Library History

The history of the Turku University Library: from a book collection to international research university library 

2023

2022

  • The book Avoin, säilyttävä, uudistuva – Turun yliopiston kirjasto 1921–2021 is published to celebrate the library’s centenary

2020

  • The new library system Alma and the new user interface of the Volter database are introduced

2018

  • Calonia Library is renewed and opened 

2016

  • The Volter library catalogue is renewed to Finna - Nelli portal goes out of use  

2015

  • Turku University Library services on campus reorganised into six libraries  

2014

  • Teutori Library is opened  
  • Quantum Library is renewed and opened   

2013 

  • New library web pages and ReseachGuides sevice are opened. 
  • Newspaper- and ephemeraservices is moved to Raisio

2010 

  • As the Turku School of Economics and the University of Turku merge, the libraries merge as well to form the Turku University Library.
  • The library ceases to be a Special Unit of the University and becomes part of the University Services.
  • Ulla Nygrén starts as the Library Director.

2007 

  • Doria archive for electronic publishing is opened.

2006 

  • The joint ICT Library for three universities in Turku is established.

2005 

  • The Nelli portal is opened. 

2001 

  • The faculty libraries of education and social sciences merge.

2000 

  • The Main Library building is renovated.
  • Tuulikki Nurminen starts as the Library Director.

1997 

  • FinElib cooperation begins. The purpose of the national FinElib consortium is to advance the use of scholarly online material.

1993 

  • The Volter library catalogue is opened for customer use on the internet.

1991 

  • Marja Engman starts as the Library Director.

1989

  • A CD-ROM system is purchased for making article searches.

1987 

  • The library of the School of Translation Studies is merged into the Turku University Library.

1974 

  • Heikki Eskelinen starts as the Library Director. 

1972 

  • The current European Documentation Centre starts as the first European Union Deposit Library in Finland.

1954 

  • The Main Library building at the University Hill, built with donated funds, is completed.

1950 

  • Turun kauppakorkeakoulun kirjasto aloittaa toimintansa.

1943 

  • The first faculty library, the Medical Library, is established.

1941 

  • Eero K. Neuvonen starts as the Library Director.

1921 

  • The Turku University Library is established.
  • Volter Kilpi  is appointed as the Library Director.
  • Kilpi creates the systematics and the cataloguing rules based on his experiences in the libraries of Helsinki and Turku as well as on the models in Central Europe and Sweden.

1919

  • The library becomes a legal deposit library.

1917 

  • At the initiative of the library committee of the Turku Finnish University Society, a book collection is started with the aim of establishing a library.