Collections and Exhibitions
Making the University Library's collections digitally available and profiling the various collections, as well as providing digital presentation of physical exhibitions.
Main content
The special collections contain unique material with historical photographs, antiquarian documents, queer stories, a Nynorsk word bank and much more. In order to make this material available to the public, we are working on the development of a common digital platform for the collections: Marcus.
The university library's material forms the basis for a number of exhibitions. At the Arts and Humanities Library, we have dedicated exhibition areas that visitors meet right after entering the foyer. But in order to reach as many people as possible and to make such exhibitions long-lasting, the group 'Digital Development' works with the digital part of such exhibitions.
Special Collections
The collections are a treasure trove for research, dissemination and thesis writing. The special collections consist of the Manuscript and Library Collection, the Picture Collection, the Language Collection and the Queer Archive.
The Manuscript and Rare Book Collection
The collection is curating a wide spectrum of material: diplomas, fragments of medieval manuscripts, maps, charts, letters, photographs, rare and large antiquarian book collections, and collections of manuscripts, e.g. the archives of the Nordland’s trade; the guild-archives of Bergen; the bulk of the archive of the founder of the museum, W.F.K. Christie. Get more information on the on the resource page of the Manuscript and Rare Book Collection.
The Picture Collections
The collection is one of the largest and best recognized archives of historic photographs in Norway. With around half a million photographic images, it consists of singular images and collections of various sizes originating with photographers, collectors and private donors. The collection includes well-known Norwegian and Bergen motifs, private albums dating back to the 1860s, documentation from research archives and examples of early photographic techniques. More than 50,000 of the 1.2 million images are available to the public at marcus.uib.no. Get more information on the portal of Marcus.
The Language Collections
The collections are a significant scientific resource consisting of older physical and electronic material. The collections are the basis for the Norwegian dictionaries, and are used in nomenclature studies. In 2016, the language collections were transferred to UiB from the University of Oslo. Get more information on the information page 'Norsk kulturarv i skrift og tale'.
The Queer Archive
The Archive collects, preserves and disseminates Norwegian queer history. One of the pillars of the work is Karen-Christine Friele's personal archive, as well as several collections from other private individuals and organisations. In addition, the Queer Archive is building up a collection of video interviews, and has its own encyclopedia, Skeivopedia, which can be found on the archive's website. Get more information on skeivtarkiv.no/en.
The exhibitions created by Digital Development
Feel free to contact the academic director for Digital Development if you have questions about the technical side of Marcus, or want to talk about possibilities for developing a digital exhibition.
