"The more they see books, the more they hold books in their hands and the more they see people reading books, the more likely they are to start reading themselves," said Narva Estonian State High School principal Irene Käosaar.

Reading, she added, also helps kids do better in school.

By law, libraries must be located in or near a school, but local governments can decide how exactly to organize library services. In Jõgeva, the local school and public libraries were merged seven years ago.

"They'll see a good place to study, meet up and enjoy culture," said Agne Vaalmäe, cultural adviser for the Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities (ELVL). "And maybe they'll even start coming here on their own."

Just outside Tallinn, Rae Municipality has seen firsthand that location matters: its school and public library have operated together for about 20 years, making the library more accessible to young readers.

"If our library were still in the building where it was before, about a kilometer further away from the school, the number [of visitors] would be much, much smaller," said Rae Municipal Library director Ülle Siska.

"Kids today will only make a separate trip to the library when they really need to," she explained. "But when it's in the school building, it's all right there for them — and for the teachers too."

A trustworthy place

Experts caution, however, that combining libraries should not mean removing the librarian, as shelves of books alone likely won't actually get kids reading.

In an age of information overload and spreading artificial intelligence (AI), libraries are also taking on a bigger role as a trustworthy source of information and guidance.

"Finding reliable information is getting increasingly difficult," said Estonian Librarians' Association (ERÜ) board chair Kristi Veeber. "People need to be taught that the library is a trustworthy place they can turn to for help."

Updates to the Public Libraries Act are expected to provide a clearer framework for cooperation between school and public libraries in the near future.

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