Public library of the University of Neuchâtel

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As a typical cantonal library , the Neuchâtel Public University Library (UBN) has three missions:

  • to preserve the Neuchâtel cultural heritage,
  • to provide the material and space necessary for university and postgraduate studies,
  • take care of the public's demands for information and general education.

The inventory of the UBN mainly relates to the humanities and social sciences, but it also covers the various areas of universal knowledge. Today (as of 2007) the library has around 60,000 documents, to which there are over 30,000 in the open access area.

history

The library was founded in 1788. The first years of its existence were marked by important donations of manuscripts (in particular the correspondence from Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1795). After moving for the first time, the Neuchâtel library finally moved to the Latin School in 1833. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Neuchâtel library took over responsibility for the university library . At the same time, it opened up to the general public by setting up an area with folk literature , which was later to be changed to the open access area . The 1980s were marked by the expansion of the library, the 90s by computerization and the adaptation to new information technologies.

chronology

1788: Foundation of the Neuchâtel library

1794: Manuscript donated by Professor Louis Bourguet

1795: Manuscript donated by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

1803: move to the town hall

1838: move to the Latin school

1909: The Neuchâtel library becomes the university library. Education of folk literature

1968: The section with folk literature is converted into the open access area and is now called public general literature

1983: The Neuchâtel public university library becomes an institution under private law financed by the city and canton.

1989: Automation of library services (lending, purchasing, magazines). The library now also belongs to the Association of Libraries in Western Switzerland (RERO)

1996: Creation of the Association of Neuchâtel and Jurassic Libraries RBNJ (Réseau des bibliothèques neuchâteloises et jurassiennes)

Duration

  • Néocomensia: The library collects and preserves all publications that are related to the content of the Canton of Neuchâtel or that have been written or co-designed by a Neuchâtel. These documents are called Néocomensia . All documents that are published or printed in the canton are also located in the UBN.
  • Neuchâtel dossier: this collection includes all publications by Neuchâtel communities and contains around 1,600 dossiers.
  • Magazines: UBN owns 1,900 magazines, 580 of which are in the open access area. The humanities and social sciences are particularly well represented.
  • Manuscripts: Many different manuscripts mainly from Neuchâtel (but also from Swiss and European) intellectuals, artists and writers are kept in the UNB. The manuscript collection of Jean-Jacques Rousseau , which contains around 3,500 letters, contributes particularly to the library's good international reputation.
  • Iconographies: The UBN stores 4,500 original images or reproductions, 3,400 of which are digitized. These mainly include portraits of Neuchâtel personalities and landscapes.
  • Maps: The library currently has around 9,300 maps (as of 2007), including 3,900 Swiss national maps. The stock mainly comprises regional maps, but it also contains city maps from Switzerland and abroad.
  • Posters: The library's collection of posters consists of documents that are related to Neuchâtel because of their subject, artist or publisher. Today (as of 2007) this inventory counts over 5,000 posters, 300 of which were printed before 1950.
  • Bookplate: The library has almost 1,000 bookplates from various origins.
  • Swiss doctoral theses: The Swiss theses deposited at the University of Lausanne have been kept in the library since 1917. Today (as of 2007) this inventory comprises around 68,000 volumes and receives between 400 and 500 new works annually.

Catalogs

The holdings since 1990 are cataloged in the network of Neuchâtel and Jurassic libraries RBNJ. The old card catalog was scanned for all documents that were acquired before 1990 and is available online. The card catalogs include:

  • the keyword catalog
  • the bibliographic catalog
  • the catalogs of Swiss doctoral theses and the Néocomensia
  • the manuscript catalog
  • the music catalog
  • the catalog with the geographical maps
  • the poster catalog
  • the iconographic catalog.

Web links