In 1928, Matija Čop, at the time a professor at the Ljubljana Lyceum, took over the informal management of the Lyceum Library following the death of the former librarian, Matija Kalister. It was not until 1830 that he was appointed head by an imperial decree and was soon sworn in as the librarian of the Ljubljana Lyceum Library, which was the predecessor of today's National and University Library. Čop was also allocated a flat at the Lyceum.
Čop became familiar with the library as a college student, when he helped with the librarians' work. He knew all the important libraries in the monarchy in detail. As early as 1820, when he worked as a professor at the college in Rijeka, he organised the college's library free of charge.
Later, in 1828, Čop started working zealously in the poorly arranged Lyceum Library. He submitted a plan to remodel the library and received approval. He introduced a systematic way of arranging published materials, designed a new catalogue, ensured the supply of compulsory issues of books and fulfilled the collection of Slovenian materials. Due to the exceptional work that Matija Čop did in the Lyceum Library, today he is regarded as being the first Slovenian librarian.
The government decree in which Matija Čop is named as the librarian of the Lyceum Library in Ljubljana.
The catalogue listing that Matija Čop produced for the Lyceum Library.
The highest state awards in the field of librarianship – the Čop Diploma and the Čop Award – are named after Matija Čop, the first Slovenian librarian. The Slovenian Library Association awards them for exceptional success in the field of librarianship.
The Čop Diploma
