On Wednesday 23 November 2011 at Ljubljana City Library there was a presentation of a collection of writings on ‘A century of development of the Oton Župančič Library’, which has been created on the centenary of the foundation of the St James public people’s library.

This year, Ljubljana City Library is also celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the merger of the three most important public libraries in Ljubljana: the City, Workers’ and Pioneers’ into the Oton Župančič Library.

In 1911 the St James public people’s library was founded, which was probably the oldest public people’s library in Slovenia, as pre-existing libraries were mainly linked to educational institutions, various societies or the government. Via the publication of this collection, the City Library has taken the opportunity to collect data and fill in an important segment of Ljubljana history for the first time in a single place in book format.

The collection is designed with two separate content elements: a historical review and a look ahead.

In the historical review, which carries the title ‘General libraries in the heart of the cultural and economic development of the city’, there is a collection of diverse archive documents, which are a testament to the creation, organisation and activities of the aforementioned Ljubljana libraries, on their important registration function and long-term developmental orientations. A chapter on the history of library science activities is introduced by a scientific text which places the emergence of public people’s libraries in the historical context of the social as well as the cultural or professional levels.

In the second part, which is entitled ‘A look ahead: innovative library concepts’, important names from the Slovenian library world and two eminent librarians from Denmark and the Netherlands outline their views on the role of public libraries in the knowledge society. Public libraries are seeing ever greater changes in the informal educational space, as much for children and youth as for adults and senior citizens. They are becoming cultural centres and spaces of unrestricted communication. Therefore it is very important to have a timely and advanced state strategic policy, which will ensure the conditions for the operation of the ‘new’ libraries.

Ljubljana City Library