Self-Service Library

The library’s customer service staff are not present during self-service hours. At the self-service library, you can borrow and return material, use the library terminals, work and study. You also have access to the University of Helsinki wireless network. User instructions for the devices and facilities are provided on the premises and on the library website.
Self-study areas and equipment

All library locations provide plenty of reading and working space for all customers. In the library, you will find spaces for working both while seated and standing up. In addition to the traditional reading spaces equipped with only a desk and a chair, the library provides a variety of spaces with armchairs and couches for a more relaxed reading position.

Reading and working areas are marked with orange signs.

Please note that some of the reading spaces are intended to be used exclusively by University of Helsinki students, researchers and staff. These spaces are marked with signs.

Silent areas in the library facilities are marked with red and they are reserved for quiet work. The workspaces in the silent areas are mostly equipped only with a desk and a chair.

Please note that some of the silent reading spaces are intended to be used exclusively by University of Helsinki students, researchers and staff. These spaces are marked with signs.

Use of laptops is allowed in the silent areas.

The group study rooms in the library are mainly reserved for group work. If you have made individual arrangements with the library, you can book a room for 2 hours per day for independent work. Rooms cannot be booked for public events or for teaching purposes. Reservations for group study rooms are made independently via the University's personal Office365 calendar.

You can book a room for up to 2 hours per day. Longer bookings will be cancelled without notice. Reservations will expire half an hour after the start of the reservation period if none of the group members has arrived. Unreserved group study rooms may be used by all library customers, but the person who has made the reservation always has priority.

Please keep the group study room door closed and the facilities tidy.

An accessible work room (6042) is available on the sixth floor of Kaisa House.

  • The work room is primarily intended for customers who use wheelchairs and for customers who wish to work while standing.
  • The room has reading and study space for one to four people and two easily adjustable electric desks.
  • The room cannot be booked.

In addition, on the second floor of the library there are several height-adjustable desks. Some of the desks are equipped with either a fixed computer or a docking screen.

The library has designated call areas and phone booths which are meant for making calls.

Do not take up a call area as a personal reading or study space, since there are a limited number of call areas.

If a call area is not available or you cannot find one, please make your call somewhere to the side, so you do not disturb others.

It is allowed to participate in remote lectures in the Kaisa House's call areas. 

Some of the desks in the library’s general working areas are fitted with computers. In addition, the library locations also have dedicated computer rooms. Similarly to the reading areas, computer desks and rooms are marked as the orange zone. Especially Learning Centre Aleksandria has a large number of computers.

All computers in the library facilities require logging in using a University of Helsinki user account, that is, they are meant to be used only by the University's students and staff. You are required to observe the IT Centre terms of use when using the computers. In case of IT-related problems, please contact the IT Centre Helpdesk.

The ID Point service operates at the customer service desk of every library location, providing members of the University community with access to Helpdesk services which require personal identification by phone.

The IT Center’s Laptop Lender will serve university degree students and staff on the entrance floor of the Viikki Info Centre. Get a Lenovo laptop to use for four hours at a time from the Laptop Lender machine.

The software on the laptops corresponds with the current IT station desktop computers.

To borrow a laptop you will need an identification card, such as a printing card, HSL card or a university employee ID card. In addition, you will need your university username and a mobile phone.

You can find the Laptop Lender user instructions on the touchscreen of the lending machine.

Register for the service on the touch screen

  1. Enter your username and password.
  2. Enter your phone number.
  3. Show your printing card, HSL card or university employee ID card to the reader.

Borrowing a laptop

  1. Show your printing card, HSL card or university employee ID card to the reader.
  2. Enter the pin code you received on your phone.
  3. Take the laptop from the locker and close the locker.
  4. You will receive a message where you are told at what time you will need to return the laptop.

Returning a laptop

  1. Show your printing card, HSL card or university employee ID card to the reader.
  2. Select "Check in item".
  3. Place the laptop in the locker, connect it to the charger and close the locker.

If you do not have a University of Helsinki user account, you can use HelsinkiUni Guest network to access e-resources with your own devide. The password of the HelsinkiUni Guest network is uniguest.

Members of the University community can use the Eduroam network.

The library provides terminals for use by all customers. 

You can use the library terminals to browse the Helka database, read the licensed electronic materials acquired by the library, log in to your Helka user profile as well as search and read the digitally stored theses of the University of Helsinki.

The library terminals also provide you with access to customer functions in the Helka database, such as saving your searches and favourites as well as saving and forwarding references to your own email address.

Please note that the library terminals do not provide regular access to the internet and you will not be able to work on your own files using them.

University of Helsinki students and staff can use the terminals to log in to their personal user accounts with their University IDs.

In the Kaisa House, microfilm reader is located on the fourth floor in room 4044. Lense for microfilm reader is available for loan from the customer service desk on the 3rd floor.

Customers from outside the University of Helsinki can book a microfilm reader from the Kaisa House customer service or via email at kirjasto@helsinki.fi.

Students and staff of the University of Helsinki can book the equipment in the special work rooms through the University’s Office365 calendar.

