The history of the library
The commercial and economic boom of Syros in the 19th century led to the development of letters and arts through the establishment of schools, libraries, associations, theatres, etc.
The island was home to the first Gymnasium (High School) of Modern Greece (1833), attended by prominent figures such as Eleftherios Venizelos, Andreas Syggros, Giannoulis Chalepas, and others, while the creation of a library at the Gymnasium enjoyed massive and material support by the local community.
The Municipal Library of Syros was founded in 1926 in Ermoupolis, under the mayoralty of Epaminondas Pappadam, by separating it from the already existing library of the Syros High School and transferring the 2,000 or so volumes that belonged to the Municipality of Ermoupolis to the newly established organization. The Municipal Library of Syros was founded in 1926 in Ermoupoli during the mayorship of Epaminondas Pappadam by separating it from the existing library of the Gymnasium of Syros and populating it with approximately 2,000 volumes belonging to the Municipality of Ermoupoli. The core of this first collection was the library of Iakovos Rotas, a close friend of Adamantios Korais and Anthimos Komninos, the Bishop of the Cyclades, which was bequeathed in 1842.
The valuable old books such as the ‘Argonautica’ of Apollonius of Rhodes (1521), Racine’s copy of Pollux’s ‘Onomasticon’ (1608), the ‘Giustiniani’ of Prince Rodokanakis (a rare edition from the island of Syros), and others are stored separately.
From then until today, the Library has been continuously enriched and thousands of titles have been added to the valuable old books and publications of past centuries, which are systematically acquired or donated to it. Since then, the Library has been continuously enriched and thousands of titles which are systematically acquired or donated have been added to the valuable incunabula and publications of past centuries. One of the most important donors of the library was Manos Eleftheriou, the poet, lyricist and novelist from Syros, after whom the central hall – reading room of the Library has been named. The collection of the Municipal Library of Syros currently houses approximately 60 thousand volumes.
Another invaluable part of the library’s collection includes local newspapers recording current and historical events from the 19th century to date.
A dynamic institution
The library is a dynamic institution which, in addition to the traditional study and book lending services, extends its activities to organising events for the general public, mainly focusing on books.
The Children’s and Teen Library is housed in an adjacent building, on the ground floor of the Town Hall, in an attractive space specifically designed for children and adolescents.
