The encyclopedia is published by initiative of an association dedicated to this task, Föreningen finlandssvenska uppslagsverk ('the Finnish-Swedish Encyclopedia Association'). The initiative to the publication was taken in 1969, and the first edition was published in three volumes in 1982 to 1985.[1]
A second edition was published by Schildts in five volumes during 2003 to 2007.[2]
In 2009, the encyclopedia was made freely available online, with funding from the educational association Svenska Folkskolans Vänner (SFV).
History
The encyclopedia was initiated in 1969, and work began in July of the same year. The starting point was a perceived lack of attention to Swedish Finland in both Finnish and national encyclopedias.[1]
To carry out the project, Föreningen finlandssvenska uppslagsverk ('the Finnish-Swedish Encyclopedia Association') was formed, which also received support from several Finnish-Swedish foundations and eventually from the Finnish state. The largest financial contribution was made by Svenska Folkskolans Vänner (SFV) and Schildts, which also acted as publisher.[3]
Paper edition
The first edition was published in three volumes between 1982 and 1985,[1] as the largest publishing venture in Swedish in Finland to date. The volumes were each about 700 pages long, and contained a total of about 9,000[3] articles. By its own admission, the encyclopedia was a sales success, with distribution both in Swedish-speaking Finland and outside of the country.[1]
After a number of years, however, the need for a new edition arose to cover developments in Swedish Finland. A second edition was published by Schildts in five volumes between 2003 and 2007, with a total of more than 12,000 articles.[3] The financing was again mainly provided by SFV,[1] and SFV noted a production cost of 10 million euros.[4]
The second edition of Uppslagsverket Finland experienced some sales difficulties, similar to encyclopedias in book form in many other countries at the time.[2]
Internet launch
In 2009, the encyclopedia was made available online for free.[5] There are no subscriptions or passwords for the online edition or advertisements on the website. SFV was mainly responsible for the internet launch,[3] while Schildts was responsible for updating the content and involved a number of experts.[1]
In 2012, the two Finnish publishers Schildts and Söderström & Co merged to form Schildts & Söderströms. As a result of the merger, Uppslagsverket Finland was taken over in its entirety by SFV.[1]
The article content, except for the majority of the images, may be reused under the Creative Commons free license CC-BY-SA 4.0.[6]
At the time of its launch, Uppslagsverket Finland was located at the domain address www.uvf.fi.[7] Since then, it has moved to www.uppslagsverket.fi, which has meant that links from Wikipedia have had to be reformatted.[6]
Editorial staff
Editors
The editor-in-chief of both printed editions was Henrik Ekberg [sv], and the chairman of the editorial board during production was Erik Allardt.[1]
Sigbritt Backman was editor-in-chief of the online edition[8] from autumn 2009 to autumn 2010, and then Johan Lindberg took over the task until spring 2012. The editor in charge since 1 June 2012 is Rabbe Sandelin.[9]
At the time of the internet launch, it was noted that the responsibility for updating the encyclopedia was handled by two full-time editors;[4] however, at the beginning of 2016, it was noted that Uppslagsverket Finland is not being actively updated. Readers are asked to contact the editorial team if anything needs updating.[5]
Editorial board
In addition to the permanent editorial staff, the editorial board has been joined by some 20 Finnish-Swedish subject experts.[4]
In February 2016, the following persons were listed as members of the editorial board of Uppslagsverket Finland:[10]
