Courses at the Library

By selecting a degree programme you are able to see the general content as well as the possible degree programme-specific content. You do not have to select a degree programme to see the Open University's instructions.

Do you want to become more effective in finding books and articles for your seminar thesis? Are you familiar enough with various databases and their search functions? Are you planning on using a reference management tool to save and organise your references? 

The Helsinki University Library offers courses that help you to develop information seeking and management skills for the requirements of learning and research.

The library publishes information on the upcoming courses on this page at the beginning of each semester. In addition to this, a few courses will be added to the course selection during the semester. Changes to schedules are possible.

The Courses in the year 2025–2026

The courses are offered both on campuses and online. 

On this page you can find mainly courses of which language of instruction is English. For the courses in Finnish or Swedish, please change the language of the page. 

For a more detailed description of the content of library courses, see the page Library Course Descriptions.

Online Courses

Student's Digital Skills: Information Seeking

Information Seeking and Management for Thesis Writers

  • University of Helsinki students register for the course via Sisu with code LIB-200

For New Students and Other Library Users

Helka Webinar in English

  • no more courses in this term

Information Seeking Basics in English 

  • no more courses in this term

Information Seeking Courses and Webinars

More courses in Finnish, see Kirjaston kurssitarjonta

Reference Management Courses

Reference management: Zotero in English 

The course is held in Finnish, Swedish and English. For other language options, change the language of the page. 

  • no more courses in this term

Please download the program from Zotero.org before the course and make yourself an account.

Information Seeking for Systematic Reviews

Information Seeking for Systematic Reviews (Scopus / Web of Science)

Read the preliminary material and complete the tasks on the Moodle area of the course in time for the online meeting. Please allow 1-2 hours for this.

  • no more courses in this term

 

Advanced Courses

AI and Information Retrieval

  • no more courses in this term

Knovel e-books: Reliable Engineering information and material property data just one click away – Interactive hands-on workflows in Knovel 

  • Wednesday, 7 May at 11.00-12.00 (Zoom). Register

Knovel e-books: What's new in Knovel? - A Refresher on Core Features and Recent Enhancements 

  • Wednesday, 21 May at 11.00-12.00 (Zoom). Register

More courses in Finnish, see Kirjaston kurssitarjonta

Courses for Doctoral Researchers

Information Management for Doctoral Researchers. Timetable, registration and course description in Sisu. You can find the course in Sisu by searching with the code LIB-900. Select one of the three courses for different fields of study: 

  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Life and Natural Sciences
  • Managing Scientific Information in Medicine and Health Sciences (former code Health-145)

Data management courses

The University of Helsinki Data Support organises data management courses.

RDM Basics 

RDM Basics is an introductory course on the basic concepts of research data management.  

REDCap trainings 

REDCap is a secure online tool for building surveys and databases and collecting data from them.

For more information and registration for data management courses, visit the Data Support website.

Ask and Write -workshops

At the workshops you can ask about academic writing, information retrieval or reference management. 

The workshops are led by the Language Centre's written communication teacher and library experts in information retrieval and reference management. 

The workshops start with a short introduction in Finnish, after which you can work on your own essay or thesis and ask for help from instructors if necessary. The duration of the workshops is two hours, but you can stay in the workshop as long as you like. 

Please bring your own laptop and other necessary study equipment. 

Please note, that the workshops are held in Finnish, but you can also ask in Swedish and English. 

For more information, please contact kouluttaja@helsinki.fi 

Remember to cancel your participation if you are unable to attend.

  • no more workshops in this term

Guidance on Information Seeking

Have you perhaps studied information seeking on a library course but still need more help? Book an appointment. Please note that advice will not be available during the summer break (dates to be announced).

In addition, the library offers information retrieval guidance and advice on library materials without prior registration.

Information seeking drop-in sessions

The information seeking drop-in sessions are short information sessions about different topics. After the short introduction, you’ll have an opportunity to ask a library specialist questions about information seeking. 

Do you need tips on information seeking? Are your sources lost or references messed up?  

Welcome to the information seeking drop-in sessions!

The short information seeking sessions will be held on Zoom on Mondays from 14:00 to 14:15, from September to December. There are no sessions during the spring term.

Information seeking drop-in sessions are mostly held in Finnish, and you do not need to register in advance. 

For all the dates and topics of the Information seeking drop-in sessions, please change the language of the page into Finnish. 

The Library Virtual Escape Game

Are you ready for an adventure? The Library Virtual Escape Game is running throughout the academic year. 

You’re about to embark on a magical journey, during which you’ll need to solve library-related problems online.  

The game is available in Finnish, Swedish and English.

Link to the escape game

Tips and Events on Information Seeking

The library also occasionally organises low-threshold activities to support your wellbeing and studies. For event dates and more information, please visit the Wellbeing events page.

Read tips how to find and manage information.

In addition, the library organizes regularly courses and lectures on other issues, such as open science. More information on the library website

At the beginning of the semesters, you will find roaming librarians on the 3rd floor of the Kaisa House. You can identify the librarians by the Ask me about library pin.

Di­verse learners at the library

The library offers special support in information retrieval to students of the University of Helsinki who need this service due to a learning difficulty or some other reason. For example, you are entitled to personal advice on information retrieval (one hour) to support your studies.

  • Please contact the library to agree on organising additional support. Explain where you need help and suggest times suitable for you.
  • A specialist from the library will contact you and ask for additional information, if required.

Contact the library to agree on special assistance

Do you have ques­tions about the courses?

In questions concerning the courses, please contact the library teachers via the online form. 

Contact the library using the online form. 

How do I re­gister for the courses? 

The students register for the courses mainly online by clicking the course you want.

The exceptions:  

When should I take a course?

You should consider taking an information seeking course already prior to starting your thesis. When you are familiar with using databases and evaluating sources, you have better skills to search for academic information.  

Will I get cred­its for the courses?

If you study at the University of Helsinki, please contact your degree programme to find out if you can have the course recognised as part of your studies. You’ll get certain degree programmes award a credit for completing this course or allow its inclusion in a study module. Before completing the course, check from your degree programme or seminar coordinator how the course can be included in your studies.