Introduction

This chapter covers the countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden (including the semi-autonomous countries of the Faroe Islands and Greenland). This region is generally referred to as the Nordic countries, Nordics, or Scandinavia. It should be noted that the term Scandinavia can be more narrowly defined to exclude Finland, the Åland Islands, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland; for the purposes of this chapter, however, the term should be understood by its broadest definition.

The five major languages spoken in the Nordic countries are Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish. Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish are Germanic languages that are distantly related to Old Norse and are closely related to each other. Modern Icelandic, also Germanic, is more closely related to Old Norse. Finnish, in contrast, is a Uralic language and not related to the other four languages. In addition to the national language of each country, there are dialects, along with languages of indigenous populations, minority communities, and immigrant groups. One example is the Sámi languages, a group of Uralic languages spoken by the indigenous Sámi people in northern parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, and in extreme northwestern Russia.

While Denmark’s only official language is Danish, others are recognized as minority languages, including German, spoken in an ethnic German community in southern Denmark, Faroese, and Greenlandic. In the Faroe Islands, a semi-autonomous region of Denmark, Faroese is the official and primary language but Danish is taught in schools and has official secondary status. In Greenland, another semi-autonomous region of Denmark, Kalâtdlisut (Greenlandic), an Inuit language, is an official language; Danish is mandatory in schools and is widely spoken among the populace.

Finland’s official languages are Finnish and Swedish; 86.5% of the population are native Finnish speakers, and 5.2% are native Swedish speakers (Statistics Finland 2022). Recognized minority languages include Sámi, Karelian, and Romani (Kalo Finnish).

While Icelandic, a direct descendent of Old Norse, is Iceland’s sole official language, Danish and English are both compulsory in schools.

Norway has two official languages, Norwegian and Sámi. Although no official or state-sanctioned form of spoken Norwegian exists, there are two official written standards with equal standing: bokmål (descended from Danish and spoken Danish-Norwegian; used today by about 90% of Norwegians) and nynorsk (developed from various Norwegian dialects and used by roughly 10% of the population, mainly in western Norway (Vikør 2015)). Most Sámi-speaking people living in Norway speak North Sámi; smaller populations speak Lule Sámi, Pite Sámi, and South Sámi (Welch, n.d.).

Swedish is the only official language in Sweden, but there are five recognized minority languages: Finnish, Meänkieli (a dialect of Finnish), Romani, Yiddish, and Swedish Sign Language. The Sámi languages also have official status in Sweden, with North Sámi being the most common.

The Academic Field

The Scandinavian studies field in North America focuses primarily on literary studies, film studies, folklore, language instruction, the Scandinavian diaspora in North America, and, to some degree, history, anthropology, and archaeology.

The largest academic program focusing on these regions is the University of Washington’s Department of Scandinavian Studies, which also includes a Baltic studies program. Course work includes language instruction in Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, and, occasionally, Icelandic and Old Norse, along with literature, folklore, film studies, politics, and history. The department offers a number of majors and minors, and has MA and PhD programs. The only other standalone Scandinavian studies department in North America is the University of California, Berkeley’s Department of Scandinavian, which offers a Scandinavian area studies major and minor as well as an MA/PhD program with courses in the Scandinavian languages, literature, folklore, and cultural studies.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities’ Department of German, Nordic, Slavic, & Dutch, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)’s Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies have strong Scandinavian degree and course offerings, while other major universities have more limited ones. A handful of historically Scandinavian liberal arts colleges, such as St. Olaf College and Gustavus Adolphus College, offer undergraduate degrees in Nordic languages or Scandinavian studies. The study of Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish is not a growing field, and all of the Scandinavian languages are considered “less-commonly taught” in academia (Looney and Lusin 2019, 51-70). As part of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives within academia, Nordic studies scholars have also begun having discussions and publishing about marginalized groups in Nordic countries.

The two preeminent scholarly organizations in the field are the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study (SASS) and the Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada (AASSC). The Association of Swedish Teachers and Researchers in America (ASTRA) and the Norwegian Researchers and Teachers Association of North America (NORTANA) are both teacher-led non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting the study of Swedish and Norwegian, respectively, and to facilitating cooperation between scholars in those fields. Also of interest is the American-Scandinavian Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting intellectual and cultural exchange between the United States and the Scandinavian countries.

Publishing Landscape

The publishing landscape varies widely by country, with large Scandinavian countries publishing thousands of books annually, while smaller ones publish significantly less. Subject topics also vary widely by country. General statistics and information on the publishing industry for a number of countries, including all of those covered in this chapter, are available via Statista (subscription resource). For a listing of publishers by country and other categories, see the PublishersGlobal’s Directory of Publishing Houses & Publishing Services Companies (open access). It’s also advisable to watch out for literary prizes and awards from these organizations, which cover publications from the Nordics: Nordic Council Literature Prize, the Svenska Akademiens nordiska pris (Swedish Academy’s Nordic Prize), and the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize, which covers books published in Nordic languages, Greenlandic, and Sámi. The Glasnyckeln (Glass Key award), named for Dashiell Hammett’s novel The Glass Key, recognizes the best crime novel published each year in Scandinavia.

Denmark, Faroe Islands, and Greenland

In 2020, 1,878 fiction and 2,388 non-fiction books were published originally in Danish, with most new titles also appearing as eBooks and audiobooks. In addition, 1,457 fiction and 673 non-fiction titles were translated into Danish, predominantly from English (Danish Ministry of Culture 2021). In fiction, the most growth occurred in children’s literature and graphic novels for adults, while growth in non-fiction was highest in biographies and personal stories, sports, and recreation.

Greenland publishes 30-40 new books annually in the areas of education, textbooks, juvenile literature, art catalogs, fiction, and non-fiction, along with a small number of eBooks. A search of Denmark’s union catalog, Bibliotek.dk, shows that 40 Greenlandic new editions were published in 2021, with 24 in parallel text with Greenlandic and Danish; some books include English as well. Some books are original Greenlandic texts, while others are Greenlandic translations of Danish titles.

The Faroe Islands published 178 books in 2020—95 Faroese originals and the balance translations—covering fiction, textbooks, non-fiction, and children’s literature. Translations were from Scandinavian languages, English, and a small number of other languages (Hagstova Føroya 2022). A search of Bibliotek.dk showed that 19 eBooks were published in 2021, and 22 audiobooks were published in 2022.

