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About Anton Bernolák Library

To honour the first codifier of Standard Slovak, the important scholar and priest Anton Bernolák, who spent 16 years living and working in Nové Zámky and who"s buried here, the library chose in 2000 to carry his name.

Our history in brief:

The first library in Nové Zámky opened probably around 1631 in the existing Franciscan monastery. Evidence of this can perhaps be found in 4 principal Codices, particularly in "Nové Zámky" and "Czech s" Codex stored in the Hungarian Academy of Science. In the 1902 issue of "Kis Magyar Alföld" magazine one can find a short article about Mr. G.J. Pálinkás - the bookseller, who opened a "modern book-borrowing library". Other sources mention the 1926 Decision of the Municipal Council, establishing two libraries - the Slovak and the Hungarian. In 1951 the Regional People s Library was found. In 1977 it moved to a newly built office building in the town centre. After its reconstruction in 2002 the library moved back again, although in altered format. Today, our library operates as a regional public and city library managed by the Nitra Self-Governing Region authorities. We are the partner library of the Slovak Parliament, available to all citizens.

Our mission as a public service institution is:

- to provide citizens with access to knowledge, education and information
- to open up the cultural heritage contained in our library funds
- to carry out cultural and educational activities aimed to recognise cultural differences of the minorities living in our town, following the good spirit of tolerance, humanity and democracy.

Library and information funds, or what can be found in our library:

- 140.000 documents (books, newspapers, magazines), incl. 7.000 audio and digital, in Slovak, Hungarian and other foreign languages
- reference literature and press
- all genres of prose and poetry for adults and children
- audio library: classical, folk and pop music on MCs, LPs and CDs
- regional publications - books, magazines, cassettes and exclusive documents

Library and information services:

- borrowing of books, magazines and documents
- research of exclusive collections (encyclopedia, regional publications only in reading rooms)
- individual audio listening
- bibliography and information service, to search and provide information from the library funds and from other library databases
- catalogues - in cards or electronic (DAWINCI)
- Internet access for library users
- special charged services: inter-library borrowing service, book holds, copying excerpts from library documents

Cultural events (for schools and the public):

- lectures, discussions, educational lessons
- literature and music seminars
- literary café
- fairy-tale mornings
- public readings
- gramophone concerts
- quizes, competitions,
- excursions,
- video screenings
- books and art exhibitions

Library Clubs to unite people of same interests:

- Literary club "GENERATIONS"
- Sci-Fi club "ORION"
- Fine art club

Our library serves annually 4.000 visitors on average, who would borrow 250.000 books, magazines and other documents.

Come and join us on our journey to explore spiritual and cultural riches contained in our books!

 The most important events in our library s life - chronological.