Print Publications

The majority of the Library’s holdings consist of print publications.  The Library’s Main Stacks house about 2,5 million documents in 77 languages – books, periodicals, and serials.  The Main Collection contains publications of comprehensive content, published in Lithuania and other countries in the 19th-21st centuries.  In the acquisition of print materials, the primary focus is on scholarly literature.

Users will find required materials searching the Library’s electronic catalogue and card catalogues.

The following Main Collection items are delivered only to the Reading Room::

  • periodicals,
  • serials,
  • reference publications,
  • encyclopedias,
  • electronic documents (CD, DVD, USB, etc.),
  • books published pre-1940,
  • frequently-requested items,
  • worn, damaged, and restored items.
Print publications are also held in several other collections of the Library:

The purpose of the Reserve Collection is to replenish the Library’s holdings. It consists of duplicates and various materials acquired in the post-war period, as well as of items moved from other collections. The Reserve Collection items may normally be requested through the electronic catalogue and read in the General Reading Room. However, the Reserve Collection has recently been moved to storage off-site due to the reconstruction of the Library and so is temporarily unavailable to readers.

The Acquisitions Department carries out a book exchange program with academic institutions and libraries of Lithuania and other countries. The Library has more than 300 exchange partners from over 50 countries worldwide. For this purpose, the Library maintains the Exchange Collection, which consists of 17000 items slated to be offered on exchange to partner institutions. Exchange Collection items are not made available to readers.

The Group-Processed Item Collection is kept in the General Reading Room for using on site. It consists of transitory documents containing information of short-term interest: reports, instructions, advertisement leaflets, exhibition leaflets, programs for various events, election publications, study programs, laboratory exercises, various tutorials, and ethnological materials; as well as museum, library and church guide leaflets, etc.

The Library acquires and preserves book collections of historical and cultural value donated by various institutions and private individuals. You will find these materials at Collections Donated by Individuals or Collectives.

Last update 2024-07-03