Biology Library is part of the University Library. It was established in 1962 by merging the departmental libraries of Botany and Zoology. The foundation of this specialized depository was initiated back in 1891 by the establishment of the specialty Natural History in the Physical and Mathematical section of the Higher School. A special merit for the expansion and enrichment of the library had to be honored to Prof. Georgi Kozarov, Acad. Daki Yordanov and Prof. Boris Kitanov. For more than 20 years, Prof. Kozarov personally had collected tomes and was

responsible for the Library of the Department of Zoology. A more systematical setting of both libraries began at the end of 1903. In 1905, the Zoology Library reached 1002 tomes. By the end of 1962, the stock of the Botany Library reached 9769 tomes (books and journals) and that of Zoology – 15077. After the merging of 1962 the Library rapidly expanded.

An Almanac of Sofia University for the period 1939-1988 was prepared by the employees of the library for its 100 years anniversary. Elena Gancheva, Head of Biology Library and Penka Troshanova, bibliograph had a major merit for the compilation and processing of the data on the teachers from the Faculty and were the compilers of tome 2 and tome 3.

Since 1997, the database VINITI (Russian centre for Scientific and Technical information in the field of Natural and Technical Sciences) was received on CDs. A consortium between 5 major universities in Bulgaria was established in 2000. An online access to all databases of Current Contents (weekly bibliographical bulletin of the Institute for Scientific Information in Philadelphia) was purchased. The same database is subscribed to the series Life Science (since 1993) and Agriculture, Biology & Environmental Sciences (since 2000).

The overall stock of library “Biology” numbers 82050 tomes. Most of the books and periodicals are in English, followed by Bulgarian, Russian, French, German and other Slavonic languages. The expansion of the bibliographical materials is conformed to the needs of the educational process. Most of the literature in Bulgarian and English was chosen according to the necessities of students and teachers. Major part of the contemporary books are accomplished by CDs. Only Bulgarian journals are received by subscription and Bulgarian, Russian and Western by book exchange.

The library possesses a rich collection of bibliographical documents in all fields of Biological sciences. There are several valued editions like: La grande Encyclopédie - in 30 volumes, Zoological Record from 1964, Educational Color Atlas in 51 volumes in Japanese from 1972, Панчич,Й. Рибе Србии и Београд. Државной штампарии, 1860., Панчик, У. Флора у околии Београдской по аналитичкой методу. Београд, 1865., De CANDOLE, M. Géographie botanique raisonnée. Paris.1890., LINNE, Caroli. The Linnaean herbarium on microfiche.

Some of the major gifts, received by Biology Library are: from Pensoft Publishing House: The Federation of European Biochemical Societies /a UK charity/, Educational handbooks from the executive body of the Faculty of Biology from 1999, Direction of Natural Park Vitosha, books from the French Embassy from 1997, books from the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria, section Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, books from St. Kiril and Metodi Foundation.

The Library ensures the scientifically-informational service of teachers, PhD students, students as well as external users. Readers receive copies of papers and books with a one month period of access through the international interlibrary borrowing service. Access to some of the major databases is also offered: Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Knowledge, Ebrary Academic Complete, Pro Quest, Ebsco host, Springer Link etc.

An online electronic OPAC ALEPH catalogue http://aleph. libsu.uni-sofia.bg:8991/f is used for daily information on the available and newly received documents in theLbrary. Users can also take advantage of unified catalogue NABIS, including 14 academic libraries in Bulgaria with over 2 000 000 volumes thus giving the possibility for integrated searching in internet in the catalogues of these libraries and online access to bibliographical information for their book and electronic resources and services through the united portal http://primo3.nalis.bg

Biology Library provides Internet access, Wi-Fi, borrowing of materials for home use, consults the work with electronic catalogues, e-services etc.
The employees of the library are: Roumyana Raicheva, Supervisor and two librarians – Irena Georgieva and Radostina Yankova.