Sofia City Library represents a municipality culture institute where not only books are lent but also concerts, meetings, matinees and literary promotions are made.

The library is opening an exhibition of manuscripts on Monday. The Bulgarian Manuscript Book exhibition coincides with the annual holiday Reading is a Celebration.

Friday's celebration involves 99 countries around the world with various activities, such as reading at meetings, reciting, and concerts organized by libraries from all over the world.

The French Cultural Institute is also taking part in Reading is a Celebration, by organizing performances in the Sofia City Library of fables by La Fontaine. Georgi Belchev, director of the library, explained that Sofia City Library is also a cultural institution not just a place with books. "Its functions are expanding and becoming more like an informational centre with places to read foreign authors, exhibition halls and theatre performances staged," he added.

The exhibition, opening up on Monday, will trace the development of the Bulgarian book through various periods. "Tradition is well-described in the selection done for the purpose of the display and it really matters a lot," Genchev said. The initiative offered targets at educating the viewers about the development of the cultural heritage and the book in particular, Genchev added.

Books from the earliest times in the library's collection will be shown in a cycle dealing with the 10th to 18th centuries. The Slepchanski Apostle, Kyustendil Palimpsest and the Dobromirovo Gospel are a part of that period and manuscripts of theirs will be shown. The successive scripts on view will be from the 13th century, the time of the Enlightenment for books when King Ivan Assen set up a script-writing centre, influenced by the Turnovo and Ohrid book schools. The rest of the cycles will cover the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. A separate display will be given to the Gospels from the manuscripts of Buhovo, Krupnishko and Suchavo. An exclusive display is Paisii Hilendarski's Slaviano-Bulgarian story (1762).

"The book celebration today aims at incorporation of the readership by weekly promotions of latest works and exhibitions, symposiums and art," Genchev recalled.

He explained that large donations from the Spanish Embassy and the American Centre allowed the creation of two reading rooms in the library where people wanting to read foreign languages could go. A rich selection of British and American books from all genres in literature can be found in the American Centre's section in the Sofia City library. "We are participating in a project Sisters with the Colorado library and this motivates us to gather around many special events dedicated to books," he said.

According to the director of the Sofia City Library, yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the Spanish Reading room and centre on Slaveikov square.

Genchev explained that Bulgarians have a certain attitude for books and it was proven with the creation of the Cultural Centres. "Nowadays book production starts playing an important role due to the variety of books on the market," he added. For him the library is playing an important role in the cultural and spiritual life of Bulgarians.