The University Library - an Intercultural and Multicultural Space

Abstract

The 21^st-century university library is a space hosting a multicultural education process, whether by design, with a clear strategy, or in an unstructured, yet natural manner. For that reason, my aim is to identify aspects of multiculturalism in the Eugen Todoran Central University Library of Timisoara (BCUT), using a descriptive presentation of each aspect, along with quantitative data analysis. In a multi-ethnic city, cultural and educational institutions carry that multi-ethnic, multicultural mark. We set out to monitor and analyse to what extent this phenomenon manifests itself in terms of collections, staff, services provided, users, as well as cultural programmes and European projects. For this study, we have chosen a descriptive method, with a quantitative one being used for the statistical data obtained from the library software or from the questionnaire addressed to our foreign users.

The BCUT's multicultural nature is visible in its collections, with books and magazines written in a variety of languages; in its staff belonging to various local ethnic groups; in its users, who are either members of local ethnic minorities or come from other countries; in its services, especially the ability to access documents in electronic format, the partnership projects, and the cultural events organized.