In the wake of the Norwegian miracle, or how the first digital national library in Europe was created

Abstract

Of the European national libraries, the Norwegian National Library is the first to fully digitize its collection. The author presents the strategic guidelines and processes that enabled this grandiose plan to be carried out, and helped to make the Norwegian National Library a modern digital national library. The concept of the Norwegian Digital Library was formulated in the early 2000s. In order to achieve the optimal solution, technical, financial and legal conditions had to be met at the same time, for which the library had received appropriate political support. The Norwegian National Library plays a central role in the government's national strategy for the preservation and dissemination of national cultural heritage. The library’s strategy includes as a priority to establish the feasibility for the digitization of materials, to prepare work processes, and to digitize them. This study reviews relevant documents, the guiding principles of the digitization plan, collaborations, and also copyright issues. Due to its design, flexible and rapid adaptation to change and collaborative practices, the Norwegian model can be an example to follow for public collections.