Blog: Something old, something new, something borrowed from the library

We are living in exciting times at Imatra Library. Heili Libraries' new library system Quria has been in full operation for a couple of months. So has the customer online service Arena. We have never received as much customer feedback as we do now about our new online service. The feedback has been more colorful than complimentary. And Arena does not deserve praise at this stage. We believe and hope that the situation will improve. After all, the national E-library, which initially caused a lot of inquiries, has been filling up for a year now. After the initial difficulties, it has developed into a great service that is growing rapidly. I have comforted our customers that although our online service is difficult to use, the new system used by the staff has also caused challenges. However, it is nice to note that even at this age, you can still learn new things. Slowly, stiffly and perhaps a little reluctantly, but still.

The world situation is what it is, but Imatra is boldly planning for the future. One of the plans is the renovation of the Virta Cultural Center. It will be necessary for the almost 40-year-old building. If and when the plan is implemented, the main library will move to the reserve facilities. Where and in what form, that is under consideration. My own suggestion is that since Imatra has two excellent local libraries, the main library could operate as a light version in the reserve facilities, i.e. offer a small collection of new books, a reservation retrieval shelf, a newspaper reading room and the possibility of using computers. Reserving books between Heili libraries is free, so it is easy for the customer to get the desired book, even if we operate in the reserve facilities with dimmed lights. Except if it is Rämö's fairy tale about a new work. Then the waiting time is long. However, everything is still open regarding the avoidance spaces.

We need our customers' help in planning the space for the renovated main library. We have to think about what the library will be like in the future, what kind of facilities customers need, how the relationship between physical and digital materials will develop, and how the use of the library as a whole will change. We will ask for your wishes and listen to your suggestions. 

One big change for the staff and customers of Imatra City Library is our immediate supervisor. Ari Sareslahti imminent retirement. Ari has worked at the main library for almost the entire time it has been in its current location, and the library and its highly praised service orientation have largely personified him. Always friendly and overly conscientious, Ari has been a good role model for the rest of us. I hope his successors will be the same.

mika. kahkonenimatra.fi (mika[dot]kahkonen[at]imatra[dot]fi)
Tel: 020 617 6602