minstrel: FW: Flood damage in Czech libraries/archives (fwd)

[Patricia Yarrow]

Following are two messages regarding the collections in Prague for those who
are interested.  Please pardon the cross posting if you receive this message
twice.

Patricia Vivien Yarrow

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Zoja Seyckova <zoja at MARTINU.CZ>

Dear all,
More than 50 libraries were damaged, it includes 9 special libraries, more
than 660,000 books were damaged or destroyed..

Large and important libraries in Prague have been flooded:

1. CZECH MUSEUM OF MUSIC:

A great deal of precious musical collections (musical instruments,
libretti, books, musical manuscripts), which have been for years preserved
in the Czech Museum of Music in Prague, at the Lesser Side, Part Kampa,
were damaged because of the great flood in the last 14 days. The financial
support can ve sent on the following "flood conto" (directly for the Music
Historical Department of the Czech Museum of Music):

Komercni banka - pobocka Praha  1
account number: 123-6331-011/0100, var. symbol 914 100

2.This is the message from NATIONAL LIBRARY:

The National Library of the Czech Republic would like to inform the public
that due to liquidation of damages caused by flood, it is not able to
perform its regular functions. At present, we have not yet re-established
the electrical power supply, our computer network is out of work, and we
have problems with distribution of correspondence. We manage to put in
operation the most part of our telephone extensions.
Telephone: 02/21663111 (Operator), 02/21663262 (Director's Office).
We make every effort to rehabilitate our library work in the near future.

Thank you for your understanding.

The National Library of the CR
August 21, 2002

3. MUNICIPAL LIBRARY:
The Municipal Library of Prague (MLP) has been in the past few days
experiencing perhaps the hardest trial in its history. Devastating flood
that has struck Prague has not spared the Library.

The MLP Central Library and headquarters, located in Marianske Namesti
(Marianske Square) in the heart of the Old Town - only some two hundred
meters from the Vltava - has not escaped the destructive force of high
water. Even though we were well prepared and followed both the emergency
measures and instructions of authorities, one and a half of basement
stories were under water, when the flood reached its peak. A large theater
and film hall turned into a five-meter-deep pool, full of dirty sewage
water. The hall has been most likely destroyed, and we will have to
reconstruct it completely before the MLP is able to resume its cultural
and educational programs. A small hall and a training room have been
ruined in the same way. In the lobby the water reached almost one meter
high. We found even dead fish while pumping water out of the basement
floors. God knows how they got there* At present it is impossible to
calculate the exact amount of money needed for reconstruction of the
damaged premises (it would be something about USD 500.000 only in this
building) or to say how long the reconstruction will last. However, it can
be said with certainty that the absolute majority of cultural and
educational programs scheduled for this year will not take place here. We
will do our best to find out other venues where at least some of them can
take the place. We do not dare predict what will the situation look like
in the next year.

The branch library of the MLP network in Holesovice district, in Ortenovo
Square has also been damaged. There, we and with us the entire cultural
public have suffered the most severe loss. This particular library held in
addition to the regular book collections also a 20.000-volume collection
of rare books - a very carefully selected one percent share of the entire
collections of the MLP. On Tuesday afternoon (August 13) we were still
being assured that this locality is outside the flood zone. So, the
valuable books dating back to the past five centuries spent a few days
three meters under the surface of the muddy river water.

The account for payments abroad for Municipal Library (there is very large
musical department!!!):
2000280080/6000; S. W. I. F. T. PMBP CZPP


RUDOLFINUM, a well-known concert place in Prague, is without electrical
power, some concerts are cancelled, most of are in alternative places or
postponed.

Many people cannot return to their houses and flats...

If you want more information, please write me.


Zoja Seyckova
information specialist and librarian

-------------------------------------------
Zoja Seyckova, M.A.
Bohuslav Martinu Institute
Namesti Kinskych 3
150 00 Prague 5 - Smichov
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 2 57 32 00 76, +420 2 57 31 31 04
Fax: +420 2 57 32 37 61
http://www.martinu.cz/
-------------------------------------------
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Magda Bouwens <Magda.Bouwens at ifla.nl>

PLEASE HELP THE CZECH LIBRARIES

The collections of the National Library of the Czech Republic, based in
the Clementinum in the capital city of Prague, have in no way suffered
from floods that recently struck a large part of the country, and Prague
in particular. However, the basement of the baroque Clementinum building
with the library vital technological facilities, such as electrical
transformer and central heating unit, was inundated. Consequently, the LAN
(local area communication network) and telephone system have been put out
of order.

The National Library will probably not be able to operate for several
weeks. Neither will it be able to provide services to its readers, nor the
access to its databases. And it will also be impossible for the Library to
comply with its obligations concerning the international library services.

The Library makes every effort to establish a provisional electricity
supply, since the renewal of the permanent one may take several months.
Another task of the top priority is the sanitation of the basement and
adjacent ground-floor level in the Clementinum. The library staff based
there will not be able to communicate from their offices through regular
extensions for several days, at least. The staff will be accessible
through their cellular phone devices.

A crisis library management has been established right on the site in the
inner city. Besides that, a consultancy and support centre has been
established for other libraries and cultural institutions in the Czech
Republic, whose collections were inundated by floods. Even in this moment
it is evident, that about one million volumes from various library
collections, among them several incunables, early prints and printed books
up to the 1800, and some rare collections have been damaged. Losses of
archives and museums are even heavier. Libraries, museums, and archives in
the country are in a great need of vacuum sublimation chambers for freeze
drying. Condensation and heat drying equipment is lacking, too.

The National Library of the Czech Republic appeals to libraries and other
memory institutions abroad to help to remedy the damages caused by the
floods, the extent of which had not been recorded in the history of our
country.

Instead of common e-mail addresses of the National Library, several
temporary ones have been set up. Please, send all the mail concerning the
help to damaged collections in the Czech libraries to the e-mail:
cdh.nkp1 at sendme.cz. The mail referring to other business matters with the
National Library of the Czech Republic should be addressed to:
NatLib-Prague at seznam.cz or library at tiscali.cz .

Prague, 20th August 2002.
Vojtech Balik
Director,
National Library of the Czech Republic