The document summarizes the creation of a new centralized library and information services within the Finnish government. Key points: - Previously, each ministry had its own small library services which were consolidated into a single unit under the Prime Minister's Office in 2015. - Over 450 staff from ministry libraries were transferred to form the new Information Support and Publication Unit, which manages collections, databases, and provides research support. - The consolidation aims to provide equal access to resources for all government staff and allow specialization of roles. It also reduces overlaps and enables more efficient contracting and use of space. - Transition involves merging collections from various ministry libraries into three main library locations over several years, along with transferring staff and operations

1. Creating of new library and
information services within
the Finnish Government
May 21, 2015 I Mrs. Elina Kähö
Jornada de Biblioteques Especialitzades de la Generalitat
(BEG)
Bon dia. Moltes gràcies per l’oportunitat d’adreçar-me a
vosaltres i per la vostra atenció

2. Prime Minister Office
Administrative Department
Information Support and Publication Unit
Mrs. Elina Kähö
Information Specialist
Team Lead - Information Service Solutions

3. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
The Finnish Government
• The current Finnish Government
comprises 12 ministries.
• Ministries prepare issues to be decided
by the government
• The Prime Minister’s Office
• is responsible for monitoring the
implementation of the Government’s political
programme.
• assists the Prime Minister in the general
management of Government functions.
3
Kesäranta is the official residence of the Prime
Minister of Finland.
• coordinates EU policy and handles issues related to the development of the EU.
• is also responsible for the state ownership policy and manages the ownership steering of state-
owned companies under its authority
• ensures that the activities of the Prime Minister and Government flow smoothly in all
circumstances.

4. 4
Number of staff in 2014
Prime Minister's Office 294
Ministry of Defence 146
Ministry of Employment and the Economy 549
Ministry of Finance 400
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 543
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry 285
Ministry of Transport and Communications 167
Ministry of the Interior 262
Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1549
Ministry of Education and Culture 298
Ministry of Justice 259
Ministry of Environment 287
5039
While Government Administrative Department was established in
March 1, 2015, some 300 people were transferred from the
ministeries to Prime Minister’s Office and 150 were re-located within
PMO (no effect on the headcount)

5. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
• Government libraries have delivered internal service for
the public officers of ministeries in many years. Only the
library of Foreign Affairs is open for public
• Libraries are mostly responsible for purchasing external
information (journals, books, articles, databases)
• In 2012 there were 12 ministries of which have 10 library
services and collection
• Ministry of Finance and Prime Minister’s Office have
delivered joined library service for 10 years
• The common library and catalogue system was found in
2004 and is shared by 8 ministeries
• Libraries have co-operated in development of common
services like tailor-made information search and
research program for the preparation of legislative
proposals
• Library personel has participated also in record
management, official publication functions and internal
communications
Some background about library services
within Finnish ministeries
5

6. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
2011
• The Central Administration Reform project
2012
• Pre-study of library service
2014
• Government Administrative Department project
2015
• The Government Administrative Department was
established as of March 1, 2015
Timeline
6

7. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
2011
• The Central Administration Reform project
7
The Central Administration Reform –project was launced as a part of Programme of Prime Minister Jyrki
Katainen’s Government
There was general opinion with govenrment and ministeries that the administration functions required
shaping up to meet several new requirements
• to strengten the implementation and social effectiveness of the Government strategic insight
• redefining the principles of the policy on steering and policy-making from the perspective of the
steering system as a whole
• to simplify the entire system of steering
• visualizing cleary the core processes of the Government

8. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
2011
• The Central Administration Reform –project
2012
• Pre-study of library service
2014
• Government Administrative Department project
2015
• The Government Administrative Department was
established as of March 1, 2015
Timeline
8

9. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi9
• In 2012 the network of ministries’ information services set up a pre-study group to
evaluate opportunities concersing the consolidation of library and information services
• The main objectives for the study
• The benefits and risks of re-organizing
• The centralized model and its’ operation
• The role of Parliament Library of Finland
• The library collection policy
2012
• Pre-study of library service

10. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
• The risks and deficiencies
• How single common library service could fulfill all the information
needs at all the ministries ?
• Users won’t find the library service
• Decreasing substance knowledge
• Professional profile shrinkage
• Lack of time and resources on creation of new library service
consept
• How to ensure efficient cross-ministry collaboration after
personell transfers ?
10
2012
• Pre-study of library service

11. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
• The opportunities and strengths
• Common library service will deliver equal service for all the public
officers of all the ministeries
• Possibilities of rearrengement and specialization in human resources
• Replacement arrengement
• Fragmentary of professional roles will decrease
• Effective use of premises (merging of collections)
• Reduction of overlaps
• Single contract negotiation process (instead of every ministery having
their own)
• Enabling utilization of library services in the key government process:
legislative process, economic policy process, development programs,
etc.
11
2012
• Pre-study of library service

12. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
2011
• The Central Administration Reform project
2012
• Pre-study of library service
2014
• Government Administrative Department project
2015
• The Government Administrative Department was
established as of March 1, 2015
Timeline
12

13. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
• In December 2013, the Prime Minister’s Office launched a project to prepare the establishment
of a central Government Administrative Department to assemble the administrative and service
functions of the Government and ministries in a single unit as of 1 March 2015.
• The new department will direct, coordinate and develop the administration, internal functions,
financial planning and procedures; provide common services (library services); and develop
the organisational culture within the central government.
• The Government Administrative Department represents a step towards a more coherent and
coordinated Government.
• some 450 people were transferred from ministeries to Prime Minister’s Office
13
2014
• Government Administrative Department -project

14. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
2011
• The Central Administration Reform –project
2012
• Pre-study of library service
2014
• Government Administrative Department project
2015
• The Government Administrative Department was
established as of March 1, 2015
Timeline
14

15. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi15

16. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
Government Administration Department
16
Government Administration Department Amount of people
Management of Government Administerion Department 3
Development Services 3
Information management and ICT division 139
Premises and security division 179
HR and finance division 34
Internal communications and information support division 31
Translation and language unit 70
459

17. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
• The library and information services of ministries were brought under a single unit at the PMO.
• Until now, library services have been provided by a varying number of staff from a maximum of three
full-time employees to a situation where these duties were discharged on a part-time basis.
• Information Support and Publication Unit consists of 24 personnel and the unit manager (Mrs. Outi
Örn)
• 14 persons are working with library and information services (Information Support Unit). There will be three
teams: a) collection team b) information service solutions c) information support team
• 10 persons are working with government official publications (Publication Unit)
17
Information Support and Publication Unit

18. Collections
Premises, books,
journals, databases
18

19. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi19
The shelf-meters for year 2015 are estimations due to premises transfer
Measured as shelf‐meters
April, 2015
Books Journals
Ministry of Education and culture Libary 90 0
Meritulli Libary 400 25
Merikasarmi Library 550 15
Government Palace Library 250 5
1290 45
Measured as shelf‐meters
2014
Books Journals
Ministry of Education and culture 95 0
Mininstry of Intern 75 18
Ministry of Employment and the Economy 80 18
Ministry of Justice 220 40
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry 10 0
Ministy of Finance and Prime Minister's Office 300 15
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 158 24
Ministry of Foreign Affairs 716 13
1654 128

20. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi20
Premises in 2015 - 2018
2) MERITULLI LIBRARY
Following ministries will move their library
collection into the Meritulli Library (premises of
the Ministry Social Affairs and Health)
• Agriculture and Forestry 3/2015
• Employment and the Economy 4/2015
• Education and culture 10/2015
• MoF and PMO (Government Palace Library )
12/2015
Employees: 2
Access: employees of Government
3) MERIKASARMI LIBRARY
Following ministries will move their library
collection into the Merikasarmi Library
(premises of the Ministry Foreign Affairs)
• Ministry of Intern 3/2015
• Ministry of Justice 5/2015
Employees: 3
Access: employees of Government
1) ARPPEANUM will be in use in 10/2015
Customer service, possibility to read daily newspapers and journals.
Empolyees: 9
Location: next to Government Palace
Access: employees of Government

21. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
21
Meritulli Library
Arppeanum
Merikasarmi
Library
Meripaja
Information and
Library Service
Govenment
Palace
Information and
Library Service
The collection will be
tranferred in 2018
The collection will be
tranferred in 2019-2020
Personel and duties will
be transferred in 2018-
2020
Premises in 2018 -

22. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
Purchasing models:
1. Prime Minister’s Office negotiates
the contracts of electronic material
for all the ministries.
• Applied to: dictionaries, statistics,
newspapers, databases, standards,
legal databases, news services,
country reports.
2. Ministries acquire databases for
the their own use
• OECDiLibrary, legal databases,
dictionaries, news services
Databases and e-materials
22
As of March 1, 2015, these contracts are resposibility of
Information Support Unit at the PMO.

