Regional Library “Nikolay Vranchev”

The library is the parent of all the institutes and organizations formed with the creation of the former counties in 1959.
It was established on the basis of the community library “Hristo Botev”. It received 5 800 volumes of literature as an inheritance from the community centre, and today its collection numbers 245 217 library items – books, periodicals, cartographic and graphic publications, sheet music, cassettes, CD ROM and other information carriers.

On June 2, 1966 the first home of the library was inaugurated and in 1985 it received its second building – a true temple of books and spiritual culture in the city. On 5,000 square meters of space are located: a catalogue hall, an open-access hall, a reading room for the “Exact and Humanities”, a specialized department for “Art”, a “Children’s” department, a “Reference and Bibliography” and a “Kraesznenie” department, specialized units for the collection and processing of library funds and methodological activities, halls for cultural events.
In 1985 the library received its name – Nikolai Vranchev – by the decision No. 95 of the Smolyan District People’s Council. Vranchev is a famous Rhodope scholar, writer and translator of national importance, publisher of the library “Ralitsa”.

On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, in 1985, by Decree No. 2945 of the State Council of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, the District Library was awarded the Order of Cyril and Methodius, 1st Class.

In 1998, the automation of library processes was initiated and the main activities were carried out in this direction. An information system with 10 workstations connected to a local network, based on the UNESCO CDS/ISIS/micro product, was built. In 2007, the information system was expanded to a new software product, the PC-TM Automated Library.

The library’s information system provides readers with access to its own and foreign databases, electronic catalogues – books, periodicals, sheet music, non-traditional media, a large array of bibliographic information concerning the Middle Rhodopes, and electronic subject card catalogues.

Since 2011 the Internet catalogue of the library has been launched.
In its development over the years, the library has strived to preserve what it has achieved, to preserve the tradition of library service, combining it skillfully with the new realities and thus consolidating its place in the regional information infrastructure.

Today the Regional Library “Nikolay Vranchev” is:

• A modern library and information centre.
• A natural regional centre, which directs the national and regional documentary flow to the users of the city and the region.
• A centre for creating, preserving and making available for use the unique local history information.
• A regional coordinating centre for the entire territorial network of general libraries – community and school libraries, in the territory of the district, which methodically supports all libraries, collects, stores and provides the Ministry of Culture and other state bodies with information about their activities.
• A cultural institute working on various programmes and projects for the benefit of the local community.