This is a concept we developed for the Helsinki City Library competition. A near future concept for a library, in which innovative fruition, participation, collaboration and production models are engaged, and in which the library becomes an ubiquitous space for the production of knowledge.

1. interconnected knowledge
wishes
works
consumes
has fun
expresses
learns
studies

2. an ubiquitous
building
customers
are doers
heart of the
metropolitan area
library is not
only physical,
but digital and
interconnected
involves all
the senses
place for inspiration
and open interaction
public space
for all people
user is a
performer
LIBRARY
focus on
diversity
place where ideas
come tegether
living rooms and
working rooms
spaces for
collaboration
through their actions
“customers” create new
knowledge, information
and materials
active
environment
co-creation, collaboration,
collaborative learning
space is a
possibilistic
infrastructure
diversity in time:
services for
quick and slow

3. LIBRARY
REPRESENTS
knowledge
services
experiences
emotion
spaces
relation
interactions
information
reflected
harmoniously
and ubiquitously:
the building and
its spaces are a
manifestation
of this
people experience
the library
ubiquitously,
and it becomes
an “augmented”
part of their
daily experience

4. OPEN
ACCESS
IDENTIFIER
each person has an
OAI
it identifies
the person and
allows to
personalize
experience,
produce content
and knowledge,
perform activities,
establish
relationships and
collaborations,
participate, store
information
card
mobile app
augmented reality
PERSONALIZE
PRODUCE
PERFORM
RELATE
COLLABORATE

5. K
E ECOSYST
EDG
EM
L
OW
N
INFORMATION
EVERY ACTION IN THE LIBRARY
GENERATES INFORMATION
REFERENCES
THEME
WHO
READ IT
RELATED
lease a book
RELATIONS
MULTIMEDIA
THEMES
WHO
ATTENDED
TAKE PART
IN EVENT
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
COLLECTIONS
ONTOLOGIES
CURATE CONTENT
AND INFORMATION
AUGMENTED
REALITY
TAG BUILDINGS
INTERNET
OF THINGS
LOCATION
BASED
MAKE INFORMATION
UBIQUITOUS
RESEARCH
INTERESTS
KNOWLEDGE
CULTURES
FUN
CONNECT PEOPLE
LIBRARY
when/where
why/how
mental
maps
timelines
topics/activities
issues/relations
knowledge
information
LIVING ENVIRONMENT

6. GLOBAL IMPACT
a landmark for knowledge and information:
the Eiffel tower of the information society.
WHAT THE WORLD IS TALKING ABOUT
HAVE YOU READ
CRISIS
“In the Bubble”
by John Thackara?
ECONOMY
JOB MARKET
ECOLOGY
CREATIVITY
42%
36%
ENERGY
VIOLENCE
worried
PEACE
WAR
hopeful
FUTURE
ECOLOGY
JOB MARKET
HAVE YOU READ
FUTURE
“Everyware”
by Adam Greenfield?
42%
36%
ENERGY
PEACE
worried
WHAT THE CITY IS READING ABOUT
hopeful
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CONTEMPORARY ART?
51%
62%
HELSINKI
NEW YORK
INTERESTED
INTERESTED
Marina Abramovich, “Cleaning that Mirror” at
ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
50
IN THE LIBRARY
80
70
40
60
50
30
40
20
30
20
10
10
0
0
50
50
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
HELSINKI
KINSHASA
the facade of the building ( and other high visibility
surfaces) becomes large-scale infoaesthetic
real-time visualizations representing the “life” of
the library and its significance and
interconnectedness at city and planetary level.
global infoaesthetics
ACTIVITY
SOCIAL
NETWORKS
INFORMATION
REAL-TIME
VISUALIZATIONS
FACADE
APPS
EXPERT
SYSTEM
the library becomes a
planetary monument to
information society:
the place where
knowledge is stored
becomes the expression
of the information and
knowledge expressed
in the planet

