Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Danish and Finnish Culture Spotlight
The Cupola Hall and the adjoining reading rooms, designed by Engel in the 1830s, are one of the best-known examples of Empire style architecture in Finland.
The National Library of Finland:
The home of Finnish values, identity and culture Deep underneath Helsinki’s Senaatintori Square, carved into the solid rock, lies the archive of the National Library of Finland. The archive safeguards Finnish cultural heritage by storing printed and audiovisual materials, as well as collecting and preserving documents published on the internet. “The focus is on the future,” says Professor Kai Ekholm, the national librarian. By Anne Koski-Wood | Photos: Marko Oja
When Ekholm started his post as a national librarian at the National Library of Finland 17 years ago, he wanted to achieve a few goals: to renovate the 174-year-old building, digitise the library collections and lower the admission threshold to visit the library. Now, retiring from his post, he has completed 80 | Issue 116 | September 2018
his objectives. During his time, the world has changed and the growing traffic on the internet has created new challenges. One could ask: what is the point of storing printed materials, when a lot of it is available online anyway? Ekholm reminds us that most researchers will almost always want to see the original
pieces. Viewing an original item in real life is always an experience and might give an insight, which could be missed if only doing research on the internet. Ekholm does not see any competition between online archives and built archives. “We need them both.”
A book can change someone’s life “Books have a form of responsibility,” Ekholm states. “That’s why it’s so crucial to write them well!” He is happy that currently, Finland has many young writers who have a lot to say, but wishes authors had more back up both financially and in general.