Collections

The National Library’s digital collections include both born-digital publications and digitised publications created by converting an analogue original.

The library collections comprise books, newspapers, journals and magazines, websites, maps and atlases, official publications, sheet music, and much more.

The collection of the Prints and Drawings Department includes prints from the 17th to 21st centuries, photographs, postcards, posters and artists’ books, as well as documents on historic monument preservation since the end of the 19th century.

The National Library’s Literary Archives are home to the leading collection of literary estates, libraries and archives from authors of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Swiss National Sound Archives in Lugano collect sound recordings and preserve them for posterity. They have been archiving Switzerland’s audio heritage and making it available to anyone with an interest since 1987.

The Federal Archives of Historic Monuments contains photographs, files and plans relating to historic buildings, archaeological digs as well as the protection of built heritage and landscapes.

A large proportion of the special collections were acquired by the National Library (NL) during the era of Director Marcel Godet (1909–1945). The librarian Karl Jakob Lüthi also played a role in building up the holdings. He bequeathed his large collection of Bibles and the International Press Collection to the NL. The collections are no longer being expanded.

Discover some hidden gems from the Swiss National Library!