Cantonal and University Library of Fribourg

Cantonal and University Library of Fribourg building

The Cantonal and University Library (German: Kantons- und Universitätsbibliothek (KUB), French: Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire (BCU), also known as the Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire de Fribourg (BCUF)) is a cantonal and university library that located in the Canton of Fribourg. BCU founded in 1848, comprises a central library and decentralized libraries, notably at the University of Fribourg. All libraries are managed according to the same library principles and guidelines. BCU is part of the Directorate of Education, Culture and Sport (EKSD) of the Canton of Fribourg and is affiliated to the Office of Culture.

Its mission is to contribute to the development of the intellectual and cultural life of the canton, both for the university community and for the general public. It is part of the Western Switzerland Library Network (RERO) and works closely with the other libraries in the canton. It has been a member of the Swiss Library Service Platform (SLSP) network since 2020.

Legal basis

According to the cantonal law on the cultural institutions of the state, the BCU has the task of:

• to acquire, record, preserve and make accessible to the public the information media required for general education and scientific research;
• to compile a Fribourg documentation accessible to the public and to keep an associated bibliography;
• to ensure the obligatory distribution of printed materials and recordings and to preserve the collections;
• to contribute to the development of the general public library system in the canton.

Chronology

The public cantonal library was founded in 1848. The collections came from the libraries of the Jesuit College of St. Michael (Collège Saint-Michel) and the various abolished orders and monasteries such as the Cistercians of Altenryf. They were housed in the former library of the College of St. Michael, a room measuring 8 × 12 meters. The first director, Abbé Meinrad Meyer, published the first volume of the printed catalog in 1852.

Due to a lack of space, plans for a new library building were made several times in the following decades. The founding of the University of Fribourg and the emergence of seminary libraries exacerbated the lack of space. Following a feasibility study and the purchase of the land by the canton in 1905, the building was constructed on the Winkler property next to the Kollegium and behind the Konvikt Albertinum. The Bernese architects Wilhelm Bracher and Friedrich Widmer planned an entrance building with two side wings and a six-storey stacks building in the neo-baroque style. The architect in charge of construction was Léon Hertling.

In 1909, the library officially became the "Cantonal and University Library" (BCU) and on June 11, 1910, the inauguration of the new library building on Rue Joseph-Piller took place. Pope Pius X donated a facsimile of the Codex Barberianus by Giuliano da Sangallo to the BCU.

In 1941, the Miséricorde university building complex was inaugurated, in which several seminary libraries were set up. The BCU building became too small due to the growth of the university. It was extended between 1970 and 1975 according to plans by the Basel architect Otto Senn with a contemporary ensemble. The façade of the east wing was retained, the west wing became a catalog hall with an adjoining media library and a new study hall was built behind the stacks building. The stacks in the basement were enlarged and the lending system was automated with a conveyor belt. The extension was inaugurated on May 13, 1976.