The Hong Kierkegaard Library, Center for Research and Publication, is an international hub for scholarship on Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and existentialism. It houses approximately 20,000 volumes, many of which are editions that Kierkegaard himself owned, reflecting the Library’s ongoing mission to recreate the philosopher’s personal collection.

In addition to books, the Library offers periodical and newspaper articles, as well as archival materials related to Kierkegaard studies, the Library’s history, and the biographies of Howard and Edna Hong. As a dedicated research and publication center, the Library warmly welcomes anyone with a serious interest in Kierkegaard scholarship.

Video Introduction to the Kierkegaard Library

In 2024, St. Olaf student Chloe Revier ’25 created a short video introduction to the Kierkegaard Library. She accessed archival materials and interviewed individuals closely associated with the Kierkegaard Library’s past and present. See the results here!

Accessing the Collection

Visitors may search online for items in the collection via Catalyst. For tips on searching for books or articles, help locating physical items, and information about citing the materials, please see our Kierkegaard Library LibGuide. If you need assistance finding an item in the Kierkegaard Library please speak to one of our staff members.

Library Sections

The Hong Kierkegaard Library (HKL) is a special collections library and its resources must stay inside the Library. After use of materials and prior to leaving the HKL, books should be placed in the designated area for the Library staff to re-shelve. We request that you do not re-shelve the book yourself.

Due to a large number of visiting scholars during the summer, cubicle space within the Library cannot be reserved for individual use. Any open seats or unused spaces are available on a first come, first serve basis. Areas left unattended will be considered available for the next scholar. During the academic year, HKL and KHF Fellows have their own cubicle office on the Lower Level.

Upper Level of Steensland

This floor of the Hong Kierkegaard library is divided into three main sections:

• The Kierk 1 section houses primary sources in all languages (i.e. Kierkegaard as author).
• Kierk 2 contains hundreds of critical materials with substantial sections about Kierkegaard.
• The Related Thinkers (Rel. Th.) section offers materials by and about related thinkers, including contemporaries of Kierkegaard, thinkers who influenced his thought, and later thinkers who were affected by Kierkegaard’s ideas.

Sections of the Upper Level:

• A – Kierk 1 (Primary Sources)
• B – Kierk 1 (Primary Sources) and Kierk 2 (Philosophy (General))
• C – Kierk 2 (Existentialism, Sartre, Buber, Heidegger, International Kierkegaard Commentary, Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception, and Resources)
• D – Kierk 2 (Logic, Speculative Philosophy, Psychology, Aesthetics, Ethics, Religion, Christianity, Bible, Theology, Christian Denominations)
• E – Kierk 2 (Kierkegaard & Christianity, History, Northern Europe & Denmark, Sociology, Political Science, Education, Literature, Romantic literature, English Literature) and Rel. Th. (German literature, Physics, Psychiatry & Psychoanalysis, Bibliographies)
• F – Rel. Th. (Literature, French/Italian/Spanish/Portuguese literature, English & American Literature, German/Dutch/Danish/Scandinavian literature)
• G – Rel. Th. (Practical Theology, Denominations, History of Civilization, History (General), Germany, Northern Europe/Scandinavia, Sociology (General), Political Theory, Education, Literature on Music, Fine Arts, Philology/Linguistics, Greek Language & Literature)
• H – Rel. Th. (Psychology, Aesthetics, Ethics, Religions, Judaism, Christianity, Bible, Doctrinal Theology)
• I – Rel. Th. (Philosophy (General))
• J – Hong Translations of Kierkegaard
• K – Rel. Th. (Philosophy (General), Logic, Speculative Philosophy, Psychology)

Lower Level

The Lower Level – Gordon Marino Floor – of the Hong Kierkegaard Library contains the remaining Related Thinkers section, the Dissertations section, dictionaries, thesauri, lexicons, and other reference materials in many different languages, including German, Danish, Latin, Greek, Russian, and Japanese.

Sections of the Lower Level:

• A – Duplicate Copies (indicated by the call numbers, which match the copies in the Main Room, followed by “copy 2”)
• B – Duplicate Copies
• C – Duplicate Copies, Encyclopediae
• D – General Philosophy Reference
• E – Kierkegaard Reference, Aesthetics, Ethics, Religion & Philosophy of Religion, Mythology, Christianity & Christian Thought, The Bible
• F – Christian Thought, History of Civilization, Danish Encyclopediae
• G – Greek/English Lexicons, Latin Dictionaries, Dictionaries (Romance Languages), Danish
• H – Danish Lexicons, English Dictionaries
• I – English Thesauri, Dictionaries (German, Russian, Japanese, Others), Literature (Various Languages)
• J – Books (General), Library Science, Danish Book Lists
• K – Periodicals: Danish Yearbook of Philosophy, Historisk Archiv, Kierkegaard Studies Yearbook
• L – Periodicals: Kierkegaardiana, Liselundbogen, The Reed, Søren Kierkegaard Newsletter

Rare Book Room

The Rare Book Room, home to the Library’s materials published before 1856 and other rare or fragile materials, is housed in the lower level of the Rolvaag Memorial Library. Scholars wishing to use these materials should reach out to HKL@stolaf.edu, explaining their desired use.

Kierkegaard Library Archives

Our archive includes materials related to the biographies and work of Kierkegaard scholars. The Library archives include Howard and Edna Hong and other notable Kierkegaard scholars, the history of the Kierkegaard Library at St. Olaf College, and the history of Kierkegaard studies worldwide.

Steensland Hall

The Kierkegaard Library is located in the beautiful standalone building, Steensland Hall. The structure, built in 1902 as St. Olaf’s first official Library, is appropriately nestled between Old Main, home to the Religion Department, and Holland Hall, which houses the Philosophy Department. To learn more about the history of Steensland and the Kierkegaard Library’s move into the space in 2021, visit: Steensland Hall.