The Development of the BiH National Museum Library Collection (1942–1945)

Abstract

According to the legal regulation on legal deposit to the Croatian National and University Library in Zagreb, the Library of the Croatian National Museums in Sarajevo, and the City Library in Dubrovnik from August 1942, the Library of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (then renamed to the Library of the Croatian National Museums in Sarajevo) also had the responsibility of collecting legal deposit. This preliminary research aims to examine the dynamics of the Library’s collection development from the adoption of this legal provision until the end of World War II, specifically investigating whether the collection was built through the legal deposit system. While reviewing the relevant inventory book of the Library and archival materials of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, certain information about the dynamics of the Library’s collection development was obtained. However, based on the consulted documentation, it is not possible to confirm the arrival of legal deposits in the Library during the shorter period under consideration. Therefore, regarding the legal deposit tradition in Bosnia and Herzegovina, additional research is needed on the legal deposit system within the specific circumstances of World War II.