Oslo Public Library (officially called in Norwegian ''Deichman bibliotek'', Deichman Library) is the

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

serving

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway and is the country's first and largest library. It employs over 300 people and has over 20 branches throughout the city. Registered users may use the library every day, even when it is not staffed, from 7am to 11pm. It is also possible to borrow and return books when the library is not staffed. One of the most prized books in the library's collection is the

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

bible of

Aslak Bolt Aslak Harniktsson Bolt (c. 1380 – 1450) was a 15th-century Norwegian priest who served as Archbishop of the Nidaros. His parents were Harnikt Henningsson and Sigrid Aslaksdatter Bolt. His mother was a member of a Norwegian noble family. ...

(1430–1450), Norway's only preserved liturgical handwritten manuscript from medieval times. The book itself is estimated to have been written around 1250. The head of the library from 2014 to 2016 was Kristin Danielsen.

History

The library opened on 12 January 1785 following an endowment from Carl Deichman, who also bequeathed 7,000 books and 150 manuscripts which formed the basis of the library's collection. From the start the library was open to all citizens. At the time most lending libraries charged a membership fee, making it impossible for poorer people to access them. However, the initial collection was largely made up of texts in German, French, Latin and Danish and was therefore largely only of interest to members of the educated upper class. In 1802 it was decided to move the library to the

Oslo Cathedral School Schola Osloensis, known in Norwegian language, Norwegian as Oslo Katedralskole (''Oslo Cathedral School'') and more commonly as "Katta",

and to merge it with the school's collection.

Jacob Rosted Jacob Rosted (23 October 1750 – 8 October 1833) was a Norwegian educator, editor, and librarian. Jacob Rosted born in Høland in Akershus, Norway. He was from a clerical family; his father was a vicar and his uncle was a priest. He studied ...

was both librarian of the Deichman Library and rector of the school. The library remained part of the school until the mid-1800s, when it got its own premises. Under the leadership of Haakon Nyhuus, who was head librarian from 1898 to 1913, the library became a model for public libraries throughout the Nordic region. Nyhuus modernised the library along American lines, having spent eight years in America and been inspired by Carnegie libraries. Among his innovations were the introduction of reading rooms and the addition of books for children and young people. During Nyhuus' time as librarian, the collection tripled in size and the borrowing of books increased by 25 times. The library had an estimated visitors a day. The library now has a bust of Nyhuus.

Departments

The library has several specialised departments, such as a music department, and a department for children and youth (decorated by Tulla Blomberg Ranslet), a department for prison libraries and a library for patients at the Rikshospital. It previously also housed

The Multilingual Library The Multilingual Library in Oslo, Norway ( no, Det flerspråklige bibliotek) is a competence centre for multicultural library services, and acts as an advisor to libraries. The Multilingual Library purchases and lends out books, audio books, movi ...

, which is now part of the

National Library of Norway The National Library of Norway ( no, Nasjonalbiblioteket) was established in 1989. Its principal task is "to preserve the past for the future". The library is located both in Oslo and in Mo i Rana. The building in Oslo was restored and reopened i ...

Building

The library's main building, Deichman Bjørvika, is in the

Bjørvika Bjørvika is a neighborhood in the Sentrum borough of Oslo, Norway. The area is an inlet in the inner Oslofjord, situated between Gamlebyen and Akershus Fortress. It serves as an outlet for the river Akerselva. Since the 2000s, it has been und ...

district of Oslo, next to the

Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

and the new

Munch Museum Munch Museum ( no, Munch-museet), marketed as Munch (stylised as MUNCH) since 2020, is an art museum in Bjørvika, Oslo, Norway dedicated to the life and works of the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The museum was originally located at Tøyen, ...

, part of the

Fjord City The Fjord City ( no, Fjordbyen) is an urban renewal project for the waterfront part of the centre of Oslo, Norway. The first redevelopment was at Aker Brygge during the 1980s. Bjørvika and Tjuvholmen followed up during the 2000s, while the r ...

renewal project. It was designed by architectural firms Lundhagem and Atelier Oslo
Lundhagem. Retrieved 25 August 2021. Deichman Bjørvika opened to the public on 18 June 2020. Deichman Bjørvika has won several awards, including the

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of people who rely on libraries and information professionals. An independent, non-governmental, not-for-pro ...

/ Systematic Public Library of the Year awar

The building will also hold manuscripts contributed to the

Future Library project The Future Library project ( Norwegian: ''Framtidsbiblioteket'') is a public artwork that aims to collect an original work by a popular writer every year from 2014 to 2114. The works will remain unread and unpublished until 2114. One thousand trees ...

, among them texts by

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...

and David Mitchell. The building houses several busts, including one of Karen-Christine Friele.

External links

The library's homepage in English

Information in English about the library's new building

The Library's Flickr pages on the history of the library (in English)

References

{{Authority control Libraries in Norway Organisations based in Oslo Organizations established in 1785 1785 establishments in Norway Culture in Oslo Library buildings completed in 1933