The National Library of Moldova (, BNRM) located in Chișinău, Moldova is the main library of the state, which is responsible for conservation, valorization and protection of written cultural heritage. The National Library operates according to the guiding principles of UNESCO referring to this type of libraries, it is part of the European Digital Library. Founded in 1940, it traces its roots to the Gubernatorial Public Library of Bessarabia established in 1832. At present, the National Library is one of the objectives with great value of the national patrimony and presents the treasure written and printed cultural heritage of the country. Library ensures wide public access to its collections for research, study and / or information. The Director General is Elena Pintilei.
The library is accessible to all users who have reached the age of 17.
From 1992 until his death on April 8, 2015 the director of the National Library was Alexe Rău – Ph. D., a library scientist, philosopher, poet and essayist."A murit directorul Bibliotecii Naționale, Alexe Rău", Timpul April 8, 2015
Mission The National Library is a state institution subordinated to the administrative Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova. The Library operates under the principles of autonomy, freedom, political disengagement, cultural national identity and of legislation and its status. National Library of Moldova represents the treasure of cultural heritage written and printed, which over the years performs:
filling, storing and offering for users collections of national editions, precious foreign publications, manuscripts, audiovisual and multimedia materials etc.; preservation of national memory comprised in printed heritage, providing them to its beneficiaries and transmitting to new generations; scientific development of patrimonial collections.
History The Gubernatorial Public Library of Bessarabia (later Public Library) was established in Chişinău by an order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire which remains the founder of the library until 1917. On August 22, 1832, took place the inauguration of the library, at that time the governor of the country was A. I. Sarokumski. The doctor of law, Peter Manega, came from Bucharest and he was preoccupied of finding, renting this building and also the purchase of books fund. The first librarian was Gabriel Bilevici, an intellectual with studies done in Chernivtsi, a professor at the Gymnasium nr. 1- a school for the boys from Chisinau, where there hosted for a while library. The books from the private library of the Colonel I.P. Liprandi, and from Kelhner and from professor Arhanghelski, also the publications donated by G. Polonski și Balen de Bal- laid the foundation for the library’s initial stock. The school director A. Grinevici from Bessarabia, adopted the rules of the public library from Odessa to that of Chisinau.
In 1831, the monger Bogaciov makes available for Public Library in Chisinau one of his houses in which it was inaugurated the library. In 1832, the monger I.Kriukov buys Bogaciov’s house and make a proposal to the library to extend the lease until 1853. After Peter Manega has obtained in 1832 the money needed for lease renewal to Kriukov's house, library remained there until 1834- in three small rooms. In 1835, Peter Manega rent for library a new building, built by the same monger Bogaciov, opposite the city boulevard, which does not have an entry from the street. The following librarians - Kozlov, Saburov, Tanki - tried, but failed an improvement of conditions of the institution.
Only after 1857, the new librarian Venedict Beler, professor of German Language and Mathematics at Gymnasium No. 1, manage to convince the governor Fonton Verraion that the library can no longer remain in a provisional state. In 1860, the library is transported into a beautiful space located in area of the current USM. V. Beller deals from switching inventory and making the public to know about a composition of the collection and providing access to it. The year 1860 was called in the press “Anul bibliotecii lui Beller”. Due to the lack of finance, at the request of gubernatorial administration, in 1869 library was transferred to the financing of the city. In 1877, according to the order of the Ministry of Interior, library with all its heritage is moved to the headquarters of the Duma.
Directors
The following have been Directors:
Gubernatorial Public Library of Bessarabia (1832-1875) Gavriil Bilevici (1832–1835) Nicolai Kozlov (1835–1846) Mihail Saburov (1846–1847) Ivan Tanskii (1848–1855) Platon Globaciov (IX-XII, 1852) Botean (1855–1856) Petru Şuşchevici (1856–1857) Venedict Beler (1857–1871) Public Library of Chişinău (1876-1939) Kurkovskaia (1871–1877) Daria Harjevskaia (1884–1924) Maria Arionescu (1931–1934) Elena Niţescu (1934-) State Republican Library of the Moldavian SSR (1940-1990) Adeli Cernoviţkaia (1944–1946) Iguatie Teleuţă (1946–1948) Alexandr Suhomlinov (1948–1955) Ion Borş (1956–1959) Alexandru Chirtoaca (1959–1963) Gheorghe Cincilei (1963–1964) Petru Ganenco (1965–1983) Grigore Sudacevschi (1984–1987) Tatiana Levandovskaia (1987–1992) National Library of the Republic of Moldova (from 1991) Alexei Rău (1992-2015) Elena Pintilei (2015-)
Collections One of the major tasks of BNRM is the establishment, maintaining and providing access to a collection as much complete as national editions and foreign valuable publications. The collections are completed by legal deposit, through purchase, donations, and through interlibrary exchange. Annual Library fund grow by 13 to 14 thousand documents. BNRM is keeper of a precious fund of documents, totalling 2.5 million in 30 languages. The thematic and linguistic horizon of the collections is universal. The BNRM Collections include a variety of information: traditional (monographs, serials) and nontraditional (disks, magnetic tapes, microfilm, maps, electronic documents, etc.).
