Special collections, archives and manuscripts
The University Library has special collections of older material from what was the Gothenburg Museum at the time. Other special collections include donations from private individuals and book collections acquired through purchase within various fields. Our archives consist of manuscripts and archives from individuals and associations including letters, diaries and manuscripts.
Finding and requesting from the collections
The special collections are held at the Humanities Library, and at the Biomedical Library. The majority of the collections are kept in closed stacks, and cannot be found through Supersearch. Each collection page has specific information on finding and requesting materials from that particular collection, as well as contact details, should you have any questions.
Find manuscripts and archives in Alvin
Alvin is a national platform for cultural heritage material from several cultural heritage institutions in Sweden. You will find most of the university library's manuscripts here, both scanned manuscripts that are available in their entirety and references to physical material that can be ordered. Search for material by name or organization, manuscript title and document type.
What is a special collection?
A special collection consists of materials that share a particular trait, such as a previous owner, a subject, a printer or a specific origin. The special collections mainly include printed books. In addition, the library has several collections of bookplates, photographs, postermaterial and artefacts of various kinds.
About special collections and archives
Collections at the manuscript department
The Library's manuscript collections have been built since the 1860s. They consist mostly of personal archives from the 19th and 20th centuries and contain, among other things, letters, diaries and manuscripts. You can find archives from authors, artists and opinion leaders, as well as material from researchers and teachers at the university. The collections also include several archives from organisations that contain minutes, annual reports, accounts, prints and other documents. In total, the manuscript collections include over 400 archives. In addition to this, the manuscript department also holds the Swedish East India Company's archives, a papyri collection from antiquity and medieval parchment manuscripts.
KvinnSam's archive
KvinnSam's archive was founded as a private initiative in 1958 and has since 1971 been a part of the University Library. The archive contains around 300 archives of individuals and associations. KvinnSam's manuscripts are mostly from the first half of the 1900s, from the time of the suffrage movement and forward. The archives contain letters, diaries, and manuscripts collected by and about individual women. You can also find records, accounts, and annual reports from women's societies and associations.
Special reading rooms
The Humanities Library and the Biomedical Library have special reading rooms intended for studies of fragile and valuable materials. In here you may read manuscripts, rarities and other items from the special collections.
Contact us
Contact form
Contact us if you have any questions about the special collections or archives.