In 2020 there were 971 publishers in Denmark, with 60% releasing only one book annually, and 30%, 7%, and 3% releasing 2-10, 11-50, and more than 50 books, respectively. Every year some publishers cease to exist and others are bought by larger publishers (Danish Ministry of Culture 2021). Gyldendal, Denmark’s biggest publisher, has the highest net sales and publishes over 400 new titles annually. JP/Politikens Forlag publishes about 80 new titles annually, and Lindhardt & Ringhof publishes about 600. Other important publishers are Forlaget Mellemgaard, PeoplesPress, and Modtryk. In the US, notable publishers of translations are Minotaur, William Morrow, Thomas Dunne, Thorndike, Knopf, Alladin, Harper, and Vintage Crime/Black Lizard. To keep up with trends in the publishing industry in Denmark, see the Danske Forlag (Danish Publishers Association), which publishes an annual report, a list of publishers, and other relevant information. Also consult the annual reports (årsrapport) from the Danish Ministry of Culture’s Book Panel (Bogpanelet), which include book and publishing information.

In Greenland the largest publisher is Ilinniusiorfik, an education publisher. The several smaller publishers include Milik Publishing, with books and eBooks, mostly fiction, and Nuuk Kunstmuseum, with art exhibition catalogs.

The major Faroe Islands publishers are Sprotin; BFL-Bókadeild Føroya Lærarafelags, an educational publisher; Mentunargrunnur Studentafelagsins; and Fróðskapur (Faroe University Press). To keep up with Faroese publishing, consult Statistics Faroe Islands and the National Library of the Faroe Islands’ List of Publishers.

Regarding book prizes, here are some of Denmark’s most prominent prizes:

• De Gyldne Laurbær (The Golden Laurels): given by the booksellers association
• Det Danske Akademis Store Pris (The Danish Academy’s grand prize): awarded every other year
• Søren Gyldendal prisen (Søren Gyldendal prize): given by the Gyldendal publishing house
• Holberg medaljen (The Holberg medal): given by the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces
• Blixenprisen (the Karen Blixen prize): given by the Danish Author’s Society in 12 fiction categories
• Bogforums debutantpris (Bogforum debut prize): for a debuting work in fiction; given by Denmark’s book fair, Bogforum.
• DR romanprisen (DR novel prize): given by the Danish public radio and television broadcaster DR for a work of fiction

For the Faroe Islands, prizes include the Barnamentanarheiðursløn Tórshavnar Byráð, given to artists and writers for cultural contributions to children, and the Mentanarvirðisløn M.A. Jacobsens, the Faroese literature prize for fiction, non-fiction, and cultural achievement.

Finland

In 2022, publishers in Finland released 4,675 new titles, including 881 fiction titles, 1,369 non-fiction, 66 comics, and 1,137 children’s and young adult books. The remaining 1,222 titles were learning materials for primary, secondary, and vocation schools. Domestic titles and translations accounted for 55.2% and 44.8% of new titles in fiction, respectively (Finnish Publishers Association, n.d.).

Finland averages 20 million book sales per year, with fiction the most popular genre, particularly crime and thriller fiction. The best-selling Finnish-language books are historical fiction and literary titles. The publishing market is small, with the average print run about 2,000 copies, and perhaps 100,000 copies of a major bestseller (Trentacosti 2017). Sales of audiobooks more than doubled in 2020 compared to 2019 and, similarly, eBook sales increased by 84% (Anderson 2021).

Otava Publishing Company, the largest publishing company in Finland, is a family-held, independent company well-known for its commercial and literary successes. It focuses on literary fiction, crime fiction, commercial fiction, and poetry, and also publishes biographies, history, narrative nonfiction, illustrated non-fiction, health-related books, children’s books, and books for young readers and young adults. Its imprints include LIKE, Karisto, Moreeni, Nemo, and F-Kustannus. In a given year, Otava Publishing will produce over 500 works in various formats (FILI – Finnish Literature Exchange 2020).

In the Finnish market, there is an overlap between Finnish and Swedish publishers, with Swedish-owned/Finland-based publishers that publish both in Finnish and Swedish. The most prominent is Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö (WSOY), owned by Bonnier Books. Founded in 1878, WSOY has established itself as a household name in Finland; it’s known to publish classic Finnish authors and to value Finnish literature. WSOY publishes all fiction genres as well as history, biographies, current affairs, and children’s and young adult books. It consists of the following imprints: Tammi Publishers, Readme.fi, Johnny Kniga, Kosmos Docendo, Minerva Publishing, and Bazar Kustannus Oy (FILI – Finnish Literature Exchange 2020). See Suomen Kustannusyhdistys/Finlands Förlagsförening (Finnish Publishers Association) for additional information on the publishing landscape in Finland, including reports, statistics, and a list of publishers.

The most important literary prizes are the Finlandia Prizes, awarded each year for fiction, non-fiction, and children’s and youth literature, and the Runeberg-palkinto/Runebergspriset (Runeberg Prize), given for a literary work in Finnish or Swedish. The Runeberg Prize is administered by the city of Borgå/Porvoo, the newspaper Uusimaa, Suomen Kirjailijaliitto (Union of Finnish Writers), Suomen arvostelijain liitto (Finnish Critics’ Association), and the Finlands svenska författareförening (Society of Swedish Authors in Finland). The Helsingin Sanomien kirjallisuuspalkinto (Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize) is awarded by the Finnish daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat for the best novel in Finnish, and Kiitos kirjasta -mitali/Tack för boken-medaljen (Thanks for the Book Award) is given to a Finnish author who published a particularly stimulating work of fiction in Finnish or Swedish the previous year. See the Wikipedia pages Finländska litteraturpriser (in Swedish) and Suomalaiset kirjallisuuspalkinnot (in Finnish) for additional literary awards.

Iceland

Statistics for Iceland show 1,681 publications in 2021, including 282 children’s books, 29 textbooks, and 344 audio books; 458 translations were published as well (Félag íslenskra bókaútgefenda, n.d.), including 353 literary works, mostly novels, translated chiefly from English and other Scandinavian languages. The 175 eBook publications shown in ​​Bókatíðindi, the annual book catalog of the Félag íslenskra bókaútgefenda (Icelandic Publishers Association), were mostly in the fiction genre, with some children’s literature and non-fiction.

The Íslensk útgáfuskrá (Icelandic National Bibliography) lists 296 publishers in 2021, of which only four published more than 50 books, 170 published one book, and the balance published 2-50 titles. The largest publishers in Iceland are Ásútgáfan, Ugla útgáfa, and Háskóli Íslands, along with the imprints Mál og Menning and JPV Forlag, published under the publisher Forlagið. To keep up with the publishing landscape in Iceland, consult the Icelandic Publishers Association, Félag íslenskra bókaútgefenda. The most important book prize in Iceland is Íslensku bókmenntaverðlaunin (the Icelandic Literary Prize), given by the Félag íslenskra bókaútgefenda for three books each year in the genres of fiction or poetry, children’s literature, and academic non-fiction.

