Librarianship in Luxembourg

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The science and librarianship in Luxembourg developed due to the political situation in Luxembourg initially reluctant.

history

On the territory of the former duchy there were many important monastery libraries , such as the cathedral abbey in Echternach monastery , in Orval and in Luxembourg (city) , as well as the library of the Jesuit order , which was repealed in 1773 . During the French Revolution in 1795 some of these books ended up in the “Écoles Centrales” or later in a “Dépôt littéraire”, but many books are also scattered throughout Europe as spoils of war. Nevertheless, the first public library was built in Luxembourg in 1798. Exactly 50 years later, in 1848, it was merged with the library of the Athenaeum and the library of the Society for Research and Conservation of Historical Monuments in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg was created.

Luxembourg Library Act

Since it was published in the Luxembourg Official Gazette on July 13, 2010, Luxembourg officially has its own library law for its public libraries (loi du 24 juin 2010 relative aux bibliothèques publiques). However, its genesis was anything but fortunate and the law is highly controversial in the Luxembourg library system:

After attempts in 1928 and 2003 to introduce a library compulsory law based on the Belgian model in Luxembourg, attempts were made in 2007 with a specialist law . Despite the approval of all parties, the project was surprisingly stopped by the government in order to integrate it into its own legislative project. A first draft law was presented in 2009, but after severe criticism from all sides it had to be withdrawn and revised. But the revised version was also criticized by the Luxembourg librarians' association ALBAD for continued weaknesses in terms of content (by the way, neither ALBAD nor the association of public libraries in Luxembourg, the ULBP, were involved in any form in drafting the law). Nevertheless, the law would be passed unanimously in parliament on April 22nd, 2010.

Development of the book industry

Not only the library system, but also the book system itself developed relatively late in Luxembourg. The first printed matter did not appear until the end of the 16th century, the first book printed entirely in Luxembourgish in 1600. With the exception of school books and religious manuscripts, there was no demand for books. It was not until 1704 that the first Luxembourg newspaper appeared in French (“La Clef du Cabinet des Princes”), and in 1824 the first newspaper in German (“Luxemburger Wochenblatt”).

The Luxembourg National Library

The Bibliothèque nationale de Luxembourg is the national library and the most important central documentation center in the country. It collects all publications printed and published in Luxembourg and acquires publications relating to Luxembourg or from Luxembourgers published abroad. The Luxemburgensia department comprises 150,000 volumes and 3,000 journal titles.

The National Library is the largest academic library in Luxembourg. All fields of science are represented here. The general inventory comprises around 750,000 volumes and 3,500 international journal titles from all disciplines. Around 30,000 volumes are freely accessible in the reading and reference rooms. The general inventory is expanded by around 10,000 volumes each year.

The second most important library is the court library, which is only open to the public as part of a tour of the palace, with 30,000 volumes and important collections. Only 10% of it has been developed and is still largely unknown.

Other important academic libraries

Important academic libraries are the Center Universitaire , some specialized libraries ( Center national de la littérature , Bibliothèque du Grand Seminaire, etc.), the libraries of foreign cultural institutes and the libraries of European institutions: the European Commission , the European Parliament , the European Court of Justice and the European Investment bank etc.

Material on the topic of development cooperation and countries of the South can be found in the Center d'Information Tiers Monde (CITIM) and on microfinance in the Maison de la microfinance .

Special features due to the Luxembourg language situation

The Luxembourg language situation requires an expensive purchase of literature, depending on availability, in all official languages.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ French original text: http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/a/archives/2010/0106/a106.pdf
  2. ↑ Linster, Bernard: The development of the Luxembourg library system from its beginnings to today: on the way to a structured library system? , Cologne: Cologne University of Applied Sciences, 2011 (Cologne working papers on library and information science; 55), pp. 57–59