The collection of old and rare books The Collection contains over 21 thousand documents: great works through authors, masterfully graphics, bibliophile value which consists from manuscripts books, old Romanian book printed in the country and abroad, foreign books published up to 1725, editions, books with a polygraphic presentation and artistic significance, ex-libris books, typographical curiosities, personal collections, old periodicals etc. The collection includes books that formed part of initial fund at 1832 , when the library was inaugurated. Among them, an important role for books is held by General Liprandi, and two volumes of Aristotle commented by Donati Acciaioli and Simplicius, the oldest books in library collections, the oldest books in library collections, works of incunabula era that connects us with and include us in concert of the most valuable European libraries. The Library holds the second edition of Cazaniei lui Varlaam (first book written and printed in Moldova, the Three Hierarchs in 1643), edited Râmnic (Muntenia) in 1792; Apostle, published in Bucharest in 1683, Moldova's description Cantemir, the German version (1771), Russian (1789), Romanian (1825); Trebnicul “Petru Movilă”, published in 1646 and illustrated by Elijah engraver. The collection of books with autographs of writers, scholars, other personalities is an object of interest for many bibliophiles. The most precious autographs belong to personalities: Alecsandri Vasile, Dumitru Moruzi, Leon Boga, Paul Michael G. O. Zlatov, N. Moghileanski John G. Sbiera etc. The new image that created BNRM in the country and abroad contribute to the choice of different personalities or their relatives of the library as a place of conservation and making available to future generations some important private libraries. For this purpose, in the special collections are composed of these personalities funds. The most common include: Bârsan family library, family Balmuş, by Anton Crihan, Alexandru Sturdza, Nicolai Moghileanski.
Audiovideoteca Audiovideoteca possesses a unique collection, the richest in Moldova, sound recordings (26 000), documents printed music (66 000), books and periodicals in the field of music. The collection includes all genres of classical and modern music. Here are present musical creations of different peoples from different times.
The Collection of Art and Maps Art collection and maps insert 193 000 documents, including albums, art reproductions, posters, postcards, prints, photographs etc. It is extremely varied the collection of art albums, taking works from all areas of the arts. Among the rarities are: albums of "Classici dell'arte Rizzoli", unique postcards, series of encyclopedias and dictionaries of art, encyclopedias and dictionaries of art.
The Collection Moldavistica Moldavistica collection consists of about 15 thousand documents and provides informational and documentary for users interested in the social-political, economic and cultural Moldova seen from the outside. The collection includes documents on Moldova, published in the republic and beyond its borders.
Referential Library The referential library represents the most valuable collection of dictionaries, bibliographies, journals reports, catalogs, books of addresses, guidance, guidelines, laws, legal acts, official statements, statistical yearbooks in different languages of the world (about 60 thousand volumes ).
Collection of world literature World literature Collection contains approximately 60 thousand documents. Destination collection: providing information and documentary of researchers the field of literature. The collection includes books about literature in general, documents about the evolution of literatures and languages of the world countries.
Collection of Publications It is one of the most voluminous library - 612 000 volumes - and includes magazines (5000 titles), newspapers (2500 titles), different reports and other works of scientific institutions etc.
The UN Library In 2000, the National Library was awarded the status of library - the keeper of materials and publications of the United Nations in Moldova. Today the collection contains about 3000 the United Nations document, in English and French languages.
Usage of library BNRM users can become persons who have attained the age of 17. Entry permit is issued for a 5-year term and is subject to re-registration at the beginning of each year. The registration and user registration is based on the following documents: identity card, job identity card, student card, identification card pensioner. Collections availability is ensured through loan documents for users in the reading rooms, interlibrary loan and loan documents at home (for some categories of users). If users do not find the information needed in the village or in the country, they can turn to other libraries, including other states, through interlibrary loan.
National Digital Library "Moldavica"