The director of the NK wants a new building as the third peak of the intended triangle

Prague – The new general director of the National Library, Tomáš Foltýn, envisions the future structure of the largest domestic library institution as a triangle. According to him, one vertex and an irreplaceable place of the spiritual center of the library will continue to be in the Clementinum. The second vertex of the triangle represents the depositories in Hostivař, which should gradually become a center for protection and long-term archiving. The third vertex should be the new National Library. He stated this in an interview with ČTK.

"The figurative tip of the triangle should, in the future, be the new building of the National Library, representing not only a symbolic level as a declaration of the need for education and information literacy but also a valuable urban-forming element in the form of quality architecture, which has long been lacking in Prague," said Foltýn, who has held the position since May 1. After more than 15 years, the National Library has again at its helm a leader dedicated to librarianship for a long time. He has worked at the National Library since 2007.

The idea of a new building for the National Library has accompanied many directors of the institution, although some have also deviated from it, and after the political rejection of the building proposed by Jan Kaplický, they advocated the expansion of the Hostivař depository as a key place for the storage of library collections. However, according to several of Foltýn's predecessors, practice has already shown that the daily transportation of a large number of books from the outskirts of Prague to the Clementinum in the center is complicated, delays services, and endangers library collections. Therefore, many experts have long been advocating for a new library building.

"The new building of the library is a strategic issue that will need to be addressed at the highest political level. During the handover of the general director's position, my predecessor Vít Richter and I spoke with Minister Lubomír Zaorálek (ČSSD) about the necessity of including the new building of the National Library in strategic documents," Foltýn stated. Among other things, the new library building is mentioned in the National Investment Plan and the Concept for the Development of Libraries for the years 2021 to 2027. Whether there can be a shift in the preparation of the project a few months before the elections is not clear.

According to Foltýn, the historic seat of the National Library in the Clementinum must preserve its genius loci. "It has undeniable significance for our history and simultaneously a natural attractiveness as one of the best-preserved Baroque complexes in Central Europe," the director stated. In the future, he wants to maintain specialized collections, manuscript collections, old prints, music department collections, or the Library Institute and rare collections of the Slavic Library in the Clementinum. He also wants to strengthen cooperation with universities and expand opportunities to provide space in the Clementinum for exhibitions or subject conferences.

The extensive Baroque complex in the center of Prague has been undergoing reconstruction for over ten years. Some phases of revitalization have also led to the end of Foltýn's predecessors in office. According to plans approved by the government, which allocates funds for repairs from the National Cultural Heritage Care Program, it should be completed in 2024. Foltýn has a six-year mandate; since 2004, his predecessors in the office have held the position for several months to four years.

The new director wants to take a gradual approach in his plans, first building the second part of the depository in Hostivař, where space will be created for storing collections that are currently located in the Clementinum. In Hostivař, space must also be created for the placement of workplaces that the final phase of the Clementinum reconstruction will affect. "Only then will the individual steps in the Clementinum follow. The course of construction work must be given a logical and chronological sequence, and an attempt must be made to minimize the possible impacts of reconstruction work on our services and users," the director stated, referring to his intention not to repeat the mistakes of his predecessors when reconstruction work took place simultaneously in both the Clementinum and Hostivař.