{"id":524,"date":"2025-07-25T05:28:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T10:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/howellgibbens.com\/blog\/?p=524"},"modified":"2025-08-17T22:13:58","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T03:13:58","slug":"the-library-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/howellgibbens.com\/blog\/the-library-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"The Library – part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This will be my final post concerning the library. My first two posts, about the ongoing and passionate debate over inappropriate books, can be found here<\/a> and here<\/a>. I want to wrap up my series by looking to the future, and sharing some words and pictures that I hope will be inspiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The images above and below are of the Helsinki Central Library<\/a>, known as Oodi, located in Helsinki, Finland. The library is an architectural marvel, a breathtaking construction of wood and glass, but I’m more interested in showing you what goes on inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the people of Helsinki, Oodi is not just a library, it is their meeting place and living room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is far too much to see there in one day, and too much to show in a single blog post, but for example, there are 3D printers and large plotters for anyone to use…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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…and what impressed me the most, a collection of classic guitars that can be taken into private studios and played…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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…which is not so surprising, if you know anything about Finland<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does any of this have to do with Fairhope? Quite a lot, actually. The library that you see in these photos is what it is because its patrons do not attack each other over what are ultimately minor issues. The Finns share a goal and they work together to make it happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have faith that we can and will settle our differences over our library’s content very soon. When we do, I’d like to find a way (without tax dollars) to get a delegation from our library over to Helsinki to see what I saw, and to get them as excited as I am. Oodi does offer tours for library professionals<\/a>, and I’m sure they could all use a vacation. We could even put them up at the charming Senate Hotel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The library that you see in these photos is what it is because its patrons do not attack each other over what are ultimately minor issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t