History

Our library in years

1903
On 18^th March nineteen intellectuals from Maribor decided to establish the Historical Society for the Slovene Styria. With this act the Library of the Historical Society for the Slovene Styria was also founded and its first librarian and archivist was Avguštin Stegenšek.

1904
The Library had 312 units of library materials, an inventory book, an alphabetical card catalogue and library rules. The president of the Historical Society was Pavel Turner, Ph.D., and with his own money he bought an extensive collection of publications published by the Yugoslav academy and publications of the Styria Historical Society.

1918
On 16^th November the Decree on Obligatory Copy was issued and the Library of the Historical Society for the Slovene Styria got the right of an obligatory copy from Slovenia. In this way it became a public library and received the same status as the prominent libraries in Ljubljana, Belgrade and Zagreb. 

1921
Viktor Grčar, the mayor of Maribor, selected the casino building on Slomškov trg 17 as suitable place for the library.

1923
In March the city council decided to take over the costs for a librarian and on 15^th March Davorin Žunkovič was appointed to this job. Later on the princess Elizabeta Obolenska joined him as a librarian.

1941
On 11^th April Nazis occupied the library’s premises and deposed the library’s director, Prof. Janko Glazer. The major part of the Study Library materials was taken to Graz to the Südostdeutsches Institut and to  Steiermärkische Landesbibliothek.

1945
The taken books were returned to Maribor; more than a quarter of pre-war library holdings were lost. On 10^th September the Ministry of Education passed a decree on establishing district study libraries for the Celje, Novo mesto and Maibor district.

1946
On 1^st March the library was formally established. 

1952
On 1^st May the new library premises were opened on Prešernova ulica.

1958
A statute, which describes the library as the central scientific library for Maribor and its surroundings was passed.

1959
Beginnings of higher education in Maribor.

1960
On 4^th October the Decree on Obligatory Copy was passed and the printers had to send at least one copy of each publication to the study libraries.  

1961
The Study Library became the central library of Maribor higher education. The Law on Libraries was passed. 

1963
On 1^st April Prof. Bogo Teplý stated with documenting Marburger Zeitung.

1964
The library’s statue – the library is now the central public library for Maribor and its surroundings and at the same time the central library of Maribor higher education.

1970
The Study Library is renamed into the Academic and Study Library Maribor. 

1975
On 12^th June the agreement on unification with the University of Maribor was singed and the library was an equal co-founder of the University of Maribor, which was established on 3^rd July.  On 23^rd September the library is again renamed, this time into the University of Maribor Library.

1977
On 3^rd June the Agreement on establishing a library-documentation-information system of the University of Maribor was signed. The Music Collection, the Geographic Collection and the Ephemera Collection were established.   

1983
The library got an interactive connection with the University of Maribor Computer Centre.

1984
An intensive users’ registration and bibliographic entries as well as the computer based lending began. The University of Maribor Library was the first library in Slovenia with a computer based lending. The software, which made this possible, was developed by the University of Maribor Computer Centre and librarians of the University of Maribor Library. The very first bibliographic record in COBIB has the ID=6524417.

1985
The first OPAC version was introduced. The Local History Report for the Slovene library system was prepared and it served as the basis for implementation of IT in the local history activities.

1986
Construction works for the new library building on the location Miklošičeva, Gospejna and Orožnova ulica began. In the University of Maribor Library the bibliographic data were entered according to the UNIMARC standard.  

1987
The lending system was updated with barcode software and hardware; beginnings of information sources in electronic form.  

1988
The library materials were moved from the old building in the new one – “the human chain”. On 25^th November the library got a new and modern library building. All new materials were recorded in the local and in the union database – i.e. the system of union cataloguing.

1990
An automatic call numbers and inventory numbers counting was introduced, the concept of the University of Maribor Library Information System (KISUM) was updated and a joint library card for all libraries of the university was introduced.  The Austrian Library (Avstrijska čitalnica - AČ) was established.

1991
The University of Maribor Library was, because of the few days of war, for the third time in its history forced to close its doors and to protect its materials.

1996
On 21^st March the main library hall was named as the Glazer hall.  With the Decree on the University reorganisation our library became the 11^th member of the University of Maribor.

1997
On 21^st January the University of Maribor Statute was passed, where the University of Maribor Library is defined as the central university library that supports the educational, scientific, research and art activities of the University and also coordinates the library information activities and bibliographies.

1998
On 20^th November the General Maister’s Library was arranged.

2003
The University of Maribor Library celebrates its 100^th anniversary as the University of Maribor central library, as the academic library for Maribor and its surroundings, as an archive library for Slovenia and as the regional local history library for Maribor and NE Slovenia. 

2007
The offer of electronic information sources was updated. The University of Maribor students, professors and researchers can also access the electronic sources from home.

2008
The library building was renovated and better bioclimatic conditions for the users, staff and materials were ensured.

2010
Beginning of card catalogues digitalisation.

2012
New rooms for group work were arranged and special attention was paid to users with special needs. Our library took an active part in the European Capital of Culture.

2013
On 1^st March the ČUK reading room, which can be used by the University of Maribor Library members until midnight, was opened.