The Zosimaia Library of Ioannina has 71,142 entries in its catalog, and its collection includes old prints, publications funded by the Zosima brothers, such as educational books for needy students, as well as books of ancient Greek literature.
The Zosimaia Public Central Historical Library of Ioannina now has the catalog of its main collection, as well as the catalog of its mobile library, through the openABEKT service of the National Center for Documentation and Electronic Content (EKT) at the address https://zosimaialib.openabekt.gr, and at the address https://zosimaiamob.openabekt.gr/ respectively. With this collaboration, the circle of Public Libraries that choose to be placed in the public digital space through the national content infrastructures of the EKT is expanding.
The Library's collaboration with EKT began in the mid-1990s with the use of the ABEKT software, and its transition to the cloud service for catalog management and library operations, openABEKT, constitutes an important step towards the digital transformation of the library and the modernization of online services for its users.
The Library has 71,142 records in its Catalogue, of which 63,715 are monographs. The collection includes old books, publications financed by the Zosimas brothers, such as educational books for needy students, as well as books of ancient Greek literature. The Library also contains important bequests from personalities of the local community, private libraries and archives, while incorporating historical collections of Kaplanei and all material rescued from the arson of the Balanea Library by Ali Pasha. This is a diverse and important collection which documents the history of Epirus over the last two centuries. There are several foreign language titles, mainly French and German, but also hundreds of titles in Ancient Greek and Latin.
The Library's catalog fully utilizes the functions and features of openABEKT, which provide the user with advanced search and navigation capabilities in the content, with interactive timelines and specialization filters, offering an upgraded user experience. At the same time, all the information describing an item and the relationships it develops with relevant material inside and outside the catalog are presented from one point. The user can locate donors using the search filters and find the corresponding records.
Furthermore, with 12,106 entries in its catalogue, which is now also available online through the openABEKT service, the Library's mobile unit serves communities and schools in the wider region of Ioannina and neighboring prefectures that do not have direct access to another fixed library. The aim is to familiarize students with the historic Zosimaia Library, the spaces and techniques for searching and locating information in its printed and electronic material, the methods of organizing a modern library, the services it offers and the treasures of cultural heritage it preserves.
The Zosimaia Library is one of the country's historical libraries. It began in 1828 as the Library of the Zosimaia School, which was one of the most important Greek educational institutions during the last period of Ottoman rule. In 1938, it was separated from the School and merged with the Library of the Orthodox Greek Community until 1987, when, by ministerial decision, it was renamed the "Zosimaia Public Central Library of Ioannina". It has a very rich collection of books, old prints, magazines and maps, while its collections also include manuscripts from the 12th to the 19th centuries. century, with an emphasis on local history.
It is a particularly active library in its community, with thousands of active members, while its purpose is to satisfy the informational, informative, educational and cultural needs of its public. With the aim of promoting reading, managing knowledge, preserving, highlighting and promoting local cultural tradition, supporting educational practice and serving users through the use of new media, the Library participates in numerous development projects and adopts innovative technologies.
