Tallinn Central Library has many books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, games, sporting equipment and musical instruments. You can use them at the library or borrow them home with you. In order to do this, you must be registered in the library and have a library card.
Due to the fast spread of the Covid-19 virus, all departments and branch libraries of Tallinn Central Library will be closed until the 1st of May (or until the national emergency order ends).
To obtain a library card you need:
More information can be found here.
Tallinn Central Library’s campaign “Born to be a reader” encourages families with small children, as young as a few months old, to visit their local library. Make your child’s first library experience a special one and make sure they are well acquainted with using to the library before starting school. Books are a great way to support your child’s development and the sooner you start, the bigger the positive impact.
Parents need not worry about their small children ruining books. The library does not ask for reimbursement if a preschooler ruins a picture book, a cardboard book or a block-lettered book.
The library card will be free of charge for all preschoolers. The card will be gifted to the child in a lovely card pocket, which can become a keepsake for the entire family. In the future, it will bring back good memories of past library visits and books that were borrowed.
The campaign also includes small book-carrying bags that are specially designed to be worn by children. The bags make it easier to transport books from and to the library. Each child receives one after registering to become a reader during the campaign. After a child has borrowed books for the 10th time, the bag will be permanently gifted to them.
The family is also encouraged to take a photo next to our “Born to be a reader” picture wall, which is a great way to record their first library visit in a memorable way. Parents are encouraged to share this photo in their social media so the rest of their family and friends can witness the event.
The card pocket, book-carrying bag and picture wall were all designed by the Estonian children’s book illustrator Ulla Saar.
The project “Born to be a reader” is supported by the Estonian Folk Culture Centre’s program “Supporting regional culture activity”.
All of our libraries offer library lessons and excursions to kindergarten and school classes. During these excursions, children are introduced to the library and its history. They will also be taught about becoming a library reader. They will be introduced to the electronic catalog ESTER and shown how to use the library.
Library lessons are held by appointment. Themed library lessons are scheduled in advance.
Participation in library lessons and excursions is free of charge.
The Department of Literature in Foreign Languages has a puppet theatre “Neskuchayka”, with puppet shows for pre-schoolers and primary school students. Pre-registration is necessary by phone or by e-mail at: 683683 0961 or vo@nulltln.lib.ee.
Handicraft workshop for children who do not speak Estonian as their native languageThe workshop is meant for children who wish to improve their spoken Estonian. The workshop is held every Saturday at 14.00 at the Department of Literature in Foreign Languages (Liivalaia 40).
More info: 683 0961 or vko@nulltln.lib.ee.
Come and practice by reading out loud to our reading dogs! A dog does not judge or scorn you for mispronouncing a few words. Just read, have fun and over time you may discover that your fear of reading has disappeared.
Find out more about our reading dogs here.
Katarina Jee is a library bus that serves various areas in Tallinn where there are not enough libraries. The bus runs on a specific set route. Schedule and route can be found here.
On Fridays, “Katarina Jee” may be invited to visit kindergartens, schools, orphanages etc.
Tallinn Central Library invites students from the 1st to the 9th grade to participate in the project “Reading ourselves to the zoo“. The purpose of the project is to emphasize reading as a way to expand horizons and enrich vocabulary in a competitive, yet fun way. The project also encourages teamwork, as an entire class must work together in order to be successful. Each team is led by their class teacher, who keeps score of read pages and informs the library of the teams progress. Six of the most successful teams (three from the younger age group and three from the older age group) will receive prizes!
Sign up at the nearest branch of Tallinn Central Library or at the following e-mail address: vko@nulltln.lib.ee
In case you have missed your due date, you can choose to either pay the fine or to read a book in the library. 1 cent = 1 minute of reading.
How to read yourself free? Just choose a book, inform the librarian and start reading. When you finish, tell the librarian a little bit about the book you just read. The librarian will then reduce your fine, according to the time you spent reading. You can also divide the minutes of reading between several days.
You can only reduce the fine by reading if you have missed the due date by less than a year.
You can read yourself free when you are 18 or younger.
Take a look at our children’s and young adult literature blog.
