"A double-loaded corridor block is split about a third of the way along to provide the focus of the library, the entrance and control desk. To the left is the children's library, to the right the administrative offices of the library, and right ahead, a well in which the reference library is housed; and around that and beyond, the main stacks of the library fan out. The roof identifies and contains the functional separation of elements of the library, rising in an abrupt curve over the main stacks to allow light to enter and bounce around in the space. Externally the roof-line reveals little of the complexities experienced internally. The whole building is white, except for its dark skirting where it touches the ground and the entrance steps hidden behind a marble slab."

— David Dunster, ed. Architectural Monographs 4: Alvar Aalto. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1984. p50.