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The UEF Library in Kuopio campus.

Ari Muhonen appointed as new Director of the University of Eastern Finland Library

Ari Muhonen, Licentiate of Science (Technology), 58, has been appointed as the new Director of the University of Eastern Finland Library. Muhonen currently works as the Director of the Open Science Centre at the University of Jyväskylä. He will take up the position following the retirement of the University of Eastern Finland Library’s current Director, Jarmo Saarti. Muhonen will start in the position on 1 June 2021.

As the Director of the Open Science Centre of the University of Jyväskylä, Muhonen has been responsible for the activities of the university library and two museums, as well as for promoting open science. He has held the position since 2013. Muhonen has previously worked as the Director of the Viikki Campus Library at the University of Helsinki in 2011–2013, and as the Chief Librarian at Helsinki University of Technology and Aalto University in 2002–2011. Muhonen holds a Licentiate of Science (Technology) degree from Helsinki University of Technology.

Among those who applied for the library director position at the University of Eastern Finland, Muhonen stood out with his superior experience and achievements in developing activities, which are well appreciated in the library sector.

“The University of Eastern Finland Library is one of the leading scientific libraries and open science actors in the country. It is great to get an experienced professional to continue the excellent development work carried out by his predecessor,” Rector Jukka Mönkkönen says, delighted.

Muhonen sees the promotion of open science and open education as key development targets for the University of Eastern Finland Library.

“The library should be a partner for researchers and teachers, and it should support their work to the best of its abilities. In addition, open access publishing should be valued and used more.”

Besides managing university libraries and having extensive knowledge of open science, Muhonen is also known for his strong national role in the library sector: he chairs the Finnish University Libraries’ Network (FUN) and the Board of Directors of the National Repository Library.

Muhonen sees the library director position at the University of Eastern Finland as a new career challenge.

“The University of Eastern Finland has a good thing going on. I’ve never worked in a university with a faculty of health sciences before, so it’s an interesting new field. In addition, my wife is from Joensuu, and that's where we’re headed back,” Muhonen says, shedding light on his background.

A print-quality photo of Ari Muhonen is available for download at https://mediabank.uef.fi/A/UEF+Media+Bank/40125?encoding=UTF-8

For further information, please contact:

Ari Muhonen, Director of University of Eastern Finland Library from 1 June 2021 onwards, ari.muhonen@jyu.fi, tel. +358 40 805 4208

Jukka Mönkkönen, Rector, University of Eastern Finland, jukka.monkkonen@uef.fi, tel. +358 40 728 8057