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 US 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 1870s. From 1978 onwards American-Finnish publications have been placed in the National Collection among the other materials.
The collection contains religious and political literature as well as other books on social life, for example, about American-Finnish societies and their origins, in addition to original and translated fiction.
The origin 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 US. This collection later grew through acquisitions and donations. The material is partly catalogued in the FENNICA database 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
