Find textbooks
You can locate both printed and electronic textbooks using Helka’s search. From Helka you will see the book’s availability and location.
Library codes to locate a book.
(Hc=Kaisa-talo, Hb= Viikki, Hl=Meilahti, Hs=Kumpula)
The loan periods vary according to library sites and book titles: 14 or 28 days, short-term loans 2 days.
There is an overdue fine according to the current price list for loans returned late.
Borrowing books
When you borrow books, show the library card to the self-service lending machine or at the customer service desk. You can use the browser of your mobile device to show your library card. You do not need a library card for e-books, just log in to Helka with your university user account.
Returning books
You can return the materials you have borrowed from the Helsinki University Library to all the library sites. However, materials from other Helka libraries or the National Library of Finland cannot be returned to Helsinki University Library.
Use the check-in machine to return your borrowed materials. The Helsinki University Library locations (the Main Library, Kumpula Campus Library) have book drop boxes where you can return books outside opening hours. Books returned to drop boxes will be logged during the next day’s opening hours.
Reserving books
You can use the Helka database to make a reservation for any material at the Library. Reservations can be made for material on loan as well as for material available at the library. Textbooks can only be reserved if all the copies are on loan. Short-term loan materials cannot be reserved.
Collect and loan the reserved material as self-service from the pickup shelf. You can borrow reserved material only with the same card you used for the request.
You can make reservations free of charge, but a fee will be charged for any uncollected requests. If you no longer need your reserved material, cancel your reservation in your Helka customer information.