Osijek bibliography and literature publications in local Essekiana collection from the mid 18th until the end of the 19th century

This paper aims at emphasizing the 18th and 19th century literary works i.e. the Osijek literature publications of the local Essekiana collection which can be accessed via network catalogue at official sites of the Museum of Slavonia. The Osijek bibliography as a catalogue of the local Essekiana collection plays an important role in it because it comprises listed and professionally assorted materials according to lore areas and expert groups including literature. Literature is the most complex area in the Osijek bibliography, divided into four expert groups characterizing a rich and diverse literature production of the 18th and 19th century in Osijek, where cultural and literature history progressed. There were many notable and well-known authors both from Osijek and those who did not publish their works in Osijek, thus contributing to the development of the Osijek homeland heritage. However, apart from those prominent authors, it is more important to point to those less known authors whose work remained on the margin of the Croatian literature. The history of Osijek, its cultural, social, educational and literature development, multiethnicity and multilingualism are reflected in 148 literary units (documents) from the local Essekiana collection, divided into several literary groups of the Osijek bibliography. These literature sources are documents of the time and space being at the same time a research foundation resulting in numerous works published by Osijek scientists such as Ružica Pšihistal, Helena Sablić-Tomić and Goran Rem, Stjepan Sršan, Zlata Šundalić, Milovan Tatarin. The role of the literature publications from the local Essekiana collection is trifold i.e in literature, library and museum. From the librarians’ point of view they are first of all local library units that require a formal analysis; looking from the literature experts’ point of view, they are sources worth of material research; looking from the museum experts’ point of view, they are museum items that due to their age, local values and uniqueness, have their place at museum exhibitions