New resource: TOP SECRET of the 20th century foreign policy now digitized in Secret Files from World Wars to Cold War

Researchers and students of the University of Helsinki can now permanently access Secret Files from World Wars to Cold War, a rich resource containing British government secret intelligence and foreign policy files from 1873–1953. The majority of over 144,000 pages of content dates from the 1930s and 1940s. Spanning four key twentieth century conflicts, with a spotlight on the Second World War, the material enables research into intelligence, foreign policy, international relations, and military history in the period of Appeasement, through the Second World War, and into the early Cold War.

You can start exploring the content by theme. Quick Search provides a full-text search in all documents of the resource. In Advanced Search, you can refine your search by theme, region, document date or document type. By creating an account (My Archive), you can save searches and create reading list for later use. Help videos guide you through the key features!

The collection is sourced from The National Archives, U.K. Contact the Helsinki University Library personnel if you are interested in text mining the collection. The purchase of this Routledge / Taylor & Francis Group product for permanent access in the University of Helsinki network has been financed with support from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Helsinki.

This database can also be found via Helka database.

Secret Files from World Wars to Cold War

Feedback: e-library[at]helsinki.fi

Update to Helka service status – Due dates moved to 17.1.2017

The service break in Helka-database still continues on certain parts of the system due to reasons outside of the library. Because of the prolongation of the break, all loans with due dates on 11.1. – 16.1. have been set to expire on 17.1.

What works already

  • Customer interface of Helka
    • Search and tracking of materials
    • Renewals and requests
    • Payment of fees works again
  • Loaning and returning on the automats

What doesn’t work yet

  • Loaning and returning at the service desk
  • Updating customer information or paying fees at the service desk
  • Making of new library cards
  • Requesting material from closed collection as self-service. Material will be retrieved from the closed collection on demand whenever possible.

You can log in to Helka-database once again with the default PIN code 1234, if you haven’t changed your pin code.

Recent acquisitions: Wiley reference works in social and behavioural sciences & humanities

The following encyclopedias comprise of hundreds of articles and the content spans large areas of Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, e.g. social work, sociology, psychology, political science, anthropology, economics, criminology, peace and conflict studies. Hyperlinks accompany each entry, which direct readers to other relevant entries. You can find these encyclopedias in Wiley Online Library.

Comprehensive Handbook of Social Work and Welfare

Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioural Sciences

Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology

The Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment

The reference works are catalogued in Helka database, too.

This acquisition has been financed with the support of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Helsinki.

Feedback:: e-library@helsinki.fi

Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: An Interdisciplinary, Searchable, and Linkable Resource

Helka Service Break Over – Loans Can Be Checked Out Again

The service break in Helka Library Database is over.

Customers can again access the database and their own customer account at helsinki.fi/helka.

Loans can be renewed but problems may still occur while making online payments. No overdue fees will be collected between December 21st and January 10th.

Customers can check out and return books in the libraries in the usual manner.

The library cannot, however, register new users or update customer information until the service is fully operational. Overdue fees cannot be paid in the library, either.

All library services are expected to return to normal by Wednesday, January 11th.

We are sorry for the inconvenience.