The National Library of Sweden

LIS 701
Lisa Marie Winchell
July 9, 2014
In 1914, Jacob Hodnefield wrote an article entitled, The Libraries of Scandinavia. He
began by listing four important types of libraries in Scandinavia, including: libraries of societies

and individuals; public libraries most opened to the public by private individuals or ones who
belonged to a certain society; university libraries which aided in university instruction and
were only used by the professors and students; and royal libraries, used exclusively by the royal
family and nobility for preserving treasures.
Out of these four types of libraries, I chose to focus on the National Library of Sweden,
commonly known as KB (Kungliga Biblioteket), which means the Royal Library. The history
of KB dates back to the 16th century with King Gustav Vasa. His impressive personal library
covered a variety of topics, such as theology, science, and history. Besides books, he also
collected maps. This library continued to expand with Eric XIV, Johan III, and Charles IX in
power. These materials were stored in a palace called Tre Kronor, or Three Crowns.
In 1620, King Gustavus Adolphus gave away parts of the royal book collection, which
become the foundation for the Uppsala University Library. The collection grew after the Thirty
Years War, as treasures were captured from libraries including the episcopal library of
Wurzburg, the University of Olomouc library, and the royal library of Prague between 16311649. Stockholm obtained one of its most intriguing pieces in 1648. While given many names,
such as the Black Book, Codex Gigas, the Giant Book, and Nicks Bible, it is most commonly
known as The Devils Bible. It is the worlds largest surviving medieval manuscript,
measuring 35 inches by 19 inches and weighing 165 pounds! It contains 310 hand-printed
parchment leaves, most likely made from calfskin. The National Library of Sweden states on
their website:
The volume contains both New and Old Testaments, as well as a number of
historical works and medical writings. It has stirred peoples imaginations and
given rise to all manner of legends. According to one tale, it was transcribed all in

one night by a monk eager for the atonement of his sins, for which was required
he make [sic.] a pact with a devil (as explains the Devils portrait). The Codex
gigas was most likely produced in a Bohemian monastery in the early 13th century,
transcribed by a single scribe whose identity remains a mystery.
A significant law was passed in 1661, requiring all book printers to submit 2 copies of
everything they printed one for the National Archives and one for the National Library. By
monitoring their contents they believed they could preserve publications for posterity. However,
tragedy struck in 1697 when the Royal Library had a disastrous fire, resulting in the loss of
18,000 volumes and 1,200 manuscripts. Only 6,700 volumes and 283 manuscripts survived.
After investigating the cause of the fire, 2 employees of the king were found guilty of neglecting
their fire prevention duties and sentenced to death. Later, the punishment was reduced to running
the gauntlet, and, if they survived, 6 years of forced labor.
Throughout the 1700-1800s the Librarys collection increased as Gustav III donated his
private library of 14,500 items and Gustav IV donated 7,500 pieces. By 1814 the library had
about 40,000 works and was outgrowing its location.
Between 1877-1878, they moved into their current building in Humlegarden, in central
Stockholm. The building was designed by Gustaf Dahl and was built using cast iron. The
Devils Bible arrived to the new location by sled. Renovations continued in 1926-1927 as two
wings were added on. Installation of electric lighting began in 1887 but the building was not
fully electrified until 1964, 77 years later. From 1992-1997, extensive renovations and additions,
included two large underground storage facilities, were built into the bedrock below the building,
which now contain the bulk of the librarys collections.

Eric Glasgow, author of Libraries in Sweden, says that The National Library of Sweden
is known for its unique exhibition of such rare items displayed in view in the entrance hall
fully in keeping with its status as a great national institution. He continues, it is memorable for
both tourists and Swedish residents.
According to their official website, the agencys mission is three-fold: To collect and
preserve all Swedish publications, and make the material available to the public; to serve as the
infrastructure for the Swedish research community; and to be a research library, with a primary
emphasis on the humanities and social sciences.
I found the National Library of Sweden so impressive for the following reasons: Not only
do they collect and preserve all domestic printed and audio-visual materials in Swedish, but
because it is a research library, it has major collections of literature in other languages. They
have over 18 million objects, including books, magazines, films, journals, posters, recorded
sound, television, radio, manuscripts, maps, pictures, printed music, digital resources, and more.
They are responsible for coordinating all Swedish libraries, including public libraries. The
National Library also supplies information to higher education and research. Theyve developed
and maintained LIBRIS, their database system, which is freely accessible to the public. It
contains more than 5 million titles held in their 300 libraries.
Returning to Hodnefields article from 1914, I found his comparison of American and
Swedish libraries particularly interesting,
Scandinavian public libraries are, with some exceptions, loan collections and in
general have no reading rooms. The difference is evidenced by the names in
vogue. Most public libraries are called Bogsamlinger (book collections). The
larger cities however use the word Bibliotek. These larger cities also have

reading rooms and reference collections, based to some extent upon American
models.
The National Library has undergone quite an evolution in the past 100 years.
What began as the private collection of a king now offers its vast collection and range of
services to all.

Works Cited

Glasgow, Eric. Libraries in Sweden. Library Review 51.6 (2002): 301-304. Emerald. Web. 7
Jul. 2014. <http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0024-2535.htm>.
Hodnefield, Jacob. The Libraries of Scandinavia. Publications of the Society for the
Advancement of Scandinavian Study 1.5 (1914): 283-291. JSTOR. Web. 7 Jul. 2014.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/40914927>.
Lidman, Thomas. Our Cultural Heritage and Its Main Protagonists Libraries and Archives, a
Comparative Study. Liber Quarterly: The Journal of European Research Libraries.
51.3/4 (2004): n. pag. Web. 7 Jul. 2014.
<http://liber.library.uu.nl/index.php/lq/article/view/7790/7910>.
National Library of Sweden. National Library of Sweden. n. d. Web. 7 Jul. 2014.
<http://www.kb.se/english/>.
Wikipedia contributors. National Library of Sweden. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 27 May. 2014. Web. 7 Jul. 2014.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Library_of_Sweden&oldid=610328513>.