The Institute of Astronomy of the University of Latvia was founded in 1997, by merging the Astronomical Observatory of UL and Radiophysics Observatory of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, which held valuable collections of information resources, developed over many years. There are editions from the stocks of the Riga Section of the All-Union Astronomical and Geodetic Society, as well as the Astronomical Observatory (founded in 1922), and also donations by various institutions and private persons.

The collection of the Institute of Astronomy consists of 13 thousand items covering various branches, such as astronomy, geodesy, topography, cartography, celestial mechanics, space research, physics, mathematics and navigation etc.

A significant part of the collection consists of periodicals (160 titles), most of which are in Russian and English but with a few also in German and French. There are about 10 titles in Latvian, the best known of which is a magazine called “Zvaigžņotā Debess”, which has been published since 1958.

Describing the treasures of the collection that are especially valuable, one should mention the set of "Berliner Astronomisches Jahrbuch", published in German 1776-1960, which is the most long-lasted periodical in astronomy, as well as “The Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris” in English, whose first volume issued in 1766.

The collection of the Institute of Astronomy is available in the Library at Raiņa Boulevard.

Items can be ordered via the E-resource repository of the University of Latvia.