Between 1850 and 1930 some 1,3 million Swedes immigrated to the United States and over the years a vibrant Swedish-American ethnic community developed. The printed word was one important element in this community, as Swedish-language newspapers and publishing houses were created, catering to the needs of the ethnic community. It has been estimated that more than 600 Swedish language newspapers were started in the U.S. in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries-some were short lived, whereas others lasted for decades.



In a collaborative effort with institutions in the United States, the National Library of Sweden proposes to digitize and place online five Swedish language newspapers published in North America. The American partners include the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS), St. Paul, Minnesota, the American Swedish Institute (ASI), Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center, (SSIRC), Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois. The project has three components: digitization of the newspapers; development of a web site to provide access to the newspapers online; and outreach to researchers and academics to promote the use of the web site in education. We have identified the following newspapers as the priorities for digitization: Svenska Amerikanska Posten (Minneapolis, MN), Texas Posten (Austin, TX), Vestkusten (San Francisco, CA), Hemlandet (Galesburg and from 1859 Chicago, IL) and finaly Nordstjernan (New York).