Norway

Book sales in Norway are consistently high. According to the Den Norske Forleggerforening (Norwegian Publishers Association), more than 93% of the population report having read a book in the past year, and more than 40% report reading more than 10 books (Den Norske Forleggerforening, n.d.). In 2022, 6,003 new titles were released for the general market (excluding school books). Audiobooks continued to account for a high proportion of the new titles, at 36.3%. Among new belles lettres titles for adults and children, Norwegian titles and translations accounted for 51.2% and 48.8%, respectively (Den Norske Forleggerforening [2023]).

The three largest publishers in Norway by market share are: Cappelen Damm, Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, and Aschehoug. Other key publishers include Vigmostad & Bjørke, Oktober, Pax, Universitetsforlaget, Kagge (Norway’s largest publisher of popular non-fiction), and Samlaget. Norway also has a large and growing number of small and/or newly established publishers. The Sámi publisher ČálliidLágádus is based in Norway and publishes books by Sámi authors in Sámi languages.

Notable literary prizes include the following:

• Den internasjonale Ibsenprisen (International Ibsen Award): given to an individual, organization, or institution which has made substantial achievements in drama.
• Brageprisen (Brage Prize): one of the most prestigious prizes; includes awards for adult fiction, children’s and young adult literature, and non-fiction, as well as an open category.
• Gyldendalprisen (Gyldendal Prize): from the publisher Gyldendal Norsk Forlag; awarded every other year for a significant piece of writing regardless of publisher affiliation.
• Ibsenprisen (Ibsen Prize): awarded to a Norwegian playwright for a dramatic work which recently premiered.
• Kritikerprisen (Critics’ Prize): awarded by the Norsk kritikerlag (Norwegian Critics’ Association); includes awards for the best adult belles lettres (novels, poetry, novellas), children’s and young adult literature, translation, and non-fiction, and for best literary critic.

Information on additional Norwegian literary awards can be found on Norske litteraturpriser (Wikipedia.no).

Sweden

According to the Svenska Förläggareföreningen (Swedish Publishers Association), its members published 7,475 new titles and editions in 2022, an 8.9% decrease from 2021. Of these, 3,831 were adult belles lettres, 1,898 adult non-fiction, and 1,746 children’s and young adult titles (Svenska Förläggareföreningen [2023], 22, 45). As in the other Nordic countries, translations make up a significant portion of publications. In 2022, translations accounted for 39.5% of new fiction, 12.6% of children’s and youth literature, and 9.9% of non-fiction (Svenska Förläggareföreningen [2023], 23).

Book sales in Sweden are consistently high, with crime novels the most popular and most commonly translated into English. Children’s literature is also extremely popular, both in Swedish and in translation. Sweden’s market is dominated by three conglomerates: Storytel, the Bonnier Group, and Natur & Kultur. Storytel, a Sweden-based international audiobook subscription provider, acquired Sweden’s largest and oldest publisher, Norstedts. The Bonnier Group owns a number of Swedish media and publishing companies, with the most prominent publishers being Albert Bonniers Förlag and Wahlström & Widstrand. Natur & Kultur is best known for teaching materials, including Swedish-language dictionaries and learning material. Ordfront, a leftist-leaning publishing house founded in 1969, is known for publishing graphic novels and works by Swedish popular historian Dick Harrison.

HarperCollins Nordic, which is based in Sweden, publishes over 1,000 titles per year in Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish. Sweden also has a strong market of diaspora and minority language publishers. Beginning in the 1990s, for example, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of Kurdish-language titles published in Sweden; Dana Marouf publishes Kurdish titles and Nordic translations into Kurdish. Olniansky Tekst is a Lund-based publisher of Yiddish language materials (both original and translations), and Scansom Publishers, with locations in both Sweden and Toronto, is a publisher and distributor of Somali-language materials.

In addition to the well-known Nobel Prize in Literature, which is open to authors worldwide, Sweden has a plethora of literary awards specifically for Swedish-language authors and achievements in Swedish literature. Some of the notables include:

• Augustpriset (August Prize): awarded by the Swedish Publishers Association for the best book in three categories: belles lettres, non-fiction, and children’s and young adult literature.
• 40+ prizes and stipends from the Svenska Akademien (Swedish Academy), such as:
  • Bellmanpriset (Bellman Prize): awarded yearly to an outstanding Swedish poet.
  • Doblougska priset/Doblougprisen (Dobloug Prize): for Norwegian and Swedish fiction as well as literary criticism.
  • Kungliga priset (Royal Prize): for a valuable piece of writing, generally in the field of wit and language.
  • Stora priset (Grand Prize): the foremost award from the Academy for outstanding efforts in one of the Academy’s areas of interest.
• Selma Lagerlöfs Litteraturpris (Selma Lagerlöf Literary Prize): awarded to outstanding authors writing in the spirit of author Selma Lagerlöf.
• Stora fackbokspriset (Grand Non-fiction Prize)
• Svenska Dagbladets litteraturpris: literary prize from the Swedish daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet; awarded to promising authors working on a new book.
• Sveriges Radio (Sweden’s Public Radio Broadcaster) awards its Romanpris for an outstanding Swedish novel, its Novellpris for a Swedish short story or novella, and its Lyrikpris for Swedish poetry.

A more comprehensive list of additional prizes and stipends for authors can be found on Svenska Litteraturpriser (Wikipedia.sv).

English-language Publishers

There are several publishers of Scandinavian material in North America and the UK, including the University of Minnesota Press, University of Washington Press, University of Wisconsin Press, and Norvik Press, a London-based publisher of Scandinavian-language literature translated into English, whose “Series B” includes many popular and well-regarded works in Scandinavian literature. The University of Washington Press has two important series to be aware of: New Directions in Scandinavian Studies, which focuses on the culture, history, politics, and literature of Scandinavia, the Baltic countries, and their cultural connections in North America; and the film studies series Nordic Film Classics. Cornell University Press’ Islandica series covers Icelandic civilization, history, and literature. The University of Cambridge series Acta Scandinavica, published by Brepols, covers early Scandinavian culture, history, language, and literature from the fall of Rome through the 17^th century. The series University of Southern Denmark Studies in Scandinavian Languages and Literatures includes both Danish and English monographs. New Nordic Press is a small, print-on-demand publisher primarily focusing on Danish literature translated into English.

Books translated from Norwegian and Swedish into English are surprisingly popular in the US. In 2009, Swedish was the fourth language most commonly translated into English in the US after Spanish, French, and German (Post 2009). Norwegian and Swedish have remained in the top 10 most translated languages in the American literary market for the past decade (Diment 2019).

Collection Development Resources

North American Vendors/Distributors

Most academic libraries use EBSCO’s GOBI Library Solutions or ProQuest’s OASIS, both of which offer approval plans, firm ordering, and new title notifications to supply English-language publications focused on the Nordic countries.

