Support the preservation of our cultural heritage

Our cultural heritage is our shared property, and we all carry the responsibility for its preservation.

Index

Support the preservation of cultural heritage

The goal of the National Library’s Cultural Heritage Fund is to provide funding to support the digitisation, conservation, research, publication and promotion of the Finnish cultural heritage.

The National Library has the largest collections of written cultural heritage in Finland: approximately 125 shelf kilometres of Finnish books, periodicals, maps, manuscripts and sheet music, scientific literature from outside Finland, and valuable special collections, two of which have been entered into UNESCO’s Memory of the World register.

Digitisation makes rare resources quickly and easily accessible for the public, and enables the extensive and comprehensive datasets required for data mining and AI development. Digitisation is an expensive process however, and the work proceeds slowly due to limited resources and the large quantity of material. Digitised materials in the National Library’s collections are available on the web at digi.kansalliskirjasto.fi and doria.fi.

Examples of projects enabled by funding from the Cultural Heritage Fund

In 2022, the Cultural Heritage Fund used donated funding to support the digitisation of the oldest section of the National Library’s collection, the collection from the period of Swedish rule; the digitisation of the Ptolemy’s Atlases which are in the UNESCO Memory of the World register; and the Jean Sibelius Works research and editing project. The fund also promoted the preparation work for digitisation of the sheet music collection.

The conservation of the older valuable collections receives funding annually.

Administrative committee of the National Library’s Cultural Heritage Fund

Composition of the administrative committee of the Cultural Heritage Fund 2023–2024 (2026): 

Chief Financial Officer Marjo Berglund                
Professor Emeritus Marcus Castren                
Liaison Manager Pirjo Karppinen, secretary and representative        
Professor Emeritus Markku Löytönen, chair        
Professor Samu Niskanen                
Professor Jussi Pakkasvirta                
Assistant Director Liisa Savolainen                
National Librarian Kimmo Tuominen                
Liaison Manager Iiris Virtasalo                

Johanna Lilja, Director of Services at the National Library’s Research Library, attends the meetings for matters falling within the remit of the Research Library.

Donating to the National Library’s Cultural Heritage Fund

By donating money to the National Library’s Cultural Heritage Fund, you are supporting the preservation, digitisation, conservation, research and publication as well as the online accessibility of our national cultural heritage. The National Library’s Cultural Heritage Fund is part of the University of Helsinki Funds. 

You can make your donation 

1) to the National Library’s Cultural Heritage Fund,
2) as an
anniversary donation,
3) as a 
bequest,
4) on a
monthly basis

Annual donations of €850 or more are tax deductible for private individuals and organisations. Read more about the tax deductibility of donations.

Make an online donation

1) Go to the online donation page of the University of Helsinki Funds.
2) Select “Libraries and museums” under “Other campaigns and funds”.
3) Select the Cultural Heritage Fund of the National Library of Finland.
4) Choose your sum and make it a single or recurring donation. Add to your donation basket and proceed to payment.
5) Enter your contact details and message.
6) Finally check out and pay your donation.

Donate via online banking

Make a donation to the account of the University of Helsinki Funds. The University of Helsinki Funds manages the donated funds and directs the money to the donor’s intended campaign or fund.

Account number: Nordea: IBAN = FI15 1660 3001 0767 70, BIC = NDEAFIHH 
Recipient: University of Helsinki Funds
Message: The Cultural Heritage Fund of the National Library of Finland, the donor’s name and contact details, and a note of how the donation should be allocated, if desired.

We ask that you complete a deed of donation for tax deductible donations of €850 or more. Complete the deed of donation online or on paper and submit it to [email protected] or Donor relations, PO Box 53, 00014 University of Helsinki. The data protection statement for donor information is available here.

Become a monthly donor

Authorise your online bank to make a monthly recurring payment to the account of the University of Helsinki Funds: Nordea: IBAN FI15 1660 3001 0767 70, BIC= NDEAFIHH. The message field should state: The Cultural Heritage Fund of the National Library of Finland, the donor’s name and contact details, and a note of how the donation should be allocated, if desired.  

Collection permit

The University of Helsinki has a collection permit granted by the National Police Board on 18 June 2020 RA/2020/737, which is valid throughout the country except for the Åland Islands. The collected funds are used for the duties intended in section 2 of the Universities Act (558/2009).

We thank you for your interest in our cultural heritage!

