What it does
Finna brings together material from Finnish libraries, archives, museums and research institutes. Its image-search tools include filters for online availability, usage rights, material type, region and date.
Limit an image search to material available online, then narrow the type, region, period and usage-rights category. Gallery view supports visual comparison, while the detailed list brings descriptions into view. Signed-in users can save a search for later research.
Finna Street offers another route for place-based history: open its map on a phone, allow location access or choose an area, then narrow the photographs by period. Results depend on the location information supplied with the collection records. For reuse, follow the individual item’s conditions and its contributing institution; a useful search result does not give every image the same licence.
Strengths
- Online-availability and usage-rights filters support focused image discovery.
- Gallery and description views serve different research needs.
- Finna Street finds historical photographs around a location.
Watch out for
- Map results depend on the location data attached to collection records.
Best for
- Researchers finding imagery across Finnish institutions
Sources
- Finna | National Library of Finland (Oct 27, 2026)
- Basic search | Finna.fi (Oct 25, 2026)
- Finna Street presents the history of summer cities and holiday destinations (Oct 27, 2026)