History
National library in Mali Lošinj was founded on 30th October 1887 thanks to local prominent figures led by Šime Kvirin Kozulić, who was appointed its president.
Further to that, the efforts of a retired navy officer Ivan Lovrić brought about the founding of the Zora Entertainment and Reading Society in 1899 in the same building, where all important decisions for national and cultural progress were made and where Prof. Ambroz Haračić was one of the leaders.
The public library was founded in 1904 in Mali Lošinj thanks to Josip Kraljić, a local teacher. The library had 618 books in 1905, and by summertime, additional 808 books were donated.
In 1867, Croatian Reading Room was set up in Veli Lošinj, twenty years before the opening of the one in Mali Lošinj. The financial support of 50 forints came from Josip Juraj Strossmayer, the bishop of Đakovo. After some time, the Croatian Reading Room ceased to operate, and it was re-opened in 1906. Reading rooms started to be set up in other villages on the island: in Nerezine, Ćunski, and Unije. In 1987, Veli Lošinj saw the opening of a library subsidiary, in 1989 it was opened in Nerezine, followed by the island of Unije in 1995.
In the 1950s, in today’s building at 10 Republika Hrvatska Square, Mali Lošinj Library and Reading Room was opened. The library had the first TV set in town, so it was very popular. However, in 1975, it was hit by fire that destroyed a part of the inventory. From 1981 to 1986 it carried the name of Mali Lošinj City Library and Reading Room. Later, a children’s department was set up that offered supervised programmes for children. The City Library and Reading Room has been operating as an independent institution since 1st October 2006.
Črnjar, Ljiljana: Narodne i školske knjižnice Primorsko-goranske županije:
pregled županijske matične službe, Rijeka City Library, 2005.