23. Resources
23

24. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Loans from own
collection
Inter-loans from other
libraries' collections
Book loaning trend
24

25. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi25
Amount of personnel transferred from ministries into the new
Information Support Unit at PMO
Prime Minister's Office 1
Ministry of Defence 0
Ministry of Employment and the Economy 3
Ministry of Finance 1
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 1
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry 0
Ministry of Transport and Communications 0
Ministry of the Interior 3
Ministry of Foreign Affairs 3
Ministry of Education and Culture 1
Ministry of Justice 1
Ministry of Environment 0
14
Material 2013 Budget in euros
Journals 621 000
Books 235 000
E‐material purchased by ministry / ministries 280 000
E‐ material for all the ministries purchased by PMO 290 000
1 426 000

26. Key process of library
and information services
26

27. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi27
The book purchasing process
1
1 2 3 4 5
2
3
4
5
Purchase is based on the information needs of the public officers of ministries
Order is made by a book subscription agent. We are using two different book
subscription agent; one for international books and one for domestic books
When item has arrived to library, it will be catalogued into to library system
and will be loaned to customer.
Book is returned after use (loan-time is flexible) to the library or when other
asked for it
The collection is evaluated regularly so that the collection aims to be relevant

28. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi28
The journal purchasing process
1
1 2 3 4 5
2
3
4
5
All the journal purchases are made by subscription agent. For the next four
years it will be LM Information Service Ltd.
There are approximately 400 subscriptions to be handled. Most of the orders
are annually based to begin from January.
The subscriptions are evaluated on August - September for the following
year; whether the order will be terminated or renewed
Most of the orders are print. Some 100 orders are available online only
If there is a new need for journal subscription, it will be evaluated as a part of
budget process

29. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi29
Tailor-made information search process
1
1 2 3 4 5
2
3
4
5
An information support need is acknowledged in legislative process
Library service is contacted with description of users’ information need. Tailor-
made information search is set up for the preparation process
Library service provides required information and offers and support contact
point throughout the preparation process.
Tailor-made information search aims to support core processes of
Government, but also in daily-bases information needs. Subtance knowledge
of information specialist will be emphasized
Tailor-made information search also aims to support on forecasting and
impact analyzing of law

30. Towards new library service
concept
30

31. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
• Rearrangement of human
resources
• Budget planning
• Common purchasing model
• Collection policy
• Merging the collections
• New negotiations of the
contracts
• Plans for multiple search portal
for electronic materials
• Definitons of information needs
What we are doing now ?
31
Creation of new library service consept
within the Finnish Government

32. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi32
Some principles for new Government library
service
Information
Support Unit
will handle all
the book and
journal orders
Loan time of
materials is
flexible
Purchase is
based on the
suggestion of
the public
officers of
ministries
In coming two
years, the
circulation of
printed
journals will be
terminated
The library
service is
Government’s
inner service ,
so it is partly
based on self-
service
Increase of the
use of e-
materials
The collections
of other
libraries is also
preferred
Increase of
education and
marketing
services

33. I Prime Minister's Office I vnk.fi
• Consolidation work was started over 10
years ago with the common library
system and with the joint library service
within MoF and PMO.
• Budget planning and re-allocation
required careful consideration.
Ministries rightfully expect at least the
same level of service in return for
transferred resources
• Libary service development will focus
on how the library service would
support public officers of ministeries on
a efficient use of external information
with co-operation of specific libraries
• Also how library service will respond
promtly to users with tight deadlines of
prepartion process on legislative work
Conclusion
33

34. Moltes gràcies!
Contact information
• elina.kaho (a) vnk.fi
• www.vn.fi/en