Workshop “Learning the Bosnian Cyrillic” held at the National and University Library of BiH

To mark National Library Awareness Day 2019 – 25th October, the result of the Erasmus+ project “Library Network Support Services (LNSS): Modernizing Libraries in the Western Balkans through Staff Development and Reforming Library Services”, and the 74th anniversary of the National and University Library of BiH (NUBBiH), as a partner institution of the University of Sarajevo it organized a workshop Learning the Bosnian Cyrillic. The National Library Awareness Day’s goal is to remind citizens of the importance of library involvement in building a knowledge society.

The workshop Learning the Bosnian Cyrillic was held in cooperation with the Department of Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian. Lecturer was Doz. Dr. Mehmed Kardaš. The Second Lyceum students and NUBBiH employees participated in the workshop. In the workshop’s introductory part, Mr. Sc. Muamera Smajić, head of the Manuscripts and Rarities, presented the work of the National and University Library of BiH and Special Collections, which inherit valuable material written in Bosnian Cyrillic script. The workshop program was continued with Doz. Dr. Mehmed Kardaš, who presented the place and importance of the Bosnian language in the history of the Bosnian literary language, introduced to the participants the Bosnian Cyrillic script as a variation of the Cyrillic alphabet and developmental forms of writing. Finally, the practical part - reading the Bosnian Cyrillic script followed. Among others, letters from the NUBBiH were read. At the workshop’s end, with an appropriate address by NUBBiH Director, Dr. Ismet Ovčina participants received certificates.
In Bosnia, as in other countries where it was used, the Cyrillic script developed into a national variant - Bosančica. There are various other names: Bosnian Cyrillic, bosančica, bosanica, begovica, etc. The Bosnian graphic system separates it from other types of Cyrillic among Slavic peoples. This stylized form of Cyrillic script occurs in the 10th century. In this script was written the famous Charter of Kulin Ban of 29 August 1189, which is the oldest diplomatic document in the vernacular. Bosnian Cyrillic script was also used during the Ottoman rule in this region. The Cyrillic was used in Bosnia and Herzegovina by all three peoples.