History. The four Typaldos-Iakovatos brothers were the founders of the Iakovatios Library, which in 1963 was bequeathed by their descendants to the Municipality of Lixouri. Well-educated and distinguished in their respective fields, they amassed a significant number of books during the period from 1820 to 1880, primarily focusing on their academic and professional interests: the Church, politics, and medical science. Following their passing, their collections were gathered by their descendants at the Typaldos-Iakovatos mansion, creating one of the most notable libraries in the Ionian Islands in the early 20th century.
The family mansion, which houses the Library, is a two-story building and a characteristic example of neoclassical architecture from the mid-19th century. The Museum and Archive of the Typaldos-Iakovatos family are located on the second floor.
Collections. According to Professor Konstantinos Bonis, the “Typaldos-Iakovatos” Public Central Library & Museum contained over 6,000 (currently estimated at 6,500) diverse works in the form of volumes and pamphlets in 1970. Additionally, the collection includes bulletins, reprints, and rare folios and issues of newspapers and periodicals, as well as Ionian leaflets and broadsheets.
After 1970, the library received the collection of Amilkas S. Alivizatos, a theologian and professor at the University of Athens, originally from Lixouri.
In the following years, donations of private collections of varying sizes continued to enrich the library with books and publications, such as those from brothers and physicians Sp. and F. Lambiris and economist S. Loverdos (they remain uncatalogued). Additionally, on an almost yearly basis, the Iakovatios receives new publications sent by the Hellenic Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.
In general, the Library possesses a multitude of documents of both general and specific interest, catering to a wide audience as well as researchers seeking specialised materials to meet their bibliographic needs.
The largest part of the Typaldos-Iakovatos family collection has been incorporated into the openABEKT digital catalogue.
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