Monuments of early printed press of Lithuanian language are especially important to Lithuanian culture, history of writing and self-consciousness of Lithuanians. They are mostly religious texts or written works devoted to Lithuanian language: grammar, dictionary, catechism. The list of represented works reflects the very roots of writing and Lithuanian thought. Therefore it is undoubtedly considered as an important part of cultural heritage.

About authors and their works:

Catechism published in 1547 in Konigsberg by Martynas Mažvydas became the first Lithuanian book containing the first original Lithuanian poetical text and music. One of the two known exemplars in the world (stored at Vilnius University and Torun (Poland) University libraries). The XVI c.Catechism was written purely for education purposes. It was intended to spread literacy and Lithuanian word in all strata of society.

Jonas Bretkūnas is considered one of most important authors of Lithuanian writing. We would not err in affirming that J. Bretkūnas‘ works prepared the soil for Kristijonas Donelaitis’ writing. The so called Postilla was the first half original work of Lithuanian literature. In it J. Bretkūnas included his own sermons as well as works of most famous protestant theologians. The book discloses the idea of humility, presents the system of castes, it also teaches how to be obedient to your Lord.

Mikalojus Daukša – is the progenitor of Lithuanian writing: he was a well educated humanist of XVI c., he knew excellently the Latin language, and made career as a clergyman. The purport of M. Daukša‘s writings may be related to the Catholic Reform and by its content it did not differ from religious texts. Nevertheless M. Daukša‘s Katechismas arba mokslas kiekvienam krikščioniui privalus is exceptional by its language and patriotic ideas.

Konstantinas Sirvydas (Širvydas) is considered to be the first Lithuanian linguist .of merit in XVII c.: he was the best proficient in Lithuanian language. In 1629 the dictionary Trijų kalbų žodynas (Dictionarium trium linguarum) was issued.  It is important to note that with this dictionary the author introduced into the literary language words created by the author himself as well as by other authors and they  are being used up to now: e.g.  mokytojas (a teacher), gydytojas (a physician), iškalba (eloquence), pratarmė (preface). Daniel Klein is well known for his first printed grammar of the Lithuanian language written in 1653 - (Grammatica Litvanica).  The author states in his introduction that it is easier to learn Lithuanian grammar by practice rather than theoretically. D. Klein showed that the same features of grammatical system are characteristic to both Greek and Latin languages therefore the Lithuanian language is not an exception in this context.

Jonas Jaknavičius was a Jesuit associate of K. Sirvydas. He was well known for his cultural activities unfortunately he has not left any publication by his name. The book Lenkiškos ir lietuviškos evangelijos (Ewangelie polskie y litewskie) – the oldest 1647 edition has been attributed to him.

Mykolas Olševskis issued a book Broma atverta ing viečnastį (Gates opened to the eternity) in 1753. The first edition of this collection of sermons was printed in 1753 at Vilnius Franciscan printing house (with Latin dedication), and the second in 1759 at the Jesuit Academy printing house.  Until 1851 this book has been reissued 17 times. It was also translated into the Polish language Brama otwarta do wieczności which had also several editions.

Mykolas Pranciškus Karpavičius – an outstanding XVIII c. preacher of the Republic of Lithuania and Poland, who churned out trenchant speeches to the tribunal, judges as well as to the whole public. In his Pamokslai (Sermons) he advocated theories of natural law and public contract and, emphasized the importance of education and religion to the reformation of society.

Simonas Stanevičius may be considered one of the outstanding cultural figures of is XIX c. – the classic of fable genre. Šešios pasakėčios (Six fables) – the book published in 1829 would be the one to reflect the style and talent of S. Stanevičius as a fable writer.

A small collection of parchments of the VUL Manuscript Department includes less than a hundred items. It embraces remnants of the former parchment collection of the Vilnius Public Library (the main part of it is stored in Vilnius Academy of Sciences Library) and items transferred from Kaunas University or those that reached our library in other ways. They include single land privileges or other privileges, land and estate selling documents, etc. signed by Lithuanian Grand Dukes Polish kings (Sigismundus the Old, Sigismundus Augustus, Stephan Batory, Zygmunt Vaza, Stanislav August, etc.); it also contains knighthood  documents of  individuals, popes’ bulls and indulgences or assignments, documents of different monkhoods or their property.

