Duties and strategy

The National Library of Finland is a cultural heritage organisation that is open to all and provides nationwide services to citizens, scientific communities and other societal operators. We secure the availability of cultural heritage published in Finland or relating to Finland as well as transmit and produce information content for research, studies, citizens and the society. We develop services in cooperation with libraries, archives, museums and other operators.

OUR VISION: Bildung at the heart of society

The National Library of Finland’s collections and services strengthen our society’s knowledge base, Bildung (i.e., edification, education or intellectual and moral cultivation), learning and research. We ensure that the cultural diversity and multilingualism of Finnish society are reflected in our operations and that the published cultural heritage is made available in a wide range of ways.

Cornerstones of operations: openness, renewal and bildung

Openness

The principle of openness will guide the National Library’s operations and service development. This principle will be implemented by sharing and receiving ideas openly and boldly and supporting open science. The National Library will establish and maintain a culture of openness.

Renewal

The principle of renewal means that the National Library will develop the quality,impact, customer orientation and equality of its services. We will promote a culture in which curiosity is held in high esteem. Our renewal will be supported by active cooperation in Finnish and international networks and will be guided by the principles of responsibility, openness and sustainable development.

Bildung

The National Library is the custodian of Finnish culture and the backbone of Bildung – firmly on the side of knowledge. Bildung belongs to everyone, in good times and bad, also in our increasingly polarised world. The guiding lights of the National Library’s operations will be equal access to information, support for the preconditions of education and research, and the dissemination of ethical, reliable and research-based knowledge.
 

Strategic choices and development areas 2021–2030

Cultural heritage for the common good

  • We will enhance interest in cultural heritage materials in cooperation with the network of memory institutions by promoting the availability and visibility of the materials.
  • We will be a world leader in the preservation of the diverse and changing materials included in the born-digital cultural heritage.
  • We will influence the updating of the Act on Collecting and Preserving Cultural Materials so that the number of printed copies to be preserved will be reduced and that digital storage and long-term preservation will be made more effective.
  • Digitisation will enable us to offer extensive and uniform open materials.
  • We will promote the availability of information resources and services by developing compatibility solutions and related infrastructures through national and international cooperation.
  • We will develop the description of information resources in accordance with the principles of open, linked data.

National Library at the heart of the academic community

  • We will promote the opportunities of researchers to publish openly in Finnish and international publication channels and will increase the efficient long-term preservation of research publications.
  • We will make sustained efforts to create multilingual and multidisciplinary collections to support research.
  • We will develop our collection services to support the work methods of digital humanities and the open sharing of tools among scholars.
  • We will participate in research projects that support the library sector.
  • We will promote open science in both the Finnish and international contexts by operating on the principle that “research data are as open as possible, as closed as necessary”.

National Library as a resource of Bildung and learning

  • The National Library’s open digital service environments will create the preconditions necessary for redesigning teaching, learning, research and innovation activities.
  • We will support the creation and use of open learning materials with the aim of promoting lifelong learning and education at various levels, including basic education, schools, higher education institutions and liberal adult education.
  • The data produced by the National Library will be managed in accordance with the FAIR principles and we will instruct users in the responsible use of data.
  • We will use an experimental approach to develop our facilities.

Creating a powerful hub of expertise through network cooperation

  • We will reinforce cooperation between cultural heritage institutions and promote the compatibility of services in Finland and abroad.
  • We will develop the National Library into an extensive hub of expertise operating in cultural and scholarly networks.
  • We will develop solutions of machine learning and artificial intelligence that use cultural heritage materials and metadata as well as dataset services together with our partner network.
  • Digital service solutions will primarily be based on open source code, open interfaces and broad Finnish and international collaboration.
  • We will work with our partners to maintain and enhance the skills required in our changing society, drawing on the spirit of daring to experiment even if it occasionally leads to mistakes.


National mission

The National Library’s mission is to preserve, maintain and ensure access to Finland’s published heritage. The National Library provides and disseminates information content for research and education as well as for the public and society at large, and develops its services together with libraries, archives, museums and others. The National Library promotes a culture of cooperation as well as pioneering expertise based on it.

The National Library´s status and duties are based on the following legislation:

Universities Act (558/2009) sections 70 and 71»
Government decree on universities (770/2009)»
Act on the deposit and conservation of cultural materials»
Public Libraries Act (in Finnish: Laki yleisistä kirjastoista)

The National Library's strategy for 2016-2020 (Doria.fi)
Strategic plan of the National Library of Finland 2021–2030 (Doria.fi)