Library and Research Services

ArkDes Library

The ArkDes Library is a specialist library for architecture and design. The collection includes a unique mix of donations and purchased literature, both books and journals. It also holds book collections from some of Sweden’s leading architects.

We are an architecture library open to everyone. Our books are available at the library on Skeppsholmen and can also be borrowed via interlibrary loan.

Our collection of books can be searched through Libris ↗, the shared catalogue of Swedish libraries.

Log in ↗ to check your loans and renew books. Here, you can also access international articles from the Art & Architecture database.

We subscribe to a large number of magazines and have more than 1 000 titles in our collection. Many of the magazine issues come from architects’ personal libraries, and we have everything from individual issues to complete series. Here you can find details about which magazines we currently subscribe to.

Outside the library, there’s a book drop where you can return books when the library is closed.

Looking for information about ArkDes Library’s borrowing rules? Click here.

Research Services

ArkDes’ collection of four million items is a fascinating treasury, brimming with stories, open for everyone to discover. Through our researcher service, we provide materials for those who wish to delve deeper into the collection. By engaging more people in exploring ArkDes’ collection, we can present a parallel history of architecture, featuring different buildings and names than those typically seen in history books.

Book a visit

The collection is available to all. To access the original materials managed by ArkDes, you need to book an appointment through the Research Services booking form. Research services are open on Thursdays during the autumn and spring semesters, from 13:00–16:00. Each semester, ArkDes releases bookable slots. 

The objects in the ArkDes collection constitute a museum collection and are not documents governed by the Swedish state’s transparency regulations (’Allmänna handlingar’).

Image orders

If you wish to have items from the collection digitised, you must place an image order. As each catalogue entry may correspond to several items, the selection must be made in person during your scheduled visit to the Research Service. The cost is approximately SEK 375 per item, including VAT. Images are delivered as high-resolution files.

To ensure that the items are handled with care and that copyright is respected, the museum is responsible for processing and fulfilling image orders, including the delivery of the files.

Databases

Parts of ArkDes’ material from the collection are available and searchable in digital form. Start by searching in our databases:

KulturNav ↗
A register of architects who are or have been active in Sweden.

Europeana ↗
A European database featuring books, photographs, films, and sculptures from various European galleries, libraries, archives, and museums.