About the Library

The Maksymovych Scientific Library of the Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University is one of the oldest libraries in Ukraine. It was founded jointly with the University in 1834. The basis of the library book stock became so called "Kremenets Collection". In 1940 The Library had acquired the title "Scientific" and become an independent administrative unit. On April 3, 1994 the Library was awarded the name of M. Maksymovych, the first Rector of the Kyiv University.
Today this is a large library with library holdings over 3.5 million copies and occupying more than 6000 m.sqr. There are 17 lending departments and 15 reading rooms for 1921 user (together with the faculty libraries and the character literature rooms) The Library Structure has 22 departments and 24 sectors. The Library provides the educational process with textbooks, scientific literature and fiction. It also ensures the research activities and cultural-educational work of the University, realizes differentiated services for all academical staff both as various categories of readers and spheres of knowledge and types of literature.

The Library carries out a practical assistance to professorial-teaching staff of University at preparing highly skilled specialists of various types for further development of state economy, science, and culture, for training administrative personnel of different levels. Every year The Library serves over 27 thousand readers, 20 thousand students among them, and all the divisions over 70 thousand readers. The Library also has an Interlibrary Loan Department. Every year the Library carries out about 50 thousand references.

Scientific Library of University is a base for Research-Methodical Library Commission of Education Ministry of Ukraine (RMLC) and a Methodical Center for Higher School Libraries. Methodical Library Commission of Education Ministry of Ukraine and a Methodical Center for Higher School Libraries.