Warsaw University Library

The establishment of The Royal Warsaw University in 1816 led to the founding of the library. Its first director was Samuel Linde, a linguist, lexicographer, educator, and librarian. Initially, the library primarily housed theological and historical books, but in 1819, it began to expand its collection by receiving legal deposits from other scientific fields. By 1831, the library, which was then a public library, had already accumulated 134,000 volumes of books stored in Kazimierzowski Palace.

However, after the November uprising in the same year, the library was closed, and the Russian authorities took most of the collection to Saint Petersburg. In 1862, when the university was reinstated in Warsaw as the Main School, the library also reopened under the name of Main Library. At that time, the collection comprised 260,000 book volumes.

In 1871, the Main School became the Imperial University of Warsaw, and the Main Library came under its control. The collection continued to grow, necessitating the construction of a new building at Krakowskie Przedmieście between 1891 and 1894. This building was designed to accommodate one million volumes. By the outbreak of World War I, the collection had expanded to 610,000 volumes. However, during the war, some of the most valuable books and manuscripts were taken to Rostov-on-Don by fleeing tsarist authorities.

After the 1921 Treaty of Riga, most of the works were returned to Poland. At the beginning of World War II, the library held approximately one million items. Unfortunately, during the war, a portion of the most precious collections, around 14% or 130,000 volumes, was damaged by fire. Fortunately, due to the dedicated librarians, some of the library's resources survived the war after being securely stored in the basement.

Following the war, the library's primary focus was on recovering its collections and acquiring new ones from abandoned properties belonging to Germans and Polish nobility. Over the course of the first five years after the war, the library's collection grew by 350 thousand volumes, solidifying its position as the largest academic library in Poland. However, the deliberate reduction of funds by the communist authorities for the university resulted in significant limitations on the library's ability to expand its resources. Throughout the 1990s, the library faced challenges in collecting, organizing, and making its collections accessible due to its inadequate accommodation.

In the 1980s, the library emerged as a prominent hub for free thought and activism. It hosted members of the anti-communist resistance, including the renowned Solidarność movement.

During the 1990s, plans were set in motion to construct a new building for the library. A design by architects Marek Budzyński and Zbigniew Badowski was selected, and the new library building was officially inaugurated on December 15, 1999. Six months prior to the opening, on June 11, 1999, the building was blessed by Pope John Paul II. On June 15, 2001, the President of the United States, George W. Bush, delivered a speech in the new library building to the university community and the residents of Warsaw.

Collection

By 2019, the University of Warsaw Library housed a total of 6,236,619 items, while the University of Warsaw boasted an additional 40 faculty libraries. The University Library's collection alone accounted for 3,393,209 items, encompassing 2,200,073 non-serial publications, 782,064 periodicals, and 407,511 items from special collections. In 2019, the library served a readership of 112,826 individuals. It's worth noting that the library possesses the privilege of receiving legal deposits.

Crispa

The University of Warsaw founded its electronic library in 2007. The online collection primarily comprises materials in the public domain and publications for which the university has obtained licenses from the respective copyright holders. Up until 2019, the library was known by the abbreviation "e-bUW." However, in September 2019, a new version was introduced, and the library was officially renamed Crispa.

BuwLOG – the library's blog

From 1996 to 2013, more than 200 editions of the "BUW Bulletin" were released, chronicling significant events in the library's history. Initially, the Bulletin was published in both paper and electronic formats until November 2010. However, starting from December 2010, it became exclusively available in electronic form. Since March 2014, librarians have been utilizing BuwLOG to depict the library's current state, engage in discussions, share their expertise, and publish their original works.

BUW for owls

BUW for owls, also known as BUW dla sów in Polish, is a unique occasion hosted at the University of Warsaw Library. This event provides an opportunity for students to study during the late hours by extending the library's opening hours until 5 am during exam sessions. The inaugural BUW for owls event took place in 2010, before the winter session. For a span of two weeks, excluding weekends, the library remained accessible until the early morning. The initiative received a positive response from students and has since become a regular occurrence, taking place twice a year before the winter and summer examination sessions.

Self-service mode

In 2019, a significant shift occurred at the library as it began operating in a self-service mode, marking the first time librarians were not required to be on site. This change was prompted by the clear demand from the university community for extended library hours, especially during the summer months.

BiblioWawa – Warsaw Reciprocal Borrowing Programme

BUW is involved in a collaborative initiative with six other academic libraries in Warsaw. This joint project aims to provide the academic community in Warsaw with convenient access to the circulating library resources available at all participating libraries. The program, known as the Warsaw Reciprocal Borrowing Programme, was launched on December 18, 2017. In addition to BUW, the project involves the following libraries from Warsaw's universities: Maria Grzegorzewska University, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Warsaw University of Technology, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Medical University of Warsaw, and Military University of Technology.