Who's behind the news?
Who's behind the news?
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Newsjunkie.net is a resource guide for journalists. We show who's behind the news, and provide tools to help navigate the modern business of information.
Use of Data
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1.5.2
The National Library of the Faroe Islands (Faroese: Føroya Landsbókasavn) was founded in 1828, when Danish governor Christian Ludvig Tillisch and his Amtsrevisor Jens Davidsen began assembling books for a Færø Amts Bibliotek (Faroe County Library), with assistance from the Danish scholar Carl Christian Rafn and private citizens. On 5 November 1828, a royal grant of annual funding was secured. The collection numbered 2,860 volumes by 1831. Davidsen served as librarian until his death in 1878, after which the library fell into neglect and was temporarily closed. It was revived in 1920 by linguist Mads Andreas Jacobsen (1891–1944), who revitalized the collections on the model of the modern public library. Following the Faroese Home Rule Act of 1948, the institution passed to Faroese government control and officially became the National Library. A purpose-built building at J. C. Svabosgøta 16 was opened on 24 September 1980. In 2011, the library was administratively merged with several other cultural institutions under Faroese National Heritage (Søvn Landsins), but in 2018 it was re-established as an independent institution under the Ministry of Culture. As of January 2024, it also formally became the library of the University of the Faroe Islands (Fróðskaparsetur Føroya).
The National Library houses the largest collection of works written in Faroese, works written by Faroese authors in other languages, and works written about the Faroe Islands. Under a legal deposit law in force since 1952, publishers are required to deposit four copies of all printed materials with the library. The collection includes an important manuscript archive, notably an edition of Sandoyarbók (one of the oldest surviving copies of Faroese ballads about Charlemagne), on permanent loan from the Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen. The library holds historical periodicals, official documents, personal manuscripts from Faroese authors, and rare materials related to Faroese language and culture.
The library serves three primary functions: building a comprehensive collection of Faroese literature; acting as the central library for all public and school libraries in the Faroe Islands; and serving as a research library. It is responsible for purchasing and cataloguing books for most of the 15 public libraries and 11 school libraries in the country. The library also operates an audiobook service for persons with visual and reading disabilities and administers Efeingi.fo, the national access office for bibliographic and electronic journal databases for the University of the Faroe Islands.
The library is open to the public and researchers at its building at J. C. Svabos gøta 16, Tórshavn. An online catalog and access to electronic resources are available through the library's website at landsbokasavnid.fo.