Serving a community of more than a half-million people, the Helsinki City Library has a long history of innovative, technology-based services. It was one of the first public libraries in the world to offer Internet access to the public. Today, the Helsinki City Library continues to build on that tradition, providing a wide range of services to ensure access to computers and the Internet for all its patrons.
On January 31, 2001 the Helsinki City Library unveiled the information Gas Station (iGS), one of several projects that it initiated with the $1 million award it received as part of the 2000 Access to Learning Award.
The iGS, which has been influenced by a gas station, serves its customers either on the spot, by phone, by fax or even with text messages. The iGS is a portable unit that can be moved to different parts of the city, serving as a library "branch" at festivals, parks, senior citizen centers, etc.
The iGS consists of two elements: the Service Station and the Information Pumps. Both have been influenced by the bright colors of gas pumps at traditional older gas stations. Service Station customers get individual advice and instruction from a librarian, or the customer can seek information on her own at an Information Pump (a separate Internet-accessible workstation).
The basic idea of the Information Gas Station is that customers can either ask questions on the spot or send them through the Internet. A service that was particularly popular on the first day was the option for the customer to enter his/her question as a text message and have the answer sent to the inquirer's mobile phone.