The basis for the realization of this exhibition was the valuable and extensive material on the foundation and the first years of the Library’s work, which is kept in the Department of Special Collections of the Belgrade City Library, including the “Belgrade municipal newspapers (Beogradske opštinske novine)” from that period.

The material is divided into 26 posters on which the most important moments of the Library’s work are chronologically presented, starting with the first inscriptions about the need to establish the library and the establishment itself, until the beginning of the Second World War:

1839 – 1928 in the magazine “Golubica”, the prenumerata of the Library of the Town of Belgrade (Biblioteka varoši beogradske) were published, and in “Komunalna politika” texts about the need to establish a library;

In 1929, the text “On the need to establish libraries” was published by “Belgrade municipal newspapers“, and the first Statute of the Library was presented;

1930 – 1931 photographs present the reading room at Kralja Petra 26, the list of donors, the layout of the membership card, as well as photos of members and programs of the Children’s Library;

In 1932 – 1934, the Library and Museum Regulations were recorded. Along with photos of the librarians, a page of text about the librarianship course and an article by Marija Ilić Agapova – “Public Libraries”, have been included;

In 1935, the Youth Library was founded. The same year, the ceremonial opening of the new premises of the Library and Museum in Kneginje Zorka Street was marked;

In 1939, the Library became the cultural centre of Belgrade. The text is illustrated by photographs of Princess Olga Karađorđević’s visit. One poster is dedicated to the library’s first director – Marija Ilić Agapova.

To illustrate the time of the Library’s foundation, advertising posters of the publisher Geca Kon, as well as special advertisements and notices from the press of that time, were used. The accompanying texts of the exhibition are taken from the “Belgrade municipal newspapers” and the published texts of Marija Ilić Agapova. 

The exhibition can be viewed here.