Live-stream recording from the conference Nordic Libraries Annual 2025. This live-streamed video includes a presentation by Ida Berge, Advisor at The European Wergeland Centre, Norway: “The Library as an Arena for Learning Democracy”. Before the presentation, the moderator of the conference, Päivi Jokitalo, introduces the speaker, Ida Berge. The session also includes a contribution by Marianne Wulfsberg from Sølvberget Library, who talks about her library’s work on freedom of speech.
Ida Berge is a former teacher who now works as an Advisor in the Youth Section of the European Wergeland Centre (EWC). The EWC is a resource centre that promotes education for democratic citizenship, human rights, and intercultural understanding. It offers training programmes and shares its expertise with all 46 member states of the Council of Europe. The Centre was founded in 2008 by Norway and the Council of Europe.
Nordic Libraries Annual is an annual conference that addresses topical issues in public libraries and library development. The Nordic Libraries Annual 2025 was organized in Helsinki on October 29–30, 2025. The two-day event included library visits on the first day, while the presentations took place on October 30 in Maijansali at Oodi Central Library.
The theme of the 2025 conference was “Libraries Working Against Polarisation.” Polarisation is one of the most topical issues in society today, and it also affects libraries and their field of work. Public libraries are considered vital societal institutions. Nordic Libraries Annual 2025 examined polarisation as a phenomenon from various perspectives and highlighted Nordic examples of how libraries can help mitigate it. Presentations were given by speakers from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland.
The conference was organized by the Regional State Administrative Agencies in Finland in collaboration with Kirjastokaista and funded by Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture.
Read more:
All videos from the conference
See more presentations in English
Live-stream: Mikko Helander, Joonas Nevalainen and Jonne Taipale
Producer: Riitta Taarasti
Produced by Library Channel (Kirjastokaista), 2025
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