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International Libraries & Archives

compiled by Tanja Nathanael & Olivia Bushardt

Australia

The National Centre for Australian Children's Literature: The National Centre for Australian Children's Literature (formerly Lu Rees Archives) is a comprehensive collection of  books and other resources about authors, illustrators, publishers and their creative works. The collection includes over 34,000 books, with some 3,800 of these in overseas translations in 58 languages, over 485 research files, and significant collections of authors', illustrators' and publishers' papers, manuscripts, and artwork.

Dromkeen Children's Literature Collection via the State Library Victoria: The Scholastic Dromkeen Children’s Literature Collection is a unique collection of original artworks and manuscripts, including approximately 7500 original illustrations from many of Australia’s best loved children's books. Importantly, the collection includes not only original finished artwork but also sketches, preliminary artwork, diagrams and mock-ups, revealing the complex creative journey in producing picture book stories for children. The Dromkeen Collection showcases Australia’s brilliant picture book illustrators and provides a visual record of Australian heritage, history, environment and culture.

Canada

Children’s Literature Archive at Ryerson University​: The Children’s Literature Archive at Ryerson University contains over 2500 texts for children written primarily between the late nineteenth century and the mid-twentieth century. The collection has particular strengths in adventure stories, fairy tales, and Canadiana, but also includes strong holdings in poetry, picture books, and pedagogical works such as science texts and primers, along with biographies of notable authors and other scholarly studies.

Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books: The Osborne Collection includes book-related art, literary archives, games, and ephemera. Most materials are English-language, with a few exceptions of classics of children's literature published in original languages, and some modern notable French-language materials. The Collection spans literary classics to popular culture, including novelties like movables and miniatures and includes materials written, published, or substantially related to Canada. The oldest artifacts in the Collection are cuneiform tablets dating from 2,000 B.C.E.

Denmark

Hans Christian Andersen Museum: Collection includes original letters, drawings, manuscripts, and other media, by and about the author.

France

Centre National de la litterature pour la jeunesse - La Joie par la livres​: The National Center for Literature for Youth - Joy by Books is a department of the Literature and Art Department of the National Library of France, specializing in the identification and promotion of a quality youth literature.

 

The Charles Perrault International Institute: The Institut International Charles Perrrault is a non-profit association founded in 1994 by Jean Perrot, Professor of Comparative Literature and specialist in children's literature, in collaboration with the city of Eaubonne and the University of Paris and the CRDP competition in Versailles. 
 

Germany

Bilderbuch Museum (Picturebook Museum): A collection of original illustrations beginning with the years before the First World War (Sibylle von Olfers, "Prinzesschen im Walde", published in 1909, or Josef Mauder, "Allerhand Durchand" from 1914) and the Weimar Republic (Johann Grüger, "Liederfibel" from 1927), and continuing through 1945 to the present day. There are works by well-known and popular children's book artists such as Helme Heine, Janosch and Leo Lionni as well as recent artists such as Wolf Erlbruch, Nikolaus Heidelbach, and Jutta Bauer.

 

Institut für Jugendbuchforschung (Library for Children's and Young Adult Literature Research): The collection of children’s and young adult’s literature of the Department for Children’s Literature Research of Goethe University Frankfurt has developed into a nationally and internationally acclaimed specialized library, the Library for Children’s and Young Adult’s Literature Research. One of the most precious possessions is the historical children’s book collection of Walter Benjamin.

Internationale Jugendbibliothek (International Youth Library): The International Youth Library is the world's largest library for international children's and youth literature. The collection contains more than 595,000 children's and young adult books in over 130 languages from across the globe and spanning four centuries. It also houses more than 30,000 volumes of international scholarly literature.

Staatsbibliothek Unter den Linden: The collection consists of historical and contemporary literature written for young people from around the globe. It also features children’s magazines, original copies of book illustrations made for young readers, pictorial broadsheets, and posters. A significant part of the collection is the historical German children’s and youth literature.

Israel

Yemima Center for the Research and Teaching of Children’s and Youth Literature: Named after the children’s author Yemima Avidar-Tchernovitz, the Yemima Center houses over 20,000 pieces of children’s and youth literature, primarily in Hebrew. In addition, the Pedagogical Library, with a collection of nearly 30,000 books, teacher manuals, and games, includes the entire body of materials used within the Israeli school system, including materials in Arabic. 

Japan

Center for International Children's Literature, Osaka Prefectural Central Library: Originally known as the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka (IICLO) in the 1980s, this collection contains over 700,000 individual pieces, books, and documents, including an extensive collection of manga editions and magazines.

