Ivan Radulović, the new director of the National Library

At its session held today, the Government of Montenegro adopted a Decision on the dismissal of the Director of the Public Institution National Library of Montenegro "Đurđe Crnojević" MA Dragice Lompar, as well as the Decision on Appointment Ivan Radulović for the director of this institution.

Ivan Radulović is a historian from Nikšić and a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Priština, with a temporary seat in Kosovska Mitrovica. According to an official document of that faculty from April 2024, which "Vijesti" had access to, the University's commission gave a positive opinion on the suitability of the topic, candidate and mentor for the preparation of his doctoral dissertation. The topic of the work refers to the history of Boka Kotorska during the period of French rule, and the commission is made up of professors from universities and institutions in Serbia, Montenegro and from the aforementioned university in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Two days ago, "Vijesti" sent questions to the Ministry of Culture and Media regarding the dismissal of Dragica Lompar and the appointment of Ivan Radulović, including whether the Ministry had initiated the regular procedure for electing the director, whether the re-election of the current director was being considered, what are the formal and legal requirements for electing the director of the National Library, and whether the wider institutional and symbolic context of the candidate's academic and professional engagement is taken into account during the election. Tamara Vujović's department did not respond to "Vijesti"'s questions until the publication of this information.

The reason for the questions sent to MKM were speculations that Dragica Lopmar's re-election was not being considered at all because this summer, during the selection of the laureates of the Thirteenth of July Award, she suspected and publicly stated that the data on the publication and cataloging of the book "Homeless Houses" for which she was awarded had been falsified. Bećir Vuković received the highest state award.

In the TV Vijesti show "Načisto", she said that she was not clear on what basis the jury made its decision and announced that she would submit all information and documentation to the competent Ministry of Culture, which, she claimed, has the instruments to react.

"As someone who has worked for decades in that institution and for whom it is a life calling, I think this is the first time that someone has misused the name of the institution in this way and referred to something, even in the media, that is absolutely not true. Our obligation as a cultural institution financed by the state is to report to the competent authority, to report to the Ministry of Culture any violation of the Law on Publishing Activities, which expressly prohibits such things, copying CIPs (CIP - catalog entry in a publication), copying from one publication to another, changing the CIP in relation to the one assigned by the library, and the like. The Ministry is an authority that has its own instruments," Lompar pointed out at the time. She reported everything to the Ministry of Culture, but the case of violation of the Law on Publishing Activities that she reported has not yet reached an epilogue because the Prosecutor's Office is still conducting an investigation.

Dragica Lompar has a master's degree in librarianship and has spent her entire working life at the NB "Đurđe Crnojević".