Library officials criticize the renovation of Clementinum, the ministry defends it

Prague - Some senior officials of the National Library (NK) criticize the design of the final stage of the Klementinum reconstruction, which is expected to cost over a billion crowns. This stage is intended to conclude a decade-long restoration of the extensive Baroque complex, the main seat of the NK. A statement signed by eight directors of NK departments indicates that the repairs will deteriorate the operational conditions of library services and the protection of library collections.

The director of the NK, Martin Kocanda, defended himself against the criticisms and stated to ČTK today that the chosen option for the third stage is the most suitable compromise between utilizing the Klementinum for the needs of the NK and protecting the national cultural monument. The Ministry of Culture shares the same position, its spokesperson Martha Häckl told ČTK.

Among those who signed the negative statement regarding the third phase of the revitalization project are Lukáš Babka, director of the Slavonic Library, Miroslava Hejnová, director of Historical and Music Collections, and Vít Richter, director of the Library Institute. According to them, the readiness of lending services will also decrease and the proposed solution does not guarantee the development of the library in the coming decades.

The third phase will affect 52 percent of the Klementinum area. It will involve the restoration of the extensive northern wing of the library facing Platnéřská Street and the services hall in the center of the complex, which will have to be temporarily closed. However, according to earlier statements by the director, the library will never be completely closed.

Librarians have previously criticized that the Klementinum is being restored in a rather conservative manner, as a monument, rather than as a space intended to be lively and serve the public and employees. In a text addressed to the NK director, which the Association for the Protection and Development of Cultural Heritage of the Czech Republic provided to ČTK today, they state that the third phase project, due to the requirements of monument preservationists, "destroys the rational and safe flow of the public through the building (tourist route) and the barrier-free access to the basic public areas."

According to librarians, the project does not respect the fundamental principle of operating any library - to prevent the crossing of routes and areas for storing books with spaces for the public and staff. The storage areas and operational connections would, according to them, be even more fragmented in the new Klementinum, and the delivery routes for books would be extended. In the proposed layout, the public would move among the storage areas containing conservation collections. The project also eliminated the book conveyor as the basic logistical structure for connecting study rooms, storage spaces, and other workplaces within the Klementinum complex.

Kocanda stated today that the plan to install an automated conveyor for over 80 million crowns was found to be too destructive and would lead to serious interventions in the monument. "The public would thus not have the opportunity to visit the reconstructed spaces," he stated. According to him, key considerations for the final stage of the repair include "the protection of the unique Baroque monument, maximum economy in the expenditure of public funds, and ensuring adequate services for library users."

Librarians also criticize the decreasing capacity of the Klementinum. After the revitalization is completed, 17 percent of the library collection will be stored in the Klementinum, dropping to only 11 percent by 2069, with most being kept in the repository in Hostivař, from where books also have to be transported today. "This imbalance will be partially compensated by the digitization of books, but it cannot be assumed that in the future the physical library collection will not be used," say the librarians, who still see the option of building a new library. Kocanda does not rule it out, but the Ministry of Culture has no such investment plan for now.