Go to main content

History of the Library


Three names

1872

Library of the Estates established on 3 June

1891

Moved to the House of the Estates, previously in the House of the Nobility and the Bank of Finland

1907

Library of Parliament

1920

State Central Library

1922

Name changed back to Library of Parliament

1931

Moved from the House of the Estates to Parliament House

1948

Act on the Library of Parliament

1978

Moved to Parliament's annex

2001

Part of the Parliamentary Office's Information and Communication Department

Open and international

1872

Exchange of parliamentary documents with its Swedish counterpart

1878

Exchange of parliamentary documents with its Danish counterpart

1908

MP Helenius-Seppälä's petition to expand the Library of Parliament

1913

Public library specializing in law and social and political science

1919

Depository library

1920

Cooperation agreement among Nordic Libraries of Parliament

1949

UN depository library

1962

First State Official Publications list

1974

EEC depository library

1982

Bibliographia Iuridica Fennica published by the library

1991

Senior librarian's post changed to archivist's post

1995

Catalogues on the Internet

2004

Visitor's Centre opened in Parliament's new annex, where library staff provide assistance

2004

Picture Archive in operation

Technology

1968

Telex in use

1971

First computers

1983

Computer-based information searches

1985

Computer cataloging

1985

Catalogues on microfiches

1990

EKI electronic catalogue

1992

VTLS library system, SELMA database

1995

Website

2001

Voyager library system

2002

Mobile phone services

2006

New website extending eServices

135 years, ten directors

1872

Georg Jakob Rosenius

1873

Robert Fredrik Hermanson

1879

Leonard von Pfaler

1884

Nils Bernt Grotenfelt

1907

Axel Herman Bergholm

1951

Elsa Bruun

1957

Henrik Schauman

1980

Eeva-Maija Tammekann

1994

Tuula H. Laaksovirta

2007

Sari Pajula

Staff and collections

Year

Staff

Collections

1922

5

40 000 vol.

1948

10

150 000 vol.

1956

15

239 600 vol.

1979

29

411 000 vol.

1986

41

508 400 vol.

1998

58

613 600 vol.

2000

55

605 273 vol.

2007

52

555 000 vol.

Page contents