Openness of the Library of the Finnish Parliament and its services to support democracy

Abstract

As an open library since 1913 the Library of the Finnish Parliament supports the democracy in several ways. In this presentation we will address the measures the library has taken to engage the citizens in the democratic process.

Transparency is the core value of the Finnish Parliament. The basis of the Library of Parliament is the provision of information on Parliament, legislation and society. The overriding principle of operation is openness and transparency. The objective is to ensure and promote free access to information.

The vision of the Library is to support democracy, fulfil the right to public information ensured in the Constitution, promote the access to legal, parliamentary and political information and advance the possibilities for its customers to function as active citizens in the society.