Vilnius University Library
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| Country | Lithuania |
|---|---|
| Type | Academic library |
| Established | 1579 |
| Location | Universiteto g. 3, Vilnius |
| Coordinates | 54°40′58″N 25°17′16″E / 54.68278°N 25.28778°ECoordinates: 54°40′58″N 25°17′16″E / 54.68278°N 25.28778°E |
| Branch of | Vilnius University |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | books, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, maps, prints, drawings and manuscripts |
| Access and use | |
| Members | Students and fellows of Vilnius University |
| Other information | |
| Director | Irena Krivienė |
| Website | www.mb.vu.lt |
Vilnius University Library or VU Library (also VUL) is the oldest and one of the largest academic libraries of Lithuania. It was founded in 1570 by the Jesuits and as such is nine years older than Vilnius University. VU Library holds 5.4 million documents on shelves measuring 166 kilometres (103 mi) in length. The holdings, accessible to members of the university and wider public, include some of the oldest manuscripts, incunabula and engravings in Lithuania and Eastern Europe. As of 2010, the library has 28,420 users.
VU Central Library is located in the Old Town of Vilnius near the Presidential Palace of Lithuania. The central library has 20 branch libraries that serve the needs of faculties and centers of Vilnius University. The central library has a lending room, 13 reading rooms, 3 halls for group work. Some of the rooms are located in historical halls with great artistic and architectural value. The architectural ensemble of Vilnius University attracts more than 10,000 tourists from Lithuania and other countries annually.
Invited by Bishop of Vilnius Walerian Protasewicz, the Jesuits came to Vilnius in 1569. On July 17, 1570 they established a college and a library. The core of the library consisted of the collections of the Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland Sigismund Augustus and suffragan bishop of Vilnius Georg Albinius. The library of Sigismund Augustus contained the best of classical works, travelogues, historical books, chronicles, and literature on natural science, law, military, and medicine published in the 16th century. It included the Bible translated by Martin Luther, works by Euclid and Claudius Ptolemaeus, the first edition of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium by Nicolaus Copernicus, and many other works.
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