Piikkiö library reduces opening hours due to vandalism, vaping, and alcohol stashes

The Piikkiö library in Kaarina, southwest Finland, will cut its opening hours and hire a security guard after persistent vandalism, disruptive behaviour, and repeated incidents of vaping and hidden alcohol on the premises, Yle reports.

According to an official statement from the city, the library will close on weekends and reduce its self-service hours between 24 April and 17 May. The measures follow long-standing issues with misconduct, including loud disturbances, offensive language, littering, and harassment of other visitors.

Library and cultural services director Arja Pesonen said the culprits are often minors. “Constantly intervening in noise, foul language, mess, and harassment is exhausting the staff,” she stated. Despite collaboration between library personnel, security, youth services, school liaisons, police, fire safety programmes, and guardians, those responsible frequently remain unidentified, as they enter without personal access cards or in groups using a single login.

Efforts to curb the behaviour have involved multiple agencies, but the city has now opted for stricter access controls and increased supervision.