Reading North: Books in the Arctic

Oula has run a mobile library in the Nordic Arctic for 40 years, but as retirement looms the bus' future is uncertain.

Despite travelogues brimming with northern lights and reindeer rides, daily life in the Finnish and Nordic Arctic can be lonely. 

The closest shop or school can be hours away and one of the only remaining services is Oula Kotakorva's mobile public library.

Serving parts of Finland, Sweden and Norway, Oula drives hundreds of kilometres each week. 

He and his colleagues are often more than librarians; they're listeners, friends and a human contact.