About

The Women's History Archives was founded on the 1st of January 1975, by Anna Sigurðardóttir, Else Mia Einarsdóttir and Svanlaug Baldursdóttir. Since 1996 it has been a special entity within the National Library of Iceland. It is situated on the 1st floor of the National Library Main Building. 

Team Leader at the Women's History Archives is Rakel Adolphsdóttir (rakel.adolphsdottir (at) landsbokasafn.is) 

Her predecessors were Auður Styrkársdóttir (2001-2016), Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir (1996-2001) and Anna Sigurðardóttir (1975-1996).

The Women's History Archives has an administrative board of three:

• Bragi Þorgrímur Ólafsson, on behalf of the National Library
• Vilborg Eiríksdóttir, on behalf of Kvenfélagasamband Íslands
• Ragnheiður Kristjánsdóttir, on behalf of RIKK, Institute of Gender, Equality and Difference at the University of Iceland

The objective of The Women's History Archives

1. To collect and preserve unpublished documents of women and women's associations, letters, manuscripts, reports and other files [learn more about our collections here]
2. To make sure that everything The Women's History Archives collect is filed
3. To assist those interested in the history of women in Iceland
4. To encourage people to keep and collect any documents and sources that may have value for the history of women
5. To publish bibliographies and works of history
6. To co-operate with other institutions dedicated to women's history

Publications by year

• Anna Sigurðardóttir, Vinna kvenna á Íslandi í 1100 ár. Reykjavík, Kvennasögusafn Íslands, 1985.
• Kvennasögusafn Íslands & Anna Sigurðardóttir. Kvennarannsóknir : 10 listar yfir ritgerðir, greinar, bækur, dagskrá og fleira, aðallega frá árunum 1968-1985, sem til er í Kvennasögusafni Íslands. Reykjavík, Kvennasögusafn Íslands, 1986.
• Anna Sigurðardóttir, Allt hafði annan róm áður í páfadóm : Nunnuklaustrin tvö á Íslandi á miðöldum og brot úr kristnisögu. Reykjavík, Kvennasögusafn Íslands, 1988.
• Anna Sigurðardóttir, Icelandic Libraries and Archives :, 27-28. í Hill, D. Icelandic libraries and archives : A selective guide for researchers. (Department of Scandinavian studies ; WITS Wisconsin Introductions to Scandinavia, 5). Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1988.
• Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir og Guðrún Dís Jónatansdóttir, Ártöl og áfangar í sögu íslenskra kvenna. Reykjavík, Kvennasögusafn Íslands, 1998.
• Anna Agnarsdóttir og Sigríður Th. Erlendsdóttir, Kvennaslóðir : Rit til heiðurs Sigríði Th. Erlendsdóttur sagnfræðingi. Reykjavík, Kvennasögusafn Íslands, 2001.
• Auður Styrkársdóttir, Kvennasöguslóðir í Kvosinni. Reykjavík, Kvennasögusafn Íslands, 2002.
• Auður Styrkársdóttir, Women's history walking trail in central Reykjavík. Þýtt af Keneva Kunz. Reykjavík, Kvennasögusafn Íslands, 2003.
• Auður Styrkársdóttir, & Kristín Ástgeirsdóttir. Kosningaréttur kvenna 90 ára : Erindi frá málþingi 20. maí 2005. Reykjavík, Kvennasögusafn Íslands og Rannsóknastofa í kvenna- og kynjafræðum, 2005.

Photographs from the history of the Women's History Archives. Copyrights apply.

From the founding of the Women's History Archives in the home of Anna Sigurðardóttir, Hjarðarhaga in Reykjavík, in 1975.

Björg Einarsdóttir donates the documents of the committee for the Women's Day Off to Anna Sigurðardóttir at Hotel Saga in 1976.

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, then president of Iceland, visits Anna Sigurðardóttir at the Women's History Archives in 1981.