[1] On 15 August 2005, Norway opened a fully functioning national library for the first time in its history.

The establishment of the national library evolved as a result of a lengthy political process.

In 1989, Norway established a repository in Rana in the northern part of the country as part of the national library, with a mandate to preserve everything published within the country in compliance with a revised version of the Legal Deposition Act.

In 1999, these tasks were consolidated within a newly established branch of the national library in Oslo.

The institution intended to present itself as a modern library, with both a physical presence and a digital appearance.

In October 2012 the Minister of Culture, Hadia Tajik, opened the website Bokhylla (Norwegian for 'The Bookshelf') as a permanent service.