The National Library of Norway is one of the main sources of knowledge about Norway, Norwegians and Norwegian matters, at home and abroad. It builds, preserves and makes available collections of many kinds in all media formats.

The National Library of Norway is responsible for administering the “Act relating to the legal deposit of generally available documents” (Lov om avleveringsplikt for allment tilgjengelige dokumenter). The purpose of this act is to ensure that documents with generally available information are deposited and made accessible to national collections, thus preserving for posterity a written testimony of Norway’s cultural heritage and Norwegian society as well as providing material for original research and documentation.

Besides being a research library, the National Library of Norway is also a cultural institution. Through co-operation with communal and national institutions such as local libraries, the media, education, research, archives, museums and the arts, the enterprise is continuously developing while simultaneously offering new services aimed directly at the general public The National Library has also been given the responsibility for establishing, developing and running a Norwegian Language Bank.

Legal depositing is media neutral, so that the media which at any given time are providing documentation and revealing aspects of contemporary society fall within the scope of the Act. In addition to every kind of printed material, these include public broadcasting, music, photos, films and electronic documents.

Based on the Act, the National Library of Norway will preserve and disseminate material by using those channels that are relevant at any given time. On the basis of the National Library of Norway’s expanding digital collection, as well as an advanced digital retrieving and disseminating infrastructure, the range of services and areas of responsibility will be in a continuous state of development.

Due to the advancement of own services and experience, the National Library of Norway has a special responsibility to help develop and strengthen Norway’s libraries as active and relevant communal institutions. As the Norwegian Government’s official development body, the National Library of Norway is responsible for helping prepare and implement a national library policy for public and specialised libraries, both individually and across library-category lines.

By means of an active, strategic development programme, the National Library of Norway will contribute to a professional development, co-ordination and efficiency enhancement of the libraries. A central pillar of this development work will be the provision of effective and pertinent library services for citizens and research/educational establishments alike.

The responsibility for developing and co-ordinating library-related affairs will be carried out in conjunction with the libraries’ owners at various administrative levels and in various parent institutions.

The National Library of Norway has annual funds at its disposal for stimulating active development projects. The National Library of Norway will help provide a common digital infrastructure as well as new digital services for the benefit of all libraries and the general public.