Księgozbiór Rady Miasta Lwowa w okresie staropolskim

Like other institutions of this type in the old Polish period, the City Council of Lviv, the primary authority in the city, gathered its own book collection. It consisted of books as well as other bibliological documents, initially handwritten, then copied by using the typographic technique. Acquisition of essential books stemmed from the practical needs of the office as they served as reference collection. It included primarily legal books but also historical, astronomical, scientific and others. Apart from purchasing on the book market, books were rewritten on demand of the councilors. The collection also included books that were donated or dedicated to the city. The Council, which fulfilled the legislative, administrative and to some extent also the judiciary function, was also one of the few cultural centers in the city and a cultural patron. It can be assumed that at the end of the 17th century, apart from handwritten archival manuscripts, the library possessed over 100 books. It is hard to estimate the overall number of prints and other bibliological documents that passed through the Council over the time