The year 2025 was one of strong growth and multi‑channel services for Lahti City Library.
Library services reached residents in increasingly diverse ways—through physical locations, online services, and virtual events.
The operations of the Laune Library ended on 1 January 2026, and the library closed its doors on 31 December 2025. Laune Library thanks its customers for the years spent together.
In spring 2025, the event theme in Lahti’s libraries was civic engagement. Events explored topics ranging from election-related information influence to nature conservation. Civic engagement was prominently reflected both in the choice of guest speakers and in encouraging young people to participate in societal matters. The autumn 2025 event theme was Lahti 120 years, through which events delved into Lahti and the identity of its residents—through cherished memories, poetry, and inspiring author visits.
Growth in in-person visits and loans
Lahti’s libraries recorded a total of 990,226 customer visits during the year, a 3.9% increase from the previous year.
Neighbourhood libraries saw higher visitor numbers in 2025. They recorded 403,625 visits, which was 5.7% more than in the previous year. Self-service use also increased: there were 134,045 self-service visits, up 14.9% from 2024.
The main library likewise saw growth. In 2025, it recorded 574,042 visits, a 3.7% increase from the previous year.
Loan numbers also developed positively: a total of 1,986,500 loans were made during the year, representing a 6% increase compared to 2024. A total of 174,825 reservations were picked up in 2025.
Nearly 7,000 children and young people from Lahti participated in library-use instruction, media education sessions, or book talks. Investments in literacy work for children and youth were reflected in loan numbers: in 2025, 48% of all book loans were children's and young adult books.
Record growth in e‑resource use
The popularity of e‑resources grew strongly in 2025. A total of 139,919 e‑loans were made—an increase of 71.8% from the previous year.
In 2025, Lahti City Library invested in promoting e‑resources to its customers. Patrons rapidly adopted the national E‑library service, which has been available in Lahti since early 2024.
The Lastu online library services also reached users more widely: 1.45 million online sessions were recorded, a 14% increase from 2024.
Expanded event offerings – virtual events remained popular
The library organised numerous events and campaigns in cooperation with various partners.
Dialogue discussions were arranged in the libraries, focusing on library memories and the role of libraries. Lahti City Library and the Lahti Museum of Visual Arts, Malva, continued their creative collaboration, most recently inspired by the Transformations exhibition at Malva.
In 2025, the libraries organised 457 events, a 16% increase from the previous year. Events recorded a total of 8,717 visits, slightly fewer than the previous year.
Virtual events continued to grow in popularity. In 2025, 1,550 participants joined virtual events, an increase of 31.1% from 2024 and 112.3% from 2023.
Diverse and accessible services
In 2025, Lahti City Library continued its strong development as a multi‑channel space and service, serving residents both in physical spaces and online. Customers actively used all service channels, with particularly strong growth in digital services and self‑service library use.
Additional information
Lahti City Library
Pirita Rautavuo
Service Manager
pirita.rautavuo@lahti.fi
044 483 1513
lastu.finna.fi
Infographic: Nora Nordman / Lahti City Library
