NK will build a storage facility for 2.5 million books in Klementinum

Prague - The National Library (NK) plans to build an underground storage facility for 2.5 million books at Klementinum. Along with the completion of the depository in Hostivař, these capacities are likely to replace the previously planned construction of a new building.
    The project, which is part of the revitalization of Klementinum and also includes adjustments to the modern service hall, was presented today by the company Metroprojekt to the management of the National Library. Starting Monday, the proposal will also be available in the internet database of construction proposals for assessing their environmental impact.
    "The proposal that appeared in the media, which counted on boring a large hole into Platnéřská Street, was completely rejected," said NK spokesperson Barbora Stýblová today to ČTK. According to her, the proposal with which the library management agrees is acceptable even for preservationists. The largest intervention into the historical complex should be the construction of an underground storage facility for 2.5 million books beneath the economic courtyard.
    The construction of underground depositories in Klementinum had already been considered earlier, but it was abandoned after the floods in 2002. Two years later, Vlastimil Ježek came to the NK and began advocating for the construction of a new building. "The planned book storage is not within the reach of a thousand-year flood," the spokesperson assured.
    Water should serve the library in these areas by being used for the air conditioning system. "Similarly, architect Zítek utilized Vltava water during the construction of the National Theatre, where the water supplies the cooling system," she reminded. Klementinum is also located near the river, and the air conditioning system's pipes should carry water that is two degrees cooler than the water leaving the building.
    The library has long planned the reconstruction and revitalization of Klementinum, but primarily wanted to combine it with the construction of a new building that was meant to address capacity issues. The project for the new building is currently dead for political reasons, and the library is now focusing on building other spatial capacities.
    The depository in Hostivař is expanding primarily to provide more space for the digitization of documents, which is related to the NK's obligations to the European Digital Library. However, Hostivař does not address services that must be accessible to the public—as is the case in Klementinum and as the NK had planned for the new building in Letná. The library collections that are most frequently borrowed must be available in the main library building.