Krótka historia Biblioteki IM PAN
Brief history of the Library
The library of the Institute of Matematics of the Polish Academy of Science was founded in 1947. The first books, saved from the ruins of Warsaw, came from the collection of the Warsaw Scientific Society.
In 1952 the library moved to Sniadeckich 8, Warsaw, its present location.
The library collects scientific publications concerning mathematics and its applications.
The oldest books in the library date from 1800 (older ones were given to the PAN Library in Kornik). The holdings include book collections of several Polish mathematicians, like Samuel Dickstein, Kazimierz Kuratowski and Waclaw Sierpinski.
The library has 70 000 book volumes and 650 titles of current journals (over 73.000 volumes), among them 610 foreign ones. Readers have access to the bibliographical databases of "Mathematical Reviews" and "Zentralblatt fur Mathematik". The library computers provide access to full texts of 230 journals, as well as to journal databases of Springer, Elsevier and Kluwer.
An on-line book catalogue is still being updated; now it encompasses about 12% of the holdings.
The library serves mathematicians from all over the world, working in Poland, and all scientists whose area of activity is connected with mathematics.
By regulation of the Minister of Culture and Art of November 24, 1998, the holdings of the library form part of the National Library Resources.