National Library of Norway

National Library of Norway
Name	National Library of Norway
Established	1989
Location	Oslo and Mo i Rana
Collection size	Over 10 million physical items
Director	Aslak Sira Myhre
Website	nb.no

National Library of Norway. It is the primary institution responsible for preserving the nation's published and audiovisual heritage. Established by the Norwegian Library Act of 1989, it operates under the Ministry of Culture and Equality. Its core mandate encompasses collection, preservation, and providing access to all Norwegian media, from ancient manuscripts to contemporary digital publications.

History

The institution's origins trace back to the university library of the Royal Frederick University, founded in 1811. Key figures like Wilhelm Munthe and Ludvig Daae were instrumental in developing its national collections. A pivotal moment was the Norwegian Copyright Act of 1939, which expanded legal deposit requirements. Following the recommendations of the Ryssdal Committee, the modern entity was formally created by an act of the Storting in 1988, commencing operations the following year. Major milestones include the initiation of the National Digital Library project in the 1990s and the opening of its preservation repository in Mo i Rana in 2005.

Collections

The collections are vast and diverse, spanning over a thousand years of history. They include medieval treasures like the Homily Book and the legendary King's Mirror. The manuscript department holds the papers of luminaries such as Henrik Ibsen, Knut Hamsun, and Edvard Munch. The music collection preserves original scores by Edvard Grieg and Geirr Tveitt, while the map collection features works by Nicolaus Germanus. The library also maintains extensive archives of Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation radio and television broadcasts, along with millions of photographs from agencies like Scanpix.

Legal deposit

The library's comprehensive collection is built upon a robust legal deposit law, last updated in 2015. This legislation obligates publishers in Norway to submit copies of all published material, including books, newspapers, periodicals, and sheet music. The mandate extends to all audiovisual media, encompassing films, radio programs, and television broadcasts from entities like NRK and TV 2 (Norway). Since 2006, the law has also required the deposit of digitally published content, such as websites and e-books, making its web archiving of the .no domain a critical preservation activity.

Digital services

A global leader in digital access, the library offers the National Digital Library service, Bokhylla (The Book Shelf). This platform provides free, full-text access to hundreds of thousands of books, newspapers, and periodicals published before the year 2000, in collaboration with Kopinor and Norwaco. Other key services include the DigitaltMuseum, a portal for cultural heritage, and the Music Archive, which streams historical recordings. The library also manages the national bibliography, Bibsys, and participates in international digitization initiatives like Europeana.

Buildings

The institution operates from two main complexes. The public-facing headquarters in Oslo is housed in the historic University of Oslo library building at Drammensveien, with a modern annex designed by the architectural firm Snøhetta completed in 2005. The national preservation repository is located in Mo i Rana in Nordland county. This state-of-the-art, climate-controlled facility, built into the mountain Fagerlia, was officially opened by King Harald V and is engineered to safeguard collections for centuries. Additional reading rooms are maintained in Rana.

Administration and funding

The library is a directorate under the Ministry of Culture and Equality, led by a Director-General, currently Aslak Sira Myhre. It is governed by a board appointed by the government. Primary funding is allocated through the national budget passed by the Storting. The institution also receives specific grants for major projects like digitization and collaborates with organizations such as the Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority and the Research Council of Norway. Its operations are guided by strategic plans approved by the Ministry of Education and Research.

Category:National libraries Category:Libraries in Norway Category:Buildings and structures in Oslo Category:1989 establishments in Norway