What does the archive do?
Skeivt arkiv collects private archives, organizational material, life memories and stories about queer life in Norway. Among the main collections:
Kim Friele's private archive
The archive of the most famous Norwegian activist Karen-Kristine (Kim) Friele (1935–2021) consists of 15 shelf metres and contains several different types of material, such as organizational material and case papers, audio and video recordings, press clippings and journals. Part of the archive has been digitized and is available online, while the rest is catalogued and can be ordered for use in the reading room at the University of Bergen Library. See Karen-Christine Friele's archive at arkivportalen.no.
Karen-Christine Friele's private archive is listed on UNESCO's "Norwegian Documentary Heritage".
The life-memory collection
Skeivt arkiv has an interview team of two people based in Bergen, who carry out life-memory interviews across the country. More than 200 people have so far taken part in video interviews in which they tell the story of their lives as queer people in Norway.
Skeive historier (Queer stories)
Skeive historier began as a documentation project during the major living-conditions survey Seksuell orientering og levekår (Sexual orientation and living conditions) (Anderssen, Norman and Kirsti Malterud (eds.) 2013: Seksuell orientering og levekår. Bergen: Uni Helse.) Tone Hellesund led the subproject Skeive historier. The stories are now part of Skeivt arkiv. We still receive anonymous stories from anyone who would like to share something from their life that can help shed light on queer history.
Skeivt arkiv online
Skeivt arkiv publishes stories, archives and Skeivopedia – an online encyclopedia of Norwegian queer history – on its own website.
The history of the archive
The idea of Skeivt arkiv was launched by Tone Hellesund, when she was a senior academic librarian at the University of Bergen Library, in 2012. At a network seminar that autumn, Kim Friele announced that she would donate her archive to UiB; the contract was signed in June 2013, and the archive was collected at Geilo and Haugastøl in September.
Development work began in autumn 2013, led by Hellesund and senior academic librarian Simon Mitternacht, with contributions from staff and volunteers. With internal support from UiB and external funding from Arts Council Norway and the National Library, project staff were hired in 2014 – the start of a three-year project period with the goal of permanent operation. On 1 December 2014, Friele's archive was admitted to the Norwegian Documentary Heritage (external link), the Norwegian part of UNESCO's Memory of the World register.
Skeivt arkiv was officially opened on 15 April 2015, with the participation of, among others, National Archivist Inga Bolstad, Rector Dag Rune Olsen and Kim Friele. The collections grew quickly, and the archive received the Homofryd Prize during Oslo Pride 2015.
On 23 November 2015, Skeivt arkiv was awarded 5 million kroner (external link) in the budget settlement for 2016 – thanks to the Liberal Party and Terje Breivik, as well as a private member's motion from the Labour Party, the Socialist Left Party and the Centre Party (external link). Minister of Culture Linda Hofstad Helleland stated (external link) that there was broad agreement in the Storting that it is a national responsibility to preserve and disseminate private archives about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.