For librarians interested exclusively in scholarship in literature and history, these Library of Congress Classification (LCC) ranges should be sufficient for defining the scope of approval plans and notification lists for firm ordering:

• DL (History of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Scandinavia in general)
• G 725-770 (Greenland (General works, History, Social life and customs))
• PD 1-6000 (Scandinavian languages including Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Old Norse, and Swedish)
• PH 101-405 (Finnish language and literature)
• PM 61-64 (Kalâtdlisut (Greenlandic) language and literature)
• PT 7001-7099 (Scandinavian literature (general))
• PT 7101-7338 (Old Norse literature)
• PT 7351-7550 (Modern Icelandic literature)
• PT 7581-7599 (Faroese literature)
• PT 7601-8260 (Danish literature)
• PT 8301-9155 (Norwegian literature)
• PT 9201-9999 (Swedish literature)

Both GOBI and OASIS allow other search options for approval plans and notifications, including by publisher and format.

Vendors for licensing streaming film include Kanopy, which has a Nordic cinema collection, Swank, and Alexander Street, whose offerings can be ordered directly in OASIS.

International Vendors/Distributors

There are two main vendors that can supply North American libraries with publications from the Nordic countries: Harrassowitz and Erasmus distribute materials from all Nordic countries (including Greenland) and the Faroe Islands through firm orders, approval plans, and standing orders. Both can likewise provide new title announcements to librarians for titles from most of the Nordics. East View, a vendor primarily for Eastern Europe and Russia, also provides Finnish materials via firm orders, approval plans, and standing orders.

A number of academic libraries also work directly with bookstores and antiquarian dealers in Scandinavia. In some cases, bookstores will even set up approval plans or provide new title notifications to libraries.

Booksellers and Bookstores

One very useful tool is Antikvariat.net, a database which allows users to search the catalogs of antiquarian dealers in Scandinavia which are members of the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).

In addition to the standard online bookstores like AbeBooks and Amazon, here are some local bookstores which have worked with libraries in North America:

• Adlibris – Swedish bookstore.
• Atuagkat – bookstore in Nuuk, Greenland, that allows online ordering.
• Bog & Idé – chain of bookstores in Denmark.
• Bóksala stúdenta – the University of Iceland’s bookstore.
• Forlagið (bookstore) – Icelandic publisher and online bookstore; the publishing company includes the important Icelandic imprints Mal og Menning and JPV.
• Hedengrens – Swedish bookstore with a strong online presence.
• H.N. Jacobsens Bókahandil – the oldest bookstore in the Faroe Islands.
• Norli: national chain of bookstores in Norway; can provide books in Norwegian (both bokmål and nynorsk), Sámi, and in other Scandinavian and European languages.
• Penninn/Eymundsson – created from the merger of Icelandic bookstores Penninn and Eymundsson.
• Saxo: Denmark’s largest online bookstore.

Book Fairs

The Göteborg (Gothenburg) Book Fair in Sweden is the largest book fair in Scandinavia and the second-largest in Europe. Initially a trade fair, it has now expanded to a yearly literary festival. The other Nordic countries also have their own book fairs or literary festivals, most notably Bogforum (Book Forum; Denmark), the Helsinki Book Fair (Finland), the Reykjavík Book Fair (Iceland), and the Norwegian Festival of Literature. All of the Scandinavian countries have a strong presence at the Gothenburg Book Fair as well as at other European fairs, such as the Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair) in Germany and the London Book Fair. Despite the costs of traveling, attending book fairs can be very helpful in getting to know new titles and authors, publishing trends, and smaller and alternative publishers whose titles may not be available from vendors. The European Studies Section (ESS) maintains a list of European Book Fairs.

Reviews

There are many review sources of which readers can avail themselves. Most Nordic countries have websites or publications with English-language reviews to promote their literature abroad. Here are some examples:

• Books from Finland Online Archive (1967-2015) (no new content as of July 1, 2015)
• Books from Norway
• Danish Lit Lounge (Danish Arts Foundation)
• FarLit: Literature from the Faroe Islands
• Promotion of Icelandic Literature Abroad (Icelandic Literature Center)
• Publications from FILI (Finnish Literature Exchange)
• Swedish Book Review

Reviews of English-language translations of Scandinavian, Finnish, and Greenlandic belles lettres and non-fiction often appear in the Times Literary Supplement, the New York Review of Books, Publisher’s Weekly, and Library Journal.

Both GOBI and OASIS include reviews of academic and literature titles from CHOICE, Library Journal, and other publications. Lengthier reviews of academic publications are found in many scholarly journals covering Scandinavian and Nordic Studies and related fields, such as Scandinavian Studies. Another valuable publication to consult is the subscription-based The Year’s Work in Modern Language Studies, an annual critical bibliography by academics of recent scholarly work in the modern languages and literatures excluding English. Scholarly journals are discussed in more detail in the next section, “Disciplinary Resources.”

Assessment

The subscription database Resources for College Libraries (RCL) provides core title lists in subject areas deemed by expert subject librarians to be essential for college libraries. Assessment of your library’s Scandinavian Studies collections can be done via tools such as GreenGlass (subscription resource) and WorldShare Collection Evaluation (subscription resource), both from OCLC. Another approach is simply to use WorldCat (FirstSearch version) to compare holdings of your library against those of libraries with substantial collections. Libraries with large Scandinavian Studies collections are discussed below in the section “Distinctive Print Collections.”

Librarians covering Scandinavian Studies should be cognizant of cooperative collection development arrangements, and contribute to them when feasible. In such  arrangements, libraries divide collection responsibilities by subject, language, country of publication, etc., with the overall goal of reducing duplication and broadening collections in North America. They are most often publicized via professional networks which are covered further below.

Disciplinary Resources

Journals

Listed below are select scholarly English- and Nordic language journals and periodicals. For additional titles, consult WorldCat (FirstSearch version), national library catalogs, and catalogs from university libraries with extensive collections (noted further below).

