Libraries and collection

The Central Bank of Iceland has operated an archive, a library, and a numismatic collection for the purpose of acquiring data, preserving source materials, and providing information. Due to renovations and construction, neither the numismatic museum nor the library at Kalkofnsvegur has been accessible for some time.

 

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  • Library

    The Central Bank of Iceland library has two main functions: as a site for preservation of materials related to Iceland’s economic history, and as an institutional library for day-to-day use within the Bank.

     

  • Archive

    The Central Bank of Iceland archive operates in compliance with the Act on Public Archives, no. 77/2014. The Bank’s documents extend back to its establishment in 1961. For the first twenty years, the Central Bank and Landsbanki Íslands jointly operated the archive containing documents of both institutions from the date of their establishment. According to an agreement concluded in 1981, Landsbanki Íslands earlier accounts and documents were to remain in the Central Bank archive. Documents dating from 2002 onwards have been recorded systematically in the Bank’s electronic archive management system.

     

  • The Central Bank and National Museum Numismatic Collection

    The numismatic collection consists mainly of Icelandic banknotes and coins.

    The Central Bank and the National Museum of Iceland operate the numismatic collection jointly, in accordance with an agreement ratified by the Minister of Education, Science and Culture on 28 January 1985. According to the agreement, the numismatic materials owned by both institutions shall be held in a single collection operated by the Bank; however, coins and other artefacts found during archaeological excavations are still held at the National Museum of Iceland.