Born-digital collections

Born-digital publications are created for viewing online. They do not exist on a physical medium. Owing to the large volume of information in the internet, the Swiss National Library (NL) collects only a selection.

Content and scope

  • Commercial publications
  • Official publications 
  • Standards 
  • University publications 
  • Websites 
  • Wikipedia articles

Collection principles

The NL accepts born-digital publications into its collection in accordance with its statutory mandate.

Archiving and access

The NL stores born-digital publications in its long-term archive, which is accessible online. 

  • The full texts of born-digital publications can be found in the e-Helvetica database.
  • Some publications are subject to copyright and can only be viewed on computers in the NL.
  • You can research the bibliographical information in the online library catalogue Helveticat.

Information for professionals: e-Helvetica

Swiss National Library

e-Helvetica
Hallwylstrasse 15
Switzerland - 3003 Bern