Tietoaine

Tietoaine is a Finnish term used in information science and library contexts to refer to information material or information content. It denotes any material that conveys knowledge or information, regardless of format.

As such, tietoaine can include printed books, journal articles, websites, databases, digital datasets, audio-visual media and other information carriers. In library work and information services, the concept is central to descriptions of holdings, cataloging, and information retrieval, where different formats are treated as part of the information material that a library provides access to.

The more common compound form tietoaineisto is frequently used to denote an information resource or material collection. The term tietoaine can function as a shorthand in discussions about information resources, accessibility, and management. The distinction between tietoaine and tietoaineisto is subtle and can vary across institutions or standards, but both terms refer to resources that contain information intended for users.

In practice, libraries, archives, and educational institutions employ metadata and cataloging practices to describe tietoaineiston contents, provenance, format, and access conditions, enabling discovery and retrieval. The concept also appears in broader information-management contexts, including data governance and digital preservation, where the aim is to preserve or provide access to information material over time.