Name of the device in the Office365 calendar:

  • Kaisa-talo, Microfilm Reader and Scanner, 4044
  • borrow and return material using the self-service machines,
  • collect arrived requests from the self-service shelf and
  • use the library facilities and devices
    • with the exception of the Kaisa House basement floors K3 and K4, which are open Mon-Fri 8-19:45, Sat 11-16:45. Basement floors are closed on Sundays.

The library's self-service hours are available during the building's opening hours.

You can contact the staff through the library's telephone service. You can reach us by calling 02941 23920 during the opening hours of the Main Library.

In the Kaisa House, you can also use the service phone on the third floor counter or the Kaisa-talo WhatsApp (050 311 8035) to contact the staff if you are having problems with the check-out or return machines.

  • pay fees at the customer service desk,
  • get a Helka library card,
  • collect interlibrary loans,
  • collect or return a key for a storage mobile unit,
  • use the ID Point identification service, or
  • receive any personal guidance.

Fees can be paid online via your Helka account. Online payment is possible with Visa and MasterCard cards, bank online payments and mobile payments (Siirto, MobilePay).

Follow the rules in the library premises

Instructions for use of the premises are summarised in the library rules. You will find other rules, such as the rights and responsibilities of the customer and the library, in the Helsinki University Library Terms of Use.

  • Green zone: Social spaces, recreational facilities, group study rooms
  • Orange zone: Working spaces, reading and study areas
  • Red zone: Silent spaces, some of the reading and study spaces
  • Keep adequate distance from other customers and library staff.
  • Please take care of hand hygiene.
  • Only visit the library when you're healthy.
  • Use disinfectant towels to clean shared devices.
    • You can get disinfectant towels from library’s customer service or from the building’s porter.
  • The University continues to recommend the use of protective face masks at your own discretion and in situations where several people are present in facilities and social distancing is impossible.
    • Consider wearing a mask for your personal health and safety, especially if you are in a high-risk group. 

The library’s reading and study areas are general purpose areas, marked as the orange zone. In the orange zone, talking quietly is allowed, and this is the generally appropriate voice level for the library.

Please note that some of the reading spaces are intended to be used exclusively by University of Helsinki students, researchers and staff. These spaces are marked with signs.

Do not leave personal property unattended and watch out for thieves. Also make sure your bag or other belongings do not take over the spaces near you, preferably keeping them in the lockers.

When using a reading space, you may leave for a short period, but no longer than 30 minutes. Leave a note indicating the time of departure, but please remember that a note alone is not sufficient to reserve the space. If you are away for more than half an hour, another customer is authorised to take your place and put your belongings aside – they do not need to ask the library staff to do so. The library is not responsible for things you leave behind at the reading space.

Please make phone calls in the designated phone areas or somewhere to the side, so you do not disturb others.

Keep the rooms tidy and clean up after yourself. Please eat your packed lunch in the recreational facilities.

Some of the desks in the library’s general working areas are fitted with computers. Similarly to the reading areas, computer desks and rooms are marked as the orange zone where talking quietly is allowed.

All computers in the library customer facilities require logging with a University of Helsinki user account, that is, they are meant to be used only by the University's students and staff. You are required to observe the IT Centre terms of use when using the computers.  

Do not leave personal property unattended and watch out for thieves. Also make sure your bag and other belongings do not take over the spaces near you, preferably keeping them in the lockers.

When using a computer desk, you may leave for a short period, but no longer than 30 minutes. Leave a note indicating the time of departure, but please remember that a note alone is not sufficient to reserve the space. If you are away for more than half an hour, another customer is authorised to take your place and put your belongings aside – they do not need to ask the library staff to do so. The library is not responsible for things you leave behind at the computer desk.

Please make phone calls in the designated phone areas or somewhere to the side, so you do not disturb others.

Keep the computer desks and rooms tidy and clean up after yourself. Please eat your packed lunch in the recreational facilities.

Silent areas are marked with red and they are reserved for quiet work.

Please keep all your devices in silent mode and work quietly. Be considerate and let others work in peace.

Please note that some of the silent areas are intended to be used exclusively by University of Helsinki students, researchers and staff. These spaces are marked with signs.

Do not leave personal property unattended and watch out for thieves. Also make sure your bag or other belongings do not take over the spaces near you, preferably keeping them in the lockers.

When using a reading space, you may leave for a short period, but no longer than 30 minutes. Leave a note indicating the time of departure, but please remember that a note alone is not sufficient to reserve the space. If you are away for more than half an hour, another customer is authorised to take your place and put your belongings aside – they do not need to ask the library staff to do so. The library is not responsible for things you leave behind at the reading space.

Keep the silent areas tidy and clean up after yourself. Please eat your packed lunch in the recreational facilities. Please make phone calls in the designated phone areas or somewhere to the side, so you do not disturb others.

Printing, copying and scanning

Helsinki University Library has multifunction printers for customer use. University community uses multifunction printers with a personal ID card. The library staff will be happy to help you if you have any problems with using the printers. Due to the renewal of printing service, libraries will have two different printing systems available to university students and staff in use simultaneously during the autumn term of 2024. Printing without university user credentials is currently not possible due to the introduction of the new printing system.

The multifunction printers can be used with a personal ID card and the University of Helsinki user account for copying, scanning and printing. When using a multifunction printer for the first time, you will need to register an ID card (for example, an HSL travel card) using your own University username and password.