Un instrument al culturii și identității naționale: Biblioteca Centrală a „Astrei” (1861–1918)
An instrument of culture and national identity: Central Library of “Astra” (1861–1918)

Summary/Abstract: Astra’s Central Library was founded shortly after Astra’s creation in 1861. The founders of the Library were Timotei Cipariu and George Barițiu. The first librarian-archivist of the Library was Visarion Roman. The library functioned for a long time in the headquarters of the Siberian Astra. In 1905, the headquarters of the Astra Museum and the Central Library were inaugurated. The library was conceived as a means of enlightenment, containing books and periodicals about the history, geography, and culture of Transylvania. The collection of the Astra Library was enriched by donations and the purchase of books. Between 1861–1918 the Central Library of Astra went through a series of structural changes at the initiative of some remarkable librarians, such as Visarion Roman (1861–1965), Nicolae Cristea (1865–1870), Ioan Maxim (1870–1872), Ioan Crețu (1872–1877), Nicolae Petra-Petrescu (1877–1882), Ioan Crișan (1883–1888), Petru Șpan (1888–1889), Octavian Goga (1909–1910) and Ioan Banciu (1910–1928). Astra’s Library was the most important Romanian national library of Transylvania before the Great Union in 1918.

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