International activities
1. International Customers in Finnish University Libraries
2. International Libraries and Librarians in Finland
International Organizations
- Nearly all Finnish university libraries are members of an international library organization, most commonly IFLA or LIBER.
- University libraries have representatives in organizations’ positions of trust. In 2011, 47 % of the university libraries had a representative or multiple representatives who work actively as board members, committee members or steering group members etc.
Staff Exchange and Projects
- 59 % of the Finnish
university libraries have Erasmus agreement with another university
library. Between 2009 and 2011 53 % of the university libraries had staff exchange and library members came to or from Finland to share
their expertise. During the recent years, there have been international joint
projects between Finnish and university libraries abroad. A current
example is HEI ICI Project funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of
Finland.
International Conferences
- Over half of Finnish
university libraries are active in organizing international conferences
and seminars together with international partners.
- Finnish university libraries
send their staff to share their expertise in presenting posters and
giving presentations in international conferences.
- Finnish library professionals also publish in international library journals and edited books ; some of these publications have won international awards.
Looking to the Future
- In the future international
co-operation continues to be an important part of Finnish university
libraries’ everyday working life.- In 2011, The Council of
Finnish University Libraries conducted a survey of Finnish university
libraries’ current international activities during 2009-2011. The
Council also created recommendations for international activities for
university libraries.
- University libraries’ mission is to support university internationalization strategies in multiple ways.
