The National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina Celebrates Its 75th Anniversary

The National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina will celebrate its 75th Anniversary on 29 October 2020 at 11:00 with a solemn academy, exhibition and projection of the video “75 years of NUBBiH.”
 
"This is an opportunity to recall the journey we have made since 31 October 1945, when the Decree on the National Library of Federal Bosnia and Herzegovina, signed by the then Minister of Education of BiH, Ante Babić, officially established the Central National Library” said NUBBiH director Ismet Ovčina.
Since its founding, the Library, confirming the social justification of its existence, has primarily provided services to users, encouraged its staff to lifelong learning, collected and enriched library funds, invested in equipment and IT infrastructure, organized continuous monitoring of standards, new information and other technologies, etc.
“In August 1992, NUBBiH was left without almost everything listed, but still, it did not interrupt its work for a single day. After the devastating shelling and fire in which the City Hall building was destroyed, all the equipment and almost 90% of the library fund, the remaining available staff, gathering in the ticket office of the former Temple, i.e. the Workers' University “Đuro Đaković” - today's Bosnian Cultural Center, tried to preserve at least saved part of the fund”, said director of Ovčina in his address.
"The former Marshal Tito Barracks is today the Campus of the University of Sarajevo, where the Library was granted temporary accommodation in 1998. And, it is not very appropriate today to lament, but we cannot but mention that, although the City Hall was renovated six years ago, NUBBiH has still not placed a single book in its pre-war home. Although in an inadequate space, it strives to remain an active participant and service for the entire cultural and academic community in BiH, although, unfortunately, not even 25 years after the war in BiH, the legal and financial status of this institution - one of the symbols of cultural identity in BiH. . We can only hope that the authorities, in accordance with the continuity of the law and the role of this Library in society, will finally bring a quality solution” said NUBBiH Director.

Despite all the hardships it faces, the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina functions very professionally, professionally and in accordance with European and world library and information standards.

A particularly important function of NUBBiH is the membership and representation of BiH. Librarianship in International Professional Associations: IFLA - International Federation of Library Associations; CENL - Conference of European National Libraries; LIBER - Association of European Research Libraries; WDL - World Digital Library; Europeana and others. In addition, NUBBiH has bilaterally signed memoranda of cooperation with state libraries in the region, Europe and the world.
NUBBiH Director also mentioned the publishing production of NUBBiH contained in four editions: Memoria Bosniaca; Memory of the World; Bosnian-Herzegovinian bibliographies; Professional library literature. He also mentioned that the magazine “Bosniaca”, the only Bosnian journal in the field of librarianship which is indexed in the most prestigious international scientific databases, such as: EBSCO, Web of Science, etc.
NUBBiH inherits a treasure that testifies to the past of our country and the people who live in it.
“This year, the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of BiH made a decision to declare the Special Collections of the National and University Library of BiH a National Monument of BiH, which we are especially proud of” pointed out Ovčina.

“We are all familiar with the situation in which there are seven cultural institutions of state importance for BiH. And because of that situation, its funds were in danger of decay and disappearance. In order to emphasize the importance and significance, we addressed the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of BiH, because we were of the opinion that it is necessary to establish a plan for the management and protection of this material, with adequate technical and professional assistance” said Muamera Smajić, Old and Rare Books and Manuscripts Collection Manager.

The National and University Library of BiH celebrates its 75th anniversary in the mission of education, science and culture, and it marked that jubilee with a series of activities during this year.
The academy will be held in accordance with the epidemiological recommendations of the competent health institutions.