Library
C A T A L O G U E
The Academic Library is an integral part of the educational process at the National Academy of Art. It provides conditions for educational training and scientific work and research of lecturers, students and doctoral students pursuing 18 Bachelor's degree programmes and over 55 Master's degree programmes at the two faculties–the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Faculty of Applied Arts and Design. The library activity is related not only to educational goals, but also performs broader tasks in the field of theory, history and critique of fine arts. In terms of content, it is one of the oldest libraries with the richest specialised fund of literature on fine arts.
The library fund is also used by a wide range of external specialists and institutions–academic, scientific and regional libraries, higher education institutions, radios, television channels, museums, publishing houses.
In the distant 1896, when the State School of Drawing opened its doors, first steps were taken to start building a book fund with donations from lecturers. Among the major donors was Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (1861–1948), who provided valuable book editions for the needs of the library collection.
The library fund is constantly becoming larger through purchasing of new books, inter-library book exchange, and subscriptions. Donations from private and legal entities have also become a practice, which enriches the fund with extremely significant publications.
In 1990, a branch library with a specialised fund of literature on conservation and restoration, scenography, woodcarving, metal, design, and artistic and spatial layout was established in the building of the Faculty of Applied Arts and Design at 73 Tsarigradsko shosse Blvd in Sofia. Since 2024, a separate library collection has been established in the Burgas Branch of the National Academy of Art. In 2000, Automated Library Information System was introduced, and since 2006, an electronic catalogue has also been functional.
Main Activities
– Providing library and information services to lecturers, students, doctoral students and administrative staff at the National Academy of Art and for external users
– Building of library funds in corresponcenc to the educational and research programmes and curriculums
– Bibliographic description and creation of an information database
– Storage, preservation and distribution of the publications of the National Academy of Art also via the store.bg platform
– Organising of book collections and catalogues and their preservation
– Dissemination of library and bibliographic knowledge
– Development of specialised bibliographic references
– Inter-library and international exchange of publications and data
Collections
The Academic Library comprises about 30,000 library documents–scientific and popular science literature, textbooks and monographs, encyclopeadias and reference books, specialised periodicals, rare and valuable publications in the field of fine and applied arts.
The wealth of books is organised within Main Documentation Fund, which includes the following collections: "Monographs", "Graphics Editions", "Dissertations and Habilitation Theses", "Continuing Publications", "Periodicals", "Reference Fund", "Fiction", and "Electronic Resources".
Services
– Traditional catalogues–3 alphabetical, 2 topographic (books and periodicals) and 1 subject-systematic–including bibliographic information about the library fund up to and including 2005
– Electronic catalogue available on the website of the National Academy of Art
– Access to scientific information through the platforms of EBSCO, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, as well as to open access databases: Bulgarian Portal for Open Science, Open Library Project, Internet Archive, Library of Science, Europeana, e-Books Directory, etc.
– Borrowing books for domestic use under certain conditions
– Reading room with open access resources
– Multifunctional reprographic equipment–copier, printer, scanner
– Computer reading places for free use
– Wireless Internet access area to work with own electronic devices
Contact
+359 884 17 03 86
Librarians
Anelia Georgieva
Lilyana Ivanova
National Academy of Art, Rectorate (South Building), 1 Sipka Street, Sofia
The Central Library / reading room is open to visitors Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
National Academy of Art, 73 Tsarigradsko shosse Blvd, Sofia
Branch Library – Faculty of Applied Arts and Design
The branch library is open to visitors on Tuesdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
National Academy of Art – Burgas Branch, Magazia 1, Burgas Port Complex
The library is open to visitors Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.