"Petre Anghel" Town Library, Băilești

The OMNIA library was founded at the initiative of a group of intellectuals from Craiova- writers, theatre specialists, academics, artists - with the support of the Institute for Cultural Relations Development in Lyon-France, the Lyon Town Hall and the Lyon citizens. On May 25, 1990, by the order signed by Andrei Plesu, the Minister of Culture at that time, the OMNIA Library became a subsidiary of the National Library of Romania. The official inauguration of the library took place on July 1, 1991, in the presence of prestigious guests, personalities of the cultural and political life of Craiova and across the country, a large number of delegations from France, accompanied by the mayor of Lyon. The library own approximately 30000 volumes from various fields: literature, critics and literary history, linguistics, history, sociology, medicine, philosophy, art, sports, geography, management and marketing, economics, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and collection of periodicals: Lire, Magazine Littéraire, Figaro Magazine, Art et décoration, Beaux Arts, Cahiers du Cinéma, Géo, Science et vie, Histoire, Le Nouvel Observateur, Phosphore, Time, Reader`s Digest, Paris Match etc. The library owns has important collections- Enciclopedia Universalis, Enciclopedia Britannica, Enciclopedia Alpha Juniors, Tout l`Univers, Dictionnaires Larousse, Dictionnaires des œuvres, Beautés du monde, Encyclopédie Bordas-Mémoires du XXe siècle, Cahiers de l`Herne - of remarkable value. As a public library, it has two lending halls, a reading room, a periodic hall, where access is based on an entry permit. Among those who contributed with donations to the OMNIA Library documents fund: The National Library of Romania, The Lyon Municipal Library, The Malta-Paris Knights Order, The French Embassy in Bucharest, The Liviu Rebreanu Franco-Romanian Institute in Lyon, The Gallimard Publishing House, The Actes Sud Publishing House, The Palaiseau Library, The Le Puy Library, The Bergerac City Hall , The Rotary Club, The French Consulate in Craiova. In order to organize conferences, symposiums, literary circles, literary and collective meetings, it was established The Foundation of the OMNIA Library. The Foundation aims to increase the library's fund of documents. Also, it was initiated the series of the "OMNIA Meetings". The following personalities of the Romanian cultural life are among those who, over the years, have responded to the initiative to participate in these cultural meetings: Irina Mavrodin, Octavian Paler, Andrei Pleşu, Mircea Dinescu, Varujan Vosganian, Al. Paleologu, Mihai Şora, Mircea Martin, Livius Ciocârlie, Al. Călinescu, Ioan Groşan, Vlad Ciobanu, Tudor Gheorghe, Dinu Adam, Mircea Martin, Ştefan Augustin Doinaş, Marin Sorescu, Adrian Marino, Laurenţiu Ulici, Marian Papahagi, and from abroad: Jacques Derrida, Lorand Gaspar, Michel Deguy, Roberto Sanesi, Wiliam Snodgrass, Jo Shapcott, the Japanese painter Ajako Yamada, Haruya Samya, translator of Romanian prose in Japanese. The OMNIA Libray headquarters is located in a building considered to be an architectural monument, known as the Plesia House, listed in the Historical Monuments List. It is one of Craiova's most impressive buildings, built in 1890, following the project of the French architect Albert Galleron. The construction is built in eclectic style, with Neo-Classical and Neo-Baroque elements in the interior, with stain glass windows in the style of the Romanian school, with geometric and floral motifs, interior staircase and baroque hardware, gold-plated ceilings, Venetian mirrors and carved panels. Following the loan agreement between the Ministry of Culture and the Council of Europe Development Bank, the French Omnia Library in Craiova will benefit from financing for the restoration, the consolidation and the modernization of the building, according to the "Program for the Conservation and Revitalisation of Cultural and Natural Heritage of Romania ", implemented by the Ministry of Culture.

