In addition to being available to students and staff, the Special Collections are also accessible to researchers, journalists, publishers, and anyone with an interest in local and cultural history.

The Manuscript and Rare Books Collection encompasses a wide range of materials, including manuscripts, antiquarian books, maps, newspapers, and letters. Among its treasures are letters by Olav H. Hauge, first editions of Dickens, 17th-century maps of Bergen, and collections documenting the history of scholarship and research.

The Picture Collection is one of Norway’s oldest and most renowned archives of historical photography. It features iconic images of Norway and Bergen, private photo albums dating back to the 1860s, documentation from research archives, and examples of early photographic techniques. Of approximately two million images, more than 85,000 are publicly available at marcus.uib.no.

The Queer Archive collects, preserves, and shares Norwegian queer history. A cornerstone of the archive is the personal collection of Karen-Christine Friele, complemented by numerous collections from individuals and organizations. The archive is also building a series of video interviews and maintains its own reference work, Skeivopedia, available on its website.

The Language Collections are a significant scholarly resource comprising older physical and electronic materials. They form the foundation for Norwegian dictionaries and are used in name research. The Language Collections were transferred to UiB from the University of Oslo in 2016.