International Library of Children’s Literature (ILCL): Located in Tokyo, this branch of the National Diet Library (NDL) is dedicated to children’s books. The ILCL collects a wide range of Japanese and foreign children's books and related materials and holds special materials and collections. The NDL Law stipulates that copies of all new publications in Japan must be sent to the NDL under the Legal Deposit System. The ILCL has children's books and related materials of the publications collected by the NDL.

Online

European Picture Book Collection: The EPBC was designed to help pupils find out more about their European neighbors through reading the visual narratives of carefully chosen picture books. Here you can find out about how the project began, the theoretical papers that have been presented on European children's literature, and how the materials were initially used in schools.

Slovenia

Pionirska knjiznica Ljubljana (Pioneer Children's Library): The collection consists of Slovene children’s books, a Slovene children’s periodical from the end of the 19th century to the present day, the children’s books of Slovenian authors translated into foreign languages, a selection of the picture books in various languages, ​​and professional literature in the field of children’s literature and librarianship.

 

United Kingdom

The Anne and Fernand Renier Collection of Children’s Books: The Renier collection of children’s books ranges from works by Walter Crane, Kate Greenaway, and Hans Christian Andersen, to diaries and school records, doll dressing books, and ephemera from fairs and supermarkets. The collection contains over 80,000 books plus toys, games, and printed ephemera.

National Centre for Research in Children's Literature (NCRCL): The Centre promotes academic excellence in research into children’s literature, primarily through thriving postgraduate MA and PhD programs, conferences and staff publications. Tutors also teach at undergraduate level, to ensure the position and prestige of children’s literature within the University of Roehampton. Home of the Hammersmith and Fulham Children's Book Collection, The Bratton Collection, and The Richmal Crompton Collection.

Opie Collection of Children’s Literature at the Bodleian Libraries: The Opie Collection of Children’s Literature—over 20,000 pieces—was donated to the Bodleian Library in 1988. The Collection includes children’s books and printed ephemara, covering children’s literature from the 16th to the 20th century and the oral traditions of childhood—the rhymes, songs and games, the language and customs of the playground—collected from children from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children's Books​: Seven Stories is the UK’s only museum and archive dedicated to modern and contemporary children’s literature. Its internationally significant collection documents every aspect of children’s book production, from first drafts to reception by readers, and represents the work of authors, illustrators, editors and publishers, literary agents, librarians and booksellers. The archive collection comprises manuscripts, artwork, related papers and books, dating from the 1930s to the present day. The collection represents over 260 significant figures from the British children’s books world, including authors such as Philip Pullman, Diana Wynne Jones, Aidan Chambers and Michael Morpurgo; illustrators like Edward Ardizzone, Judith Kerr, and Shirley Hughes; and prominent editors including Kaye Webb (Puffin) and David Fickling (Scholastic / David Fickling Books). Seven Stories also holds over 35,000 books, including a number of rare editions. The collection is shared with the public via the visitors’ centre and museum, which mounts award-winning exhibitions and events for audiences of all ages.

University of Cambridge Children's Literature Research Centre: Cambridge/Homerton Children's Literature Research Centre was established jointly by the Faculty of Education and Homerton College in 2009 to consolidate the long tradition of children’s literature which had earned both institutions a strong national and international profile for high quality research and teaching. Includes projects, publications, events, and open seminars.

The V&A Beatrix Potter Collections: The V&A holds the world's largest collection of Beatrix Potter's drawings, literary manuscripts, correspondence, photographs and related materials, and hosts a changing display on particular aspects of her work in the Beatrix Potter Showcase. 

 

The V&A Museum of Childhood Archives: The collection includes archives of toy manufacturers, distributors and shops, individuals involved in the toy industry, children's clothing manufacturers, and material related to the history of the Museum from its inception and opening in 1872. The archive also preserves papers documenting the history of childhood, schooling and play, donated to the Museum by both researchers and private individuals.

Wales

Cardiff University: Special Collections and Archives at Cardiff University holds several collections related to children's literature, including book collections ranging from the 18th-20th century, a collection of Welsh children's journals, and a collection of children's comics.

Piraye'nin Bir Günü by Arslan Sayman
Written and Drawn by Henrietta by Liniers
هستی by فرهاد حسن‌زاده
Misteri Kota Tua by Yovita Siswati
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
Храбрый портняжка by николай александрович устинов
Dear Theo by Anne Vantal
The Story of the Blue Planet by Andri Snær Magnason
Manywele by Samuel "Tuf" Mulokwa
金色の象 by 岩瀬 成子
El libro salvaje by Juan Villoro

To contribute an entry to this list, please email chlainternational@gmail.com with the name of the archive, web address, and a brief description. Use the email subject heading International Libraries & Archives

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