About Arken
Arken is a search service for archives and collections at the National Library of Sweden and Umeå University Library. Here you can find everything from letters, manuscripts, photographs and drawings to special book collections and ex-libris stamps.
Searching in Arken
In Arken you can do a key word search by archival desriptions, name, institution, terms, geographical location and genre. You can also browse with the same critera. Alla archives have an overview which summarizes what type of material they contain.
Getting access to the material
If you want to study the physical material you have to do it on location at the respective libraries. Some of the documents have been digitized and are available to download for free in Arken. With time more and more digitizations will be made available.
The system and its standards
Arken is the National Library of Swedens application of the system Access to Memory (AtoM). AtoM is a web-based, open source application for standards-based archival description and access in a multilingual, multi-repository environment.
The system is based on the international archival standards which have been created by the International Council of Archives (ICA)
-ISAD(G):standard for archival descriptions
-ISDIAH: standard for description of archival repositories
-ISAAR: standard for authority records
Good to Know About the Collections
Users should be aware that the National Library of Sweden’s collections and search services contain older terms, images, and other content that may be perceived as offensive, derogatory, or outdated.
Expressions that reflect the attitudes of the authors/creators at the time may evoke strong emotions today, but they are necessary for our understanding of the past and our present.
The National Library’s mission is to collect, describe, preserve, and provide access to Sweden’s published cultural heritage.
GDPR
The National library of Sweden handles your personal data in accordance with EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR.
Read more about how GDPR works