Scientific Information Centre and Academic Library (CINiBA)

The Scientific Information Centre and Academic Library (CINiBA) is the shared library of the University of Silesia and the University of Economics in Katowice, at ulica Bankowa 11a. The building was opened to readers on 27 September 2012, and the official opening took place on 12 October 2012. It stands in the Culture Zone, a few hundred metres from the Silesian Museum.

Building and architecture

The building was designed by a team that included Dariusz Herman and Piotr Śmierzewski, winners of the architectural competition of 24 March 2003. The block is a rectangle measuring 63.75 by 46.25 m, with a three-storey public part and a smaller, five-storey tower. The total area is about 13,300 sq m.

Reading rooms and collections

The ground floor has the main hall, reading rooms, a conference room for about 90 people and a teaching room for about 30. The first and second floors hold open-access collections and reading rooms, while the upper floors are offices and closed stacks. The collections number about 800,000 volumes, and the design allows for a capacity of up to 1.8 million. It is a hybrid library that makes documents available regardless of the medium, and the building hosts exhibitions, conferences and cultural events.

Next door

In front of the building stretches a square by the Rawa Boulevards (Bulwary Rawy). About 400 m away stand the Silesian Museum in Katowice and the seat of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, and during a visit to the area you can also look in at the Stanisław Wyspiański Silesian Theatre.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Bankowa 11a, 40-007 Katowice.
• Check the opening hours and the rules of using the reading rooms, including for people from outside the university, on the ciniba.edu.pl website before your visit.