Mission and organisation
The Gothenburg University Library supports research and education at the University of Gothenburg by providing information resources and collections, digitisation and publication support as well as support in searching, evaluating and managing information.
Mission
The University Library's core mission is to be responsible for academic and artistic information services for students, researchers, teachers but also the general public. The University Library conserves and provides the cultural heritage that is a part of the Library's extensive collections. systematically monitors the external environment in order to, in dialogue with the faculties, develop and adapt operations. The University Library is an open library and a meeting place for the University and the general public.
The University Library provides services in the form of publication support and digitisation support to the University's teachers and researchers. The University Library provides, by direction of the departments, instructional courses with the aim of improving the students' information literacy. The University Library also provides professional information services and study spaces in the library’s premises, as well as bibliometric expertise as a support to the University's leadership and researchers. The Library devotes special attention to users with special needs.
(in Swedish)
Organisation
The University Library is a part of the University of Gothenburg and headed by the Library Director. The Gothenburg University Library's organisation is divided into four library divisions and one library office.
The Library Board has tasked the Library Director to develop a proposal for a function-based organisational structure to be implemented in 2026.
Library Director
The Library Director is the Head of the University Library. Morgan Palmqvist is the Head of the Library and a member of the Vice-Chancellor's Management Council.
Library Board
The Library Board handles issues concerning the organization's finances and strategy. The board consists of representatives from the faculties, the joint administration, the student unions, the trade unions and one or two external representatives. The Vice-Chancellor appoints the chairman of the library board.
Library Management Group
The Gothenburg University Library's Management Group is an advisory body to the Library Director. Group members are the Library Director, Head of Office, Executive Secretary, Head Librarians, and Deputy Head Librarians from the library divisions.
Library Divisions
The Gothenburg University Library consists of four Library Divisions:
- The Biomedical Libraries
- Digital Services
- The Humanities Libraries
- The Social Sciences Libraries
Each division has one Head Librarian and one or two Deputy Head Librarians. The operations within each division is organised into teams that are headed by team leaders.
Library Office
The Library Office is headed by the Head of Office and the University Library's unit for administration.
Financial year 2025
This annual report summarizes the financial year's most important events, statistics, and financial results (Swedish only):
Resources
| Resource | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Libraries | 8 |
| Study spaces | 1 632 |
| Average number of employees during year | 188 |
Collections
| Material type | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Printed books | 2 900 000 |
| E-books | 684 673 |
| Current printed journals | 3 453 |
| Subscriptions to e-journals | 26 877 |
| Databases | 528 |
Use
| Use | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Visits per year | 1 000 000 |
| Loans of physical material per year | 388 189 |
| Library instruction (number of students) | 17 346 |