University of Gothenburg Archives Gothenburg University Library Special Collections

History and Founding

The University of Gothenburg was established in 1891 as a private foundation and became a state university in 1954. The University Library's manuscript and special collections have been built since the 1860s and represent one of Sweden's significant academic archive holdings. The archives are maintained principally within the Gothenburg University Library, with the primary physical location for special collections and manuscripts at the Humanities Library, Renströmsgatan 4, Göteborg.

Collections and Holdings

The manuscript and archive collections contain over 400 individual archives, consisting primarily of personal archives from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Holdings include letters, diaries, and manuscripts from authors, artists, opinion leaders, and researchers and teachers affiliated with the university. There are also several organisational archives containing minutes, annual reports, accounts, and other documents.

Notable special holdings include the archives of the Swedish East India Company, a papyri collection from antiquity, medieval parchment manuscripts, the KvinnSam archive (founded as a private initiative in 1958 and integrated into the University Library in 1971, containing approximately 300 archives of individuals and associations relating to women's history), and a selection of historical printed books, bookplates, images, and posters.

Digitised materials are available through the Nordic cultural heritage platform Alvin and the university's own publication platform Gupea. The University of Gothenburg Archives is also part of the Swedish National Archives Database (NAD).

Access

Researchers may visit the Humanities Library's special reading room for manuscript and rare book study. Many archives can be found and requested through Supersearch; others require consultation of scanned or physical card catalogues, and some remain uncatalogued. Assistance is available from library staff.