The Finnish nationwide e-library opens and will change the e-library services of Helmet Library
The E-library will open on 29 April 2024. The service is provided by the National Library of Finland in cooperation with public libraries. In future, the Finnish nationwide e-library provides you with access to e-books, audiobooks and digital newspapers and magazines via a single application.
The Finnish nationwide e-library (external link, opens in a new window)became accessible to the residents of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area as well on 29 April 2024. The new e-library will change the e-library services of Helmet Library in 2024.
In future, the Finnish nationwide e-library provides you with access to e-books, audiobooks and digital newspapers and magazines via a single application. More material will be added as Finnish publishing companies enter into cooperation with the e-library. At the moment, you can read and listen in Finnish and Swedish. English and other languages will be added by the beginning of July at the latest.
The new e-library will initially operate as a mobile application only. Download the free E-library application from your app store:
You do not need a library card to borrow material from the the e-library, as users sign in to the service using strong identification, such as online banking credentials. During the identification process, the service also checks whether your municipality of residence is covered by the service. In other words, simply being a customer of Helmet Library does not guarantee access to the Finnish nationwide e-library.
What will change in Helmet Library?
- The Ellibs service will stop taking reservations on 29 April. The service will remain accessible over the summer.
- The OverDrive/Libby service will stop taking reservations on 1 July. OverDrive will remain accessible until the end of 2024. The service will also have some new material added to it in 2024.
- The ePress magazine service will close on 1 July.
About E-library
The Finnish nationwide e-library is provided by the National Library of Finland in collaboration with public libraries. So far the service has been joined by just over 200 municipalities, as a result of which the e-library can be accessed by 85% of Finnish people. More municipalities will be joining the service in 2025.