Knowledge Centre | Library | Archive

The Knowledge Centre combines public-oriented services including various workstations for object-related tasks and a library with a reading room in a single building complex. On the other hand, it also includes internal areas such as collection repositories, offices, workshops, a photo studio, and a storage facility.

The Knowledge Centre houses the Applied Arts and Everyday Culture, Archaeology, Architecture, Photography, Graphics, Historical Weaponry, Visual Arts Before 1800 (including the Rossacher Collection), Visual Arts 1800 Until Today, Manuscripts and Printed Works, Coins, Medals, and Monetary Tokens, Musical Instruments, and Folklore Collections.

Collections

Salzburg Museum’s research library is a reference library. The library’s holdings have grown over time and are accessible via the online catalogue. They will be made available to researchers and interested parties in the reading room upon request by e-mail.

The collection comprises 150,000 printed works focusing on the history, art, and culture of the city and province of Salzburg and on the areas covered by the collections of Salzburg Museum. It also includes valuable incunabula and historical literature on Protestantism, Paracelsus research, and travel in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. All historical daily newspapers published in Salzburg are also available. Of the 3,500 specialist journals available, 300 are currently collected on an ongoing basis.

In addition to donations and acquisitions, the library’s collection is mainly built up through exchanges with 350 partners worldwide.

The holdings of the Salzburg Museum archive range from the founding of the museum in the 1830s to the present day. They include archival documents bound in book form such as inventories, minutes, post books and guest books as well as the museum’s extensive correspondence (museum files). The documents in the museum archive are important source material for provenance research as well as for the history of the institution.

The STUDIO Knowledge Centre on Alpenstrasse serves as a workshop space and educational venue. The focus is on programmes for young people in the areas of contemporary history, democratic thinking, and dealing with historical objects. Thanks to the proximity to Salzburg Museum’s collection repositories, programmes can now also be offered that focus primarily on critical engagement with objects and repository work.

The way to the STUDIO Knowledge Centre is marked by a painted conveyor belt adorned with various objects, suitcases, and curiosities – symbolising the range of educational programmes on offer. As the workshops are booked by schools and universities for specific time slots, visitors can still use the reading room for research during the specified opening hours.