SLU’s treasures – new times in the archive
Last changed: 10 July 2023
In 1879, there was a sports magazine called Sporren dedicated to only all-male sports. Things have changed since then. Among other things, the magazine and 4,000 other printed publications and books at the Veterinary Museum in Skara have been cleared of mould, and the building that stores the collection – the Archive – was recently restored.
East of the museum, at the centre of the SLU campus in Skara, there is a small chapel-like, yellow building – the Archive. The building is recently restored and decorated; modern Morris wallpaper frames specially-made crimson and yellow bookcases painted with tempera.
The bookcases contain collections of books printed before 1889, the year the last Skara veterinary surgeon graduated. The heads of the Skara Veterinary Institute – Lars Tidén and N.E Forssell – laboriously collected literature on everything from the history of Skåne, travel and Swedish topography to books on veterinary and equine science.
Horrible construction
All through the 1800s, the collection could be found here and there on campus. At the turn of the century, in 1900, Professor Wilhelm Hallander took up the post as head veterinarian. He collected money, among other things from Skaraborgs hushållningssällskap (Skaraborg’s housekeeping society), to build the archive. In 1908, the building was complete and literature was gathered in the same place within the framework of the Hernquist library.
“The building was horribly built,” says Göran Jonsson (“Jins”), manager of the Veterinary Museum in Skara. In 1922, a visitor reported that the beams were so mouldy and rotten that they barely dared to enter the building. They also stated that the books felt like “newly mangled linen”.
Veterinärkåren (the veterinary body) then took charge of their historical documents and renovated the building, but not very properly. The building has stood on an un-drained foundation with insufficient ventilation and the exterior was once painted with plastic paint, which resulted in the entire book collection being infected with mould.
Restoration in the 2000s
During the 2000s, SLU’s real estate management attended to the restoration of the archive in accordance with correct procedures. The foundation is now well-drained and a new ventilation system has been installed. In addition, the house was repainted with a paint made for older buildings which allows the surface to breathe. With financial support from a local bank and “the Friends of the Museum” association, the beautiful furnishing was installed.
Today, the SLU library owns the book collection and has funded the restoration of the books. All 4,000 of them were wrapped individually in paper and transported to a bookbinder in Gothenburg for restoration.
The Veterinary Museum is responsible for the public part and the staff are happy to show the collection – why not book a tour when in Skara?
The archive was recently reopened during “Smedjeveckan” in September 2018. It belongs to the SLU library and is an important puzzle piece for SLU Skara. Here, you can find both the past and the present. The paper Svensk Veterinärtidning (number 12/2018) includes an article on the opening. It was written by Lars-Erik Appelgren.
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Sporren – magazine for horse breeding, hunting, fishing, rowing, sailing and all male sports. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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Colours are well-preserved in Carl Clerck’s book on spiders, printed in 1757. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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On spiders. Carl Clerck 1757. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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Horse with a number of diseases. From Cours d’Hippiatrique, 1772. Back then, it was impossible to create a copper plate for each disease. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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The original blueprints for the archive from 1906. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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Among the folios: a very detailed anatomy book. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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Kajsa Varg can also be found in the archive. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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Göran Jönsson, “Jins”, knows everything about the archive’s history. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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This is what can happen if you partake in too many drinks made with grapes. From Hieronymus Bock’s flora from 1552. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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A bookbinder in Gothenburg has restored all 100 boxes of books. Here is a selection of literature relating to equine science. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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Large books – folios – are difficult to store. They are currently placed on benches, but a solution which allows them to be better displayed is being worked on. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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M. Lafosse taught Peter Hernquist and wrote Cours d’Hippiatrique in 1772. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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A 110-year-old eagle-owl watches over the collection. This “Bubo Bubo”, or “Bokfinken” (the book finch) as Jins calls it, was shot by a district veterinarian from Enköping. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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Several illustrative finds among the bookcases. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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Hieronymus Bock’s flora from 1552. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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3D of the past. You can flip through the entire human body. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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A huge world atlas with rich colours. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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Come on in! Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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Archive to the left and Veterinary Museum to the right. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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The archive, built in 1908 and occasionally restored. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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Further specialisation of anatomy and physiology. Photo: Vanja Sandgren
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PUBLICERAD: 7 december 2018