English-language Journals and Periodicals

• European Journal of Scandinavian Studies (2191-9399): peer-reviewed; Old Norse Philology, Modern Literature and Cultural Studies, and Linguistics. Subscription resource.
• Iceland review (0019-1094): news and culture magazine for Iceland. Subscription resource.
• Journal of Finnish Studies (1206-6516): peer-reviewed; Finnish studies and Finnish-American studies. Subscription resource.
• Journal of Scandinavian Cinema (2042-7891): peer-reviewed; cinema from Nordic countries. Subscription resource.
• Nordic Journal of Linguistics (0332-5865): peer-reviewed; all branches of linguistics, with a special focus on the Nordic languages, including Finnish, Greenlandic, and Sámi. Subscription resource.
• Scandinavian-Canadian Studies = Études scandinaves au Canada (0823-1796): peer-reviewed and published by the Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada (AASSC); articles and reviews cover a wide range of subjects on Nordic studies and Nordic-Canadian studies. Content in English or French. Open access.
• Scandinavian Journal of History (0346-8755): peer-reviewed; Scandinavian history. Subscription resource.
• Scandinavian Political Studies (0080-6757): peer-reviewed; politics and public administration in the Nordic countries. Subscription resource.
• Scandinavian Studies (0036-5637): arguably the leading journal in the field, and from the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study (SASS); articles and reviews cover the languages, literatures, histories, cultures, and societies of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Subscription resource.
• Scandinavica: An International Journal of Scandinavian Studies (0036-5653): peer-reviewed; focuses on the literature and culture of the Nordic countries. Open access.
• Viking and Medieval Scandinavia (1782-7183): peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary; covers the Viking and Medieval eras. Subscription resource.

Journals and Periodicals in Nordic Languages

• Danske Studier (0106-4525): peer-reviewed; articles and reviews in Danish, English, and other Scandinavian languages, focused on Danish language, literature, and folklore. Open access.
• Edda: nordisk tidsskrift for litteraturforskning (1500-1989): leading peer-reviewed journal; focused on the Nordic literatures and literary theory, with articles and reviews in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and English. Only published online after 2016. Open access.
• Fróđskaparrit: annales Societatis Scientiarum Færoensis (0367-1704): peer-reviewed; articles in Faroese and English cover humanities, social sciences, science, and medicine in the Faroe Islands. Open access.
• Grønlandsk kultur- og samfunnsforskning: Danish-language peer-reviewed annual; covers Greenlandic culture and society. Subscription resource.
• Kalevalaseuran vuosikirja (0355-0311): peer-reviewed Finnish-language annual; covers the Kalevala and Finnish and Balto-Finnic folk poetry and folklore. Subscription resource.
• Ord & Bild (earlier title Ord och Bild) (0030-4492): Swedish-language periodical covering Swedish culture and literature. Subscription resource.
• Parnasso: kirjallisuuden katselmus (0031-2320): Finnish-language literary periodical; includes poetry, short fiction, literary journalism, non fiction, and essays. Subscription resource.
• Samtiden (0036-3928): Norwegian-language periodical on culture, society, and literature. Subscription resource.
• Statsvetenskaplig tidskrift (0039-0747): peer-reviewed content primarily in Swedish covering the social sciences. Subscription resource.
• Syn og segn (0039-7717): Norwegian-language (nynorsk) periodical on culture, society and politics. Subscription resource.
• Tidskrift för litteraturvetenskap (1104-0556): Swedish-language literary journal with articles and reviews; only online as of 2021. Open access.
• Tímarit máls og menningar: TMM: (1670-4916): Icelandic-language periodical of Icelandic literature and culture. Subscription resource.
• Viking: norsk arkeologisk årbok (0332-608X): peer-reviewed; Norwegian-language journal of articles and reviews on archeology and antiquities. Some content in Danish or Swedish. Open access.
• Vinduet (0042-6288): Norwegian-language online forum for Norwegian and foreign literature; print magazine ceased in 2021. Open access.

Open Access

Like other countries in Europe, the Nordics have begun adopting and implementing Open Access (OA) policies, especially as they relate to government-funded research. Likewise, some publishers also are providing OA content. For an overview of OA initiatives in each country, see OpenAIRE’s “Open Science Overview in Europe” and the Global Open Access Portal (GOAP). Listed below are selected OA portals from Nordic countries:

• Idunn: Scandinavian University Press’ (Universitetsforlaget) eBook and eJournal portal. Content primarily OA.
• Journal.fi: Finland’s OA eJournal portal, with content in Finnish, Swedish, and English.
• Kriterium: Swedish OA portal for scholarly eBooks in Swedish and English.
• Nordic Open Access Scholarly Publishing (NOASP): Norwegian publisher Cappelen Damm Akademisk’s OA platform for eBooks and eJournals which are in Norwegian, English, and other Scandinavian languages.
• Norwegian Open Research Archives (NORA): portal for OA eJournals, eBooks, dissertations, and more in Norwegian, English, and other languages.
• Opin vísindi: repository for OA peer-reviewed articles and dissertations from Icelandic universities.
• Opinn aðgangur/Open Access: Icelandic portal to OA Icelandic journals, repositories, and more.
• Publicera: from the Kungliga Biblioteket (KB; National Library of Sweden), a search portal for Swedish OA journals and articles.
• Tidsskrift.dk: portal from Det Kongelige Bibliotek (KBDK; the Royal Danish Library) for OA eJournals in Danish, English and other languages; currently includes over 250 journals. Some additional open access journal sites in Denmark are hosted by Copenhagen Business School, and Aalborg University.

Besides the above, librarians can also find OA journals and eBooks from Nordic countries in well-known portals like Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB), and OAPEN (Open Access Publishing in European Networks). However, not all content from Scandinavian countries is included. For example, Björk (2019) found that 42% of OA journals from the Nordic countries are not included in the DOAJ (228). Given this, librarians covering Nordic Studies should be familiar with the Nordic OA portals noted above.

Primary Source Databases

The following databases, digital collections, and portals are particularly noteworthy for having primary source materials from or about the Nordics:

• Arkiv for Dansk Litteratur (ADL): collection of full-text classical Danish literature from the 12^th century to the 1920s. Open access.
• Bækur.is: Digitized books from the Landsbókasafn Íslands – Háskólabókasafn (National and University Library of Iceland). Open access.
• Bokhylla: Digitized in-copyright and public domain books and other formats from the Nasjonalbiblioteket (National Library of Norway). In-copyright materials available to anyone using a Norwegian IP address; scholars outside Norway can apply for access to Bokhylla from abroad.
• Digitaaliset aineistot (Digital Collections): from the Kansalliskirjasto/Nationalbiblioteket (National Library of Finland); includes digital books, maps, newspapers, ephemera, sheet music, and more; primarily in Finnish and Swedish. Open access.
• Digitala forskarsalen (Digital Research Room): digitized archival sources from the Riksarkivet (Swedish National Archives). Open access.
• Digi­ta­la kollek­tio­ner (Digital Collections): from the Kungliga biblioteket (KB; National Library of Sweden). Open access.
• Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives): digitized archival sources from Arkivverket (the National Archives of Norway). Open access.
• Digitale Samlinger (Digital Collections): from Det Kongelige Bibliotek (KBDK; Royal Danish Library); includes Danish printed texts, manuscripts, maps, letters, store catalogs, political party programs, foreign books, and texts and manuscripts from the library’s judaistisk (Judaic) and orientalsk (Asian) collections. Open access.
• EuroDocs: from Brigham Young University’s library; a portal to transcribed, reproduced, and translated primary source documents from prehistoric times to the present day for European countries, including all of the Nordic countries. Open access.
• Handrit.is: digitized Icelandic manuscripts from the Landsbókasafn Íslands – Háskólabókasafn (National and University Library of Iceland) and other institutions. Open access.
• Icelandic Saga Database: sagas available in modern Icelandic and Old Norse, with some translated into English and other languages. Open access.
• Project Runeberg: a volunteer-led effort to create digital editions of classic Scandinavian literature. To date, it includes 6,203 titles in Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and other European languages. Open access.
• Tímarit.is: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic, and Icelandic newspapers and periodicals published in those countries as well as in Canada, the US, and elsewhere. Also includes some titles in other languages. Open access.

Although there are no commercial primary source databases focused specifically on the Nordics, relevant content is often included in commercial databases covering Europe. Det Kongelige Bibliotek (KBDK; Royal Danish Library), for example, is one of the main national libraries which contributed materials to ProQuest’s Early European Books (EEB) subscription database of printed sources up to 1701.

Secondary Source Databases

As with primary source databases, there are no commercial secondary source databases or indexes that specifically focus on Nordic Studies, but citations for materials covering this area are included in most disciplinary databases. Below is a select list of some of the more relevant databases, all of which have citations for materials in English and Nordic languages:

• Anthropology Plus: provides extensive worldwide indexing of articles, reports, commentaries, and edited works in the fields of social, cultural, physical, biological, and linguistic anthropology, ethnology, archaeology, folklore, material culture, and interdisciplinary studies. Subscription resource.
• Historical Abstracts: covers world history (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present. Subscription resource.
• Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA): a main database for linguistics; includes citations for all aspects of linguistics and language study. Subscription resource.
• MLA International Bibliography: from the Modern Language Association (MLA); focuses on cultural studies, languages, literatures, film, and folklore. Subscription resource.

In addition to WorldCat (FirstSearch version), ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, and other disciplinary databases, dissertations from Nordic countries can be found in the DART-Europe E-theses Portal and in the OA portals previously noted.

News sources and media outlets

The newspaper market in the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden has traditionally consisted of a few national newspapers, strong provincial daily press, and numerous local papers. The market itself is robust compared to other regions, although the number of titles has declined. In 2016, there were 608 individual newspaper titles in the five countries, down from 643 in 2000 (Harrie 2018, 23).

According to Statista, Politiken was the largest daily newspaper in Denmark for 2021, followed by B.T. (Watson 2022c). In Finland, Helsingin Sanomat is the most read daily newspaper; other leading papers include Ilta-Sanomat and Iltalehti (Spearman et al. 2022), and Hufvudstadsbladet is the top Swedish-language newspaper in the country (Skogberg 2019). In Iceland, the two largest daily newspapers in 2020 were Morgunblaðið and Fréttablaðið, each having a print circulation of about 50,000 (Hetsroni 2020, 781); Fréttablaðið ceased publication in early 2023. Verdens Gang (VG) was Norway’s highest circulating daily newspaper in 2021, followed closely by Aftenposten (Watson 2022b). In Sweden, Dagens Nyheter has the highest readership of daily city newspapers, followed by Svenska Dagbladet (Watson 2022a); Aftonbladet is another leading daily Swedish newspaper. Greenland has two national newspapers: Atuagagdliutit/Grønlandsposten and Sermitsiaq; they merged in 2010, but only Sermitsiaq is available online (Lund 2016). The Faroe Islands have a handful of newspapers, including Dimmalætting, Norðlýsið, and Sosialurin. Current Sámi newspapers include Ávvir and Ságat (now only published in Norwegian).

Additional news and media sources can be found in the News section of the European Studies Section (ESS) Scandinavian Studies guide and the University of Washington Libraries’ Scandinavian Studies Guide: News & Current Events. English-language news content focusing on the Nordic countries is generally available from many news aggregators, such as Factiva, Global Newsstream, and Nexis Uni. News in the Nordic languages, however, is harder to come by in aggregators, although both Factiva and PressReader have some titles. The Local is an international outlet for English-language news based in Sweden, with local editions for Denmark, Norway, and other European countries.

Historical Newspapers

Most Nordic countries have undertaken major newspaper digitization projects, resulting in substantial digital archives of newspapers. Although most newspapers in the public domain are available worldwide, access to issues under copyright is generally restricted to those on-site at local libraries or from IP addresses in that country. Listed below are some of the main digital archives of newspapers:

• Aviser (Nasjonalbiblioteket): Norwegian newspapers. Partial open access.
• Aviser i Mediestream: Danish newspapers from 1666 onwards. Partial open access.
• Infomedia: access to select issues of Faroese newspapers. Open access.
• National Library of Finland’s Digital Collections: includes not only Finnish-language newspapers but ones in Swedish and some in Russian. Partial open access.
• Svenska dagstidningar: archive of more than 1,500 Swedish daily newspapers from 1645 to the present. Partial open access.
• Tímarit.is: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic, and Icelandic newspapers and periodicals. Open access.

Digital newspapers from immigrant communities (e.g., Swedish-American newspapers) can be found at Chronicling America (Library of Congress), the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), and state and local historical societies.

Catalogs, Bibliographies, Archives

National and Other Major Libraries and Their Catalogs

As WorldCat (FirstSearch version) does not, unfortunately, include holdings for all academic libraries in Nordic countries, librarians covering this region may need to consult the catalogs of national and other major libraries.

Denmark, Faroe Islands, and Greenland

• Det Kongelige Bibliotek (KBDK; the Royal Danish Library) serves as Denmark’s National Library and, as such, serves as a legal deposit library for materials published in Denmark. The KBDK’s Catalog also includes holdings for Aarhus University, Copenhagen University, and other university libraries.
• Bibliotek.dk: similar to WorldCat, this is a union catalog noting holdings at Danish academic and public libraries.
• Føroya Landsbókasavn (National Library of the Faroe Islands)
• Nunatta Atuagaateqarfia & Groenlandica: Nunatta Atuagaateqarfia is the public library for Nuuk, Greenland, as well as the central library for Greenland; Groenlandica is the national library for Greenland.

Finland

All of these catalogs include English, Finnish, and Swedish search interfaces.

• Kansalliskirjasto/Nationalbiblioteket (National Library of Finland): the National Library Search Service is its catalog.
• Finna.fi: Perhaps the best tool for finding materials related to Finland, this search portal includes online resources as well as physical items, such as books, journals, maps, archival materials, maps, and artworks. Institutions that list their holdings include the Kansalliskirjasto/Nationalbiblioteket (National Library of Finland) as well as public, university, and special libraries; Kansallisarkisto/Riksarkivet (National Archives of Finland) and other archives; museums; and research institutes.
• Melinda: a national metadata repository and union catalog for Finnish university libraries. Provides thorough browse and advanced search options, including title, series title, LCSH, and more.

