From Paper to Pixels: The Norgesbrev Project

Preserving Letters from Norway

In 2023, the Norwegian Institute of Local History, a division of the National Library of Norway, launched a collaborative project to commemorate the bicentennial of Norwegian migration. In collaboration with NAHA, they began to digitize and translate over 1,000 Norgesbrev, or letters from Norway. The project, while not yet complete, represents a major milestone in the preservation of this important primary source material for migration history.

The origins of the project began as early as 1993, when the Norwegian Institute of Local History began collecting Norgesbrev. The project started at a time when these letters were relatively unknown, in contrast to Amerikabrev, or letters from America, which had long been recognized as a key historical resource.

Since these letters offer distinct perspectives on local events and circumstances, the project aimed to provide access to these valuable historical documents. The collection also offers insights into the development of writing skills among local populations from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. In addition, the letters provide evidence for how American culture and public opinion were shared and absorbed into Norwegian society.

Organizing the collection was a time-intensive task. The institute’s staff reached out to numerous organizations, associations, museums, and universities across the United States, with particularly fruitful collaboration with NAHA. By 2000, the project had amassed over 3,000 letters. Some of these letters were transcribed and published in the book Brev hjemmefra: Brev fra Norge til utvandrere 1840–1960, (Letters from Home: Letters from Norway to Emigrants), edited by Else Braut and Randi Holden Hoff (1997).

The first phase of the project focused on NAHA digitizing the letters to modern archival standards, followed by transcription in Norway with the assistance of AI technology and volunteers. To date, NAHA has digitized nearly 4,000 pages of letters as part of this ongoing effort. The efforts have resulted in more than 40 NAHA archival collections included within the project.

This project was made possible at NAHA through the efforts of Kristina Warner, archivist; Dale Hovland, volunteer; and Otelia Lighthill, student employee. Project staff from the National Library of Norway include Chris Nyborg, Ola Alsvik, Marthe Hommerstad, Marianne Wiig, Martin Fredriksen, and Aslak Kittelsen.

Want to learn more about the project? Check out the Norwegian Institute of Local History’s website!