7. NATURAL
INTERACTION
things come alive with OAI (using RFID,
QRCode, Augmented Reality)
users can sit by comfortable tables, to read,
work, access free connectivity using their
computers, and maybe to drink a
wonderful tea and some pastries
when they place their smartphone or OAI
card on the tables, their surfaces come alive
the surface becomes alive with an interface:
you can move your card around and
the interface moves with it; you can touch
the table and use interface, with
fingers, gestures, hands;
transfer information to your laptop or
smartphone by simply grabbing it with
your fingers on the table’s surface and
throwing it at your card; cut’n paste a part
of a book to the document you’re editing,
directly from the table, with your fingers; see
who else is reading that book; send them a
message; register to an event which is related
in some way to the information
you are accessing;
UPLOAD
upload a scientific paper or work of art to the
library, and interrelate it to the information
you are accessing, so that other people will
see it; associate, comment, connect different
bits of informations (books, websites,
publications, magazines, music, movies,
artworks...) to establish knowledge bases,
using your fingers; access the knowledge
bases created by other people and use
them, modify them, collaborate on them.
glass surfaces, floors, dedicated surfaces and
entire walls can also be used for these
purposes, allowing people to simultaneously
work, study, research and have fun, using
natural forms of interaction, and also to
collaborate (for example, try pushing a
romantic poem to a girl who’s working
beside you on an interactive wall, or a
scientific paper to your research mate: they
will be able to work with it, move it to their
smartphone/laptop)

8. NOVEL
PRODUCTION
PARADIGMS
create information and knowledge by
associating existing ones and by creating
original ones (add your research, your art,
your designs, your music, your websites,
your videos to the library)
you will create a personal curation
environment which will represent the
information and knowledge which is more
useful to you
it will also contribute to the overall
knowledge ecosystem of the library (and of
society!) as other people will be able to
benefit from the knowledge you produce
a knowledge and information ecosystem
will form, uniting the library’s collection and
the information and knowledge produced
by users.
the whole library is dedicated to this

9. INSPIRATION
AND OPEN
COLLABORATION
entire spaces (one, or more intimate, for
more focused activities) are designed for
collaboration and creativity.
spaces can be openly accessed to
collaborate, study, research, meet, work,
interact and participate to shared
projects
walls show the content of your and your
mates’ desktops
drag information from one screen to the
other, creating connection and new
knowledge
use the knowledge ecosystem of the
library in your research, work and
creative production
the library constantly inspires you, by
bringing up information and media
which is relevant to what you are doing.

10. ... RELAX AND
SLOW DOWN
places where you can sit, alone or with
someone else, and relax, slow down,
experience different rythms.
here you can grab a coffee or a tea, and
eat something.
places are comfortable.
you can use the collection and the
knowledge ecosystem to listen to music,
watch videos and documentaries, or
experience a voyage through visuals,
knowledge and information that some
other user of the library created
entire walls and surfaces become
screens and interactive to play
multimedia, video, sounds, games and
exciting experiences
children can play and learn using all the
content and information of the
ecosystem, and can experience exciting
natural interaction experiences indoor
and outside.
entire spaces are accessible to organize
activities and events: network
connection, streaming facilities, walls
that become screens, sound systems.
you can organize classes, conferences,
concerts, exhibits, presentations
all these can benefit from the knowledge
environment, through which you can
compose information, videos, sounds,
images, researches, messaging in your
activity

11. UBIQUITOUS
LIBRARY
mobile applications will allow users to
experience the library ecosystem
wherever they are
access the library collection, events,
streaming, your personal curation and
knowledge environment, and the overall
general ecosystem from anywhere using
your mobile phone and your laptop.
associate places, buildings, objects
wherever and whenever, to elements of
information
you and other people will be able to see
these associations using augmented
reality
imagine being able to associating parts
of a book to places
or creating a scientific research
associating text, images, videos, papers,
publications to the relevant places of the
world
or creating a voyage through cities and
music
the library will allow for this and more