Old Prints Collection

The collection holds printed material created from the beginning of printing, up to and including the year 1850. It is supplemented by old and rare old slovenika (by a narrower definition), or by older printed material that is in any relation with today's Slovenian territory, or individuals coming from today's territory of the Republic of Slovenia, and earlier territorial-administrative entities (criteria of origin).

The collection holds over 40,000 items. Its core is represented by parts of religious and other institutions’ libraries. Under Joseph's reforms or by special contracts, they were handed over to the newly established Lyceum library at the end of the 18th century. These are collections of the Augustinian and the Barefoot Augustinian monasteries from Ljubljana, of the Bistrica and Kostanjevica Carthusians, Cistercians from Stična, the collection of the Servites of Duino, the collection kept in the residence of the bishops of Ljubljana in Gornji Grad, and the collection of the Carniolan Society for Agriculture and Useful Arts. An important part of the Library collection are private libraries of collectors, acquired as legacies, or bought from former owners or their heirs. The most important and extensive libraries belonged to Karel Peer, Žiga Zois, Jernej Kopitar, Franc Serafin Metelko, Matija Čop, Tomo Zupan and Ivan Vrhovnik.

Activity:

• Updating the collection of monographs from the beginning of printing up to 1850,
• supplementing the collection of monographic publications with material from the beginning of printing up to, and including the 1850,
• bibliographic processing of material,
• scientific research and development work in connection with the material,
• provision of bibliographic and professional information on the material.

Information and Responsibility: