Some of the Craft Museum of Finland’s collection materials are now also available on Europeana

From the digital material provided by the museum, object, photo and drawing materials that can be found in the domestic Finna service (skm.finna.fi and Finna.fi) are exported via European for viewing. The cataloging, supplementation, and publication of materials on the Finna service are ongoing, with updates to Europeana occurring semi-annually.

The publication of the Craft Museum of Finland's materials on Europeana enhances the international visibility of Finnish craftsmanship, improves the accessibility of digitized collections, and hopefully attracts new users to the materials. The materials published by the museum complement existing content on the platform, showcasing European craft culture and history through blog publications and virtual exhibitions. This opportunity to present similar compilations from the museum's own materials allows for the showcasing of Finnish crafts and artisans on the international stage in a new and interesting way.

Europeana's platform provides access to cultural heritage materials from over 2000 European museums, galleries, libraries, and archives. The diverse range of materials includes millions of examples from fields such as art, music, literature, archaeology, fashion, science, and sports. Already, around twenty cultural organizations managing heritage materials from Finland have joined Europeana.

Making museum collection materials publicly accessible is a long-term endeavour. The Craft Museum of Finland has been digitizing its collections since the late 1990s. However, the capacity of digitization and storage devices back then, as well as the quality requirements for use, were significantly different compared to today. Achieving publishable material that meets current quality standards often requires revisiting work that has already been done. At the same time, resources must be directed towards cataloguing and digitizing newly acquired materials. 

"Publishing museum materials on any platform accessible to the public is always a victory and cause for celebration. The Craft Museum of Finland is pleased to bring its craft-themed collections to the entire European audience," says Marjo Ahonen, the curator of collections in the Craft Museum of Finland.