What is a special collection?
A special collection consists of materials that share a particular trait, such as a previous owner, a subject, a printer or a specific origin.
Gothenburg university library special collections.
The university library special collections include both old and new materials. Several of the older collections come from what was previously the Gothenburg museum library, later reconstituted as the Gothenburg public library, and later still the Gothenburg university library. To this day, people donate their collections to the library. Old faculty libraries represent another type of material in our holdings. In its various guises, the library has also acquired collections by purchase over the years.
The special collections mainly include printed books. In addition, the library has several collections of bookplates - small artworks often forgotten in the grand scheme of things. Other materials in our collections include ephemeral prints, posters, portraits, photograps and a host of other surprises.
What makes a special collection? The criteria may be very different. For example, the material might have come from a widely known donator with great impact, or it might concern a particular subject, or it might have been made in a particular way - perhaps bound with outstanding craftsmanship, or issued by a specific printer.
