Live-stream recording from the conference Nordic Libraries Annual 2025. This live-streamed video includes a presentation by Noora Oluikpe, coordinator, Regional Development Task of Lahti City Library, Finland: “Enhancing Social and Cultural Dialogue Skills in Southeastern Finland”. The presentation was part of the session Project Presentations from Finland. After the presentation, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions related to Noora Oluikpe’s talk, led by the moderator of the conference, Päivi Jokitalo.
My Municipality – Libraries as Platforms for Civic Dialogue and Media Literacy was a collaborative project involving seven libraries from Southeastern Finland and the Cultura Foundation. The aim of the project was to enhance the skills for social and cultural dialogue through libraries, and to engage residents who are typically less likely to participate in public discussions. For example, interpreter assistance was provided to enable the participation of Russian-speaking residents. A total of 30 facilitated Timeout dialogues engaged approximately 250 participants, including residents, decision-makers, public officials, and media representatives.
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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