Imagine being able to open an app and start reading in your mother tongue — no matter how few people speak it. This is the concept behind Bläddra, a free e-book app created by the National Library of Sweden to breathe new life into to the country’s national minority languages: Sámi, Meänkieli, Romani Chib, Yiddish and Finnish.
Bläddra (Swedish for “to leaf through” or “to browse”) is more than just another digital library. It’s a cultural bridge, connecting readers to stories, poems, and voices that have too often been hard to find — even in Sweden’s public libraries.
When the National Library of Sweden examined the literary landscape in 2018, the findings were sobering. Books in Finnish were relatively easy to find, but for other minority languages — Sámi, Meänkieli, Romani, and Yiddish — the situation was bleak. Publishing was limited, titles quickly went out of print, and public libraries often lacked the knowledge or resources to buy and catalogue them.
In many cases, books had to be sourced from small publishers outside standard procurement systems. Even when available, they were often scattered unevenly across the country.
It was clear: access to literature in these languages needed a digital solution. That’s where Bläddra came in.
Between 2019 and 2021, a diverse project team — including librarians, developers, UX designers, and minority representatives — came together to create the app.
Their shared mission was ambitious: build a modern, trustworthy, and inclusive reading platform that serves all national minorities equally. Every design choice reflected that goal.
Bläddra’s creators wanted the app to feel just like any other reading service — not a separate or “special” tool for minorities. It had to be simple, dignified, and private. No registration. No library card. No user tracking. Just the joy of reading.
Bläddra launched in April 2021 with books in Sámi and Romani Chib. Meänkieli followed in 2022, and Yiddish joined in 2023, and finally Finnish in September 2025.
Today, the app offers free access to approximately 300 e-books, from children’s tales to adult fiction and non-fiction. Readers can download books to read offline, with no limits or time restrictions. The app interface is in Swedish, making it easy for bilingual users and learners alike.
An audio player was launched during 2025 — another step toward making Bläddra a fully accessible, multimedia experience.
Building the app was only half the challenge. Finding and preparing the books was another story. The Bläddra team became literary detectives: identifying existing works, tracking down copyright holders, and negotiating digital licenses.
The result is a carefully curated collection that reflects both tradition and modernity — from classic folklore to contemporary writing.
As of October 2025, Bläddra hosts:
The most active readers? Speakers of South Sámi and Meänkieli, showing how digital access can help sustain languages that might otherwise risk fading from everyday use.
Each download represents more than a single reader — it’s a step toward preserving identity, culture, and community through the written word.
And it’s an open-source project too, built on Readium technology, meaning the app can continue to evolve — adding new features, languages, and stories in the years ahead.
Bläddra proves that libraries can innovate while staying true to their core mission: free, equal access to knowledge for everyone. By making minority language literature available to anyone with a smartphone or tablet, the app not only preserves cultural heritage but also makes it part of everyday life.
For readers who have long searched for books in their own language — or for young people eager to connect with their roots — Bläddra offers something invaluable: the simple pleasure of turning the page, in your own words.