Library100: launch of a new site and Never Ending Voyage – online exhibit

The library is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic the celebration has focused on online content. Traditional book exhibits in the libraries have been postponed, so under the circumstances it was natural to transfer our ideas into an online exhibit.

A new Libuniturku website, sites.utu.fi/libuniturku, was created at the beginning of the year. The website brings out the library's more creative side by publishing cultural and scientific content created by the library, including online exhibits. The site is not replacing any of the library’s other sites, as the library's main website and guides will be available as usual in their familiar addresses.

Website celebrating the jubilee

The Libuniturku website fits well into the library's 100th anniversary year, where we look into the past as well as the future. Along with the library’s traditional in-person displays of artefacts we wanted to offer online exhibits. The exhibits online and online presence in general are the way of today – and presumably also of the future.

The website showcases the library's versatile resources and offers new experiences regardless of time and place. The online exhibit is just the beginning, and the first of many regular updates to the website’s content. In addition to the exhibit, the site will also be celebrating the centenary with summer reading tips from the library staff. And for Volter Kilpi fans there will also be an enjoyable test about the book Alastalon salissa. Unfortunately, as with the book, the test turned out to be impossible to translate into English.

The Libuniturku website provides unlimited access to the library’s resources, especially when you cannot visit the libraries in person. In the online exhibit, the materials have been presented mainly with cover art and texts. The materials have been photographed, not digitised. All of the site's content is in Finnish, and some of the content, such as the newly announced festive exhibit is also available in English.

Never Ending Voyage – online exhibit

The theme of the 100th anniversary online exhibit is travelling. We are now experiencing an exceptional time when travelling is mainly possible in our imagination. Fortunately, books have always allowed you to travel to other places and times. In addition, the travel-themed literary picks cover both the past and the future, as well as a wide range of disciplines and cultural resources.

The Never Ending Voyage – exhibit is divided into five sections:

• Time Travelling
• From a Spa to a Hot-Air Balloon
• Fascinating Expeditions
• Tourist on the Move
• State Visits

Approximately 40 materials are included in the exhibit. In the Time Travelling section you can visit past events, such as the Paris World's Fair in 1889, explore the sky, and peek into the future with Esko Valtaoja. From a Spa to a Hot-Air Balloon introduces you to different ways of travelling and destinations. Fascinating Expeditions leads us to both Mecca and the North Pole. In Tourist on the Move we get to see, for example, a map of 19th century Turku and a book about Tarzan as an ecotourist. And last but certainly not least, the State Visits section includes works on Sylvi Kekkonen's travel diaries and the visit of the Swedish royal couple to Finland.

Welcome to our site and the Never Ending Voyage – exhibit at sites.utu.fi/libuniturku.