Bogumiła Warząchowska The old library of the new faculty of the University of Silesia
	The Theological Library, University of Silesia
	This article was translated thanks to the grant received from the Open Society Institute

Old library, new faculty

It has taken many years and many efforts on the part of the authorities of the University of Silesia before the Faculty of Theology was finally established. These efforts had been aided all the way by the the Metropolitan Curia of Archdiocese of Katowice. This faculty came into being as the sixth faculty of this profile, (as part of the secular university), following the Opole University, the Cardinal Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn and Szczecin University.

The University of Silesia established the eleventh successive Faculty of Theology which started its activity equipped with an excellent library. The library of the University of Silesia extended its network of specialised libraries by this very valuable addition.^[1]

The Theological Library was established on September 27th, 2001, by the regulation of the Rector of the University of Silesia. The core of this library's content is the collection of the Silesian Higher Theological Seminary, whose origins date back to 1927, when the building of the Seminary of the Silesian Diocese in Cracow was under construction.^[2] In 1980, the Silesian Higher Theological Seminary, as well as its library was relocated to Katowice and, immediately following the relocation, the sealed book collection of the Library of the Diocese was incorporated into the body of the Seminary's content. For over 20 years of its existence in Katowice, the library of the Seminary served the needs of future priests of Katowice Archdiocese. According to an agreement between the University of Silesia and Metropolitan Curia, the Library of the Higher Theological Seminary has been transformed into a theological library and the Curia reserves the right of ownership of the entire collection. Theological Library, along with five subordinate departmental units, forms a library of the Faculty.

The idea of forming five separate departmental library units followed the need for ready and available reference for university staff and their classes. A suitable space has been allocated in every department, in order to fit in selected parts of the collection. The library staff is fully responsible for gathering and preparing all newly acquired items, as well as processing and updating the information about that material. The library staff is also responsible for handling book checkouts during appointed hours.

Central catalogue of the Theological Library provides information about the placement and permanent storage of particular books. The university community, as well as other people interested in theology-related issues, have finally arrived at a satisfying resolution after an intensive, three month-long period, during which the suitable space was adapted for the purposes of handling modern library processes, the Theological Library of Katowice officially opened.^[3]

Periodicals Section and Reading Room Section

At the moment, the Library has a reading section with 30 available places. The main effort of the Library's staff, however, was geared at the organisation of a proper working space for readers and proper running of a reference section. The classification of the Library's content is a continuation of the one applied at the library of the Seminary the material has been divided into two groups: theological and secular.^[4]

The reference section including theological and related prints has been gradually updated with new material organised in a few smaller, specialised sections. They are as follows: the history of theology, the history of the Church, the history of the region of Silesia, homiletics, pastoral theology, catechism instruction, fundamental theology, dogmatic theology, moral theology, Bible study, ecumenism, theory of liturgy, catholic social science, sociology, philosophy, psychology, pedagogy, law, arts, and linguistics. Such an arrangement follows the example of other theological faculties.^[5]

The library staff is also responsible for supplying material with a scientific and informative profile, such as: encyclopaedias (general and specialised), dictionaries, thesauruses, bibliographies (national and foreign), biographies, source materials, atlases and lexicons.

The periodicals reading section (10 available spaces) is situated next to the general reading room. Despite some minor inconveniences (inadequate shelving) the attendance has been impressive. The readers enjoy free access to the material; when in need of old/archival issues/editions, they are provided with the required literature on an as needed basis. The entire collection is regularly updated with current issues of local and national press.

The users can navigate through library content with the help of two main catalogues: alphabetical and subject. Third catalogue, a systematic one, classifies the material according to scientific fields. Each catalogue is arranged alphabetically and cross-referenced with the book placement. Magazines are classified in different catalogues. Answering users requests, a copier has been recently installed on the library premises.

The lending and catalogue section

In their pursuit of required material, the place where readers head first is the reference section. Luckily enough, thanks to the efforts of the Faculty's authorities, the space allocated for this part of the library has been adequately equipped and prepared. Said space is divided into staff and general sections with a large and comfortable counter separating the two. There are two computer stations, equipped with MAK software, serving the needs of complex customer care (material checkouts, database with lists of users, etc.). Checkouts and check-ins are handled smoothly thanks to bar codes placed on the material. The availability of books can be checked at all times.^[6]

Due to differences in readers profiles and their proficiency in using the library facilities some form of easily available assistance was called for. Therefore, a few computer stations, equipped with a browser have been installed, not to mention the presence and readiness of the duty librarian. It seems that person-to-person assistance is the most valuable, as it stretches frequently beyond simple information regarding the computer use or book placement. Readers have comprehensive catalogues at their disposal, as well. The catalogues alphabetical, systematic and sealed (diocese catalogue) are located in part of the Library hall with general access. There are also electronic catalogues available to the readers. Easy access to catalogues, flexible times of book checkouts and good overall organisation of a library attract readers and make the Library a popular place for research.

