The Central Technical Library of the University of Ljubljana (CTK) is constantly evolving and taking an innovative approach to the services it offers its users. To this end, we have set up the CTK Museum Corner, where you can explore the evolution of library tools over time.
»From the very beginning, CTK has kept pace with the times, as demonstrated since June this year by the CTK Museum Corner, which is dedicated to the history of library work prior to digitisation and during the transition to the computer age,« says Tilen Mandelj, acting director of the Central Technical Library of the University of Ljubljana.
Through the early adoption of modern methods of scientific information management and the use of advanced technology, CTK established itself as one of the leading libraries in the wider region of the former Yugoslavia, and it began its digitisation efforts as early as the 1970s and 1980s. Through its involvement in projects such as the development of the COBISS system in the 1990s, it automated its operations and became an important part of the national library information system. All of this is reflected today in the collection of items it used for its work prior to digitisation and during the transition to the computer age.
In the CTK Museum Corner, you can view exhibits such as:
– catalogue cards,
– typewriters,
– microfilm readers,
– alphabetical name indexes and
– other tools that have shaped the work of libraries and access to information over the decades.
The exhibition offers an insight into the development of library systems and preserves the memory of the analogue technologies that paved the way for modern digital services. »We are continuing to carefully develop our digital services, and visitors now have access to a unique historical overview of how library technologies and tools have evolved over time,« Tilen Mandelj invites you to come and see it.
Author of photos:Gašper Lešnik
