Stefan Homola Municipal Library is a cultural, educational and information institution. It provides access to its information resources to all people, regardless of their age, ethnicity, social status, religion or professional status. It collects, processes, stores, protects and lends books from its library stock. It organizes educational and cultural events aimed at literature and reading promotion.

About us Stefan Homola Library, in its present form, has been open for use since 1996, when it started operating autonomously. At that time it was networked with the public libraries in Vojvodina, hence the Republic of Serbia. Stefan Homola Library in Backi Petrovac is currently home to the largest collection of books in Slovak in Vojvodina and Serbia, and most likely in the world as well, apart from Slovakia. There are over 50,000 books that can be lent out. It is the oldest library founded by the Slovaks in Vojvodina and one of the oldest libraries in Serbia.

History Since its foundation, Stefan Homola Library in Backi Petrovac has changed its name and location several times. It was founded in August 1845 as part of Homola's Sunday School. It used to be a part of different institutions - Matica slovenska in Yugoslavia from 1932 to 1947, and the Cultural Centre since 1975. It was called Public Library, Slovak Central Library in Petrovac and, since 1965, Backi Petrovac Municipal Library.



At first, the library had only about 130 books. They were obtained through fundraising activities or donated by the educated people of that time, mainly teachers and priests, but also scholars and writers from this region as well as Slovakia. Among them were Jan Kollar, Karol Stur, Michal Godra, Jan Kadavy, the priest Jan Stehlo, the founder Stefan Homola himself and many others. Stur's Slovenskje národňje novini, Orol tatranský and other periodicals were sent to the library and then read and discussed by its members at their Sunday meetings. They often contributed articles to these periodicals and informed the public in Slovakia about life of the Slovaks in Petrovac and in Vojvodina in general.
The founder, Stefan Homola, lived and worked in Backi Petrovac only for a short period of time. However, his work had a huge impact on uplifting education, culture and national identity of the local people. During the revolutionary years of 1848/1849, Sunday School and the library gradually stopped working. Most books from the original collection was lost during those turbulent revolutionary years or were confiscated by the Hungarian authorities (the members of Sunday school managed to save some of the books by hiding them in private households). However, even after the confiscation, the library collection continued to grow and the work of the library was stopped only temporarily. In 1863 the chaplain Michal Valach reestablished the library. However, according to Ondrej Mraz, one of the long-term members of Sunday School, it was reestablished a few years earlier by Juraj Mrva, who came here as a chaplain and then became a priest. The library did not work in the periods 1874 - 1886 and 1887 - 1894. It stopped working in January 1897, when the last written document was dated. However, after Jan Cajak arrived in Backi Petrovac to work as a teacher, Sunday School continued its work (around year 1900), but in a different form. Cajak did not reopen Sunday School as an organized legal institution with its members, seal, inventory, etc. but as Night School where he taught. There were lectures on different topics such as agriculture, housekeeping, trade, handicrafts, health, history, geography, psychology, physics, art, aesthetics, pedagogy, language use, etc. When Matica slovenska in Yugoslavia was founded in 1932, the library became a part of it. Matica slovenska in Yugoslavia stopped its activities in 1948, but the library did not. That year it got its own premises and owned almost 11,000 books. In the following years, the library was renamed several times. First, it was named Public Library, then Slovak Central Library. During this period it got Reading room. In 1965 it was renamed to Backi Petrovac Municipal Library and became a parent library for the libraries in the municipality. In 1966, when it celebrated the 120th anniversary, it was awarded the Order of Merit by the President of SFR Yugoslavia. Since 1975 the library worked under the auspices of the Cultural Centre (during this period the managers of the Cultural Centre were also the managers of the library). The library often changed its premises, but eventually, in 1988, it moved to the former state school at 9 Narodne revolucije Street, and it has been there ever since. In January 1993 it was named after its founder Stefan Homola - Stefan Homola Municipal Library in Backi Petrovac. In 1995 it separated from the Cultural Centre and it was founded and registered as an independent institution under the name of Stefan Homola Library in Backi Petrovac. It officially started working on January 1, 1996. At that time, it had over 38,000 books in its collection. The collection has grown owing to donations from different local people, institutions, organizations and associations, as well as from the Office for Slovaks Living Abroad. The books are also purchased, with the financial support of the Backi Petrovac Municipality, the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and the Republic of Serbia. The library has its own resources, too. Lending Section Stefan Homola Library in Backi Petrovac contains over 50,000 books (specialised literature, fiction, children's and youth literature) as well as numerous periodicals that may be borrowed by its users. Most books and publications are in Slovak, but there are books in other languages, such as Serbian, English, German, etc. Rare Book Division The library has a valuable collection of old and rare books, e.g. the books from the 17th and 18th centuries written in Latin, German, Hungarian, French, English, Czech, Slovak and Serbian. These books belong to the old and rare literature collection and are stored in the so-called rare book division. The oldest book treasured in the library is a Latin book called Theologiae Moralis Officia Hominis Christiani, which was printed in 1698, and restored by Slovak National Library in Martin, Slovakia. The library also contains Regional collection, i.e. books written by the Slovak authors from Vojvodina as well as books in which these authors are mentioned. This collection is currently being digitized. It contains several thousands of books and periodicals published in the Slovak language. Over the last couple of years, there has been a steady increase in the number of library users. There are about 600 family membership cards, which means that one card is used by different family members. It is always busy in the library as people are interested in various publications. The library is visited not only by the residents of Backi Petrovac and the municipality of Backi Petrovac, but also by the people from nearby towns. There are even visitors from abroad looking for a rare book. Children's Corner Children's and youth literature can be found in the Children's Corner, a room where children and their parents can spend their leisure time in a meaningful way. There are a lot of activities that children can do here, like reading a book or playing with other children. The bookshelves are filled with young children's books, leporello books, colouring books as well as books for primary and secondary school students. There are numerous new books, both in Slovak and Serbian, that help children dive into new adventures, games, first loves and various topics suitable for their age. Reading Room The reading room is used mainly for reading and studying, but also for searching data in regional and foreign books and periodicals that may not be borrowed. This room is also used for organizing lectures, workshops, literary events and exhibitions. Library services The librarians do their best to meet their users' needs. When purchasing new books, they take the users' suggestions and interests into consideration. They acquire books of different genres, mostly from Slovakia and Serbia, as well as periodicals from Slovakia. Young adult books, encyclopedias and popular titles are on high demand. The library has a rich collection of childrens' books and leporellos, too. First and foremost, the library acquires, classifies and preserves materials, and then it lends them out. It also holds exhibitions marking the jubilees of different poets, writers and other important people, as well as cultural and historical events. It organizes literary events, displays of books and other materials, literary and art contests, and workshops (mainly for children). It also receives visits (kindergarten children, school children, organized groups from abroad). Opening hours Monday-Friday 8a.m.-6p.m. Saturday-Sunday: closed Contact information: Stefan Homola Library, 9 Narodne revolucije Street, 21470 Backi Petrovac, Serbia Email: jazyciarka@gmail.com kniznicashomolu@gmail.com Phone: 021-2280- 335