ABOUT THE LIBRARY

Library - the most significant collection of the Institute

The Library of the Bosniak Institute represents a unique example of the cultural tradition of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The long-term gathering and classification of materials by Adil Zulfikarpašić and his wife Tatjana Zulfikarpašić resulted in a rich collection that today holds special value and a lasting mark in the affirmation of Bosnian and Herzegovinian culture and civilization.

The Library contains more than 250,000 library units and sources for the study of Bosnian-Herzegovinian history and Balkan culture, offering great potential for scientific and research work in the fields of social and humanities sciences. It possesses a rich collection of periodicals with 3,000 titles. The main part of the collection consists of publications on the cultural history of the Bosniaks and their connections with other South Slavic peoples.

The Library is made up of several departments: Bosnika (Bosniak), Serbika (Serbian), Kroatika (Croatian), Jugoslavika (Yugoslavian), Balkanika (Balkans), Islamika (Islamic), Turkika (Turkic), Arhivska građa (Archival materials), and Odjel enciklopedija, leksikona i rječnika (Department of Encyclopedias, Lexicons, and Dictionaries).

Special significance is attributed to the special collections, such as Oriental manuscripts, old and rare books, the cartographic collection, and the collection of postcards.

The Collection of Old and Rare Books includes works such as the first translation of the Bible into Hungarian, Szent Biblia from 1590, the *Chronology of the Whole World* by Marcus Zeurius van Boxhorn (Marci-Zueri Boxhorni Chronologia Praecipuorum Universi Orbis Imperiorum) from 1677, and Historia Saracenica, a work by Al-Makīn from 1625, based on the Persian writer Al-Tabari. Historia Saracenica represents the first translation of an Arabic text of that period. The Latin version was translated by Thomas Erpenius (Thomas Van Erpe).

Each year, the library's collection increases by about 3,500 library units through purchases, donations, and exchanges with many related institutions both domestically and internationally. The most recent publications in the field of social and humanities sciences are acquired, and the collection of old and rare editions is regularly updated.

A significant portion of the collection includes the private libraries of prominent scholars such as Smail Balić, PhD, Dušanka Bojanić-Lukač, PhD, Prof. Muhamed Hadžijahić, Prof. Muhsin Rizvić, PhD, and others. The valuable materials of the library also include donated private collections from individuals such as Alija Širbegović, Hifzija Suljkić, Ašida Čaušević, Amila Mulabegović, Derviš Kurtović, Enes and Munevera Baš, Silvana Voljević Čengić, Halid Kuburović, Šefket Arslanagić, and many others.

The library’s materials are available to all interested citizens, scholars, researchers, and students from Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad. They are processed in the EOS Web system and are accessible for searching via the online catalog, which is available on the Bosniak Institute's website. Through the library's catalog, registered users can reserve titles online via online lending, as well as access articles and other publications in full text with free access, all linked to the Bosniak Institute’s catalog.