Partnership or battle: Professors and librarians at the University of Helsinki in times of crisis

Kaisa Sinikara

doi:10.53377/lq.18860

Authors

Kaisa Sinikara University of Helsinki https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1123-3216

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53377/lq.18860

Keywords:

management, leadership, University of Helsinki, university libraries, strategic development

Abstract

University libraries live and change through interaction with the scientific community or without essential interaction they fail to evolve and grow. This article studies the effects of collaboration between professors and librarians on the strategic development of libraries, especially during times of crisis. This study was conducted at the University of Helsinki (established in 1640). It is based mostly on historical sources, such as the annual reports of the university and faculties, and documents outlining plans and decisions.

The first crisis phase took place in the 1820s, when a fire destroyed academic collections and facilities and the university was relocated from Turku to Helsinki. A conflict arose between the contemporary needs of the scientific community and the need for a main library to replace the collections. Another upheaval was caused by the growing need for services for the post-war baby boomer generation. Nationwide library planning aimed for the creation of a separate national library and for merging faculty libraries with the main library. The third crisis phase involved the Finnish economic crisis of the 1990s and the digital revolution that continued into the 2000s. Solutions were sought through cooperation between the academic leadership, library management and personnel. The crisis led to the organisation of library services into two large entities.

The success of extensive changes in academic libraries is one of the key questions in management. The crisis periods under examination show that significant reforms are only possible through close partnerships between the library, the research community and academic decision-makers.

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