History and Present of the Library of the Faculty of Theology of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin Cover Image

Dzieje i współczesność Biblioteki Wydziału Teologii Katolickiego Uniwersytetu Lubelskiego Jana Pawła II
History and Present of the Library of the Faculty of Theology of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin

Author(s): Joanna Jaksiewicz
Subject(s): Library operations and management, Other
Published by: Federacja Bibliotek Kościelnych FIDES
Keywords: Library of the Faculty of Theology; history of library; employees;digitization;Catholic University of Lublin;

Summary/Abstract: The Theological Library was established at the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL) in 1920, soon after the foundation of the Faculty of Theology. During the World War II the books were preserved outside of KUL. After the war, the collections were divided into biblical, dogmatic, moral, fundamental theology and history of the Church sections. In 1950 there was only one common reading room with the collections of 11,147 volumes. The needs increased in 1957 when the program of theological studies for lay people started. In 1970, there were eight specialized departmental collections, handled by one librarian. In 1999 the Theological Library was transferred to the John Paul II College. In 2013 there were almost 38,000 volumes. In 2014, after the integration with the Library of the Institute of Pastoral Theology, the collection counts 62,931 volumes with 24,000 visitors in the reading room. The Theological Library is the meeting place for researchers and students. There are workshops, expositions and the final exams for license in theology once a year. However, its main activity is scientific information. The old card catalogue and 51% bibliographic descriptions of collections have been digitalized (Virtua system). 80% of resources are in Polish language but the number of books in English is growing due to the presence of English speaking doctoral candidates. The Theological Library is the integral part of Faculty of Theology and receives full support from its administration.

  • Issue Year: 22/2016
  • Issue No: 42 (1)
  • Page Range: 21-34
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Polish