The Users

The Theological Faculty, after only a few months of activity, has firmly established itself as a very useful institution within the academic environment and the region. Many inquiries regarding hours of operation and content availability are proof of its popularity. The Library is open to everyone and there are a few user groups that should be briefly characterised.

Definitely, the largest group is the academic staff and students of the Faculty seeking information for their research or work. Another substantial group includes staff and students of other university departments and other universities (as per an inter-university agreement). The fact that members of departments of different profiles may want to become users of the theological library is hardly surprising, as many people, regardless of their professional interests, may want to deepen their religious faith or knowledge of theological issues, or even somehow resolve their existential problems.

The third group members of the Church (priests, nuns, etc.) usually seek particular material required for their everyday, pastoral, homiletic or catechism tasks (work). They may also want to broaden their professional qualifications by conducting necessary research.

The fourth group youth at the intermediate level of schooling (grammar schools), whose interests focus on topics regarding contemporary church activities in Poland and abroad. This particular group of users, however small, can be very demanding at times, as the issues they hope to find answers to during their visit at the Library, require extensive research and usage of source materials. The pupils often request assistance before entering scientific competitions, or when seeking material for term papers.

The last, but not least, the members of local community- can be the most demanding and attention-seeking of all the groups, as the spectrum of their interests, education and profiles is huge. One of the contributing factors in this situation is the fact that this particular theological library has begun its activities fairly recently, assuming thereby, in the region, the role of a leading centre for theology.

In recent months, the interest in the Library usage and content increased markedly corresponding with the increased development of theological sciences in general. As secular readers presence at the Library has been significant as well therefore, an extensive and comprehensive information about the content is a must.

Exhibitions

It is a well-known fact that one of the easiest ways of attracting clientele to a library is an inventive presentation of its content and information about access- outside its premises. One of this Library's more important activities are book exhibitions and fairs. The information about newly published books and new book acquisitions is visibly displayed at the main library entrance, thus providing readers with regular updates about latest developments in the life of the Library.

Readers seem to be always interested in exhibitions regarding the latest in the University and Church activities. These expositions are usually strategically placed in the vicinity of the catalogues and the lending section. The most recent exhibition the latest offerings of 8th Domestic Fair of Catholic Book Publishers was a success, mainly due to the book donations of Father Archbishop Damian Zimoń, who personally participated in opening ceremonies and the Fair. The latest catalogues of main publishing houses complemented the book exposition. The following exhibition presented the book collection about the legacy of the University of Silesia. Also, the latest on the development of theological sciences was shown. Most definitely, the biggest interest was created by the new publications authored by staff of the Theological Faculty. In the near future, the Faculty's staff will present the literature regarding the May 3rd Constitution, the International Book Fair, the image of Virgin Mary in literature, as well as information about the activities of other theological faculties in Poland. The staff and the department authorities are hopeful that having at their disposal such an extensive and valuable book collection the library will keep coming up with new topics, ideas and themes for future expositions.

The Theological Library has only been active for a year, but has already acquired a status of a serious scientific institution in the region of Silesia. A wide participation of the public ranging from citizens not associated with the Library to university staff and students attests to that. The Library, in its present, well -organised form and endowed with centuries worth of tradition preserved in valuable prints, will certainly contribute to the development of science and culture of the Silesian region in the coming years.

Footnotes

[1] B. Warząchowska: Wyrosła z dobrego drzewa. "Gazeta Uniwersytecka" 2002 no 3, p. 25.

[2] T. Czakański: Historia Biblioteki Wyższego Śląskiego Seminarium Duchownego (1927- 2000). "Wiadomości Archidiecezjalne" 2000 no 11, p. 530.

[3] B. Warząchowska: Biblioteka Teologiczna zaprasza. Czytaj na Wita Stwosza. "Gość Niedzielny" 2002 no 5, p. 26.

[4] J. Szulc: Opracowanie rzeczowe zbiorów w Bibliotece Wyższego śląskiego Seminarium Duchownego w Katowicach. "FIDES Biuletyn Bibliotek Kościelnych" 1997 no 1-2, p. 216.

[5] H. I. Szumił: Schemat działów czytelni teologicznej Biblioteki Uniwersyteckiej KUL. "Archiwa, Biblioteki i Muzea Kościelne" 1993 p. 223; K. Gonet: Działy księgozbioru podręcznego w czytelni Biblioteki Seminaryjnej w Warszawie. "FIDES Biuletyn Bibliotek Kościelnych" 1997 no 1-2, p. 205.

[5]J. Szulc: Automatyzacja Biblioteki Wyższego Śląskiego Seminarium Duchownego w Katowicach. "FIDES Biuletyn Bibliotek Kościelnych" 1998 no 1, p. 83.

Translated by Dorota Jaglarz