The special collections are part of the Library’s Preservation Division. Most of them were given to the National Library and the University Library by individuals and institutions on the condition that they be kept together. The collections are often given in memory of their former owners and are meant to strengthen research in their fields.
Benedikt Collection 
Ragnar Þorsteinsson's Bible Collection 
Einar Benediktsson's Library 
Willard Fiske Chess Collection 
Jón Steffensen's Medical Collection 
Map collection 
Halldór Laxness Collection 
Kristmann Guðmundsson Collection 
Lárus Sigurbjörnsson's Drama Collection 
Nonni Collection 
The library of Davíð Björnsson, a Western Icelander 
Watson Collection 
The Swedish Collection 
Central Bank of Iceland Travel Book Collection 
Artists' books – Bookbinding collection