Biblioteci ale ASTREI în Despărţământul Reghin: Contributii la istoria bibliotecilor romanesti si straine

The cultural development of the people in Transylvania was one of the most important goals of the Romanian cultural elite during the 19th century. In 1861 ASTRA (Association for Romanian Culture and Literature ) followed the same goal by establishing its way of functioning, in districts, and building libraries, funded by the ASTRA elite.These kinds of acts were enforced by the Association’s statute. Research has shown that the budget for book acquisition for the Reghin library alone was rather vast: 150 florins in 1898. ASTRA members build libraries in many villages around Reghin.These public libraries had an important role in the circulation of books and the general development of libraries in the rural and urban area. In the Reghin district there were about 30.000 books with about 11.000 readers. With the arrival of communism ASTRA was banned and its cultural actions were forbidden.