The final day began with a visit to Tampere University library. This is the nearest University to town, with 25,000 students, it is the oldest. All University libraries in Finland are freely open to the public, this includes borrowing and walk-in access to some of the electronic resources. The colleagues showing us around today were proud of their openness, Finnish are big library users. The library conveyed an observance of the needs of students who prefer the more traditional aspects of a library services, such as quiet study, and desk space for printed books, as well as those with progressive tastes, large armchairs with window views, networked online bookable group study rooms and areas punctuated with gym balls, quite common in libraries here.
The library regularly canvasses online and printed feedback, via the still popular post-its on library services. This has resulted in providing blankets in the cooler parts of the library and larger separate silent study areas for those with laptops from those that find the sound of typing distracting. Signage around the library clearly articulates noise levels. Like Staffordshire, TUT is moving towards more electronic access to resources. They also use the libguides software to deliver online resources and Summon for discovery, and like ourselves are trying to address the challenge of the increasing demand for textbooks by students.
During the afternoon there was another opportunity to see more of Tampere's cultural highlights. This included a visit to the Art Museum which currently has an exhibition celebrating Finnish women artists in early twentieth century modernism. The Here We Come! exhibition asks why we know only a few Finnish women artists of the early 20th century, such as Helene Schjerfbeck, Ellen Thesleff, Ester Helenius and Sigrid Schauman, when the majority of art students, were women, many of them becoming professionals in the arts.
This was followed by a trip up Näsinneula observation the tower. Overseeing Lake Näsijärvi. It was built in 1970–1971 and was designed by Pekka Ilveskoski. It is the tallest free-standing structure in Finland and the tallest observation tower in the Nordic countries at a height of 168 metres (551 ft). It provides excellent panoramic views of Tampere and its two lakes, and as far as the infamous town of Nokia.
The afternoon concluded with a visit to the Spy museum the world's first public museum of international espionage. Although fascinating with some real curiosities. it appears slightly culturally disconnected from Tampere and it was refreshing to leave this basement museum to take a walk along Tampere's rapids and look out on the industrial highlights of the Manchester of Finland.
Plans are underway to join Tampere University, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, and Tampere University of Technology the project is called T3, although the 3 Universities are still working out the details of the merger. Details can be found at
https://www.tampere3.fi/en/. I wish the colleagues at all 3 Universities that have given us such a warm welcome on our Erasmus exchange trip the very best with their future plans.
https://www.tampere3.fi/en/. I wish the colleagues at all 3 Universities that have given us such a warm welcome on our Erasmus exchange trip the very best with their future plans.
