Izvorni znanstveni članak
The Efforts of Ivan Kostrenčić towards the Improvement of the Status of Librarian of the University Library in Zagreb at the End of the Nineteenth and at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century
Ivica Zvonar
Sažetak
The discussion of the position and role of librarians, the issue of passing professional exams for librarians, and the necessary qualities and efficient system of education for library professionals became almost permanent topics within the frame of the librarian’s profession in the second half of the nineteenth and at the beginning of the twentieth century within the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The general tone of these discussions was provided by the dissatisfaction of librarians themselves with their status and the insufficiently developed system of professional education, which presented itself through the lack of well-trained personnel in libraries. In spite of that, German librarians tried to organise their work as well as possible, as well as presenting it to the public by founding professional associations, organising meetings and courses for librarians, and establishing professional journals and reviews.
With the arrival of Ivan Kostrenčić in Zagreb in 1875 and the foundation of the Royal University Library (Kraljevska sveučilišna knjižnica), Croatia became more actively included in the general trends of development of modern library science. Kostrenčić learned his “craft” in the Court Library in Vienna, and during his thirty-year long work in Zagreb he tried to implement his knowledge and the system of work he learned there. Ivan Kostrenčić was the first independent university librarian with the required professional education to head the Library. His struggle for the development of Zagreb’s University Library and his series of requests and petitions addressed to the relevant authorities regarding the improvement of the status of library science and personnel testify not only to his personal persistence, but also to a certain success in such efforts. For the development of library science in Croatia, Kostrenčić’s contacts with colleagues from other countries were also important, as may be deduced from his correspondence. Taking Kostrenčić’s activity as a whole, it may be clearly seen that he, in accordance with the existing possibilities, aspired to follow that which was the best in the theory and practice of European libraries. It may be also said that Croatian library science and the organisation of the University Library during the second half of the nineteenth and at the beginning of the twentieth century, in spite of more limited professional and financial resources and support, tried to follow the tradition and mode of operation of the most famous libraries of German-speaking areas.
Ključne riječi
Ivan Kostrenčić; cultural history; Germany; libraries; the nineteenth century
Hrčak ID:
9399
URI
Datum izdavanja:
1.3.2003.
Posjeta: 1.739 *