Networking

To ensure the success of the cooperation needed for providing the national services of the National Library of Finland, mechanisms such as councils, steering groups and consortia have been created to facilitate discussions and networking.

Index

In order to succeed in our operations, the managers and specialists of our library must regularly evaluate and develop cooperation and cooperative structures together with the interest groups. This cooperation is carried out with the help of various networks and we aim towards systematic, open and interactive operations.

Control system for shared library services

The National Library of Finland provides national infrastructure services to the library network, in particular, but also to other organisations. The control system for national services offers these organisations an opportunity to participate in developing the services and the decision-making process pertaining to them. The control system determines the roles of all the parties, reinforcing the interaction between the steering and specialist groups. The central goal is to promote internal coordination of the services and transparency of the operations. The control system is one of the central forms of network cooperation and channels of interaction between the National Library and the library network.

Round table meetings

Annual round table meetings are a cooperative tool between the National Library and the customer libraries.

FUN Finnish University Libraries’ Network

FUN Finnish University Libraries’ Network is a body coordinating and developing the cooperation of the network of university libraries, which has representatives from all the university libraries and the National Repository Library of Finland.

AMKIT consortium

Universities of applied sciences library consortia (AMKIT) coordinates the cooperation between libraries of universities of applied sciences.

The Council for Public Libraries

The Council for Public Libraries is a body coordinating the cooperation of public libraries, which also represents the public libraries in the library network cooperation.

The Council for the Special Libraries

Special libraries form the Network of Special Libraries and Information Services, which annually selects the members of the Council for the Special Libraries. The Council for the Special Libraries (EriK) coordinates the cooperation of the special library branch and acts as the representative of the special libraries in matters concerning their views and needs.

Service consortia

FinELib

The Finnish National Electronic Library, FinELib is a consortium of Finnish universities, universities of applied sciences, research institutes and public libraries. FinELib acquires international and Finnish materials in a competitive manner, ensures the availability of high-quality, diverse e-materials and promotes their use in research, education, learning and general acquisition of knowledge. 

FinELib negotiates user licenses for electronic materials for it member organisations in a centralised manner. The operations are based on national and international cooperation and constant development.

Further information about the FinELib consortium (kiwi.fi)

 

Steering groups

The National Library of Finland has established three advisory boards – the Steering Group of the Slavonic Library, the Steering Group of the Humanities and the Steering Group of the Digital Humanities – to develop services in cooperation with research communities.

The Steering Group of the Humanities was established in 2013 following a board decision. The duty of the Steering Group is to reinforce the interaction between the library and the research communities. The objective is to develop the library and its services so that they are as relevant to research and education as possible. The Steering Group aims to influence the accessibility policies of research information and materials of the humanities also on a national scale. The Steering Group has representatives from university education and research of the humanities from all over Finland.

Members:

  • Senior Information Specialist Harri Ahonen (The National Library of Finland)
  • Professor, Director Kimmo Tuominen (The National Library of Finland) –  Deputy Library Director Liisa Savolainen
  • Professor Sara Heinämaa, Philosophy (University of Jyväskylä)
  • Associate Professor Johanna Ilmakunnas, Culture, History and Philosophy (Åbo Akademi)
  • Associate Professor Anu Lahtinen, History of Finland and the Nordic countries (University of Helsinki)
  • Docent Tuija Laine, Book and Church History (University of Helsinki)
  • Director of Services Johanna Lilja (The National Library of Finland)
  • Senior Lecturer, PhD, Adjunct Professor Aino Mäkikalli, Literary Studies and Creative Writing (University of Turku)
  • Information Specialist Tarja Mäkinen (The National Library of Finland)
  • Marjaana Niemi, International History (University of Tampere)
  • Professor Matti Peikola, English Studies (University of Turku)
  • Professor Petteri Pietikäinen, History of Science and Ideas (University of Oulu)
  • Research Manager, Dr. Ilona Pikkanen, Historia (Finnish Literature Society)
  • Docent, University Lecturer, Raija Sarasti-Wilenius, Latin and Literature of Rome (University of Helsinki)
  • Senior Lecturer, Docent Juha Torvinen, Musicology (University of Helsinki)
  • Professor, Director Kimmo Tuominen (The National Library of Finland) –  Deputy Library Director Liisa Savolainen

The Steering Group of the Slavonic Library was founded in 2004. The purpose of the Steering Group is to promote the cooperation between the Slavonic Library and the related research institutes and subjects. The aim is to support the collection and acquisition policy guidelines of the Slavonic Library and the development of its services as well as facilitate the development of the field's research conditions. The members of the Steering Group are representatives from research institutes and subjects related to the Slavonic Library.

  • Senior Researcher, University lecturer, Vice director Sari Autio-Sarasmo, Russian and Eurasian Studies (Aleksanteri Institute)
  • Professor Tomi Huttunen, Russian Literature and Culture (University of Helsinki)
  • Professor, Research Director Markku Kangaspuro, Russian and Eurasian Studies (Aleksanteri Institute)
  • PhD, Senior Lecturer Pia Koivunen, Cultural History (University of Turku)
  • Director of Services Johanna Lilja (The National Library of Finland)
  • Docent, Academy Research Fellow Karina Lukin, Folklore Studies (University of Helsinki)
  • Historian, Project manager Aleksi Mainio (The National Archives of Finland)
  • Senior Researcher Simo Mikkonen, Russian and East European History (University of Jyväskylä)
  • Assistant professor, Russian Security Studies Mannerheim-professorship Katri Pynnöniemi, Russian and Eurasian Studies, International Relations (University of Helsinki and National Defence University)
  • Head of Services Irma Reijonen (The National Library of Finland)
  • Professor, Director Kimmo Tuominen (The National Library of Finland) –  Deputy Library Director Liisa Savolainen
  • Professor Sanna Turoma, Russian Language and Culture (Tampere University)
  • Professor Johanna Viimaranta, Russian Language and Literature (University of Helsinki)
  • Research Manager Joni Virkkunen, Social Sciences (University of Eastern Finland)
  • Assistant Librarian Emilia Karjalainen (The National Library of Finland)

