Printed collections

Specialist literature in different subjects

- as well as Swedish and international fiction and literature for children and young adults
From 2011 all newly acquired literature will be placed by subject and in numerical order on the third floor, marked Aef 2011:1, Qb 2017:2 etc.

Older books are ordered according to the Swedish Classification System that we have been using with sections A-V on the second floor. Material that is only borrowed seldom is placed in numerical order on the first floor. In addition there are also about 200 000 e-books accessible from the Library catalogue.  

Fiction is placed on the third floor, and literature for children and young adults on the second floor.

Course literature

The Library does not have a special course literature collection and the prescribed literature for the University’s courses is placed in the general collection. The number of copies we have depends on demand and the number of students taking the course.
We also keep reference copies of the titles most in demand. These are placed on floor 2 in room 1E 225. They can be borrowed for the day, but please note that special rules apply and they need to be returned before midnight.

Journals

Most of our journals, approximately 12 000, are available in electronic format. In addition around 900 printed journals can be found in alphabetical order on Floor 3 (current year) and floor 1.  Journals can be borrowed over night by turning to the issue desk.
All the journals can be accessed via the Journal list.

Newspapers

All the Swedish and foreign newspapers we subscribe to are located in the newspaper reading room on the second floor. These newspapers are stored for several months and more newspapers are accessible via different databases or on microfilm.

Doctoral dissertations

Current dissertations are exhibited on the third floor at the issue desk. They may only be borrowed after the disputations have taken place and are then placed on the relevant subject’s shelf. Many dissertations are also available electronically on Diva.

Other theses

Theses written by students at Karlstad University are available electronically on Diva. The Library does not keep printed copies, but these are stored in the University archives.

Official publications and statistics

Official government reports and parliamentary publications can be found on the fourth floor.
Statistics can be found on floor 3. Older material is placed on floor 1.

Reference works

General reference books, like the Swedish National Encyclopaedia, are located on the third floor. Other reference works are placed with the rest of the literature belonging to the same subject.
In addition there are several electronic reference works available.  

Databases

The Library subscribes to both full-text and reference databases covering different subjects. We have access to most of them by way of central licensing agreements signed by the Royal Library.

Special collections

European Documentation Centre (EDC)

As an EDC, the Library has the task of collecting and transmitting European Union documents to students and researchers, but also the general public. There are more than 500 EDC libraries throughout the world. More than 300 of these are in Europe and ten of these are distributed over the different region of Sweden. Together all these libraries constitute a functioning network for which the EU’s Directorate-General for Communication has the overall responsibility. As an EDC library we receive copies of the most important publications by EU institutions. Most of the material published since 1991 is available, but copies of some journals (as for example the Official Journal) are only available from 1996 and onwards. Most of the publications are in English. After Sweden became a member of the EU in 1995, a number of sources have also been published in Swedish. All the material can be found in our catalogue.

The Rolf Edberg collection

Rolf Edberg (1912-1997) was born in Lysvik in the neighbouring district of Sunne. He was the county governor of Värmland from 1967 to 1977. Yet, to the public as a whole and to the international audience he is better known as an author and environmental activist.

Rolf Edberg’s own literature collection is located on the first floor of the Library. The collection was donated to the University by his family and surviving relatives. Although the content of this collection spans many subjects, the books are hopefully a fair reflection of the environmental activist’s interests. The books cannot be borrowed, but may be used within the Library.

The Shakespeare collection

In 2003 Karlstad University received a donation including almost 700 books on and about William Shakespeare from Erik Einarsson Wikland. The collection is located on the first floor.

The Rudolf Zeitler collection

Rudolf Zeitler (1912-2005) was the foremost Swedish art historian of his generation. From 1964 to 1977 he was professor in the History and Theory of Art at Uppsala University. 

His book collection was certainly the richest private History of Art library in Sweden. The donation consisted of approximately 50m of shelf space and about half of the books are shelved on the first floor of the University Library.