The Donner Institute’s anthroposophical collection gains more visibility

The Donner Institute has a unique collection focused on Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy and anthroposophy, built upon the vision of the donors Uno and Olly Donner. The collection covers everything from esotericism to art and agriculture, and includes many works that can only be found at the Donner Institute in Finland. Library assistant Nathalie Mäkkylä has been working on cataloging the collection to make it more accessible, which provides greater visibility and strengthens the collection’s significance for research on anthroposophy.

A Collection with Breadth and Depth

The Donner Institute’s donors, Uno and Olly Donner, had been acquainted with Rudolf Steiner since the 1910s. The couple was interested in many different aspects of anthroposophy, and they were involved in biodynamic farming at Gerknäs farm in Lojo, for example. In 1923, Uno Donner founded the Anthroposophical Society in Finland. The Donners were also language enthusiasts. Olly Donner wrote and published several fairy tale dramas and poetry collections in French and Swedish.

In 1957, librarian Olof Sundström was hired, and together with his wife, Margarete Sundström, he took care of the acquisition of anthroposophical literature. One of the main goals of the Donners’ donation was “a complete exploration of Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy and worldview.” According to the couple’s wishes, anthroposophy was to be a central part of the collection. Everything Steiner wrote, as well as everything he referred to, was to be acquired, which is why the institute’s anthroposophical collection is so extensive.

The Donner Institute is now a research institute focused on the study of religion in a broad sense. The Donners’ curiosity and passion for religious and cultural historical research can be seen not only in the library but in the institute’s entire operation, which includes research funding, publishing, conferences, awards, and more. You can learn more about the history of the Donner Institute in Nils G. Holm’s Mystik blir vetenskap. Donnerska institutet för religionshistorisk och kulturhistorisk forskning 1956–2021, which is published open access online.

Making a Literary Treasure Visible

Cataloging is an important task in making collections more accessible to customers, especially works that are not found in any other database. It gives the material visibility and facilitates the retrieval of literature. The anthroposophical literature in the DI library is a unique collection, which is why it is especially important to highlight it. A large portion of the books are in German, and many of them are filled with personal inscriptions, making the collection even more special.

There is a large amount of potentially valuable research material in the anthroposophical collection. The picture books are especially exciting to flip through,” notes Mäkkylä, who became interested in picture books through her studies in literature.

Cataloging is an interesting process, according to Mäkkylä. One must be creative in many cases and try to piece together metadata so that the books are as searchable as possible. It is also an excellent opportunity to familiarize oneself with different subject areas and the books available in the collections. The books are divided into several different categories that reflect the interests of anthroposophy, including esotericism, art, education, and agriculture. Today DI mainly purchase new literature on religion and spirituality in relation to anthroposophy.

Through cataloging, large parts of the anthroposophical collection are now searchable in the Åbo Akademi University Library’s Alma database. By spring 2025, the entire collection will be searchable. The collection is an important literary treasure. “It’s exciting that the collection can gain more visibility through cataloging,” says Mäkkylä. “Something similar doesn’t exist elsewhere in Finland, and perhaps not in many other places in the world either.”