H E L S I N K I U N I V E R S I T Y L I B R A R Y []B U L L E T I N 2 0 0 5 The National Library – providing new services for the information society Re-thinking metadata: resource description in portals and digital object management systems The national memory is endangered 1 H e l s i n k i U n i v e r s i t y L i b r a r y B u l l e t i n 2 0 0 5 3 Managing the change Kai Ekholm 4The National Library – providing new services for the information society Kristiina Hormia-Poutanen 9 Re-thinking metadata: resource description in portals and digital object management systems Juha Hakala 13 The national memory is endangered Majlis Bremer-Laamanen 16 Conserving the cultural heritage as a mission Inkeri Salonharju 19 Treasures in the National Library Esko Rahikainen 25 Palimpsests – The hidden texts of Europe’s cultural tradition Mika Hakkarainen CONTENTS 27 My National Library Kirsti Simonsuuri 29 FRBR in management and cataloguing of WEB resources Vuokko Palonen & Eeva Murtomaa 32 Antti Aarne – A global classic of folklorists Satu Apo 37 In Brief From philosophy to fairytales, comic strips and theater The Finnish ISBN Agency’s significance in the international ISBN network The Finnish ISSN Centre and the international ISSN network Gunnar Nordström, Einstein and relativity An online artwork about the artist couple Toivo and Alma Kuula 42 Highlights Remarkable and rare books The latest manuscript donations The 5th Jakov Grot award to the Slavonic Library Literary Deed of the Year President Urho Kekkonen’s works on website 46 Cooperation projects 48 Facts and Statistics 2004 49 New publications and products from the Helsinki University Library 50 IFLA Satellite Meetings in Finland, Järvenpää 11-12 August 2005 2 HELSINKI UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BULLETIN 2005 [ KAI EKHOLM ] Managing change – The Finnish vision his year we all gathered at the IFLA conference in Oslo to share our experiences and knowledge. In Finland we are always happy to host international visitors interested in learning about the Finnish library system and experiencing our scenic landscapes. There were two satellite meetings Bibliotheca Universalis – How to Organize Chaos and The Physical Library and Beyond – Library as Place Tand the Library in Cyberspace, both of which provided excellent insight related to the issues affecting us. Libraries will never be the same; they find themselves caught up in the turbulent environment of an information market constantly searching for new and more efficient ways to manage its business. Every- thing from copyrights, standards and Google technology to the price of portal development seems to have a dramatic impact on everything we plan and implement. The Finnish National Library has chosen an active way to manage this change. We are the first non- US member of NISO attempting to provide a more European perspective to our common standards. On the technical side we prefer to speak of the value chain of digital content (the digitizing and purchasing of more than 20,000 electronic magazines), delivery (the “Triangle”), archiving and long-term preservation. Additional information about these issues is found in the following articles. As the Director General I see this as a three- tiered cake: technology – service – policy. They all have to fit to make a workable combination. The Helsinki University library has been one of the few European national libraries playing the dual role of national library and university library. Now this role is shifting towards the con- cept of a more independent service unit. We will officially be known as the Finnish National Library while remaining as a special institute for the University of Helsinki. The most substantial changes will affect our service policy; we will be expanding the scope of our services from university libraries to include the entire library network, adding polytechnic libraries, special libraries and public libraries to our permanent custom and partnership. These issues will be covered in the following articles and we will be happy to provide you with additional information if necessary. With its historical geographical position between the East and West, the Finnish National Library boasts interesting collections from the Swedish Era and the Russian Era (1809–1917). The materials in some of these collections are extremely rare. For example A.E. Nordenskiöld, the founder of the Northeast Passage, was also a renowned map and book collector. We have his invaluable collection that includes 128 incunabula and 49 Ptolemy atlases. Our Slavonic department is a globally respected resource, a real heaven for international researchers who typically come from the USA or even Japan. Our historical cupola hall, a neoclassic masterpiece designed by C.L. Engel, usually leaves every visitor breathless. Now we have organized a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition of the library’s Finnish treasures, sim- ply called The Treasures. We hope you enjoy it. Once again, we are pleased to share our Finnish vision and best practices with you. Please do not hesitate to contact us. Kai Ekholm, Professor, Director General [email protected] Managing change – The Finnish vision 3 [ KRISTIINA HORMIA-POUTANEN ] The National Library – providing new services for the information society PHOTO: EERO ROINE. The services provided by the National Library for the library network and the information society as a whole are being developed in two parallel processes. The role of the National Library will be expanded from being a service center for university libraries only to being a service center for polytechnic libraries, public libraries and special libraries as well. At the same time, the service concept and the digital library services themselves are being developed in cooperation with the library network. The different library sectors have organized the management of each sector to better meet the needs of the changing working environment. The National Electronic Library FinELib acquires reference, whole-text databases and e-books for universities’ and libraries’ use, as well as electronic magazines whose number has already exceeded 20,000. The annual FinELib Day at the University of Helsinki’s small auditorium 10 May 2005. 4 HELSINKI UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BULLETIN 2005 The library network – cooperating within and FinELib consortium. All four library sectors are members across library sectors of the FinELib consortium. These two consortia, Linnea The tradition of cooperation among libraries has been an and FinELib, have been formed to develop certain digital important factor in the development of library services library services. The third consortium, AMKIT, has been in Finland; the university libraries in particular have a long formed to promote all issues related to the development history of cooperation. One very concrete expression of of polytechnic libraries. this cooperation is the shared library system; all Finnish By international standards, the organization of the university libraries have been using the same library sys- Finnish library network is exceptional. Each library sec- tem since the 1990s. The first integrated library system tor can handle questions related to the entire sector and was called VTLS, but today all university libraries and the councils’ management groups are authorized to rep- polytechnic libraries use the Voyager system. resent the entire sector in negotiations. There is a grow- The development of national services for libraries by ing need for cross-sectoral cooperation and the exchange the National Library – such as the coordination of the of expertise between different sectors. shared library system, the national portal, or national li- censing – has increased the need to develop the coordi- nation and management of each library sector. For both The National Library of Finland’s expanding role the libraries and the National Library it is essential that The Helsinki University Library, the National Library of negotiations concerning national services be organized Finland, plays a dual role in the library network. It is part in a timesaving and practical way to avoid repetitive indi- of the University of Helsinki and provides services for vidual negotiations. the university, but it also functions as a service and devel- University libraries have been organizing inter-library opment center for all Finnish university libraries. As the cooperation in the network for ten years. The Council of National Library of Finland, its most important task is to University Libraries, formed in 1996, is a cooperative body collect and preserve the national published heritage for whose aim is to promote common activities and super- future generations. Most of its financing, about 80%, comes vise libraries’ interests. The Council monitors develop- directly from the Ministry of Education, while the re- ments within the library sector, creates new initiatives, maining 20% comes from the University. improves cooperation between libraries, as well as among During the current planning period, 2004-2006, the libraries and third parties. The university library network Library has been charged with the task of taking on a has also produced a joint strategy. wider range of duties and responsibilities than previously. Cooperation within the polytechnic and research The role of the National Library in the provision of na- institute libraries, as well as the public libraries, has been tional information content and the development of the organized more recently and can be seen as a response to library network will increase significantly as will its over- the demands of the changing working environment. The all impact on society as a whole. The clientele of the Li- forums coordinating activities within the university, spe- brary will be expanded to cover polytechnic libraries, cial library and public library sectors are called councils, public libraries, special libraries and university libraries. while the polytechnic libraries have formed the AMKIT To be able to expand the role of the National Library consortium.