The challenges and opportunities of designing national digital services for cross-border use

Abstract

By creating a centralized online access points for Finnish library, archives, and museum materials, the National Library of Finland’s web portal, called Finna, is playing an active role in the wider movement to open and expand access to cultural content. But as its ever-expanding online audience is no longer constricted by physical or national borders, the National Library must cope with the challenges of designing personalized user experiences for diverse users. This study contains data from a survey and interviews of users accessing Finnish materials from abroad to determine the nature of potential target audiences for Finna outside of Finland and determine the major usability barriers for this group.