Lithuanian Public Libraries

The Library’s history dates back to 1921. In 1937, the Library was granted the name of the famous educationalist Petras Kriaučiūnas. On the threshold of war, the collection of Petras Kriaučiūnas Library consisted of 9,432 volumes. During the war the Library was burned and its collection was re-established very slowly.

In 1981-1983, the Library has settled in the new, specially designed building.

In 1990, the Library regained the name of Petras Kriaučiūnas. In 2002, after some reorganization the network of public libraries of Marijampolė municipality was formed, i.e. Petras Kriaučiūnas Public Library with 26 branches: 1 in the city and 25 in the rural areas. For the time being, the Public Library in Marijampolė functions as an information and cultural centre with 23 qualified librarians employed who serve over 5,000 registered users and 80 thousand visitors annually.

The users may use the collection of over 110 thousand items of documents and the Internet access to electronic resources. The Public Library collects and stores the general document collection. The collection of regional studies has a special place in the Library’s stock where, in addition to publications and various documents about Marijampolė district, the personal libraries and book collections of famous fellow-countrymen are stored.

In 1983, the Trivainėlis Puppet Theatre was established at the Children’s Literature Department. The children are waiting for premieres of the shows of the Theatre that introduce them to the world of books in an attractive form. The Public Library is an open space for the members of the city community.

The Library has a specious and modern 40-seats conference hall and an exhibition hall that is adapted specifically for exhibitions of works of fine arts, photography and art.