Central Military Library
Central Military Library is the main library of Poland Ministry of [National Defence (Poland)|Ministry of National Defense] located in Warsaw. In 2009, it was awarded the Gloria Artis [Medal for Merit to Culture].
Description
It serves as the leading library in the specialization of collections on war science, armed forces and military technology, forming the national library resource. It was established by an order of the Minister of Military Affairs on June 13, 1919. During the Second Republic, Lt. Col. Marian Lodynski from 1919 to 1933 and Jan Niezgoda from 1933 to 1939 served as director of the CBW.During World War II, the Library lost 99% of its collection.
From 1983 to 1991, the Central Military Library was named after Colonel Zbigniew Zaluski.
The CBW's book collection numbers about 600,000 library units and is unique in the military field. It includes:
- 276,000 compact prints;
- 143,000 Polish and foreign periodicals ;
- 154,000 special collections.
The CBW is involved in providing materials to the NATO Science and Technology Organization, the NATO Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation and the European Defense Agency.