V. Mincevičius (1915–1992) – a priest, journalist, translator and collector, who lived in Italy, donated his collection of maps to  the University Library. It consists of 331 storage item.  The greater part of his collection contains old cartography. They are items of great value of XVI–XIX c. world, Europe, regional maps and city plans created by world-famous authors and publishers of that time such as C. Ptolemaeus, W. J. Blaeu, G. Mercator, S. Münster, A. Ortelius, J. Hondius and others. The collection of maps is uniform and  well formed mostly reflecting the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with neighbouring countries and states. The collection includes several maps of European states and city plans as well as 18 items of perfectly reproduced facsimile editions.

VUL Manuscript collection includes 543 books of court acts of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 1540–1845. It is a specific manuscript collection. These documents are most important for research of Lithuanian, Polish and Byelorussian history. Information accumulated in them witnesses court activities, reflecting a broad political, social and economic panorama of Lithuanian history, life in the past, community and individual psychology. The abundance of accumulated information enables us to consider them as unique reference books that reflect changing life standards. These courtbooks are significant as a source of material culture, and documents supplementing other sources. Chronologically ample documentary material is interesting and vital to the history of language, historical geography, and geneology investigation. Books are written in old Byelorussian and Polish languages.

In 2000, the project of the courtbooks' digitization was started. Its main goals aim has been to preserve these unique courtbooks  for future generations, to create a full text manuscript database, to ensure the possibility for researchers from all over the world to study the cultural heritage not only at the library but also on the internet. The project was supported by the Open Society Institute and Open Society Fund, Lithuania.

At present, the digitized texts of 10 courtbooks are available on the internet.

Vilnius University Library Manuscript Department autograph collection consists of over 300 storage items. Collection embraces autographs of outstanding foreigners, famous rulers of Poland and Lithuania: Žygimantas the Old (1519–1526), Žygimantas Augustas (1562–1566), Stephan Bathory (1580–1583), Ona Jogailaitė, Zigmantas Vaza (1596–1621), Augustus II (1698–1732), Augustus III (1764–1797), Jan Sobieski, Stanislav August Poniatovski and other kings, noblemen and their relatives; as well as Polish writers and public figures: I. J. Kraszevski, A. Mickiewicz, J. Slowacki, M. Orzeszkowa, T. Narbutas, A. H. Kirkor and many others; French writers and artists, scientists: A. Decamps, Victor Hugo, P. Beranger, R. Chateaubriand, Voltaire, L. Pasteur and others, Vilnius Uniate bishop Juozapatas Kuncevičius, Vilnius Orthodox metropolitan bishop Josif Semaška, Vilnius University practical surgery professor J. Briotet, Samogitian bishop Motiejus Valančius; Russian writers, historians, statesmen: G. Deržavin, K. Batiuškov, I. Kirejevskij, A. Arakczejev, F. Dostojevskij, A. Gercen, S. Glinka, Kurakin, V. Odojevskij, I. Turgenev, Pavel Kiseliov, Ekaterina II and others. Value of documents is not the same; however each document may be useful for researchers as an authentic material to witness the history or the fact of life. Almost all documents have their own history of coming to the Library. Autographs in Russian language and quite a number of other items were donated in 1903 to Vilnius Public Library by Alexander Vladimirovicz Žirkevicz (1857–1927) – a military jurist, who wrote verses and belles-lettres works, a collector of autographs. Part of the collection documents is from the Polish Library in Versailles (Vilnius University Library in Versailles), others – inheritance of Vilnius Public Library to which people in order to avoid possible tsar‘s repressions or sad outcomes passed over their personal treasures (e.g. Adam Mickiewicz‘s poem – autograph). General whole of the collection is significant and interesting in itself. Chronological limits of the collection: XVI –XX c.; written in Lithuanian, Russian, English, German, French, Latin, Slavonic Chancellery, Byelorussian and other languages.

