The National Library has announced a tender for the completion of the depository

Prague - The National Library (NK) has announced a tender for the completion of the storage facility in Hostivař. The contract is valued at nearly 300 million crowns. Once completed, the space will primarily be used for storing books, and there will also be a workplace for digitizing volumes. This information was provided today to ČTK by the economic and operational deputy of the NK, Zdeněk Macoszek.
     Interested parties in this lucrative contract can submit their offers until June 6. "Both Czech and foreign companies that have experience with similar contracts may participate. Another criterion is positive financial results of the company in recent years and a minimum turnover of 400 million," Macoszek stated. The total value of the contract is 284 million crowns. It will be funded through grants from the state budget.
"We will build storage for at least 2.5 million books, primarily for the National Conservation Fund," Macoszek added. The new space will also house a workplace for processing collections, digitization (related to the establishment of the National Digital Library), and other services.
     The winner of the tender for the completion of the Hostivař storage facility should be known at the beginning of July. The final construction work is expected to be completed in the summer of 2012.
        The tender for the completion of the storage facility was initiated by the previous library director, Pavel Hazuka. However, the current library head, Tomáš Böhm, canceled it, as he deemed it overpriced. Böhm ultimately reduced the original total costs for the completion by more than 120 million crowns.
        Extensive changes will also take place in other buildings under the management of the NK, including the historic Clementinum. All construction modifications and renovations are divided into six phases, and the reconstruction of the buildings is expected to be completed within five years.