Photography, filming, and related permissions

Photography in National Library facilities

• The National Library of Finland is a research library and cultural institution open to the public. The National Library’s buildings and customer facilities can be freely photographed or filmed during the Library’s opening hours, as long as this does not hinder the Library’s operations, endanger its collections or inconvenience its customers or staff.
• Unnecessary loud conversation should be avoided.
• In the main building of the National Library at Unioninkatu 36, photography is allowed in the Cupola Hall, on its first balcony and in the Rotunda. The second balcony of the Cupola Hall is not open to the public, and access is limited to special cases and requires the presence of a member of staff. Photography and filming are not allowed in the reading rooms to respect the work of the researchers.
• All National Library material must be handled with care, and should not be moved unnecessarily.
• The use of tripods or similar equipment is not allowed.
• Flash photography and other strong light sources are banned as they may harm the material stored in the National Library.
• If the above rules cannot be followed, or if the intention is to produce a more extensive or longer-term shoot for a magazine, or to film a television programme, etc., always contact the National Library’s communications department, [email protected].
• The National Library requests that the subject be always mentioned when using photos or video of its buildings or facilities. This should also be the case when the buildings or facilities are used as background or depicted as something other than the location of the National Library’s operations.

Photographing and filming the collections

• Instructions on photographing and filming material from the collections can be found in the Rules of the National Library of Finland.

Instructions for holders of photography and filming permits

• Please sign in with the porter in the lobby when you arrive to photograph or film so that they can inspect your permit.
• Permission is always granted for a specific time and place. If you suspect you may exceed the allotted time, or you wish to change location, let the porter know.
• Bags, cases or similar containers cannot be brought inside the Library facilities, which means that all of your equipment must be placed in the baskets or carts provided by the porters. To help with the logistics, we recommend that you visit your intended photography or filming location beforehand.