Library

The Adriatic Institute’s library is a specialized solo-library forming a part of the Institute as a scientific research unit of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and belonging to the network of the Academy’s libraries. The library primarily fulfils the needs of the Adriatic Institute’s employees, but it is also open to the external users, e.g. students, scientists and researchers from other institutions, as well as all those whose professional interest is related to the activity of the Institute, primarily to maritime law and the international law of the sea.

The communication with the library is possible through email or phone, and directly with the librarian.

Some of the main tasks of the library are systematic building and professional processing of its fund, as well as searching the relevant databases and similar forms of support to the scientific research of maritime law and international law of the sea. Occasionally, the library participates in relevant promotional and educative activities.

The library’s fund consists of three collections: monographs; periodical publications; and documentation. The materials are predominantly printed, however nowadays the efforts are taken to increase the number of digital publications, and scanning is being done continuously.

During the first year after the library was established in 1949, the library’s catalogue included about 2,800 units. Over the years, this number has increased to about 33,000 units. In the more recent years, a profiled and more specialized collection has been created consisting of about 16,000 units, whilst another 5,000 units covering the fields of maritime history, economics, and fisheries are archived in the same library.

The library’s digital catalogue has been available on the internet since 2002. Since 2020, it has joined the group catalog of all libraries of the Academy (DIZBI.Hazu) on the new Indigo platform.

The current financial situation substantially limits the accessibility of the valuable internet academic databases, however this disadvantage is partly compensated through cooperation and exchange with similar libraries and institutions(database i-Law). Access to databases with a national license through the Electronic Resources Portal for the Croatian academic and scientific community (in the NSK) plays a significant role.

The library is also responsible for the inclusion of the Institute’s journal Poredbeno pomorsko pravo = Comparative Maritime Law in the international and domestic databases and portals (EBSCO, HeinOnline, ERIH Plus, DOAJ, CEEOL, SIS, Hrčak, DIZBI, and others).

The library provides support to the Adriatic Institute in conducting scientific research projects, whilst it also participates in various national projects from the field of library activity (SZI – System of Scientific Information, CROSBI – Croatian Scientific Bibliography, DIZBI – Digital Collection of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts).