You can use the online library without logging in. You can search for items and browse materials. You can return to the start page by pressing the Helmet logo in the upper left corner.
When you have logged in to the service with your library card number and PIN code, you can renew loans, make and edit reservations and edit your own information. You can also save searches, use the alert schedule function and create lists of favourite items. When you log in, you can also use an electronic library card.
Your online library account will expire if you do not log in for 18 months. When your account expires, your favourite lists and saved searches will also be removed. By contrast, your loans, reservations and customer information will be preserved. The online library will send you a message when your account expires. You can reactivate your account by logging in with your old number and PIN code.
Logging in to the online library
You can log in to the online library with your library card number and PIN code. If you do not know your PIN code, you can receive a new code by using the ‘Forgot your PIN?’ link found behind the ‘Login’ button. If we do not have your email address, we can change your PIN code at the library. Please bring an ID document approved by the library with you.
Follow these steps:
Tap on the login button in the upper right corner of the page. Enter your library card number and PIN code and select ‘Login’.
When you are logged in, the login button is replaced with ‘Your account’. You can open a function menu by tapping the ‘Your account’ text.
You can renew loans, make reservations and use other services that require logging in by selecting them from their respective tabs in the ‘Your account’ menu.
You can log out by tapping the ‘Your account’ menu in the top bar of the page and then selecting ‘Logout’.
Persistent login:
If you want the browser on your device to remember your login, check the option Remember my login for the next 180 days in the login window. The persistent login feature is based on cookies. If you close the browser session in a way that deletes cookies, you will be logged out. The persistent login feature is device and browser-specific.
Library cards
The ‘Library cards’ tab will show your library card number and barcode. You can use this view as an electronic library card at Helmet libraries. If necessary, you can enlarge the library card by pressing its number.
If you have replaced your library card with a new one (e.g. due to having lost your old card), remove the number of the old card from your account. A card removed from the customer register of the library cannot be used, but its number will be shown on your account until you remove it.
Renewing loans
You can renew a loan five times if other customers have not reserved the item in question and you do not have more than €30 of unpaid library fees.
Follow these steps:
Log in to the online library and open the ‘Your account’ menu. You can see your loans in the ‘Checked out items’ tab.
You can select loans to be renewed by checking their boxes individually or selecting ‘Select all entries on the page’. Then click ‘Renew selected items’. You can also renew all of your loans at once by selecting ‘Renew all items’.
Fines
In the ‘Fines’ tab, you can view your unpaid overdue fees and other library fees.
You can pay your library fines and fees in the Helmet online library.
Follow these steps:
Log in to the Helmet online library and go to My Account and Fines/Fees.
Select the fee you want to pay or all fees.
Click Proceed to payment, which will transfer you to Paytrail.
Select your payment method, identify yourself and complete the payment.
Making reservations
You can reserve materials via the online library if you have a library card and PIN code. The reservation function is free of charge, but a €1 fee will be collected for any uncollected reservations.
Follow these steps:
First, search for the item of your choosing. You can filter the search results, e.g. by language and material type, with the filter options on the left side of the page.
You can make a reservation on the item information page by tapping the reservation button. Select a ‘Pick up location’ from the menu to determine where your reservation will be delivered for pick up. Reserve the item by selecting ‘Place a hold on this item’.
When your reservation is ready for pick up, you will receive a notification by text message, email or post. Your reservation will be valid for six (6) weekdays. You can check the last pick up date in the ‘Your account’ section. If you have selected a mobile library as the pick up location, your reserved material will be available during the mobile library’s next two visits to your stop. Most libraries now use a system of numbered reservations or reservation shelves. You can use the number to find your reservation on the reservation shelf of the library. At some libraries, you can pick up reservations under an alias.
Cancelling and editing reservations
You can cancel or edit your reservation in the online library if it has not yet been processed and the item is not yet on its way to the library or ready for pick up.
You can edit reservations in the ‘Holds and recalls’ section by using the ‘Edit’ link for each reservation. You can edit several reservations at once by first selecting the reservations to be edited and then performing your desired procedure.
Follow these steps:
Log in to the online library and open the ‘Your account’ menu. You can see your valid reservations in the ‘Holds and recalls’ tab.
Tap the ‘Edit’ link for the reservation you want to edit. You can change the pick up location or freeze, i.e. suspend, your reservation for the duration of a holiday trip, for example.
You can cancel a reservation by checking its box and tapping the ‘Cancel selected holds’ button. The reservation will be cancelled permanently.
Changing your primary pick up location
In the ‘Preferred pick up location’ section of the ‘Profile’ tab, you can select the library to which you want your reservations to be primarily sent. However, please check the pick up location every time you make a reservation.
Changing your PIN code
If you remember your PIN code, you can change it in the online library. You can find this function behind the ‘Login’ button.
Follow these steps:
Log in to the online library and open the ‘Your account’ menu. Select ‘Change PIN’ in the ‘Profile’ tab.
