Historic and contemporary archives, manuscripts and image documents such as graphic plates, drawings, maps and photographs, and other historic documents are welcome, provided they fit in with the acquisition policy of the Burgerbibliothek of Berne. This normally means that they have a connection to the city and canton of Berne or the Burgergemeinde of Berne. Another important factor in items being accepted by the Burgerbibliothek of Berne is that there should be a general interest in preserving items with a relevance beyond Berne, for example collections of photographs or material relating to Swiss personalities. Images and text documents may present or describe different areas of life and do not necessarily have to relate to the Burgergemeinde of Berne. The Burgerbibliothek of Berne also accepts digital documents from private archives and partial bequests, so-called lifetime bequests or private archives.

We are always happy to help with any questions about archiving your papers, archives or collection and perhaps handing them over to us. Click here for our contact form.

Preparing to make a deposit
After the initial contact, once the Burgerbibliothek of Berne has agreed to take over your archives or collection, we will discuss with you the arrangements for preparing and depositing them. Depending on the age and material nature of your documents or your private archives, we will advise you on how best to preserve, display and index them or we can arrange for specialists to help you.