1) Scandinavia encompasses Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. Librarianship is prominent in these countries. 2) The document then provides details on the national libraries, public library systems, and requirements to become a librarian in each country. 3) It concludes with information about the Scandinavian Library Quarterly magazine which publishes information about the library profession in Scandinavia.

1. Libraries
of
Scandinavia
Mitchell Berman
LIS 760
Summer 2015

2. About the Region
Scandinavia is a northern region of Europe
that encompasses Norway, Sweden, and
Finland. I am also including Denmark in
this presentation due to it’s proximity to
Scandinavia.
Librarianship is very much a presence in
these countries and on the next few slides
you will see information about the
libraries in these different countries.

3. Sweden

4. Facts about Sweden
Population: 9.7 Million People
Capital City: Stockholm
Official language: Swedish
Interesting Fact: The word “Lagom” is
the world most often used in Sweden. It
means good enough or just right.

5. Libraries in Sweden
The National Library in Sweden is the hub
of all libraries in Sweden. It even controls
the public library system. The National
Library contains over 18 million objects
and people have to be over the age of 18
to borrow from the library, but anyone
may visit the library. The library is
located in Humlegården in central
Stockholm and Gunilla Herdenberg is the
National Librarian of Sweden.

6. Becoming a Librarian
in Sweden
 The main library school in Sweden is The Swedish School of
Library and Information Science at Borås University. It is the
biggest Library and Information Science program in Sweden
with a Bachelors, 3 Masters programs, and a PHD program.
 There are a few levels of librarians in Sweden. Some started
with a Bachelors degree (and still continue to work that way to
this day), then there was a one year Master’s program, and now
it has become a 2 year program, just like the U.S.
 Their program covers three areas: Digital libraries, Information
Practices, and Culture/Society/Library.

7. Norway

8. Facts about Norway
Population: 5.1 Million People
Capital City: Oslo
Official languages: Norwegian bokmål,
Norwegian nynorsk and Sami
Interesting Fact: The sun does not set over the
Summer in the Arctic Circle, so visitors in
northern Norway get sun 24 hours a day!

9. Libraries in Norway
 National Library of Norway is the primary library in
Norway
 It is located in Oslo and Mo I Rana
 Prior to the existence of the National Library in 1989,
the library at the University of Oslo handled the tasks
 Norway has a Norwegian ISBN Agency which is
responsible for assigning ISBNS with prefix 82- and
978-82
 The National Library is responsible for cash deposits
made to library as well
 The National Library is currently in the process for
digitizing their entire collection-it started in 2005
 List of public libraries in Norway http://www.lib-
web.org/europe/scandinavia/norway/

10. Becoming a
Librarian in Norway
 The first library school was established as Norwegian School of
Librarians in 1940 and the training lasted 9 months.
 In 1994 it merged with the Oslo University College to created a
two years master’s program
 Today there is the Department of Archivistics, Library and
Information Science at Oslo and Akershus University College of
Applied Sciences (HiOA) which offers one-year studies as well
as bachelor’s and master’s studies in library and information
science, a master’s degree in library management and one-year
studies as well as a bachelor’s degree in archivistics and
document management.
 A PHD program is in process.
 The Norway Library Association is
http://norskbibliotekforening.no/

11. Finland

12. Facts about Finland
Population: 5.2 Million People
Capital City: Helsinki
Official languages: Finnish
Interesting Fact: Finland has a wife
carrying and air guitar contests.

13. Libraries in Finland
Finland is known for it’s comprehensive use of
libraries-both public and academic
80% of Finns use the library
Finns visit the library on average of 10 times
per year
Each year Finns take out on average of 18
books, magazines, or discs on average
Library websites register over 57 million visits a
year
The national library of Finland is located in
Helsinki
Finland Library Association
http://suomenkirjastoseura.fi

14. Becoming a
Librarian in Finland
Åbo Akademi University is one of the premier
universities that offer a degree program in
Library Science.
There are other tracks in librarianship in
Finland that are classified as business school or
polytechnic level type programs.
Librarianship in Finland is very similar to what is
in the U.S. between the MLIS/MLS degrees and
even the LTA degree to some extent.

15. Denmark

16. Facts about Denmark
Population: 5.6 Million People
Capital City: Copenhagen
Official language: Danish
Interesting Fact: It is known as the
Kingdom of Denmark…being one of
the world’s oldest monarchies.

17. Libraries in Denmark
The Royal Library in Copenhagen is the national
library of Denmark and the university library
for the University of Copenhagen
It is the largest library in the Nordic region
The first printed Dannish book from 1442 is
housed there as well as other 17th century
materials that were published in Denmark
There are 5 sites of the Royal Library today
The first librarian of Denmark was Marcus
Meibom from 1663-1671
Denmark library association website
http://www.db.dk/english

18. Becoming a Librarian
in Denmark
The main library school is the Royal School of
Library and Information Science
It was established in 1956 replacing the Danish
State Library School
There are two sites in Copenhagen and Aalborg.
The program offers a Bachelor’s in Library
Science (Librarian IVA qaulification), a 2 years
Masters program, and a PHD program
It also offers a post professional Masters of
Library Science degree

19. Scandinavian Library
Quarterly
There is a magazine called Scandinavia Library
Quarterly that publishes information about the
Library profession in Scandinavia and it is
published four times a year. This is the snapshot
of the current issue: http://slq.nu/
Their aim is to introduce current tendencies and
strategies in Scandinavian libraries to the
English-speaking world and create a forum
for stimulating and constructive dialogue.

20. Works Cited
Denmark Facts. Retrieved from web on July 21, 2015 from
http://denmark.dk/en/quick-facts/
Denmark Library Facts. Retrrieved from web on July 21, 2015 from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Library,_Denmark#The_Royal_Library_today
Finland Facts. Retrieved from the web on July 21, 2015 from
http://www.infoplease.com/country/finland.html
Finland Library Facts. Retrieved from web on July 22, 2015 from
http://www.libraries.fi/en-GB/libraries/research_libraries/
Maps Courtesy of google images.
National Library of Sweden. Retrieved from web on July 22, 2015 from
http://www.kb.se/english/
Norway Facts. Retrieved from web on July 21, 2015 from
http://www.visitnorway.com/us/about-norway/facts-about-norway/

21. Works Cited Cont’d
National Library of Norway. Retrieved on July 20, 2015 from
http://www.nb.no/English
Norway Librarian Facts. Retrieved on July 20, 2015 from
http://slq.nu/?article=volume-45-no-3-2012-7
Scandinavia Library Quarterly. Retrieved on July 20, 2015 from
http://slq.nu/?page_id=539
Sweden Librarian Facts. Retrieved from the web on July 22, 2015 from
http://slq.nu/?article=volume-45-no-3-2012-5
Sweden Facts. Retrieved from the web on July 21, 2015 from
https://studyinsweden.se/why-sweden/quick-facts-about-sweden/