Along the Promenade of the Past and Present of the University Library in Bratislava

Abstract

This paper presents the historical development and current state of the University Library in Bratislava ‒ the oldest and largest scientific library in the Slovak Republic. The so-called "Univerzitka" celebrated its centenary in 2019. It replaced the former library of the Hungarian Royal Elizabeth University, taking over its building, equipment, and collections. It was arranged by the government commissioner and its first director Jan Emler, who was invited from the Prague Imperial and Royal Public and University Library and who, with his organizational skills and creative and constructive work, left the greatest mark on the history of the University Library development. Today, the University Library is housed in three historic buildings ‒ cultural monuments of national importance ‒ the Clariseum, the Palace of the Hungarian Royal Chamber, and the Leopold de Pauli Palace. It continues with its activities in the monumental baroque environment, in which tradition is combined with the modern services and the successful realization of projects with the help of new information technologies.