Iceland

• Landsbókasafn Íslands – Háskólabókasafn (National and University Library of Iceland): Lbs.leitir.is is a portal for materials at the National and University Library of Iceland; Leitir.is includes listings for materials available from all Icelandic libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions.

Norway

• Nasjonalbiblioteket (National Library of Norway): Oria is its catalog of printed and digital collections, but searches can also be expanded to include items at Norwegian academic libraries. The National Library of Norway’s Research page lists a number of useful online resources.
• Biblioteksøk: union catalog noting holdings for libraries in Norway nationwide.

Sweden

• Kungliga Biblioteket (KB; National Library of Sweden): Regina is the catalog for physical and electronic collections; the Hitta och beställ webpage lists other catalogs and portals by format.
• LIBRIS: union catalog for more than 500 Swedish libraries.

Bibliographies

• Bibliography of saga translations: bibliography of translations of Old-Icelandic literature: Eddic poetry, sagas of Icelanders, þættir (short stories), kings’ sagas, bishops’ sagas, contemporary sagas, legendary sagas, and romances. This is a work in progress by the University of Iceland.
• Bibliotek.dk: Denmark’s national bibliography has no separate search interface but has been incorporated into Bibliotek.dk.
• Faroese National Bibliography
• Fennica: the Finnish National Bibliography
• Íslensk útgáfuskrá (Icelandic National Bibliography): search via Leitir.is.
• Nationalbiblio­grafin (Swedish National Bibliography): search via LIBRIS.
• Nasjonalbibliografien (National Bibliography for Norway): includes access to the Norbok, a national bibliography of Norwegian publications, Norwegian books (original and translated) published outside Norway; a national discography; a sheet music bibliography; a periodical directory; a periodical article index, and the Sámi Bibliography.

Many of the national libraries also note other specialized bibliographies. See, for example, the bibliographies noted by the Swedish National Library and the bibliographies noted by the Norwegian National Library. Other notable specialized bibliographies include:

• Dansk Historisk Bibliografi (1917-1924): a bibliography for Danish history up to 1912. Open access.
• Finnish Literature in Translation: database with references to Finnish, Swedish, and Sámi fiction and non-fiction translations. Open access.
• Svensk Historisk Bibliografi digital (1771-2010): a bibliography for Swedish history which generally notes publications from 1771 to 2010. Open access.

Archives

As in other countries, the national archives in Nordic countries contain both physical and online census records, parish registers, military records, and other archival materials. Some also have digital image collections on their sites or via Flickr. In addition to the archives noted below, consult the Archives Portal Europe.

• Arkivverket (National Archives of Norway): includes 10 state and regional archives, such as the Riksarkivet og Statsarkivet (Norwegian National and State Archives), the Sámi arkiiva/Samisk arkiv (Sámi Archives), and the Digitalarkivet (Digital Archives).
• Kansallisarkisto/Riksarkivet (National Archives of Finland)
• National Archives of Iceland (Þjóðskjalasafn Íslands): includes access to historical censuses via the National Archives of Iceland Census Database (Þjóðskjalasafn Íslands manntöl).
• Nunatta Katersugaasivia Allagaateqarfialu (Greenland National Museum & Archives)
• Rigsarkivet (Danish National Archives): see Arkivalieronline for online documents; of particular note is an online archive for the Danish West-Indies.
• Riksarkivet (Swedish National Archives): the Riksarkivet’s Digital Resources webpage offers a number of valuable resources, including a catalog of Swedish historical charters and TORA, the Riksarkivet’s geographical register.
• Tjóðskjalasavnið (Faroese National Archives)

Reference Tools

Nordic content is included in many of the standard online reference resources as well as those focusing on Europe, such as Oxford Reference Online and Europa World. Dictionaries and encyclopedias such as the following are also useful for users as well for librarians wanting to develop their own knowledge:

• Sjåvik, Jan. 2006. Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Literature and Theater. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
• Sundholm, John, Isak Thorsen, Lars Gustaf Andersson, Olof Hedling, Gunnar Iversen, and Birgir Thor Møller. 2012. Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Cinema. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
• Historical dictionaries for the Nordic countries in the Historical Dictionaries of Europe Rowman and Littlefield series

For statistics, look at the Nordic Council’s Nordic Statistics database, which provides data for the whole region and individual Nordic countries, and at the statistical agency of each Nordic Council, noted in the Statistics section of the Scandinavian Studies guide from ESS. Statistical and governmental information is also available from European-wide sources; consult Chapter 28 of the Handbook “European Statistics and Data” for specific resources.

National film institutes can be a valuable resource for researching not only developments in the national film industry but themes and individual films. In some cases, film extracts, trailers, and even whole films are available for online viewing. See these searchable databases (open access) from the respective film institutes:

• “All Films” list from the Suomen elokuvasäätiö/Finlands filmstiftelse (Finnish Film Foundation). To research or view older films: Elonet.
• Danmark på film: from the Det Danske Filminstitut (Danish Film Institute).
• Film.gl: films from Greenland.
• Icelandic Film Database: from the Icelandic Film Centre.
• Norwegian Films: from the Norsk Filminstitutt (Norwegian Film Institute).
• Swedish Film Database: from the Svenska Filminstitutet (Swedish Film Institute).

Additional notable English-language websites and reference sources include:

• History of Nordic Women’s Literature: scholarly website with thematic articles and biographical information. Open access.
• Lindskog, Annika, and Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen, eds. 2020. Introduction to Nordic Cultures. London: UCL Press. Open access.
• Nordics.info: scholarly website from Aarhus University with articles, podcasts, videos, biographic information, and more. Open access.
• World Biographical Information System: includes the Scandinavian Biographical Archives from the German publisher K.G. Saur. Subscription resource.

Listed below are a selected list of useful online reference works and websites from the region. Note that these are in Nordic languages and may not have an English translation or interface.

• Danmarkshistorien.dk: from Aarhus University; comprehensive scholarly website focusing on the history of Denmark with articles, sources, topical overviews, and more. Open access.
• Dansk biografisk Lexikon: first edition (1887-1905) of this Danish biographical dictionary. Open access.
• Den Store Danske: general Danish encyclopedia. Open access.
• National Biography of Finland: English-interface and translated articles from Kansallisbiografia/Finlands nationalbiografi. Open access.
• Nordisk familjebok: access to the first (1876-1899), second (1904-1926), and fourth (1951) of this general Swedish encyclopedia. Open access.
• Store norske leksikon: general Norwegian encyclopedia. Open access.
• Svenskt biografiskt lexikon: Swedish biographical dictionary. Open access.

