Visitor instructions

Welcome to the Finnish Heritage Agency’s Collections and Conservation Centre!

All materials for study must be requested in advance via the Finnish Heritage Agency’s Permit and Collection Service or Archive Service. If other people will accompany you, please include them when you submit your materials request. If this is your first visit or your previous visit was some time ago, please check the arrival instructions.

Upon arrival

A customer service staff member will open the front door by the start of your reserved time. Be prepared to verify your identity (photo ID, passport, or driver’s license).

You will receive shoe covers for your outdoor shoes, or you may change into your own clean indoor shoes. Outerwear is left on the coat rack and bags in a locker.

There is no cafeteria on the premises. You may bring your own snacks and place them in the fridge in the break room or in the lockers in the lobby. The break room has a microwave for heating food, a water point, and kitchen utensils. Food and drink must not be taken into other areas.

Studying the materials

All areas are monitored by recording CCTV. A staff member will guide you to the space reserved for research use.

Only note-taking tools, such as a phone and a laptop, may be brought into the research rooms. Please respect the working environment: keep your phone silent and avoid loud conversation.

Instructions for handling materials:

• Do not move materials from one room to another or from one table to another in the research room. If your research requires moving materials, tables, or equipment, ask customer service for instructions and assistance if needed.
• Handle materials carefully. Do not place anything on top of them and do not make any marks on them.
• Taking samples without permission is strictly prohibited.
• The use of your own research equipment or reference materials must be agreed separately.
• Maintain the original order of boxed or foldered materials. Avoid unnecessary handling.
• Handle materials only with clean, dry hands.
• Protective gloves must be used according to instructions, for example when studying measured drawings, photographs, and objects. Protective gloves and any other necessary protective equipment will be provided on-site.
• Wash your hands after handling the material as well.

More detailed, material-specific instructions: asiointi.museovirasto.fi/en/instructions

Photography and digitization orders

A photography permission requested via the Material Request form covers photographing note photos for your own use. Publication permission for photos you take yourself must be requested separately in writing through the Permit and Collection Service. Photographing is not allowed without a note-taking photography permission.

If you need a high-quality digital image of materials from the Finnish Heritage Agency, you can place a digitization order via the Permit and Collection Service. Digitization is carried out within the limits permitted by the materials, in accordance with the current terms of order, delivery times, and price list.

Citation guidelines

If you cite materials in a publication, mention, in the same context, the relevant author and/or photographer, as well as the name of the collection and the organization.

Detailed citation guidelines: asiointi.museovirasto.fi/en/citation-guidelines

At the end of your visit

Please note that customer service closes at 4:00 p.m. Please pack your belongings in the research hall and move to the lobby by 3:45 p.m.

The Finnish Heritage Agency is not responsible for property left on its premises. If you received an access badge upon arrival, return it to customer service when leaving.

After your visit, you will receive a feedback request from the Permit and Collection Service. Please give us your feedback!

Thank you for taking care of our shared cultural heritage!