The Norwegian Institute of Local History

by Ola Alsvik

[ This article was first published in: The Norwegian Institute of Local History and Local History in Norway / By Ola Alsvik. - Oslo : NLI, 1993. - P. 5-8. - ISBN 82-90176-68-6 ]

The Norwegian Institute of Local History (NLI) is an independent governmental institution under the Ministry of Culture. The Institute was founded in 1955, and became functional during the following year. NLI has a board of five members appointed by cultural institutions and organisations with special interest in the field of local history. There are four permanent positions at the Institute today.

The main purpose of the Institute is to promote local and regional historical activity in Norway. This is chiefly realised through two measures. First of all by giving advice and guidance to authors of local history studies, and secondly by carrying out its own research projects of relevance for the discipline.

Counselling service

It is indeed a fact, that many authors of local history studies in Norway have relatively limited experience in the field. This situation involves, of course, a certain risk of making both practical and technical mistakes. One of the main functions of NLI is concerned with coping with this type of problem. The institute has accumulated considerable experience with the various problems encountered by local historians in their work, and this knowledge is continually being communicated to new authors and researchers.

As mentioned above, local authorities in Norway spend considerable sums of money on local history projects. The production of a «bygdebok» - often in many volumes, embracing all aspects of a rural community´s history, and covering a broad span of time - involves many problems and risks, both for the publisher and the author. NLI pays great attention to these difficulties; the Institute offers expert advice free of charge at every stage in the production of a «bygdebok». This service covers all types of problems, ranging from difficulties concerning the financial and technical aspects of the process, to advice on the printing and sales of the final product. The Institute is regularly consulted on problems of different dimensions. Some requests concern simple questions regarding sources or literature on local topics, while others involve the preparation of comprehensive projects.

Examination of manuscripts from local historians is given high priority. The Institute tries to improve the quality of research in local history, by controlling the author´s use of sources and literature, and by offering constructive advice on method and style of writing - carefully adapted to the qualifications of each author. This kind of activity is based on individual guidance. The problems facing authors are often of a more general nature,however. This situation poses a challenge which NLI has essentially met through two measures. These include the arrangement of seminars for local historians, and secondly through the publication of books and pamphlets on subjects of common interest in local history.

Seminars

NLI´s seminars in local history represent a most efficient way of giving advice and instruction directly to the authors. They also offer a good opportunity for establishing contacts between professional and amateur historians. At the seminars, new fields of research and recent research results are presented to local historians from all over the country. The subjects of the lectures are further taken up and discussed in plenary meetings; and last, but not least, they form the basis of the publications from the institute.

The institute organises an annual national seminar. In addition, NLI has for some time been arranging more informal seminars for researchers in local history. The idea is to offer authors, who normally are working in a rather isolated situation, an opportunity to meet more regularly, and to exchange views on common problems.

NLI has also been the spokesman of Norwegian local history at international level, and has thus represented Norway at the Nordic seminars in local history held every third year.

Publications

A problem facing many local historians is limited access to source material, partly due to the geographical distances between the place of research and the central archives, occasionally as much as 1500 km. As a response to this, the Institute has taken up activities which aims are to facilitate the use of sources: collections of sources and indexes to historical records have been published. These editions provide the local historian with access to materials which earlier have been virtually inaccessible.

Besides publications of this kind, the institute has published books which treat more methodological source-problems, problems of how different categories of sources may be utilized, what sort of information they actually give or kind of questions which may be posed. Other publications contain surveys of sources or literature on local history and instructions on where to look for them in archives or libraries. NLI has also produced an Encyclopaedia of Norwegian History covering the period from about 1500 to 1800, with emphasis on the development of institutions, administration and central areas of crafts, trade and industry.

The journal Kringsjå is distributed to a broad range of institutions and individuals engaged in - or simply interested in - local history. Currently Kringsjå has a circulation of about 3000 copies. The journal provides information about the Institute, sources and literature, as well as information about the local historical activity of other institutions, organisations and individuals.

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