kirjastojen

Kirjastojen is the genitive plural form of kirjastot, the Finnish noun meaning “libraries.” It marks possession or association, equivalent to “of libraries” or “libraries’” in English. The form is used when describing something that belongs to or relates to more than one library. Examples include kirjastojen kokoelmat (“the libraries’ collections”), kirjastojen tilat (“the libraries’ spaces”), and kirjastojen asiakkaat (“the libraries’ customers”).

In Finnish, the genitive plural expresses ownership or relationship between entities. Kirjastojen is formed from the plural stem kirjastot with the genitive plural ending, and it precedes the possessed noun, which remains in its normal nominative form (for example, kokoelmat, tilat, asiakkaat). This construction is common in official, descriptive, and journalistic language.

Usage and context: the term frequently appears when referring to more than one library, such as in a municipal or regional network. It can denote possession by multiple libraries or by a group of libraries within a city or region. Phrases include kaupungin kirjastojen yhteistyö (“the city’s libraries’ cooperation”), kirjastojen välinen yhteistyö (“the cooperation between libraries”), and kirjastojen palvelut (“the libraries’ services”).

Related terms include kirjaston (genitive singular “of the library”), kirjastot (nominative plural “libraries”), and Kansallinen kirjasto (the National Library). The form kirjastojen functions as a linguistic tool to attribute attributes, resources, or actions to multiple libraries within Finnish discourse.