Accessibility
Some of the libraries in Pori and Nakkila are accessible for people using wheelchairs or strollers.
Main library
The entrance to the main library is accessible (automatic door, no thresholds).
The toilets and the accessible toilet / baby changing room are in the lobby. Ask the customer service desk to unlock the accessible toilet. There is a lendable walker and two children’s strollers in the lobby available for use during your library visit.
The basement and second floors are accessible through the lift in the lobby. A portable induction loop is available for the hearing-impaired.
The mobile library Ursula
There is an accessible lift in the mobile library. There is enough space for a wheelchair in the mobile library. Ask the library staff for assistance with the lift.
Local libraries
Ahlainen library
Ahlainen library is located in an old wooden house which is not universally accessible. The main door is manual and quite narrow, making it difficult to enter with a wheelchair or a stroller. There are steps in front of and inside the main door. There are also thresholds inside the building. There is no universally accessible toilet or a baby changing room.
Itätuuli library
Itätuuli library is located in the school premises. The entrance to the library is accessible (no threshold, automatic door). The library customers may use the universally accessible toilet in the common room next to the library. The library is accessible, there is enough space between the shelves for wheelchairs and strollers.
Lavia library
Lavia library is located in the school premises. There is no automatic door, so a customer using a wheelchair will need an assistant to enter the library. The way from the main door to the service desk is accessible. There is no universally accessible toilet.
Nakkila library
There is a ramp to the entrance of Nakkila library. There are no high thresholds at the entrance. The main door is not automatic. The young adults’ section is in the basement and only accessible through stairs. There are no universally accessible toilets, but the upstairs toilets are spacious and have handrails on both sides of the toilet seat. There is no lift in the building. There is a high threshold at the emergency exit.
A portable induction loop is available for the hearing-impaired at Nakkila library.
Noormarkku library
Noormarkku library is universally accessible. The main door opens by pressing a door button. There are no thresholds in the ground and upper floors. Both floors are accessible through a lift. Assistance is needed to access the young adults’ section in the basement. (The staff will unlock the door leading to the lift and lift the wheelchairs over the threshold.) The toilet on the ground floor is accessible with a wheelchair.
Pihlava library
Pihlava library has no automatic door, but is otherwise accessible. There is a universally accessible toilet.
Reposaari library
Reposaari library is located in an old wooden house. There are stairs and a ramp leading to the entrance. There is a low threshold at the entrance. There is enough space between the shelves for a wheelchair.
Vähärauma library
Vähärauma library is located in community centre premises. The main door is automatic and there is no threshold. The library door is not automatic. The library premises are constructed for a wheelchair. There is a universally accessible toilet.
Accessible library services
For the visually impaired and those with reading disabilities
The library has Celia audiobooks for the visually impaired and those with reading disabilities. The most comprehensive selection of Celia audiobooks is available in the electronic Celianet service. You can register as a Celianet user at the library, after which you use Celianet from home with your username and password.
In addition to Celia books for those with reading disabilities, there are audiobooks available on CDs, and as e-books online.
The library also has books in plain language. These books are written in easier language and may be useful, for instance, for those with dyslexia, a disability, a memory disorder or a limited vocabulary in Finnish.
The collections also include some large-text books for the visually impaired. In e-books the readers can enlarge the size of the text to suit their own needs.
Sign language library
Sign language library is an online service that collects material in sign language. Some of the material is translated into Finnish or Swedish.
The service records the culture, history and language of the Finnish sign language users. The material is universally available and no registration is needed. The library is funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland.
The language collection
In addition to the Finnish language collection there are books available in various other languages at the Pori City Library. The largest selection of books in other languages can be found in the main library.
The language selection in the adult section: Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Hungarian and Esperanto.
The language selection in the children’s and young adults’ section: Finnish, Swedish, English, German, Russian, Estonian, French, Spanish, Italian, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic and Sami.Pori City Library also collaborates with the national Multilingual Library, from which the main library orders a small transfer collection of books in rare languages, like Arabic, Farsi, Chinese, Thai, Polish, Romanian and Portuguese. If you are interested in the Multilingual Library services, please contact the main library information service.