Hradec Library's attendance is rising thanks to the new building

Hradec Králové - The City Library in Hradec Králové has seen an increase in visitors and loans in recent years. The opening of the library in a former factory on Wonková Street in March 2013 has contributed to this growth, said the director of the Hradec library, Barbora Čižinská, to ČTK.

"Having a new building is like a huge breath of fresh air. If you have space and a good team, you can offer a lot even with a small budget, provided there is a bit of effort and a good dose of inventiveness. Readers logically do not want to visit cramped places with old furniture, where mothers cannot manage with strollers or seniors can't go up the stairs. The environment is important for the service," Čižinská stated.

The renovation of the building, designed by architect David Vávra, cost approximately 200 million crowns, of which over 130 million came from European funds. Thanks to the new facilities, the library offers more cultural and educational programs and events. The Hradec library recorded 750,000 loans and 300,000 visits last year. "We only count people who borrow something, use the internet, or come to a specific event. We do not count other visitors who are just reading, studying, or viewing an exhibition," Čižinská said.

The Hradec library, which has introduced biblioboxes and the lending of e-books in recent years, is facing the same struggle as other libraries with a lack of funds for purchasing more books and magazines. "In the area of electronic book and audiovisual document offerings, there are also limitations related to copyright, but it is also determined by the size of the Czech market and selected distribution models or formats, which is not something we can significantly influence," Čižinská stated.

The City Library in Rychnov nad Kněžnou is also pleased with the interest from readers, for example, last year around 35,000 visitors used its services. "I don’t think interest is decreasing; readers are still interested. We organize many lessons for schools and kindergartens, from which new readers emerge," said the head of the Rychnov library, Naděžda Kaločová. According to her, students borrow a lot of professional books or required reading, while adults are mainly interested in women's novels, detective stories, and sci-fi; there is the greatest interest in new books. "Of course, there are titles on the waiting list," Kaločová said.