The University Library “St. Kliment Ohridski” is the first university library and the largest academic library in Bulgaria. It is a modern cultural and educational institution, which combines traditional library and information services with up-to-date technologies and research tools of the contemporary information society. Its mission is to provide library and information service to all its readers, to creatively participate in the development of Sofia University and the formation of information competency of its many users.
Opened at the same time as the first Bulgarian University in Sofia in 1888, the University Library still plays important role in the development of Bulgarian science and education as a cultural institute of national importance. The University Library was first located in the building of the First Secondary School for Men in Sofia, where was situated the Institute of Higher Education. For the second academic year a students’ reading-room was opened. In 1933 the library was moved to a new building, designed by the architects I. Vasilyov and D. Tsolov, and built thanks to a donation by the brothers Hristo and Evlogy Georgievi. Since December 1934 till present the University Library “St. Kliment Ohridski” is located in this building, which is part of the national architectural heritage. Starting with no more than 2,577 titles, in 1912 the Library held more than 80,000 volumes. Of great importance were the personal donations of eminent Bulgarian scholars such as M. Draganov, I. Shishmanov, B. Penev, L. Miletitch, G. Zlatarski, A. Ishirkov and many others. When in 1925 the Deposits Act was passed, the University Library became the third library in the country to receive a free copy of each publication.
Today the University Library has large and diverse holdings of over 2,620,000 volumes of scientific literature, rare and valuable editions, periodicals, electronic media and others. Its collection of old-print, rare, valuable and unique publications is exceptionally rich. Annually more than 20,000 library items are acquired and more than 30,000 readers use its services by ordering over 340,000 library items.
Currently the University Library offers a wide spectrum of library and information services:
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Search in the University Library online catalog containing over 1,100,000 bibliographic records, available at:
http://aleph.libsu.uni-sofia.bg:8991/F/?func=file&file_name=find-g&con_lng=eng -
Integrated search in the NALIS Union Catalogue containing over 3,108,000 bibliographic records, available at:
http://primo.nalis.bg/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=2&scp.scps=scope%3A%28LSU%29&frbg=&tab=default_tab&dstmp=
1495707360606&srt=rank&ct=search&mode=Basic&dum=true&tb=t&indx=1&fromLogin=
true&vl(freeText0)=&fn=search&vid=LSU_VIEW -
Access to digital full text materials at:
http://digilib.nalis.bg/xmlui/handle/nls/94?locale-attribute=en; - Access to leading scientific full-text and reference databases - Science Direct, Scopus, ISI web of Knowledge, EBSCO, Emerald, Klower Law and others;
- Borrowing for home use;
- Written and oral bibliographical and factual reference services;
- Automated information retrieval using user-defined profile;
- Research consultation and guidance in working with electronic library catalogs of scientific libraries worldwide; use of journals available free online, services free of charge of foreign university libraries and of many other resources;
- Services for people with disabilities;
- Electronic Document Delivery Service;
- ILL and International ILL;
- Copying and scanning of documents.