National Library prepares to reopen after long renovation

Estonia’s National Library will welcome visitors to its renovated main building on May 28 next year, ERR reported in an interview with Director General Martin Öövel.

The building will officially reopen a day earlier, but visitors will be able to explore and use both new and familiar facilities from May 28, Öövel told Sirp.

The main building has been closed to ordinary visitors for years. Events have resumed there, materials can be ordered through the Ester catalogue, and the library’s branch at the Solaris Centre is also operating.

Tallinn University professor Eneken Laanes has said that a library is not merely a place but a form of intellectual infrastructure. Because the National Library’s main building has been closed, many young people have not developed the habit of studying, working or spending time there. “Over these years, we have lost an entire generation,” Laanes said at the closing conference of the Year of the Estonian Book.

Öövel said the assessment was largely justified, but added that the building had been in a very poor and even dangerous structural condition, making renovation unavoidable. The need for reconstruction had been built into the building from the start, he said, as construction took place during the final years of the occupation and the first steps towards independence, when construction quality was exceptionally poor.

Although the habit of visiting the building has suffered, Öövel said the renovation period had also brought positive developments. The temporary premises on Narva Road proved popular, while the small library at the Solaris Centre has continued to attract visitors. Digital services and the open collection have mostly remained available, and Tallinn readers have also been able to use other libraries, including research libraries and the branches of Tallinn Central Library.

The concept of the reconstructed building is based on openness and accessibility, Öövel said. The most successful libraries in the world have found openness to be an antidote to the dominance of screens, he said, pointing to Helsinki’s Oodi city library and Denmark’s National Library, known as the Black Diamond, as examples.

Öövel said the aim was to create a space where people could meet pleasantly while also finding opportunities for meaningful and enriching activities. He recommended registering as a reader, as many services are personalised and registration provides access to additional opportunities.