The Library of St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo is a modern scientific, information and educational centre in the overall university structure. It is part of the University’s Information, Library and Publishing Complex. Its main task is to provide library, scientific and information services to the students, lecturers, specialists and employees of the University, as well as to external users.
The Library became operational on 15 September 1963 when the Higher Institute of Education (the University’s former name) opened. It gradually turned into one of the latter’s leading units. Its initial fund of 2,943 books came into being thanks to its first donators: the University Library of St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, St. Cyril and St. Methodius National Library, St. Cyril and St. Methodius First Secondary School in Veliko Tarnovo, the Regional State Archives, Nadezhda Community Centre, Prof. Aleksandar Burmov, Acad. Petar Dinekov, Prof. Nikola Kozhuharov, Dimo Minev, Yordan Kuleliev, etc. The University Library’s fund includes the private libraries and collections of Bulgarian scholars, writers and public figures: Prof. Ivan Galabov, Prof. Penyo Rusev, Prof. Georgi Dimov, Prof. Dimitar Chizmarov, Stefan Dichev, Magda Hristodulova, Georgi Stoykov, Margarita Belova, Nedyo Aleksandrov, Bishop Nestor, Todor Sabev, Prof. Atanas Milchev, Bogdan Nikolov, and Prof. Nikola Nikolov.
The University Library is a unified complex consisting of a Central Library and six affiliated libraries. It serves students from all university faculties and has a total of 293 reading places. It is included in the system for national and international interlibrary loaning, and it exchanges books with 61 Bulgarian and foreign universities, academies, scientific institutes and libraries. For the needs of the scientific work of lecturers and students, it prepares biobibliographies and bibliographic indices, as well as written bibliographic references. In addition, it looks for and provides users with Internet information, and it organizes exhibitions on the occasion of commemorations, scientific forums and conferences, some of which include international participation. Through the project known as “Academic Thursday”, it provokes a dialogue between lecturers and audiences.
Since 1998, an electronic catalogue has been maintained, using PC-TM’s Automated Library software. Its aim is to facilitate librarians in all aspects of their work as much as possible: from requesting literature to taking out a library slip and generating a New Books bulletin. Automated Library has been truly operational since 1998. Nowadays, more than 416 libraries across Bulgaria work with this program.
As of 2021, the University Library has a rich multi-sectoral fund that runs to 381,767 library units, including scientific and educational literature in Bulgarian and foreign languages, as well as rare and valuable editions, of which there are 330,003 books, 49,312 periodicals, and 2,452 electronic media and other materials.
At present, all books and periodicals in Bulgarian, as well as most of the editions in other Slavic languages and languages using the Latin script, are available in the University Library’s e-catalogue.