The ICL Library holdings are comprised of several individual collections:
One of the ICL’s principal aims since its founding, the Czech Studies Library is now made up of more than 100,000 volumes. The collection includes both periodicals (approximately 1300 titles, of which the Library currently holds 150 subscriptions) and books, related to Czech literature broadly defined, as well as related fields.
We strive to collect important editions of works of fiction by Czech authors, aiming above all at first editions, but also collected, selected, and critically prepared volumes where these works have been re-published, and other major relevant publications (critical editions, companion volumes, etc.).
With regard to professional scholarly literature, the Czech Studies Library aims to include all publications on Czech literary history and theory, overlapping with a number of related fields (art history, philosophy, history, linguistics, etc.).
Attention is also paid to various small and rare prints, bibliophile, and large format editions. In more limited fashion, the Czech Studies Library also collects world fiction, primarily with respect to collected writings of representative authors.
The entire collection is restocked on an ongoing basis, and is now 100% electronically catalogued.
Comprised of approximately 12,000 volumes, this collection was acquired by the ICL in the early 1950s with the gradual closure of the Umělecká beseda.
The Umělecká beseda Library focuses primarily on Czech and world fiction, as well as professional scholarly literature in related fields, covering literary production from the second half of the 19th through the beginning of the 20th century.
The entire collection is now 100% electronically catalogued.
This collection of approximately 12,000 volumes was acquired by the ICL in 1992 with the closure of the Department of Czech Theatre Studies along with its parent institute, the ÚČSL ČSAV.
The collection covers domestic and foreign theatre productions, especially from the second half of the 20th century, as well as some older works. It is comprised of play scripts, theatre magazines, and secondary literature.
A scanned card catalogue is currently available while the collection is prepared for retro-cataloguisation.
This collection of approximately 40,000 volumes was acquired by the ICL in 1992 with the closure of the Department of Western Literatures along with its parent institute, the ÚČSL ČSAV.
The collection focuses mainly on fiction and professional scholarly works in the fields of Romance, Germanic, and Anglo-Saxon literature, including Czech-German literature.
It is available through an electronic catalogue.
The Old Czech Collection is comprised of microfilms and facsimiles of major literary works in Czech, Latin, and German from the 13th–17th century. These copies – more than 163,000 microfilms and 155,000 facsimiles of manuscripts and prints from Czech and foreign libraries, archives and museums – were collected from 1941 to 1993, and include complete works that have been lost or are difficult to access (works by Jan Hus and J. A. Komenský, for instance).
— Old Czech Photo Archive Collection – History, Current Status, and Significance (Vendula Rejzlová-Zajíčková; in Czech Literature 1/2014; Czech version)
A scanned card catalogue is currently available.
This collection of approximately 18,000 volumes was acquired by the ICL from the reference libraries of the Brno branch of the Institute.
It focuses on Czech fiction of the 20th century and original contemporary literature, as well as works of literary theory and literary science.
It is available through an electronic catalogue.
Holdings at the ICL’s Prague and Brno Libraries are being expanded, thanks in part to kind donations by individuals from the professional scholarly community and public.
We are grateful for the donation of important parts of the personal libraries by the following colleagues:
