Palosaari Library will continue to serve customers until end of September - a book bus service will then be extende

Currently, in addition to the main library, there are six local libraries and a book bus in Vaasa.

– The cost-savings requirement in this sector has been great and we have to reduce our service network, says cultural and library director Sanna Bondas.

The location of the library was a decisive factor in the decision to close it, as Palosaari Library is the closest of the local libraries to the main library. The other local libraries are further away.

– Palosaari Library’s visitor numbers have also decreased steadily over the past ten years, even though there has been an increase at various locations after the corona years, says Bondas.

Palosaari Library will continue to serve its customers until the end of September.

Two new book bus stops will be put in service during the autumn

– We will ensure that the library services for the area’s daycare centres, Vikinga school and all customers remain intact through the book bus. It is intended that two new book bus stops will be put in service in Palosaari during the autumn with possibly a third stop later, promises Bondas.

Library materials are taken directly to the service houses in the area through the outreach network. You can also become a customer of the library’s free Library Home Service (in Finnish and Swedish) if you cannot get to the library or the book bus yourself, for example due to old age, mobility impairments or illness.

Library services are also available via the national e-library, where you can borrow e-books, audio books or newspapers on your own mobile device.

Palosaari Library’s premises will be emptied by the end of the year at the latest. Further plans for the library premises are still open and responsibility for the building falls under the jurisdiction of the Vaasa Premises Management Office.

Appeal not heard

The city council’s decision was appealed to the administrative court. On 26 June, 2024, the administrative court decided not to hear the appeal, because the council’s decision regarding the closure of Palosaari Library was not finally decided by the council itself, since it required a special decision by the culture and sports committee. The council’s decision therefore did not, in this respect, contain any final decision on the matter that could be appealed through a municipal appeal.

The City of Vaasa is implementing cost-saving measures. The goal is to find savings of around 40 million euros in the city’s operations for the years 2024–2027.