History of the University Library

When Stockholm University was founded at the end of the 1870s, the foundations were also laid for the research library that is now Stockholm University Library.

When the university’s organisation became more widespread, the need for literature also increased, and in the early 1900s, several libraries were founded at various locations in Stockholm. It was not until the 1960s that the decision was made to unite all the libraries in a common organisation.

The construction of the Frescati Library

During the 1970s, the libraries were brought together in shared facilities on the new Frescati University Campus and organised as Stockholm University Library, with branch libraries in the city center. Stockholm University Library thus became the first major research library in Sweden.

In conjunction with the Higher Education Reform in 1977, Stockholm University Library became an independent organisation, and as part of this transition, a new main library, Frescati Library, was planned and constructed. It was designed by architect Ralph Erskine, and inaugurated in 1983 by King Carl XVI Gustav.

History of the collections

Frescati Library began to take shape in the early 1970s. Initially, stock was built around a few larger faculty libraries: social sciences, law, humanities and the Slavic Library, which were previously located in Stockholm’s inner city, mostly around Observatoriekullen at Odenplan.

The science institutions gradually moved with their libraries to the campus at Frescati, and the smaller institutional libraries were merged into larger units.

The collections have gradually been supplemented by a number of scientific libraries, such as the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Library, the National Psychological Educational Library, the Library of the National Institute for Working Life, the Library of Teacher Education at Stockholm University, and the Graphic Institute Library.

Today, the Stockholm University Library book collection includes printed and electronic books and journals, as well as specialised collections in the humanities, social sciences, law and science.

Printed stock strategy

As part of the University Library’s strategy for printed stock, a number of former individual libraries have closed in recent years and their collections have been incorporated into the Frescati Library, while other libraries have branched out and are now run by the departments.

In December 2016, the Arrhenius Library, which was located in the Arrhenius Laboratory, closed due to rebuilding, and the library collections were moved to the Frescati Library. The same month, the NOD Library closed its operations. Since May 2017, the AlbaNova Library is run as a reference library by the Department of Astronomy and the Department of Physics.

The Geo Library closed in May 2018, and its collections were integrated into the Frescati Library the same year. The Library for Social Work closed during the summer of 2020, and these collections are also now in Frescati Library.

In 2022, the Asia Library was the last individual library to close. Its collections are now in the Frescati Library.

Since January 1, 2019, the JMK Library, Latin American Institute Library and the Mathematics Library belong to, and are run by, their respective department.

History of the University Library

The construction of the Frescati Library

History of the collections

Printed stock strategy

STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET

Stockholm University Library

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