The main building of the Pilsen library will undergo modernization for 250 million CZK

plzen

Plzeň - This year, Plzeň plans to start the reconstruction of the main building of the city library on Smetanova Street. The renovation, with total costs of up to a quarter of a billion crowns, aims to modernize the interiors and create spaces for community activities. Work is expected to begin in the autumn, at the earliest in September. The reconstruction will require restrictions in the main building, which houses the Central Library for Adults and the Central Library for Children and Youth, said Lenka Kotroušová, spokesperson for the institution established by the city, to ČTK.

The Plzeň City Library is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. At the end of the year before last, it had 28,541 registered readers and approximately half a million library units. In addition to the central library, it has nine other libraries with week-long operations in various districts, a dozen smaller branches, and a mobile book lending service - a bibliobus.

The repair is necessary, among other reasons, due to the poor technical condition of the building, where there is dampness and mold in the storerooms. The building has partially rotten roof beams and a damaged roof.

"The revitalization of the main building is planned as a comprehensive reconstruction of the interiors. The goal is to modernize the services and spaces of the library and to supplement the missing functions that the current arrangement does not allow," Kotroušová said. The facility will receive a modern layout solution, more meeting spaces for community activities, complete barrier-free access throughout the building, and modernization of the computer network and technology for contactless lending.

On the ground floor, where the adult library is located, the layout will change. An embedded gallery for new study and workspaces will be created, and the free selection for the public will be expanded. The layout will also change on the first floor in the children's library; a multifunctional hall, a clubroom, and a small rooftop terrace will be created in the unused spaces in the attic. In the basement, after drying and reconstruction, the storages will be expanded, which will be newly accessible for librarians directly from the adult library.

The money for the reconstruction is already included in this year's city budget. However, Kotroušová estimates that due to the extent of the repairs, the work will take at least two years. It will require the library to be closed to the public. The total costs are currently estimated at around 250 million CZK. "The city has allocated 191 million CZK in the budget, and up to 60 million has been promised to Plzeň from the ITI Plzeň agglomeration grant program," added Kotroušová.