Approximately 200,000 citizens come to “Alexandru and Aristia Aman” Dolj County Library annually in order to borrow books, to organise or participate in different cultural and educational activities, or to search online information on issues related to health, education, jobs, business development, as well as to speak with family and friends. In 2018 approximately 250,000 documents from the library collections were borrowed or consulted. The high number of citizens who use the services provided by “Alexandru and Aristia Aman” Dolj County Library is a relevant indicator of the influence and importance of the institution. For the undertaken activities, as well as for the implemented projects, “Alexandru and Aristia Aman” Library received the “Library of the Year” Award, within the frame of the APLER (Asociația Publicațiilor Literare și Editurilor din România) Gala, held in Bucharest, in December 2018. The history of the Library goes back more than a century. The inauguration of the Alexandru and Aristia Aman Foundation, in December 1908, represented the first private initiative in Craiova for the purposes of establishing a complex cultural centre for the public. The festive moment took place in the presence of the distinguished scholar Spiru Haret, Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Instruction at the time. An integral part of the initial foundation, “Alexandru and Aristia Aman” Dolj County Library has been functioning uninterruptedly since it was set up. The book, review and newspaper library collections currently include over 620,000 units, out of which 535 old Romanian and rare foreign books from the 16th – 19th centuries, as well as five valuable manuscripts. The Library has four local subsidiaries in the neighbourhoods Craiovița Nouă, Brazda lui Novac, Rovine and Valea Roșie, as well as several other subsidiaries and cultural centres which it supports across the border: Canada, Serbia, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece and, soon, Republic of Moldova.

"Mircea Radina" Town Library, Segarcea was founded in 1923 at the initiative of the members of the Dolj Student Circle, as it is mentioned in the cultural chronicle of C.D. Fortunescu in Revista Arhivelor ( The Archives Magazine), in the beginning having a number of 164 volumes. The headquarters of the library was inaugurated in 1926, by the name of "Ferdinand I" Communal Library. After World War II, the library functioned as the Segarcea Communal Library. Starting with 1951, it became the Segarcea Regional Central Library until 1968 when the commune was declared a town and the library was named the Segarcea Town Library. At the initiative of the library staff, following the report of the Legal Department of Local Administration, the Dolj County Council, by decision no.78 / 19.10.2000, agreed to assign the name of the writer Mircea Radina - awarded with the title Son of Segarcea - to the library of Segarcea. Source: http://www.primariasegarcea.ro/oras/cultura-invatamant.php Photo: biblioteca-segarcea.oltsoft.ro/

It was founded in 1935 under the name of the People's Library - Anton Pann, by the teacher Nicolae Mitea in the building of the newly inaugurated primary school. In 1968, the commune was declared a town, and the Library became the Town Library. In 1984, after being moved to various locations, the Library returns to the place where it was established. In 2002, with the support of Professor Irinel Popescu, PhD, the library is equipped with two computers, the TinLib registration program and internet access. Joining the EU meant the participation of the library in various programs and projects, which led to the creation of the multimedia department. Source: www.bibnat.ro/biblioteci.php?id=2774 Photo: www.bibliotecafiliasi.ro

The town library holds the cultural funds of the Brâncoveanu Settlements and the Royal Foundation. Source: www.bibnat.ro/biblioteci.php?id=2773 Photo: www.facebook.com/bibliotecaorasuluidabuleni

The library started operating in 1956 with a small number of volumes, purchased by the local town hall. Up to the present, the library has managed to acquire 40. 317 volumes from various sources (public funding or donations). Since 1997 it has become a municipal library, and since 1998, by the Decision of Dolj County Council no.66/25, August 1998, it has received the name of the Municipal Library of Calafat. Until 2006 it functioned in a space located on street 22 Decembrie, no. 17, and since 2007 it is situated in a building on Gh. Doja Street, no.3A.

The library has been permanently operating since its establishment in several locations, currently having its own headquarters. The building is in the heritage of Bechet Town Hall. The building has an area of ​​60 square meters and consists of 5 rooms. The library has been operating since 1950 with a small number of volumes, under various titles: popular library, central library, library of the district of Gura Jiului, commune public library and nowadays town library. The library has enriched its collections through public funding and donations from the County Library, as well as from various individuals. The library provides services such as: home book lending for children and adults, book lending to the reading room, book presentations, bibliographic recommendations. Events organized at the library: library days, book exhibitions, numerous cultural activities in collaboration with the local high school, general school and kindergartens.