Photos: Nicola Sap De Mitri, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 ArildV, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Guillaume Baviere from Uppsala, Sweden, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo credits
Photos: Nicola Sap De Mitri, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 ArildV, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Guillaume Baviere from Uppsala, Sweden, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
What a university library actually keeps
Your local guide
Oskar Lindberg
View profile
Highlights
- Three centuries of donated manuscripts
- A cataloguer's view of the archive
- How a collection actually gets built
- Questions on any part of the holdings
- A reading list sent after the call
About this tour
This call is a conversation about what a university library actually contains, drawn from my six years cataloguing the collection at Carolina Rediviva. I explain how donations built the archive over three centuries rather than any single purchase. We do not visit the reading room itself, since the collection stays behind glass.
I open with a short account of how cataloguing work actually happens, then take your questions on whatever part of the collection interests you most. The call runs as a discussion rather than a script. I send a short reading list afterwards for anyone who wants to go further.
This suits anyone curious about archives, manuscripts or how a library like this actually functions day to day. It also works well for students weighing up whether to study here.
Included
- A 45-minute call with a local guide
- Honest tips on where to eat, stay and what to skip
- A short follow-up note with every place mentioned
Not included
- Bookings made on your behalf
- Phone or data charges from your provider
Itinerary
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Hello, and what you want to know 5 min
The guide calls you and asks what you are after: planning Uppsala, recommendations, or just questions.
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What the collection holds 15 min
I explain how manuscripts, letters and early printed books ended up together here, largely through donations from Swedish scholars over three centuries, and what makes a library's collection worth studying rather than just storing.
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How cataloguing actually works 15 min
I walk through what a cataloguer's week actually involves, from handling a single fragile letter to deciding how a whole donation gets organised, and check which parts of that process you want to hear more about.
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Your questions 7 min
Ask anything that is still on your mind, there is no fixed script.
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A written note after the call 3 min
You get a short follow-up message with everything mentioned, so you do not have to remember it all.
Good to know
- A stable phone or internet connection, whichever the guide uses to reach you.
- No app to install. You answer when the guide calls, or join a video call if you would rather.
- Times are shown in Stockholm time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The call is not recorded. Keep your own note of anything you want to remember, or wait for the follow-up message.
- Have your questions ready, though there is time to think of more as you go.
Questions about this tour
What will the call cover?
The guide talks you through Uppsala: where to go, what to eat, and answers to whatever you ask.
What happens if the call drops?
The guide will try you again straight away.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- Your guide calls the number you give at booking.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I talk you through the library's holdings from my own years cataloguing them.
Times shown in Stockholm time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Thu 12 Nov · 3 seats left From 27,00 €
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