Maj-Lis Backlund at the Vaasa Provincial Archives, 1961-1971. Image: Rafael Olin. SLS/Rafael Olins Fotosamling

Donating archival material

We welcome donations of archival material from individuals and organisations.

What do we accept?

We accept and preserve both analogue and digital original material related to the Swedish-speaking population in Finland. Examples of archival material include texts (such as letters, manuscripts and notes), photographs, audio and film recordings. We make the material available to researchers and the public.

We accept:

archival material related to the life, language and traditions of the Swedish-speaking population in Finland, both nationally and locally
archival material on folk music and folk dance
family and personal archives
archives of scientific associations, societies and communities
theatre archives
archives of literary journals

We do not accept:

government archives
material related to collections already held by other archival institutions
contemporary bank statements, receipts, bank books, tax returns, tax certificates and documents relating to health status.

What does a donation entail?

A donation means that the ownership of the material is transferred to SLS. We always enter into a donation agreement with the donor for the material we receive. The donor of archival material is always welcome to access the material on site in our research room.

If the material you want to donate falls outside the profiles of our collections, we will advise you on how to find a suitable recipient.

What happens to the material?

We organise and describe all material in our archival database and make the material searchable on Finna. The material becomes available in our research centres in Helsinki or Vaasa.

We digitise some of the material we receive. We only place digital or digitised material on Finna that is free to publish.

We conserve damaged material.

How can you prepare a donation?

Before handing over the material, we can agree on how you can roughly inventory it. We are grateful for any information you can provide.

Do you have any questions?

arkivet@sls.fi