Tallinn libraries lend free museum tickets to readers

Tallinn’s Kadriorg and Kalamaja libraries lend museum tickets that readers can use to visit participating museums, ERR reported. Kalamaja Library head Helen Reiser described the service as a charitable initiative.

The programme brings libraries and museums together by allowing people to combine experiences from books with art and history exhibitions, Reiser said. The idea was also inspired by similar services in libraries in the United States.

To borrow a ticket, people need a Tallinn library card. A ticket can be borrowed for 14 consecutive days and must be returned to the library from which it was borrowed.

The participating museums are the Tallinn Literary Centre, Tallinn City Museum, the Estonian Health Museum, Vabamu and Kai Art Centre. Readers may borrow one ticket at a time, up to four times a year. People with overdue library loans or other debts cannot borrow tickets, and the service is not available to tourists without an Estonian personal identification code.

Reiser said the museums provide the tickets free of charge and that the libraries do not pay them for the service. In her assessment, some people who borrow the tickets would otherwise not visit museums because they could not afford the cost or could not attend free museum days.

Libraries in Võru, Kärdla and Tartu County also lend museum tickets, Reiser said. More information is available on the Tallinn libraries’ website.