Today, 1 December, it is 25 years since Þjóðarbókhlaða, the library building at Arngrímsgata 3, was opened. In an interview with Morgunpósturinn on 14 November 1994, National Librarian Einar Sigurðsson said, among other things: “Landsbókasafn Íslands – Háskólabókasafn [the National and University Library of Iceland], as the new library is to be called, will be a library of the 21st century, one that should bring revolutionary change for the better, both in working conditions and in the care of the nation’s treasures.”
The article also says: “Gegnir must count as one of the library’s more interesting features. It is a library system that the University Library and the National Library began using a few years ago, and that Þjóðarbókhlaða will now rely on. With Gegnir you can connect from anywhere in the country, and from abroad too. A telephone and a modem are all you need. You can also search catalogues and databases abroad.”
You can view the article on timarit.is
Also available on timarit.is is Morgunblaðið’s special supplement Þjóðarbókhlaðan, published on 1 December 1994.