Royal Library of Sweden Plans to Discard Thousands of Shelf Meters of Old Newspapers

The Royal Library of Sweden (KB) faces a significant challenge in preserving its vast collection of historical newspapers, with plans to discard thousands of shelf meters of duplicate materials to make space for new acquisitions. This decision, while aimed at optimizing storage, raises concerns about the long-term accessibility and preservation of Sweden's printed heritage. Emma Stockhaus, head of collection management at KB, describes the situation as "very frustrating," highlighting the library's limited budget, a substantial portion of which is allocated to rental costs for its storage facilities. Currently, only about 25% of the Swedish newspapers in KB's collection are digitized. The library estimates a staggering need of 500 million to 1 billion SEK to digitize the entire collection, a sum considered unattainable with current funding levels. This financial constraint means that digitization efforts are largely limited to newly acquired materials. Stockhaus warns that without adequate funding and updated digitization methods, "the newspapers will crumble to dust before we digitize them." The KB's dilemma underscores a broader issue faced by cultural heritage institutions worldwide: the struggle to balance physical preservation with the increasing demand for digital access in the face of limited resources. The proposed discarding of duplicates, while seemingly a practical solution for space constraints, risks the loss of valuable historical records if they are not digitized before they deteriorate.

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This is very frustrating, for all of us.