The largest collection of ethnology and folklore books in Romania is housed at the Antim Ivireanul County Library in Ramnicu Valcea and was established nearly a quarter of a century ago around the personal library of one of Romania's leading ethnologists, university professor Mihai Pop, Magdalena Dicu, who manages the section, told AGERPRES.
The cultural institution currently holds more than 6,000 volumes - ranging from books and journals to studies and scholarly works - in Romanian as well as in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian and Russian, representing a valuable resource for ethnological research in Romania.
Most visitors to this distinctive section are students and researchers in ethnography, but it also attracts folklore enthusiasts interested in learning more about the material and spiritual culture of the Romanian people.
"High school students also come, though less often. Most visitors are already working in the field, but we also have other readers. They are drawn by the large number of old books, and by the fact that a single field is concentrated here. They are interested in folk costumes and ceramics, especially since Horezu pottery is famous. Artists have also visited. A lady came interested in traditional blouses and asked for catalogues to see how a folk shirt is constructed. There have also been requests for books on wood carving, roadside crosses, and even volumes on traditional music. We have even had requests for books on incantations," Magdalena Dicu said.
The foundations of the section were laid at the end of 2000, after the death of Professor Mihai Pop, considered the founder of modern Romanian folklore and ethnology studies. His family entrusted a significant part of his personal library to two of his former students and doctoral candidates from Valcea, resulting in more than 1,500 specialised books and journals arriving in Ramnicu Valcea.
"Professor Mihai Pop had two students from Valcea, Gheorghe Deaconu and Ioan St. Lazar, who were very close to him. After his passing, his daughter-in-law invited them and offered them part of his library. The initial donation consisted of 1,515 ethnography and folklore books and journals. The aim was to create a national ethnology library in Ramnicu Valcea. This happened around 2000. He passed away in October, and by December the books had already arrived in Valcea. That was the starting point, the foundation of the Pop collection. The section was inaugurated in 2005, when the library moved to this building, and after 21 years it has reached 6,100 items," the librarian added.
Since then, the collection has steadily expanded, particularly after 2005, when the library moved to its current headquarters. A key source of new acquisitions has been a national ethnology book fair organised at the library by the Valcea County Centre for the Conservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture.
"The collection has grown year by year thanks to donations, such as that of Professor Nicolae Constantinescu, who contributed around 600 volumes - folklore books and periodicals - as well as due to the National Ethnology Book Fair, a very important event that provides study resources for young ethnologists and researchers. Step by step, this section has become a source of satisfaction for those passionate about ethnology and folklore, who can come to the Antim Ivireanul County Library and develop various scholarly works. As for the national fair, it is more than a collaboration - it is a long-standing partnership with the Valcea County Centre for the Conservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture, which is at the heart of these efforts and represents the main source enriching this collection," said the institution's spokesperson, Corina Bedreaga.
Among the most valuable items in the collection are the more than 1,500 volumes forming its core, some of them unique copies, as well as nationally significant albums presenting traditions, crafts, artisans and folk artists.
The National Ethnology Book Fair, now in its 27th edition, will open on Thursday at 14:00 and over the following three days will host symposia and book launches in the field, with the participation of numerous specialists, researchers, publishers and cultural institutions from across the country.
The event is organised by the Valcea County Centre for the Conservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture, under the patronage of the Valcea County Council, in cooperation with the Antim Ivireanul County Library and in partnership with the National Heritage Institute in Bucharest.
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