Finland could introduce an annual fee of around €30 for public library cards under a proposal from the Ministry of Finance, raising concerns about equal access to public services and the future of the country’s strong reading culture.
The suggestion is among more than 100 spending cuts and tax increases put forward by the ministry in a report outlining possible ways for the next government to balance the country’s economy. The proposed charge would apply to adult library cards and could generate an estimated €36 million annually for the state.
Public library cards are currently free in Finland. The country’s library system is built on the principle that everyone should have access to library services regardless of their income or financial circumstances.
Päivi H. Jokitalo, a freelance librarian and reading advocate, has criticised the proposal, pointing out that free library access has a long history in Finland and is protected by legislation.
Finland’s first Library Act, introduced in 1928, established the principle that library services should be available to everyone without charge.
“Considering equality and democracy, this is an important issue,” Jokitalo said.
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The proposal could affect a country where public libraries remain an important part of everyday life. Finland has around two million registered library cardholders, while public libraries recorded 87.9 million loans last year.
That represents approximately 14 to 15 loans per person annually, placing Finland among the countries with particularly high levels of library use.
According to Jokitalo, around 40 per cent of the population either uses library services or is registered as a library user. She believes introducing an annual charge could discourage people from using libraries, particularly those who depend on free access to books and other resources.
She also referred to European surveys suggesting that library use tends to be lower in countries where access comes with a fee. In her view, Finland could experience a similar decline if the government introduced the proposed charge.
The idea of making library users pay is not entirely new. Jokitalo recalled that a similar proposal emerged in the late 1990s but was eventually abandoned following public opposition.
The debate is also taking place against the backdrop of declining literacy levels in Finland. Reading and writing skills have weakened since the beginning of the century, with concerns particularly focused on children, teenagers and young adults.
The trend has increased attention on the role of schools, families and public institutions in supporting reading habits. Libraries provide access not only to books but also to reading materials and resources for people who may not be able to afford them elsewhere.
Finland has already established a national literacy strategy with the ambition of becoming the world’s most literate nation by 2030. Introducing a charge for public library cards could therefore raise questions about how the country intends to achieve that goal while changing the terms of access to one of its established public services.
For Jokitalo, the issue goes beyond the proposed €30 payment. She sees free library access as part of Finland’s commitment to equality, education and democratic participation. A decision to introduce fees would therefore represent a significant change to a principle that has shaped the country’s public library system for nearly a century.
