Archives, libraries and museums

Archives

All government agencies are required to archive documents used when carrying out their duty. The archives secure its documents as sources of information for the future.

Libraries

The library system in Norway includes public libraries, county libraries, school libraries, public and private academic and research libraries, the library of talking books and braille (NLB) and the National Library.

Museums and cultural heritage

Our museums are an expression of society’s development, the self-esteem of a nation, and the standard for freedom of expression and democracy in the community. These institutions form democratic girders in society, constituting part of the crucial infrastructure that is required for the exercise of democracy and freedom of expression. Museum policy thus lays the foundations for part of our common education as a nation. While museums play an important role in the efforts of a young nation such as Norway to build its national identity, they also play an equally important role in the contemporary understanding of ourselves in terms of who we were, who we are and who we will become.