Named funds of the National Library’s Cultural Heritage Fund

A fund bearing the name of the donor is an excellent way of supporting the work the National Library does for our cultural heritage. A named fund may be established with a donation of €2,000 or more, and the donor may provide detailed instructions for how they would like their donation to be allocated. Smaller donations are also very important and support the goals of the Cultural Heritage Fund. A named fund may also be established for a company or organisation. Read more about establishing a named fund.

The University manages the assets of the fund economically and profitably. The Administrative Committee of the National Library's Cultural Heritage Fund ensures that donated funds are allocated appropriately. The donated funds are used in full to carry out various projects, and the name of the donor will be remembered in conjunction with a good cause for centuries.

Read more about our named funds in Finnish:

The Ari Aalto Fund
The Anu Karessuo Fund
The Vesa Kautto Fund
The Pirjo Kukkonen Fund (also in English)
The Toni Malminen Fund
Martat – The Martha Fund
The Eero Niinikoski Fund
The Liisa Santala Fund
The Päivi Setälä Fund

The Sibelius Fund
The Kari Suokko Fund
The Ilkka and Ulla Paatero Fund

Donors to the National Library’s Cultural Heritage Fund

Donors, supporters and friends have always been an important part of our work. We are deeply grateful to all donors for their support of our work for the benefit of the national cultural heritage.

Jari Peltonen ja Rita-Birgit Peltonen 

​Jari and Rita-Birgit Peltonen are a good example of long-term funders of the National Library. For several years, Doctor of Medicine and orthopaedic surgeon Jari Pelkonen and Rita-Birgit Kuusakoski-Peltonen have made regular donations to the Cultural Heritage Fund of the National Library.

Pirjo Karppinen, Jari Peltonen, Rita-Birgit Kuusakoski-Peltonen ja Kaarle Hämeri
  • The National Library is such an inspiring place, says Jari Peltonen, who has been very familiar with the building since his student days in the 1970s. When we brought our international guests for a guided tour of the National Library, they were also deeply impressed by Engel’s architecture and the library's unique collections, explain Rita-Birgit Kuusakoski-Peltonen and Jari Peltonen.
  • We must emphasise the importance of books and reading, and we should be reading to our children. The Finnish language is so rich, and reading helps with developing literacy and vocabulary. Peltonen underlines the role of parents and teachers in encouraging children to read and study.
  • Digitising books is important so that these fascinating resources can be made widely available for students, researchers and the general public. If we do not know what came before, we cannot see what is truly new about new research, Jari Peltonen states.

The Jean Sibelius Works project

Esko Häkli ja Timo Virtanen

In 1982, the estate of Jean Sibelius donated the composer’s personal music archive to the National Library. In the extensive research project under the University of Helsinki, the collected works of Jean Sibelius are being published as comprehensively researched and revised editions. After decades, the full oeuvre of the composer is being made available to musicians and researchers.

Read more about Jean Sibelius Works.

You can support this extensive project by making a donation to the National Library’s Cultural Heritage Fund on the University of Helsinki’s donation page and by indicating that your donation should be allocated to the Sibelius Fund.

Patrons of the National Library

Jari Tervo, Anna Kortelainen, Raili Koroma, Johannes Koroma

The patronage programme of the National Library helps the National Library remain in interaction with the general public. Our patrons encourage us to investigate new forms of working in a social setting, and support the work of the National Library with their networks and prestige. The roles of patrons are tailored to suit the individual patron so that the cooperation is educational and inspiring for both parties.

The National Library has had the great pleasure and honour to welcome many significant Finns as patrons of the National Library.

Patrons 2018–2023

  • Consul General, columnist, influencer Johannes Koroma, and food writer and culinary culture advocate Raili Koroma
  • Author, columnist and panelist Jari Tervo
  • Researcher, art historian and non-fiction author Anna Kortelainen, PhD

Patrons 2014–2018

  • Sinikka Salo, member of the board of the Bank of Finland 
  • Professor Mikko Viitasalo *
  • Author, publisher Kai Linnilä

Patrons 2008–2014

  • Counsellor of State Riitta Uosukainen 
  • Professor Matti Klinge 
  • CEO Ilkka Paatero

* Read Mikko Viitasalo’s interview on his time as a patron of the National Library in the Kansalliskirjasto magazine (in Finnish, page 4). 

Material donations

Manuscripts as well as books published during or before the 18th century are welcome as donations. We are also happy to receive sound recordings, maps and sheet music which have not yet been included in the collections of the National Library. The National Library can preserve such valuable resources permanently, offer them for research use and promote awareness of them. If you are considering donating material, please contact the National Library staff via email at [email protected] or phone +358 2941 23196.

List of resources missing from the collections of the National Library