Overview of Literature Related to the Creation of the National Library of Serbia

Abstract

The question of the time when the National Library of Serbia was founded is one of the most complex questions in the field of studying the historical development of this important institution. This issue has been addressed by many researchers, who presented various assumptions and conclusions in their works. This review paper will present the development of subject research in the mentioned field, with a special focus on scientific and professional papers in which some specific issues were considered, related to the acquisition of the first books (1830), the arrangement of the book fund at the state printing house (1831), the establishment of a legal deposit, the establishment of a library in the bookshop of Gligorije Vozarović (1832) and the formation of a unified book fund at the Ministry of Education (1838). Attention will also be pointed out to the attitude of researchers towards the scientific review of two key issues, the first of which refers to the creation of book collections that with its gradual unification, the original book collection of the National Library was created, while the second refers to the institutional formation of the library institution itself.