The Archives of Latvian Folklore Reading Room

The Archives of Latvian Folklore (1924) is a unit of the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art at the University of Latvia (UL ILFA), the most significant center for documenting, archiving, and researching traditional culture in Latvia.

The archive holds more than three million folklore units, including manuscripts, audio and video recordings, photographs, and Krišjānis Barons' Cabinet of Folksongs. Digitized sources are available online – in the digital archive of the Archives of Latvian Folklore garamantas.lv. 

www.lfk.lv/lasitavas-gramatas 

www.lfk.lv/jaunumi 

The Cabinet of Folksongs is a Latvian folksong file, which includes the original texts published in the publication of folksongs "Latvju dainas" (1894–1915, vols. 1–6). In total, the Cabinet of Folksongs contains 268,815 pieces of song lyrics (3x11 cm) in various handwritings. 

In 2001, the Cabinet of Folksongs was included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Program's International Register as a world-class cultural asset. 

The contents of the Cabinet of Folksongs have been digitized and are available online: dainuskapis.lv.

Cabinet of Folksongs is available for viewing on Level 5.

The Archives of Latvian Folklore Reading Room is also the contact point for the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia at the National Library of Latvia. Here you can receive consultations about the sources and research opportunities of the ALF, as well as work with original manuscripts and catalogs.

The institute's seminars, researcher meetings, discussions, and other academic and public events are held in the reading room and the adjacent UL ILFA venues.

You can also familiarise yourself with UL ILFA publications and purchase books and the journal “Letonica” published by the institute.

For research work with LFR materials, it is advisable to apply in advance by writing to lfk@lulfmi.lv.