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Librarianship in the Czech Republic
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Librarianship in the Czech Republic
The densest network of libraries in the world
- One library for every 1,971 inhabitants of the Czech Republic
- (four times more per capita than the European average, and 10 times more than in the United States)
- General Public Libraries Act 430 Coll. of 22 July 1919
- the obligation for every municipality to establish a public library
- to promote universal literacy, education and democracy
Library Development Concept 2021-2027
In 2020, the national strategic plan adopted by the government – ‘Koncepce rozvoje knihoven na léta 2021-2027’ (s výhledem do roku 2030) (Library Development Concept for the Years 2021-2027, with an outlook to 2030) – defines libraries as:
- pillars of civil society and natural community centres
- educational and education-supporting institutions
- managers of cultural and knowledge wealth
Library staff
The predominant librarian age groups are 41-50 (30%) and 51-60 (29%). With 13% of librarians aged 61+, this means that almost 72% of librarians are over the age of 41. The group of librarians under the age of 40 accounts for less than a third and has decreased by 4% since the last survey (35% versus 31%). The youngest employees aged 18-30 therefore only account for 9%.
The majority of professional library workers are women (85%).
53% of employees have professional librarian education, and 47% do not have professional librarian education. The positive growth trend of university-educated librarians continues, reaching 43% in 2020, up from only 22% in 1998.
More: Analysis of the age, education and salary of library staff in the Czech Republic 2020/2021
Library associations
The libraries of the Czech Republic are represented by four organisations.
> Library associations in the Czech Republic
Where can you study librarianship?
Library and information sciences education
3 universities in the Czech Republic teach library science – in Prague, Brno and Opava.
- Department of Information and Library Science (KISK), Brno (Masaryk University – Faculty of Arts)
- Institute of Information Studies and Librarianship (ÚISK), Prague (Charles University – Faculty of Arts)
- Institute of Czech Language and Library Science, Opava (Silesian University – Faculty of Philosophy and Science)
> More about universities in the Czech Republic
Projects
- ‘Knihovny současnosti’ (Libraries of Today) conference
- The largest library conference in the Czech Republic, held since 1993 and organized by the Czech Republic’s Library Association.
- The Methodical Centre for the Construction and Renovation of Libraries (MC VRK) – provides:
- advice and tips on how to use and evaluate spaces in librariesinformation on financing (subsidy titles and grants) of library renovations and restoration of library furniturecontacts for certified manufacturers and suppliers of library furniture and architects who participated in the design of librariesprofessional seminars on library architecture and workshops
- methodological materials for the construction and renovation of libraries
- Digital library https://www.digitalniknihovna.cz/
- Tausende von digitalisierten Dokumenten aus tschechischen Bibliotheken an einem Ort
- Knihovny.cz (Libraries) (https://www.knihovny.cz/?lng=en)
- The Knihovny.cz portal provides uniform access to the services of Czech and Moravian libraries – for anyone, from anywhere and at any time. It allows you to search the catalogues of all involved libraries simultaneously. The goal is to simplify access to information and documents, and to offer library collections and their services in one place.
- What a Library Can Do? (Co dokáže knihovna?) – This project focused on social innovation and the possibilities of libraries offers inspiration, support and a map of specific community and educational activities across the entire Czech Republic and all types and sizes of libraries.
- Sustainability in Libraries