The Steering Group of the Digital Humanities began to operate in early 2019. Its duties include monitoring the implementation of the National Library’s digital humanities policy and, if necessary, commenting on the policy guidelines. In addition, the group assesses the compatibility of the National Library’s data services with the methods of digital humanities, and discusses the distribution of duties with organisations belonging to the group to avoid overlaps. The group follows the latest phenomena in the research field and provides related information to the National Library’s specialists.

  • Akademy Professor Hannu Salmi, Cultural History (University of Turku)
  • Senior Specialist Tuomas J. Alaterä, Social Sciences and Research Data Services (Finnish Social Science Data Archive, Tampere University)
  • Information Specialist Jussi-Pekka Hakkarainen (The National Library of Finland)
  • Research Director Päivi Happonen, Archives, Development Cooperation (The National Archives of Finland)
  • Associate Professor Tuomas Harviainen, Information Studies (Tampere University)
  • Director of Services Kristiina Hormia-Poutanen (The National Library of Finland)
  • Head of Planning Minna Kaukonen (The National Library of Finland)
  • Associate Professor Leo Lahti, Data Science, open science, research and data (University of Turku)
  • Professor Mikko Laitinen, Computational Sociolinguistics, Social Media Data (University of Eastern Finland)
  • Development Manager Mikko Lappalainen (The National Library of Finland)
  • Director of Services Johanna Lilja (The National Library of Finland)
  • Research Director Krister Lindén, Digital Humanities, Language Technology (University of Helsinki, The Language Bank of Finland)
  • Associate professor Eetu Mäkelä, Digital Humanities (University of Helsinki)
  • Head of Services Susanna Nykyri (Tampere University Library)
  • Docent, Development Manager Jessica Parland-von Essen, History (CSC)
  • Head of Services Irma Reijonen (The National Library of Finland)
  • Head of Publications Sami Syrjämäki (Federation of Finnish Learned Societies)
  • Research Director of Digital Economy Noora Talsi (XAMK University of Applied Sciences)
  • Staff scientist Jouni Tuominen, Computer Science (Aalto University)
  • Professor, Director Kimmo Tuominen (The National Library of Finland) –  Deputy Library Director Liisa Savolainen
  • Academy Research Fellow Kaisa Vehkalahti, History (University of Oulu)
  • Senior Science Adviser Risto Vilkko, Strategic Research, Science Policy (Academy of Finland) 
  • Professor Petri Ylikoski, Sociology (University of Helsinki)
  • Information Specialist Tarja Mäkinen (The National Library of Finland)

Other national collaboration

Committee on information services and management

A number of applications are currently used within the environment for digital library services. Several standards are needed for both general use and the library sector to be able to efficiently transfer documents, including their metadata, from one system to another.

The National Library of Finland chairs the committee on information services and management under the Finnish Standards Association, which coordinates Finnish efforts to develop ISO standards in the information services sector and is responsible for having such standards translated into Finnish.

Wiki site of the committee on information services and management (in Finnish)

The Kotoistus service

The Kotoistus service aims to ensure that information systems can be used in Finland in all of the country’s languages.

The service issues instructions and rules on language and culture which companies and other software and service developers can apply. The service is responsible for Finland’s participation in the Unicode Consortium. In addition, it raises awareness about its rules and ensures their correct application. Instructions prepared in the project are also widely applied in library systems.

Website of the Kotoistus service (in Finnish)

KATVE, the National Library working group on networking standards

KATVE, the National Library working group on networking standards, issues instructions for the national application of networking standards.

Wiki site of the KATVE working group (in Finnish)

International cooperation

The National Library is a member of IFLA, the worldwide organization of the libraries.

The National Library of Finland participates actively in the international networks of the library field. We share openly our expertise through the cooperation forums in order to, for example, develop electronic environments.

We participate in many EU projects, recording European culture heritage into a digital format. This way, we, in part, promote the citizens' possibilities to learn more about the world's treasures of culture history. The National Library shares Finnish digitised data with Europeana, the European digital library.

The National Library is a member of four sections of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA). The sections and other IFLA working groups develop standards, data models and formats for the library and publishing sector. The National Library is actively involved in this development, while ensuring the international interoperability of Finnish metadata.

The National Library contributes actively to international open source developer communities and metadata development.

The National Library of Finland works actively together with the following central organisations of library field:

  • Bibliotheca Baltica - Cooperation body of the libraries in the Baltic Countries
  • CDNL - Conference of Directors of National Libraries – Cooperation body of the Directors of world's national libraries
  • CENL -  Conference of European National Librarians – Cooperation body of the Directors of Europe's national libraries
  • CERL - Consortium of European Research Libraries
  • IIPC - International Internet preservation Consortium
  • IFLA - The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions - – Global organisation of the library field
  • LIBER -  Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche – Association of European Research Libraries
  • MinervaEC - Ministerial Network for Valorising
  • NORON - Cooperation body of Directors of Nordic state and national libraries
  • OCLC - Online Computer Library Consortium
  • NNG - Nordic Networking Group on bibliographic and infrastructure topics
  • The European Library - Shared portal of European national libraries