New Building of the National Library of the Czech Republic For Modern Library Collections And Services

Author: Vlastimil Ježek,  National Library of Czech Republic, Czech Republic

Co-author: Bohdana Stoklasová / Národní knihovna ČR

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Abstract

In the year 2010 the existing facilities of the National Library will be completely fulled and the library would be in the same crisis like it was in the beginning of nineties, when stacks of new unprocessed acquisitions little by little fulled any free space in Klementinum, without any chance to do something meaningful with them. The best solution (and in the long term also the cheapest one) of existing situation is construction of the new building for the National Library of the Czech Republic to arrange modern collections and provide adequate services for users.

After comprehensive and intensive search for optimum place for construction we found and preliminary discussed with representatives of city of Prague a few building plot near subway station Hradčanská (in the end of the Letenská pláň), owned by city of Prague for position of the new building for the National Library. These building plots create logically complex marked out in the town planning scheme like "region planned for cultural buildings and churches"

New building of the National Library will not be just purpose-built library. According with the representatives of the Prague city and also according to experience with similar projects in the other European cities, we can expect, that new building of the National Library will be one of the architectonic jewels of modern Prague architecture.

There will be, of course, a great aspiration for maximum comfort for employees and users – including utilization of the most modern technology available.

The construction and opening of the new building of National Library will have great impact to the unique area of Clementinum in the touristic prominent space between Charles bridge and Mariánské square. In the historical premises of Klementinum the Department of Manuscripts and Early Printed Books, Department of Music and Slavonic Library will remain, but the biggest part (and from the historical point of view the most precious part) of Klementinum will be opened to the public – alike as the most biggest national libraries in the European cities did in the past.

Part of project of new building for National Library will be also central depository for 200 000 books and periodicals from Library of Chamber of Deputies, which are today placed in impropriate basement floor of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Freedom in the building of former Federal Assembly. Office of the Chamber of Deputies has no adequate place for these collections in its building in Mala Strana and solution within new building of National Library of the Czech Republic considers, according to the leadership of National Library, to be convenient for both institutions.

About the author

Vlastimil Ježek was born on 24th July 1963 in Prague. After passing a school-leaving examination at grammar school in Prague 8 he worked as a builder´s labourer for 1 year. Then he started to study Czech Technical University in Prague – Faculty of Civil Engineering. He left this faculty after passing three finished terms and became an educator of mentally disabled children in the Institute of Social Care in Prague 4. In 1985 he was admitted to Faculty of Arts of Charles University, subject of Czech language-History. He passed final state examination and was graduated in 1990.

In 1990 – 1993 he worked as a journalist of cultural section, then journalist and head of domestic politics section of daily newspaper „Práce“. In 1993 he succeeded in selection procedures and leaded Czech Radio as a general director for next 6 years.

In 1999 – 2004 he acted as a chief journalist of weekly journal „Our Family“ (Naše rodina) and as an advisor for company communication. In 2002 together with a colleague from university studies, theatre critic Zdeněk Tichý, he established a production agency TICHÝ-JEŽEK. On 15th September 2004, Mr Pavel Dostál, Minister of Culture appointed him the director of the National Library of the Czech Republic.

He is an author and co-author of a great many books and newspaper articles (eg "Six of Sixties", Radioservis, Praha 2004; "They called her lioness", Primus, Praha 1996; "1989 in Eastern Europe", Fortuna, Praha 1991; "Where is my home: 72 years of Czechoslovakia", EKK, Prague 1990). In 1999 he was writing commentaries for Radio Free Europe, in 1992 he participated in making an amateur film document on war in countries of former Yugoslavia "Vukovar: town or trap?" for foundation Four Oaks in New York.