University of Ljubljana Historical Archives and Museum
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11 Sep 2018
30 Sep 2018
Czech Republic Prague Faculty of Arts (Charles University)
The exhibition dedicated to philosopher and thinker Mihajlo Rostohar, curated by Helena Rožman and prepared by the Municipal Museum of Krško in cooperation with University of Ljubljana Historical Archives and Museum and Masaryk University in Brno,
History
In the work of the University of Ljubljana, documents have been, and are, produced which form an important part of Slovene cultural heritage. For at least three decades, the University of Ljubljana has been endeavouring to maintain, process, and ensure the use of the archives. For this goal a special service was established within the University Secretariat in agreement with the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia in 1968, when the then-current law on archives largely disallowed for the organisation of special archives. These archives now bear the unofficial title the History Archives and Museum of the University (ZAMU) and Archival-Museum service de jure. They are a specific institution for cultural protection, whose activities cover tasks in the fields of archives, museums, and libraries.
In 1999 a permit was granted to the University of Ljubljana which ensures the protection of its public university archives. The university has thus committed to provide appropriate facilities, equipment, and qualified workers to establish an organisation capable of ensuring effective protection of its archives and providing necessary financial resources for this purpose.
Due to the progress and development of the archives in their thirty-year history, the archives in the present state are comparable to similar institutions within famous European universities. Nevertheless, due to the increase in holdings the archives face difficulties to solve organisational, spatial, and personnel problems. Although the Faculty of Law recently moved out of the main university building, thus providing additional space, the archives have not profited from the situation. They are therefore not in the position of accepting most of the material from different faculties, which may often maintain their archives in substandard conditions.
Programme / mission
Contrary to the university archives of some other European Union countries, where protection is regulated on the basis of the University Law, the protection of the University of Ljubljana archives is fully subjected to state archival legislation. The University of Ljubljana is committed to declaring the most valuable museum and archival material a cultural monument of national importance and to achieving an entry in the heritage register for the rest. They are professionally involved in all facets of archival science and carry out manifold publication and exhibition activities.
Collections
The Historical Archives and Museum of the University of Ljubljana contains some 450 linear metres of records, drawn largely from the Rector's Office of the University of Ljubljana and its institutions of higher education. The records date from 1919, when the University of Ljubljana was founded, up to 1960. There are also collections of approximately 5,000 photographs and negatives, around 600 museum documents relating to the life and work of the University of Ljubljana and a substantial number of book collection relating to the history of universities at home and abroad, as well as encyclopaedias, lexicons, and dictionaries bestowed to the university by Ivan Hribar.
Publications
Amongst the many publications held here are: Zbornik ob 50. letnici ljubljanske univerze [Miscellany on the 50th Anniversary of the University of Ljubljana] (1969); Zbornik ob 70. in ob 75. letnici ljubljanske univerze [Miscellany on the 70th and 75th Anniversaries of the University of Ljubljana]; Foto-zbornik: slovenski Študenti v boju za narodno in socialno osvoboditev 1919-1941 [Photo-miscellany of Slovene Students' Fight for National and Social Liberation, 1919–1941]; Pot do slovenske univerze [Building a Slovene University]; Varstvo arhivske in muzejske kulturne dediščine Univerze v Ljubljani – Knjižnica arhiva in muzeja Univerze, Ljubljana, Univerza 2007 [The protection of archival and museum heritage of the University of Ljubljana – Library of the University Archives and Museum, Ljubljana, University 2007] and a number of catalogues from exhibitions organised by the Historical Archives and Museum of the University of Ljubljana. The recent catalogue The University of Ljubljana and its Rectors (Periodic exhibition with the 2001 exhibition catalogue; First reprint, Ljubljana, August 2006) in English was issued on the 90th anniversary of the founding of the University of Ljubljana.
Research elaborations include one from a symposium of European universities in Vienna conceived by Ana Benedetič (Einige spezielle Probleme des Archivgutes der Universitat Laibach).
Exhibitions
Various rooms within the historical university building in the city centre offer possibilities for exhibitions. The museum prepared a complex exhibition entitled Ljubljana – a High School and University Centre which toured to Graz, Krakow, Prague and some other cities. It has also undertaken research projects (The History of Education and European Identity) with Erlangen-Nuerenberg and Frankfurt am Main universities. In 2009 the Historical Archives and Museum set up the periodic exhibition The University of Ljubljana and its Rectors, which was displayed also in Vienna.