Services
Borrowing, returns, reservations and other services at The Finnish Heritage Agency Library.
Visiting the library
The Finnish Hertitage Agency Library is a self-service library. The self-service library can be accessed independently Tuesday to Friday, 9am–4pm. The Customer Service staff is present Tuesday to Thursday, 10am–4pm. If you need a Helka library card, an e-book account, or guidance on how to use the self-service library, please visit the library during Customer Service hours. A Helka library card can be granted to a person over the age of 15 who has a Finnish ID document and a street address in Finland. Reading room loans are delivered to customers only during Customer Service hours. Some of the materials are kept in storage. You can retrieve materials yourself during self-service hours by reserving it in advance through Helka. You can also book a time for personal information service.
Borrowing, returns and reservations
The library has a self-service machine for borrowing and returning materials. The loan time is 28 days for books and 14 days for magazines. There is a returns box outside of the building, under the main stairwell.
If a book that you are looking for is currently loaned out, or located in closed stacks, you can place a reservation for it. Books that you reserve through Helka will be placed in a self-service book trolley. You will receive an email notification when the item you have received is ready for collection. On the notification you will find a request ID.
Collect your reservation as a self-service from the reservation pick-ups book trolley, where you will find it under your request ID. you can borrow reserved books only with the card used for the reservation. In addition to your Helka-card you also need a PIN-code in order to use the library's self-service machine.
E-books
The library has a collection of e-books on the museum sector. Borrowing them requires you to register a customer account at The Finnish Heritage Agency Library, have a valid Helka card, and log into the e-book loaning system at The Finnish Heitage Agency Library when using the service for the first time. After creating an account, you can log into the service anywhere. The loan period for e-books is two weeks.
Interlibrary loans
The library supplies interlibrary loans from its own collections to local libraries outside the Helsinki metropolitan area. Interlibrary loans are only supplied to other libraries and they are usually subject to a fee. The library requests interlibrary loans only for the employees of The Finnish Heritage Agency.
Copying
Photocopying and scanning are subject to a fee. There is a photocopier at the Customer Service desk that you can use to copy or scan materials during Customer Service hours. Publications can be digitally photographed for personal use. The use of such photographs is subject to copyright legislation.
Premises
The library facilities are located in a building renovated for The Finnish Heritage Agency at Sturenkatu 2a, Helsinki, next to the Kultturitalo building designed by Alvar Aalto. The former building of the Helsinki College of Home Economics at Sturenkatu 2a was originally completed in 1956 It was designed by architects Erik and Elma Lindroos. The building itself is protected by the Decree on the Protection of State-owned Buildings. The facilities housing the library’s open collections include a number of peaceful reading areas. You can use your own laptop in the library’s customer areas. The Customer Service floor has a wireless MV-GUEST network. You can check the login details at the lobby when registering for a guest pass.