National Library of Sweden (KB) Svenska tidningar (Historical Newspapers Database)

Overview

Svenska tidningar (formerly Svenska dagstidningar) is the National Library of Sweden's (Kungliga biblioteket, KB) searchable online database of digitized Swedish newspapers, covering publications from 1645 to the present. It is one of the most comprehensive historical newspaper archives in the world, providing access to approximately 1,500 newspaper titles and around 160 million newspaper pages from approximately 3,500 titles overall. Newspapers older than 110 years are freely accessible online from anywhere in the world.

History and Development

KB has collected Swedish newspapers since 1645, when the oldest newspaper in the collection—started by Queen Christina in consultation with Axel Oxenstierna—was first published. Mass digitization of Swedish newspapers began in 2010, and by 2016 over 12 million pages had been processed. The service was originally launched as Svenska dagstidningar and later relaunched with an updated interface and expanded content as Svenska tidningar. As of the current version, the database contains newspapers from 2014 onwards in full, as well as extensive coverage of pre-1906 issues, with additional titles between these periods. New issues are added to the database approximately four months after publication.

Collections and Holdings

The Svenska tidningar database covers nearly 400 years of Swedish press history. Major national titles in the collection include Aftonbladet, Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet, Expressen, and Dagens industri. The database also includes hundreds of regional and defunct titles such as Cimbrishamnsbladet, Åmåls weckoblad, and Göteborgsposten. In addition to the digitized database, KB holds a microfilm collection of approximately 70 million pages from 1,230 newspaper titles. The physical newspaper collection at KB includes papers printed from 1852 to the present, held at the national library depository outside Bålsta.

Notable Materials

For journalism and press history researchers, the Svenska tidningar archive is a primary source of exceptional breadth and depth. The collection spans from Sweden's first newspaper in 1645 through the golden age of the Swedish press and into the digital era. Notable historical items include the anti-Nazi newspaper Trots allt! (357 issues, now available in full). The Freedom of the Press Ordinance of 1766, inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, can be studied in context through the newspapers of that period.

Access and Usage

Newspapers older than 110 years are freely accessible online at tidningar.kb.se from anywhere in the world. Copyright-protected newspapers (less than 110 years old) are accessible on dedicated terminals at KB's reading rooms and at university and public libraries throughout Sweden. Full-text search is available across the digitized content. Users can print pages on-site or send them by email for personal use.