Representatives of rich and influential noble families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, later Rzeczpospolita (from XVII c. also noblemen of Prussia) – the Radvilos and the Sapiegos – served as the highest political statesmen – voivode, chancellor, hetman, marshal, Church officials. These noble families possessed castles, manors and residences all over the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Vilnius University Library Manuscript Department holdings include archival material of their domains.  It consists of documents of property managing, domain administration, economic activities legal processes, as well as personal and business correspondence; there are also documents related to their official responsibilities.

Kėdainiai manor and town – an important historical, cultural and political centre of Lithuania, seed-plot of Reformation - was possessed with intervals up to XIX c. by the Radvilos, a rich and powerful noble family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, by its Biržai-Dubingiai branch. After the 1863 uprising when the Russian authorities exiled the last owner of Kėdainiai M. Čapskis to Siberia the library and the archives compiled in Kėdainiai manor went to Vilnius Public library. Part of it was inherited by Vilnius University Library. Kėdainiai manor archives documents, currently stored in the VUL Manuscript Department, F4 collection are provided here.

The VUL Collection of Graphic Arts includes over 91,000 artworks. At the moment, works of portrait engraver Herszek Leibowicz are digitized and presented on the internet.

Herszek Leibowicz, a well known XVIII c.portrait engraver of Lithuania was an artist at Nieswiez, a Radziwill family castle in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Throughout 1745–1758 he forged in copper engravings, one hundred and sixty five portraits of the Radziwill family that were hanging in the art gallery of Nieswiez castle. In 1758, M. F. Wobe published an album, named Icones Familiae Ducalis Radvilianae (Images of the Grand Ducal Radziwill Family). This album was repeatedly published in Petersbourg in 1875. VUL possess Radziwill portraits on separate pages published in Petersbourg.

Collection of photographs consists of photos by Lithuanian photographers and photographers of other countries. Pictures show views of Lithuanian towns and townships, former manors, churches and small architecture, figures of Lithuanian politics, education and culture, professors, pupils and students of Vilnius University and other schools. Juozas Čechavičius‘photograph collectionis especially important to Lithuanian culture history. Juozas Čechavičius (about 1819–1888) is an outstanding Lithuanian photographer of the second half of XIX c, author of photo albums „Vilnius views“ and „Album of Neris coasts“.  J. Čechavičius came to Vilnius in 1865 and opened a studio which worked in Botanical Garden up to the death of the photographer.  The photographer worked most fruitfully in Vilnius in the period 1872–1883. After his death in 1888 the studio with its whole photo archive was inherited by Anna de Rotte, who in 1889 married Vincentas Slendzinskis. Anna Slendzinska, used the negatives left by J. Čechavičius to print photos with views of Vilnius and its surroundings. No less interesting is the Suprasl Orthodox Monastery photograph collection. Still functioning Suprasl (Poland) Orthodox monastery at the beginning of XVI c. had been funded by the marshal of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Aleksandras Chodkevičius (about 1475–1549) and Orthodox bishop Juozapas Soltanas (about 1450–1521). The Orthodox Church-fortress was built with the interior later decorated with frescoes and iconostas. After signing the Union of Brest the monastery in 1609–1823 belonged to the Basilian monks. In XVII–XVIII c. Suprasl Basilian Monastery grew to an outstanding religious, cultural and scientific centre with a rich library and publishing house.  In 1824 the monastery was returned to the Orthodox. Historians might be also interested in the Album of photographs from the Russian Tsar Nicolay II coronation ceremony in Moscow published in 1896 by Polish photographer Jan Mieczkovski

The collection F78 consists of 901 storage items; chronological limits: XVI–XX c. inscriptions in Polish, Lithuanian, Russian, German languages.  There are M. Januševičius‘ aquarelles, depicting Vilnius architectural monuments that have not survived up to now (the town hall before the reconstruction by Laurynas Gucevičius, ruins of the Radvilas palace, the palace of the grand dukes of Lithuania, etc.); illustrated satires of XIX c. satirist, author of couplets A. Bartels,  sketches, aquarelles and pictures by Jan Damel, Russian painter J. Dobronadezhin, Pr. Smuglevičius, A. Smuglevičius, Tomasz Tiszecki, I. Trutnev and many other painters, plans, drawings and delineations of churches, orthodox churches and other cultural and historical monuments of Byelorussia and Lithuania, as well as of liturgical implements, buildings and land plots, etc.