• FINNISH LIBRARY ASSOCIATION - SUOMEN KIRJASTOSEURA
• NATION WIDE ORGANISATION
• FINNISH LIBRARY JOURNAL

Runeberginkatu 15 A 23, FI-00100 Helsinki, Finland, tel. 358+44-522 2941 (office), e-mail fla@fla.fi, Internet: http://kirjastoseura.kaapeli.fi

• was established in 1910
• has about 2,000 personal members, most working in public libraries; is a professional body, not a trade union; accepts non-librarians as members
• has a light-weight organisation: Board, elected by the members at the annual meeting; the FLA's office (five staff members working full-time).

The Board can appoint divisions, standing committees and working parties; just now there are working parties on copyright and for children´s library work. There is also a strategic working party looking at the future for libraries, and a standing committee for music libraries.

• has a politician as President, other Board members are librarians; the President from 1.1.2010 is Mr. Jukka Relander.
• has an annual budget of about 600,000 euros (757,596 US Dollar), of which half comes from Kirjastolehti, the monthly library journal; 25% from state and other public aid and 15% from membership fees; the rest consists of occasional incomes
• membership fee 2010 : basic members 45 euros, students 21 euros, retired members 25 euros, institutions 100 euros
• is a member of IFLA and EBLIDA, collaborates in Nordic and Baltic ventures, has more and more international activities

ACTS

• organises campaigns for the libraries, provides decision makers with expert information on the subject
• organises further education courses and several theme days annually, and the nationwide Library Meeting every two years
• runs projects with various partners; for example with the Ministry of Education
• participates actively in topical debates; current discussions concern the role of libraries in the information society, the development of librarianship and information studies education, and the image and status of library work
• arranges study trips to Finnish libraries for foreign scholarship-holders and study tours abroad for members

PUBLISHES

• Kirjastolehti (6 numbers/year, also on Internet, - circulation about 4,500)
• Posters, brochures
• Other publications

SOME FACTS ABOUT FINLAND - PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN FINLAND

• has 5,2 million inhabitants in a sparsely populated country (ca. 16 people/km2)
• capital: Helsinki, ca. 0.57 million inhabitants
• has a co-operative library network: public libraries in every community, which serve also as school libraries, university and other research libraries, a repository library and many special libraries (financed wholly by the state)

LEGISLATION

Finland was the first Nordic country to have a Public Library Act - in 1928, later Acts date from 1961, 1986, 1992 and 1999.

The salient points of this legislation are:

• it is the duty of local authorities to arrange library and information services
• the library is a basic municipal service
• the use and loan of library materials are free of charge for the client

ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE

• Municipal public libraries are financed from tax revenues. Public libraries are run by the local authorities, who also determine the extent of services provided
• Municipalities receive statutory state aid for operating a library. The municipalities decide independently the amount allocated to libraries´operating cost
• Libraries receive 25-50% state aid for the construction of a library and for the purchase of a bookmobile on application. Nearly all main libraries have been constructed with state aid

STATISTICS AND MODERN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Public libraries 2008:

• Main libraries: 384
• Branch libraries: 449
• Book Mobiles: 160
• has high usage of public libraries: 18,92 loans and 10,55 library visits per inhabitant in 2008
• produces public library services effectively: the total public library cost per inhabitant was 53 euros in 2008
• about 97% of the libraries have automated library systems
• 100% of municipal libraries provide access to the Internet, over 50% provide free public access to their catalogues through the Internet

FINNISH INFORMATION SOCIETY - PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND THE INFORMATION SOCIETY STRATEGIES IN FINLAND

Library Strategy 2010: Policy for access to knowledge and culture Library Strategy 2010 presents visions and objectives regarding access to knowledge and culture; it identifies challenges and development needs; it details measures aimed at securing information services for all citizens, and it outlines the roles of local authorities and the state. Finnish Library Development Program 2006–2010. The library is an integrated service center for rural and urban areas. More information about the strategies www.minedu.fi

The national recommendation of one Internet terminal per 1000 inhabitants would mean 3.600 new terminals. At present some 30 % of Finnish municipalities provide Internet services in the recommended extent. Basic values of the information society are: the right and ability to make use of information, to practice citizenship, the right and ability to self-expression and creativity, access to information, data protection, copyright

REGIONAL LIBRARY NETWORK

1. Helsinki City Library is the central library for public libraries. Twenty other city libraries act as Regional Central Libraries, supporting local libraries in their own areas:
2. Espoo City Library
3. Hämeenlinna City Library
4. Joensuu City Library
5. Jyväskylä City Library
6. Kajaani City Library
7. Kokkola City Library
8. Kouvola City Library
9. Kuopio City Library
10. Lahti City Library
11. Lappeenranta City Library
12. Mariehamn City Library
13. Mikkeli City Library
14. Oulu City Library
15. Pori City Library
16. Porvoo City Library
17. Rovaniemi City Library
18. Seinäjoki City Library
19. Tampere City Library
20. Turku City Library
21. Vaasa City Library

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INFORMATION AND ADDRESSES LINKS

Helsinki City Library - National Central Library for public libraries, Address: Rautatieläisenkatu 8, FI-00520 Helsinki, tel. +358-9-310 8511 http://www.lib.hel.fi

Helsinki University Library - The National Library, Address: PL 15, (Unioninkatu 36), FI-00014 Helsinki University, tel. +358-9-1911 http://www.lib.helsinki.fi

Repository Library, Address: Päivärannantie 10, PL 1710, FI-70421 Kuopio, tel. +358-17-264 6000 http://www.nrl.fi

Ministry of Education, Address: Meritullinkatu 1, PL 29, FI-00023 Valtioneuvosto, tel. +358-9-16004 http://www.minedu.fi/minedu/culture/library/public_libraries.html

Information Studies at academic level:

Tampere University, Department of Information Studies, Yliopistonkatu 38, FI-33014 Tampereen yliopisto, tel. +358-3-215 6111 http://www.uta.fi

Oulu University, Department of Information Studies, Linnanmaa, PL 1000, FI-90014 Oulun yliopisto, tel. +358-8-553 1011 http://www.oulu.fi/english/

Åbo Akademi University (Swedish), Department of Information Studies, Tavastgatan 13, FI-20500 Åbo, tel. +358-2-215 4564 http://www.abo.fi

ELECTRONIC INFORMATION ABOUT LIBRARIES IN FINLAND:

Finnish Library Association - Homepage (Front page): http://kirjastoseura.kaapeli.fi

the common front page of Finnish Public Libraries: http://www.kirjastot.fi

Finnish Library Architecture

Mobile libraries in Finland

BOOK 2010 Development trends in the book trade. Available to read and print at: http://www.jyu.fi/nykykulttuuri/Kirja2010/book2010.pdf

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FINNISH LIBRARY ASSOCIATION - FINNISH LIBRARY JOURNAL

Runeberginkatu 15 A 23, FI-00100 Helsinki, Finland, tel. 358+50-494 1726 (office), e-mail fla@fla.fi, Internet: http://kirjastoseura.kaapeli.fi