Local history materials and special collections

The local history collection at Keuruu Main Library collects literature and audiovisual material relating to Keuruu. Archival material, on the other hand, is stored in the local history archive. Digital local history material can be found on Keuruun Veräjä.

Local History Collection

The local history collection acquires material relating to Keuruu or published by authors who live or have lived in Keuruu – in other words, local figures. The collection serves researchers and others interested in Keuruu’s cultural heritage.

One copy of each item is acquired for the local history collection. The local history collection is kept permanently and no items are removed from it. Items from the local history collection cannot be borrowed to take home, but there are usually also copies available for loan. Interlibrary loans from the collection may be provided to other libraries. Copies of most works may also be made for personal use.

The Local History Section is located on the ground floor of the main library. The area is wheelchair accessible. The collection is available during the library’s opening hours. The Local History Collection area is also used as a meeting room, so please check with Customer Services to see if the room is available.

What’s in the local history collection?

Bibliography

The collection includes all works of fiction set in Keuruu and written by local authors. The collection features, among other things, a large number of works by Hannele Huovi and Einari Vuorela.

The collection acquires non-fiction works whose content relates to Keuruu, such as history, nature, local industries, etc. However, non-fiction works written by residents of Keuruu that do not relate to Keuruu are not acquired for the collection.

Magazines

The local history collection includes the newspapers published in Keuruu: *Keuruu-Pihlajavesi-Multia* and *Suur-Keuruun sanomat* (now *Suur-Keuruu*). The annual volumes have been bound into books.

The collection includes local seasonal publications such as Aisapuu, Kaiun Korva and Keuruun joulu.

Video recordings

The audiovisual recordings acquired for the collection were filmed in Keuruu, for example, or feature Keuruu as their subject. A key figure in the recording, such as the screenwriter, director or actor, may be a local resident. The collection also includes recordings of local events.

As the local history collection is of an archival nature, the images it contains may not necessarily be borrowed from the library or displayed in public. However, they may be viewed privately on the library’s premises using the library’s equipment.

Music

The local history collection includes LPs, CDs and cassettes by artists from Keuruu, such as performers and composers. The collection mainly comprises popular music from the late 1970s onwards. It also includes sheet music.

Digital local history resources

Keuruu Veräjä Local History Website

Keuruu Library maintains the Keuruun Veräjä local history website, which collects material relating to the cultural heritage of Keuruu and its residents. The site features texts, photographs and audio recordings.

The material is also available on the Finna.fi service. This means that Keuruu’s cultural heritage is accessible everywhere in digital form.

You can submit material such as texts, photographs and documents for publication on the local history website. Any material submitted for publication must either be free of copyright, or the contributor must have the right to enter into a publication agreement.

Digitised articles from the Keuruun Joulu newspapers

Keuruu Town Library has digitised old articles on history and cultural heritage from the *Keuruu Joulu* magazine, covering the years 1964–2014, making them freely available online.

You can browse the entire collection of articles via this link: https://digi.kirjastot.fi/collections/show/39

You can also search for individual articles by author or subject on the Finna.fi service.

Keuruu Local History Archive

The aim of the Keuruu Local History Archive is to collect local private archival material and intangible cultural heritage, and to preserve it for the benefit of the local community.

The archive is located on the ground floor of Keuruu Main Library, which also houses research facilities. The archive is open by appointment.

Hanne Rokkonen is responsible for the archive’s operations; she can provide further information and advice on donating and organising archive material.

Other separate collections

The Rainio Collection

Housed in the same room as the local history collection is the so-called Rainio Collection, which is based on the extensive book collection of Jussi Rainio (1914–1998), a local history advisor and headmaster of the co-educational school. The Rainio Collection contains fiction and non-fiction from around the 1930s to the 1980s, as well as a wealth of old primers. The books in the collection are available for loan.

The Riihimäki Collection

The collection of primers held by the other library was donated by Lea Riihimäki (1927–2023), a teacher and expert in local and cultural history. A particular feature of the collection is the dozens of primers in various languages that Riihimäki collected over the course of several decades.

The Tapio Paappanen Collection

Tapio Paappanen (1956–2024), a military historian, researcher and local community leader, bequeathed part of his book collection to Keuruu Municipal Library in his will. The donation consists mainly of military history literature and has been incorporated into the library’s core collection available for loan.

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