The county library in Drobeta Turnu-Severin was founded in 1921 by the gift of Ion Gheorghe Bibicescu, cultural figure and governor of the National bank (between 1914-1924).

Born in 1848, in Ceneţi, at the time county residence of Mehedinţi, Bibicescu distinguished himslef in the Romanian public life as a journalist and economist, collaborator of C.A. Rosetti on the “Românul” paper. He is also know as a folclorist, but not much is known about this.

On July 22nd 1921, Bibicescu donates his own book collection he had in Bucharest to the town of Drobeta Turnu Severin, adding to the donation act the “ I. G. Bibicescu popular library” status.

Teodor Costescu, Mehedinti senator speeds up the donation vote and of the added status as a law. With the books (30000 volumes) Bibicescu also donates an important numismatics collection.

In 1925 the book collection donated by Bibicescu found its place in the Cultural palace built from Theodor Costescu’s financing.

In a large room and three other smaller ones but pretty spacious, books gathered during his life with a lot of effort by the great donor were places in artistically executed cases.

The book fund donated by Bibicescu and other to the Drobeta Turnu Severin library is entirely good, with nothing dull, everything drawing attention.

The pieces are not old; most of manuscipt books are 19th century copies, copying old manuscipts and old texts that initially circulated in the 16th – 17th centuries: chronographs, chronicles, apocryphal legends.

The exceptional thematic homogeneity as well as the documentary historical value of the donated books shows the fact that they were not purchased randomly and the permanent national historical values were considered.

This results from the work themes that treats subjects on Roman Dacia, Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania. Bibicescu tried to gather every note, any small fact referring to the Romanian land which will be documented proof of our passing on these lands, testimonies of our existence in time.

The current County library location is in the house where King Carol I signed his first proclamation as king of Romania on May 8th 1866. The event is marked with a plaque inaugurated on June 8th 1933 by king Carol II.