Tap the ‘Change PIN code of the library card’ button. Enter your old PIN code. You will be asked to enter your new PIN code twice to avoid errors. Finally, tap the ‘Send’ button.
Renewing a forgotten PIN code
If you have forgotten your PIN code, you can order a new code in the online library if you have a valid email address saved in your customer information. If you have no email address in your customer information, we can change your PIN code at the library. Please bring an ID document approved by the library with you.
Editing your contact information
You can update your address, phone number and email address in the ‘Profile’ tab in the online library. If you have changed your name, you must notify the library in person. Please bring an ID document featuring your new name (or an ID document featuring your old name and a separate name change certificate). You will be provided with a new library card free of charge.
Follow these steps:
Log in to the online library and open the ‘Profile’ tab from the ‘Your account’ menu.
You can change your address with a form that opens from the ‘Request change of personal information’ on your profile page. The form that opens will display your old address details. Update the text fields and press ‘Send’. A confirmation message regarding your address change will be displayed on the screen.
You can change your phone number and email address by replacing the old information with new entries and pressing the ‘Save’ button. You will receive a confirmation message in the upper section of the tab.
Reading history
The system will not automatically create a record of your reading history. Instead, you can activate and deactivate the reading history recording function at any time. Other customers or the library staff will not have access to your reading history.
The recording of your reading history will begin when you activate the function. You can see your borrowed items in the ‘Reading history’ tab of the ‘Your account’ menu. You can organise your reading history by date.
Follow these steps:
Log in to the online library and open the ‘Profile’ tab from the ‘Your account’ section. Activate the recording by selecting ‘Forever’ in the ‘Loan history retention’ menu. From your next loan onwards, a record of your reading history will be saved into the library system.
In the ‘Reading history’ tab, you can remove entries from your reading history or empty it completely.
You can deactivate the recording of your reading history in the ‘Profile’ tab by selecting ‘Never’ in the ‘Loan history retention’ menu. You must first empty your reading history.
Saved searches and alert schedule
When you log in to the online library, you can save searches and create alert schedules based on them. The alert schedule function will notify you by email when materials matching your search are added to the database of the library.
The online library will save searches performed with your browser even if you are not logged in. This record will be deleted from a user not logged in when the memory cache of the browser is emptied or the browser is closed.
You can see your searches by tapping ‘Search history’ at the bottom of the search result page. You can also save your search directly there. If you are logged in, you can also find your searches in the ‘Saved searches’ tab of the ‘Profile’ section.
How to create an alert schedule:
First, perform a search that finds the materials you are looking for. A good method is to first perform a broader search, e.g. with the name of the author or a key word. If necessary, filter the search results with the filter functions on the left side of the page. You can apply several filters.
When the search function finds what you are looking for, save the search by tapping ‘Save search’ at the bottom of the search result page.
Go to the ‘Saved searches’ tab in the ‘Your account’ section. You will be shown both your previously saved searches and your latest searches.
Select from the ‘Alert schedule’ drop-down menu for the search how often you would like the alert function to send you messages by email. These messages are sent from the online library when materials matching your search are added to the database of the library.
You can change the alert schedule interval with the drop-down menu. You can deactivate the function by pressing the ‘x’ next to the search.
When you have activated the alert schedule function, you will see the email address to which the results are sent at the top of the page. You can change the address by clicking the ‘Edit’ link.
Saved items
You can create lists of saved items in the online library. These lists can be used for various purposes: you can make lists of books you have read, materials related to a certain course, movie tips or your favourite music records. You can select whether your lists are private or public. A private list will only be shown to you on your own account. A public list will be shown to everyone when you share a link to it.
You can create a list first and then add material to it. You can also create a new list at any time with the ‘Save to list’ function.
You can view and edit your lists in the ‘Favourites’ tab of the ‘Your account’ menu. You can edit the descriptions of lists and items, change your settings, remove items and forward item information.
How to create a list:
Log in to the online library and select ‘Favourites’ from the ‘Your account’ menu.
Create a new list by entering a name for it in the ‘Create a list’ section and tap the plus icon. In the mobile version, you can start creating a list by tapping ‘Saved items’ at the bottom of the screen.
How to add to a list:
When you find an item that you want to add to a list of favourites, tap the ‘Save to list’ pin icon. You can make this addition directly on the search result page or on the item information page. Depending on the size of your screen, the icon may be located in slightly different places. On mobile devices, the pin icon is located in the bottom bar on the item information page.
You can select one of your existing lists or create a new list in the menu that opens. The item description is optional and will be shown in connection with the item information on the list. You can add the same item to several lists and provide different descriptions for it on different lists. Tap ‘Save’.
If you select the option of creating a new list, a new form will open for you to fill out with the information of the new list.
How to make a list public:
Open a list of favourites by selecting it from the list. Open the ‘Saved items’ view and select ‘Public’ as the ‘Visibility’ setting. ‘Public list link’ will be displayed under your selection. Tap the link and copy the address of the page that opens to share it.
The view that opened in a new tab is the same view that will be displayed publicly to those who browse the list via the link.