games and console games top the borrowing list. The city of Turku’s official website noted that the libraries have hobby, sports, and assistive equipment available for loaning. Turku mentioned the following articles available for loan: bags, briefcase with equipment for digital content production, energy metres, board games, Nordic walking poles, reading support bags, litter grabber, circus equipment, skateboards, helmets, musical instruments, and more. Professors, unemployed, and homeless people all use the same library spaces, making libraries a key part of Finland’s democratic infrastructure, Hirvonen asserted.
As per a magazine produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and published by the Finland Promotion Board, check the list of items available for lending in Finnish libraries: According to Noora Hirvonen, professor of information studies at the University of Oulu, Libraries are the places where anyone can access knowledge, meet others and take part in public debate, regardless of income or background.
