Boldly towards sustainable change
The National Library of Finland is on the road to developing its services in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. The sustainable development programme ambitiously aims to make the National Library of Finland carbon neutral by 2030.
In accordance with the National Library of Finland’s vision, the principles of sustainable development are reflected in its operations and service development.
Our basic operations support the principles of sustainable development excellently
- The roots of our operations go all the way back to 1640; we have recorded published cultural heritage and made it available for use ever since. This reduces the need for other organisations to store and digitise materials or make materials available.
- Our operations support the best access to materials possible
- We promote open science
- Our digital services are available to everyone, e.g. https://kansalliskirjasto.finna.fi/, https://finna.fi/ and https://digi.kansalliskirjasto.fi/
In the coming years, we will pay special attention to the ecological sustainability of our operations and increasing equality.
One of our challenges includes the evaluation of the ecological effects of digital services. Our industry is at a digital turning point, which has been further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our cultural heritage is increasingly created, recorded, organised and used in digital format. By paying attention to, for example, reducing the carbon footprint of the services we provide for libraries, archives and museums, we can have an effect on the ecological load of the cultural heritage field that acts as our nation’s memory. Digitalisation and making materials available for the public also have a positive ecological impact; for example, by reducing the need to travel to where the materials are located.
The National Library of Finland has a chance to act as a supporter of the sustainability work of the cultural heritage field across sectoral lines: we promote cooperation between different operators, dialogue and bold experimentation when it comes to finding the best solutions.
The Strategy of the National Library of Finland 2021–2030: 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.
Sustainable development programme
(in Finnish) Rohkeasti kestävään muutokseen - Kestävä kehitys Kansalliskirjastossa 2021-2030