ISBN:
9788086889559
Language:
English
Pages:
79 Seiten
,
zahlr. Ill.
Year of publication:
2007
Keywords:
Bibliothek
;
Museum
;
Prag
Abstract:
"Hope is on the next page. Don't close the book. I've turned every page and have not met hope. The book may be the hope." Edmond Jabés: From the Book to the Book The book has always played an important role in the life of Jews. Private libraries that emerged in the ghettoes formed the basis for the first public Jewish libraries in eighteenth century Italy and later in German speaking countries. Among the first of these was the Library of the Prague Jewish Religious Community. The decision to found a communal library was taken on the basis of a resolution of January 1858. It took another 16 years before the library opened on April 20, 1874. The first Chief Librarian was Nathan Grün. After his death he was succeeded by Isidor Pollak, who in turn was replaced by Tobias Jakobovits who had started at the library as assistant librarian in 1912. The main problem facing the library was the lack of storage space for its book collection. It was not until the rebuilding of the Jewish town hall that the Jewish community acquired suitable space. The library reopened on March 31, 1935 for the launch of an exhibition of the work of Maimonides in the community̷s collection. At the time the library had 25,000 volumes, which were included in three groups: I. Hebraica, comprising works written in Hebrew, II. Judaica, consisting of Jewish, theological and philosophical works in languages other than Hebrew and III. Periodicals, including yearbooks, calendars and rare magazine issues. This collection did not remain in Prague after the Second World War; it was confiscated by the Nazis and later transferred to the Golden Crown Monastery in southern Bohemia. In 1946 it was returned to the Jewish Museum in Prague, where it remains to this day as the historic core of the book collection. Of the original collection, about 15,000 books, brochures and periodicals have been preserved. (...) Important changes also took place in the library, which became an independent department. In 2001 the JMP's administrative building relocated to the new premises in the street U Staré školy, where new depositories were built for the library. For the first time in the museum̷s history, its book collections were clearly arranged and fully accessible. A public study room with a reference library and an air-conditioned research area for the study of rare printed books was opened. There is also a reference centre with a basic reference library, which is intended mainly for the general public. Overall, the library contains about 135,000 volumes. In 1997, the library began placing its records into the Aleph system, which includes books, journals and articles and is also available online. The original card loan mechanism was completely replaced by an electronic one, making it possible to gain a precise and prompt overview of the loans. Apart from domestic and foreign acquisitions (about 1,500 books annually), the library also provides access to electronic databases. Also available to library users are the Inter-Library Loan Service, copy services, literature searches and specialist consultations. The Library of the Jewish Museum in Prague is a modern institution which successfully fulfils the role of a traditional library, while being open to the many new developments taking place in the field of librarianship and information technology - all in an attempt to live up to the ideal of a library as a place where the tradition, wisdom and knowledge of past generations is encountered in a lively dialogue with the readers and researchers of the present day.
URL:
http://www.jewishmuseum.cz/en/aexhibition.htm
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