Helle Finna getting a makeover

The Helle Finna online library will be renewed on Tuesday, 29 September 2026. The changes will affect both the appearance and the content.

The texts in the search bar are more accessible, and the colours and font are clearer. The headings have been reorganised. The content pages present the materials in a more versatile way than before.

Koha-Suomi reports on denial-of-service attack

The Helle Libraries’ library system was targeted by a denial-of-service attack last week. The library system provider Koha-Suomi states the following about the attack:

Starting at 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, our systems were subjected to a large-scale denial-of-service attack. The attack originated from several different countries and began as a UDP flood attack, which later evolved into a UDP reflection attack. The reflection attack was directed at a specific country. We were therefore not the ultimate target of the attack, but rather a party used as an intermediary.

Based on the current situational assessment, and taking into account the scale and target of the attack, we believe that a state actor may be behind it. A more detailed investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

At this stage, the follow-up measures related to the attack do not require any action from libraries or customers.

How to freeze your holds

If the material that you have placed a hold on hasn’t arrived yet or isn’t in transit, you can freeze it. This can be helpful if you are going on a holiday or are otherwise out of town.

You can choose a day until the hold is frozen, or you can freeze the hold and then later release it, so that the hold is active again. Remember that you cannot freeze a hold if you have already received a pick-up notification of it.

You can freeze your holds on Holds and Recalls page under Your Account.

Mobile library in Raseborg discontinued

The mobile library service in Raseborg has been discontinued. The mobile library’s last route took place on May 20.

Books and other materials borrowed from the mobile library can now be returned to any of the libraries in Raseborg or to any other Helle library.

From the autumn onwards, schools and daycare centers will be served with the help of the internal transport in Raseborg.

For questions about renewing loans, returns or holds, please contact the library by email at biblioteket@raseborg.fi or by phone at +358 19 289 2950.

Text messages now showing Helle Finna as the sender

When your local Helle library sends you a text message about an item that is due or a hold ready for pickup, the sender will no longer be “Library” but “Helle Finna”.

It is a protected SMS sender ID reserved for use by the Helle libraries. You can read more about the topic on Traficom’s website. SMS Sender ID | Traficom

The Helle libraries are the municipal and city libraries of Askola, Hanko, Ingå, Lapinjärvi, Loviisa, Myrskylä, Pornainen, Porvoo, Pukkila, Raseborg, Sipoo and Siuntio.

The beta version of E-library’s web interface has been launched

The beta version of the E-library browser interface has been released. The beta version means that some features will not yet be available. The mobile apps will remain available as before.

Go to the web interface.

With the browser interface, you can:

  • Read Finnish- and Swedish-language e-books as well as magazines directly in your browser
  • Read e-books in any language by downloading them onto your device using the free Thorium Reader app.
  • Browse books and magazines without logging in
  • Log in via strong authentication
  • Borrow and reserve books and mark them as favourites
  • NB! The browser interface does not display notifications on holds that have become available. If you have the E-library app installed on your mobile device, these notifications will be displayed on that device.

Features coming later:

  • Listen to audiobooks
  • Access foreign-language e-books and audiobooks
  • Log in with a passkey
  • Sync your reading progress and bookmarks between the browser interface and the mobile app
  • Create a child’s account as a guardian