The Faculty Library

The Faculty Library is an independent organizational unit, originally established in 1960 at the Faculty of Law and Economy. As the first two librarians were employed on 9th March 1961, this date is officially regarded as the Library foundation day.

After the reorganization of the Faculty of Law and Economy in 1970 into two separate institutions of higher education - the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Economy, the existing joint book-stock was divided and each Faculty organized its own library. Today, the Law Faculty Library houses over 28,000 books, 509 periodicals, and has a total number of 4,000 registered users.

The Library collection is constantly updated through purchase, publications' exchange with other institutions, and donation of books, periodicals and sample copies. The collection primarily comprises book titles and periodicals in the field of legal science. However, a significant part of the collection includes the literature on philosophy, sociology, history, political science, economy and other social sciences. The Library is an important source of educational and scientific research information not only for the Faculty teaching staff and students but also for the legal professionals and experts from other institutions in the city of Nish and the region.

The Library staff operates a computerized information retrieval system. The entire Library stock is processed and archived in compliance with the international bibliographic standards (ISBD), by using the professional computer program package SATIS and relevant databases such as TENAX (for monographs), FORAS and STIPO (for serial publications), LEGO (for statistical analysis) and the user program KORISNIK (for administering the library users and the circulation of Library materials). The SATIS databases incorporate the CDS/ISIS program and the International UNIMARC Standard for Machine-Readable Cataloguing.

As the Library is part of the academic computer network, the Library collection can be easily assessed via the Internet. The network also enables access to a large number of databases. On a semi-annual basis, the Library issues the Library Bulletin in electronic form, containing information on the recently acquired books and periodicals available at the Library. The teaching staff bibliography is regularly updated by the Library Manager.

The Library premises include a modern spacious students' Reading Room (a total area of 230m2 with the capacity of 120 seats), which houses 10 computers with access to the Internet. The Reading Room and the Library Office are open from 8 am to 8 pm on workdays, and from 8 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. During the summer break in July and August, the Library is open from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 2 pm daily, except for Saturdays and Sundays. All the Library services are free of charge. The operation of the Library is regulated by the Rules on the Library Services.

An Outline for the Rules on the Library Services:

The lexicography (including encyclopedias, lexicons, dictionaries, atlases) as well as secondary publications, statistical annuals, magazines, official gazettes, and the collections of regulations and judicial decisions are not available off the Library premises.

The teaching staff may concurrently borrow 100 books at the most to be used off the Library premises for the ultimate period of up to one year.

Students may borrow 5 books at a time, and may keep them no longer than 30 days at the most. The textbooks officially approved as compulsory literature may be used off the Library premises only by the Faculty teaching staff and students, who may keep 2 textbooks at a time for a maximum period of 6 months. Scholars, legal professionals and public servants outside the Faculty may use the Library materials off the Library premises only upon prior approval of the Library Manager. Given the approval, the external users may borrow 5 items at a time for a maximum period of 30 days. Each user is obliged to compensate for any book which has been lost or damaged by purchasing another copy of the same book title. In case the book is unavailable for purchase, the user is obliged to pay the estimated value of the book at issue.