The finding of a hair in one of the books belonging to Nicolaus Copernicus helped identify the astronomer's remains. The event became so media-savvy that probably no one will ever again think that the Uppsala University library is inadequate.

Gustav II Adolf carried out a series of reforms in Sweden, covering various areas of the country's functioning, from the military to education. Within the latter, the University of Uppsala played a key role, which in the king's view was intended to be a Lutheran stronghold of knowledge in opposition to Catholic initiatives. The main 'competition' in Sweden were the Jesuit colleges, which, although active on the continent, were directed to operate in Sweden, among other places. The king was particularly averse to them, as they allowed young people, among other things, to use their library collections; moreover, they also offered free accommodation. This type of activity was also carried out by the Jesuits in the Warmian town of Braniewo. They continued to run the school founded by the Bishop of Warmia and Grand Crown Secretary, Stanislaus Hosius (1504-1579), whose aim was to restore Catholicism in Sweden and Prussia (Colegium Hosianum).

A change in the functioning of the university was needed here, if only because in its early days the university did not enjoy a reputation either among professors or potential students. The king donated property to it, but also secured its funding. In addition, he funded scholarships for students and ordered the employment of foreign lecturers. All of these measures were intended to raise the quality of education and thus also the reputation of Uppsala as an academic city.

A key place in the new vision for the university was occupied by the university library, which - although the university was founded in 1477 - was not established until the 1720s. It was established in accordance with the idea of a large universal library, which was not unlike the hitherto specialised book collections made available in the faculties of European universities. With the act of its founding, the king donated a collection of books to the university authorities, most of which came from the Vasa collection, but also transported to Sweden as spoils of war, e.g. from Riga (1622), Frombork and Braniewo (1626) or Würzburg (1636).

The royal donation included almost 4,500 volumes of various provenance. As a result, the university needed space to store them safely, and so renovation of the future library space began. A qualified librarian was hired to provide a professional service, and rules for the use of the resource were developed. Over time, confidence in the library among noble families grew; Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, for example, donated a collection of manuscripts because he believed the storage conditions there would be better than at home. As it later turned out, this was not always the case; this only changed when the collection was moved to the Gustavianum (1691), i.e. the building housing the modern university museum.

Among the collections transferred to the university library is the unique collection of the so-called Copernicans. This is a collection of books belonging to or used by Nicolaus Copernicus. After the death of the astronomer (1543), who held the position of canon at Frombork Cathedral, these books were donated to the libraries of the chapter in Frombork and the Jesuit college in Braniewo, and then - during the Polish-Swedish War of 1626-1629 - looted and deported by the Swedes. They were initially taken to Stockholm's Three Crowns Royal Castle (Tre Kronor), where they were catalogued by the librarian and antiquarian, Johannes Bureus, and then transferred to Uppsala University Library.

The books were identified at the turn of the 20th century and at that time it was decided to separate them from the general holdings to form the Copernican collection, which now comprises 46 volumes. A detailed study of the books is underway, as there were doubts in historiography as to whether all the books belonged to the astronomer. Furthermore, there were doubts as to where Copernicus was buried and so a search for his burial place was launched in 2004. When the skull of an approximately 70-year-old man was found, it was measured and, following computer reconstructions, seemed to match the portraits of the astronomer. To be sure, the Copernican book collection was searched for additional traces of DNA, i.e. hair. Ten hairs were found in the book 'Calendarium Romanum magnum' from 1518. (The book was selected by comparing, among other things, the character of Copernicus' handwriting from surviving letters with notes in the margins of the book) and a comparison of the genetic material was made. As a result, two hairs had the same genetic code as the skull found.