At the end of this year, the city of Espoo will conclude its special project supporting the Russian-language library, which had been funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. This initiative provided around 350,000 euros annually for book additions, interlibrary loan services, and various events aimed at the Russian-speaking community.
According to YLE, this decision will primarily affect the Kaukorus service, which allowed free book shipping to readers across Finland and has been active for the past 11 years. Alongside the cessation of this service, the organization of events hosted by the library will also be significantly reduced. For example, the cultural marathon event, held for the fifth consecutive time last November, will no longer take place next year.
The main role of the Russian-language library was to send materials in Russian and Ukrainian from the capital region to other Finnish cities. Last year, the Kaukorus interlibrary transaction system dispatched around 10,000 library materials to 170 locations throughout Finland, with Tampere, Turku, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lahti, Kouvola, Lappeenranta, Joensuu, and Nurmijärvi being some of the most frequent users.
With the conclusion of this project, free book shipping beyond the capital region will cease. Readers from other areas will now need to use the paid interlibrary subscription (Kaukopalvelu) to order books, costing between four to seven euros per book. Residents of the capital region will have continued access to the Russian-language library's collection, as the majority of the books acquired during the project will remain at the Sello library and can be ordered for free delivery to nearby libraries.
Library staff were also involved in organizing events for the Russian-speaking community. Events like the two-week cultural marathon, which took place annually, financially supported local artists, musicians, and writers by inviting them to showcase their work and engage with children. Irina Golysheva, a librarian, stated, "The funds allocated for events enabled us to support those who participated. We could coax local artists and authors to come and perform for the children, providing them some financial backing. The marathon had about 8,000 euros allocated from the ministry each year, with participant fees starting at 100 euros." Now, she expresses uncertainty about future events, saying, "We might be able to organize some standalone events next year, but they won’t be as grand as before.”
The library has received funds from the Ministry of Education and Culture for acquiring new books, which were available to readers and libraries nationwide. Moving forward, funding will depend entirely on local budgets from Espoo, Helsinki, and Vantaa, changing the dynamics of book acquisition. This shift suggests new titles will still be obtained, but the source of financing will be different.
Irina Golysheva indicated ways for community members to influence library operations: "If you want to influence something, write to the library management. It's all about your activity. We have contact information for each library, and the Helmet network also offers general forms for feedback." She encourages patrons to share their voices to shape their library experience moving forward.
The closure of this special project marks not just the end of significant support for the Russian-language library but also highlights the broader challenges facing community services aimed at diverse populations. The shift can impact accessibility to literature and cultural events for those speaking Russian and Ukrainian, making it imperative for stakeholders and community members to stay engaged with the library system as changes take shape.