The American-Finnish Collection
The National Collection's American-Finnish Collection covers the years 1876-1977 and contains literature in Finnish, Swedish, and English published by Finns living in the USA or Canada. In the collection there are ca 2,100 books, 550 newspapers and periodicals, serials, and annual publications in addition to ephemera and printed music. The oldest publications are from the 1870ies. From 1978 onwards the American-Finnish publications are placed in the National Collection among the other materials.
The collection contains religious and political literature, and other books on social life, for example about American-Finnish societies and their origins, in addition to original and translated fiction.
The origins of the collection is a collection of Finnish publications from the Michigan area printed between 1881-1885, which was collected by David Castrén, who had moved from Finland to the USA. This collection has later grown through acquisitions and donations. The material is partly catalogued in the database FENNICA and completely catalogued in the National Collection's main card catalogue and the card file of American-Finnish literature. There is a separate list and a database of the microfilmed American-Finnish newspapers.
Literature
- Kotiranta, Kaarina, Amerikansuomalaisen kirjallisuuden yhteisluettelo. Samkatalog över finskamerikansk litteratur. Union catalogue of American-Finnish literature. Hki 1970. - Helsingin yliopiston kirjaston monistesarja 3.
- Mäkelä-Henriksson, Eeva, Amerikansuomalainen kokoelma. - Helsingin yliopiston kirjaston tiedotuslehti 1976, s. 116-120.
- Vallinkoski, Jorma, Helsingin yliopiston kirjasto amerikansuomalaisen kirjallisuuden kerääjänä.- Suomen silta 1952, s. 84-86.
Information kk-palvelu(at)helsinki.fi
