[PADG:1792] Flood damage in Czech Republic

["Lori Foley" <lfoley@xxxxxxxxx>]

This message is posted on behalf of Ann Russell, Executive Director of the
Northeast Document Conservation Center:

Here is an update on flood damage in the Czech Republic.

THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

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@xxxxxxxxxx The mail referring to other business matters with the
National Library of the Czech Republic should be addressed to:
NatLib-Prague@xxxxxxxxx  or  library@xxxxxxxxxx .

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