An exhibition about Valgerður Jónsdóttir has been set up in the library on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of her birth.

Valgerður Jónsdóttir was born on December 14, 1771 in Seljaland near Eyjafjöll in the South part of Iceland. In 1789, Valgerður married Hannes Finnsson (1739–1796), bishop of Skálholt. She was then 18 but he was in his fifties. Valgerður and Hannes had four children: Jón, Ólafur, Þórunn and Sigríður. Hannes died in 1796, after seven years of marriage. Valgerður became a widow at the age of 25. In 1806 she married Steingrímur Jónsson (1769–1845), who was then the rector of Bessastaðaskóli. Steingrímur had been Bishop Hannes' secretary and teacher at the bishop's home in Skálholt. In 1811 he was ordained a priest in Oddi at Rangárvellir and he moved there together with Valgerður. He took over the episcopate in 1825. The first year they lived in Reykjavík and then in Laugarnes in Reykjavík. Valgerður and Steingrímur had one son, Hannes. Valgerður lost her second husband in 1845 and after that she lived with her daughter Sigríður and her son-in-law in Garðar on Álftanes. Valgerður died on May 17, 1856.

A large collection of manuscripts was created in the bishops' homes. Hannes Finnsson had inherited the collection of his father and grandfather and he himself had added to the collection, which Valgerður inherited at his death. Steingrímur added to the library and after his death, Valgerður offered the National Library the entire manuscript library, a total of 393 volumes, for purchase. On June 5, 1846, the king signed a formal permit for the purchase and that day is considered to be the founding date of the National Library's manuscript collection. Since that day, the manuscript collection has grown every year and now it houses about 15,000 manuscripts as well as a number of private archives. It is impossible to say whether this would have happened without the sale of Valgerður's manuscripts. The manuscript collection is therefore a beautiful and ever-expanding monument to Valgerður Jónsdóttir.

The authors of the exhibition are Halldóra Kristinsdóttir, a specialist in the manuscript collection and Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir, Professor of History at the University of Iceland. Guðrún Hildur Rosenkjær, historian and dressmaker at Annríki wrote about Valgerður´s influence on fashion during this period. Rannver H. Hannesson assisted with the installation and Ólafur J. Engilbertsson designed the exhibition.