For information on languages dictionaries and additional reference sources, see the University of Washington Libraries’ Scandinavian Studies Guide and the ESS Scandinavian Studies Guide. Additionally, ESS’ Indexes and Guides to Western European Periodicals guide lists Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish indexes, guides, and websites for periodicals.

Distinctive Print Collections

Major Nordic Collections in North America

University libraries which have comprehensive print collections covering the Nordic countries include many of the Ivy League institutions on the East coast; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Chicago; the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; the University of Washington, Seattle; and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. It is worth mentioning that the University of Minnesota’s holdings are especially strong for the post-World War II period, as it was assigned responsibilities for Scandinavia as part of the Farmington Plan (1948-1972) (Wagner 2002, 154-155). Regarding research and public libraries, the Library of Congress (LC) has one of the most comprehensive collections covering the Nordic region as well as other parts of Europe. For an overview of these collections by language, see the European Division’s Overview of the Collections and the European Division Online Publications by Country/Region. As library collections in Sámi are exceedingly rare in the US, LC’s collection of Sámi materials is noteworthy; it includes a few hundred volumes of Sámi-language material and books about Sámi history and culture in English, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish. The New York Public Library also is strong in Scandinavian materials.

University and College Libraries’ Distinctive Collections

In addition to holdings at major research and university libraries, a number of universities and colleges have distinctive collections; notable ones include:

• Bygdebøker Collections – Bygdebøker (farm books) contain local history of small geographic areas in Norway, including histories of families living at specific farms. Thus, these are of great interest for genealogists.
• Arne G. Brekke Bygdebok Collection (University of North Dakota Libraries): non-circulating; consists of about 1,800 books.
• Bygdebøker at the University of Minnesota Libraries: circulating; available via interlibrary loan.

For more information on bygdebøker, see the guide Conducting Research with Bygdebøker from the University of North Dakota Libraries.

• Fiske Icelandic Collection (Cornell University Library): one of the most comprehensive collections of Icelandic literature and civilization in the world; particularly strong for the Nordic Medieval era. Includes a digital collection of Icelandic and Faroese photographs.
• Icelandic Collection (University of Manitoba Libraries): consists of approximately 27,700 circulating volumes of fiction and non-fiction, available via interlibrary loan, and 686 non-circulating volumes. For more details on the collection and other Icelandic Studies resources, see Icelandic Collection: Research Tools.
• Laurentian University Library & Archives: listed under “9. Population & Socio-ethnic Groups” in “Fond Descriptions,” finding aids for Finnish and Finnish immigration archival materials.
• Luther College Library: special collection that includes Norwegian literature, Norwegian-American newspapers, archival records of the Norwegian Lutheran Synod, and other aspects of Scandinavian-American immigration
• North Park University’s F.M. Johnson Archives and Special Collections: Swedish-American culture in Chicago, focusing on 1900-1985. Contains, in particular, the Swedish-American Archives of Greater Chicago, and issues of the Swedish-American Historical Society.
• Scandinavian Immigrant Experience (Pacific Lutheran University Archives & Special Collections): relates to Scandinavian immigrants to the Pacific Northwest and includes print and digitized records of Scandinavian cultural organizations, family and personal papers, newspapers, and publications. Also includes recorded interviews and transcripts from the New Land, New Lives Oral History Collection.
• University of Minnesota Libraries: Archives and Special Collections include a collection of August Strindberg works (uncataloged), the Tell G. Dahllöf Collection of Swedish Americana, the Pär Lagerkvist Collection, Swedish documents and theses, Finnish-American materials, and more.
• University of Washington Libraries: the Pacific Northwest Collection includes correspondence, images, records, and oral histories related to the Scandinavian immigrant communities of the area; the Authors Collections include a sizable collection of Hans Christian Andersen’s works.

Museums, Historical Societies, Local Archives

The National Nordic Museum in Seattle has a large collection of household objects, photographs, and other documents related to the Scandinavian immigrants in the US. Their Walter Johnson Memorial Library has an extensive print and archival collection in addition to a large genealogy center. Philadelphia’s American Swedish Historical Museum has a collection of Anders Zorn’s paintings and archives, including papers of prominent individuals and community organizations. The American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis has a material collection of 7,000 objects, and a non-circulating library of 17,000 volumes—mostly related to Sweden and Swedish-Americana.

Despite being separate institutions, since its founding in 1925 the Norwegian American Historical Association (NAHA) has been located on the campus of St. Olaf College. The NAHA archives, hosted in the special collections of St. Olaf’s Rolvaag Memorial Library, are the largest print collection of the Norwegian diaspora in the US.

Danish-American culture in the US is anchored by five sister organizations: the Danish American Archive and Library, the Museum of Danish America, the Danish Immigrant Archives at Grand View University, the Danish-American Heritage Society (DAHS), and the Rebild National Park Society. These organizations partner with others in both Denmark and the US to promote Danish culture, connect scholars, and preserve Danish-American material from the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The Museum of Danish America, for example, provides open access to digitized copies of Danish-language American newspapers from the late 19^th century.

Professional Development and Networks

The most important organization for librarians focusing on Nordic Studies is the European Studies Section (ESS) of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL); it provides networking and professional development opportunities focusing on all aspects of European studies librarianship. ESS has a number of discussion groups, including the Scandinavian Discussion Group, and usually holds a series of online and in-person meetings twice a year as well as programs and other events. ESS-L, the ESS email list, is open to members and non-members alike and valuable for posing questions and keeping informed. As noted previously, the ESS Scandinavian Studies Guide is also helpful for discovering new resources.

Other educational opportunities include those offered by Scandinavian cultural and heritage organizations in the US and Canada, such as the American-Scandinavian Foundation, the Finlandia Foundation, and the Canadian Nordic Society, which often offer free online newsletters and publications, cultural information, in-person and online events, and language courses. Many of these organizations are centered in the Upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Nordics.info offers a free podcast called Knowledge on the Nordics. To keep up on the field of digital humanities (DH) for the Nordics, the Digital Humanities in the Nordic and Baltic Countries (DHNB) group is an important one to follow. Its website includes a listing of DH projects for these areas, links to its publications, and conference abstracts.

Other tips for keeping up with the field include:

• Attending conferences of the scholarly organizations noted in the Academic Field section. If you’re unable to attend, perusing the conference programs will help you identify new scholarly trends.
• Following the news and social media from the large Scandinavian/Nordic Studies departments as well as the Nordic countries’ embassies.
• Follow major publishers and the Nordic countries’ book promotion sites (e.g., Books from Norway).

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their gratitude to Lucy Barron, Supervisor (Library of Congress) and Dan Mandeville, Nordic Studies & Linguistics Librarian (University of Washington), who provided valuable assistance in the writing of this chapter.

References and Recommended Readings

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