Domsa Károlyné, Fekete Gézáné, Kovács Mária (szerk.): Gondolatok a könyvtárban / Thoughts in the Library (A MTAK közleményei 30. Budapest, 1992)

KÖNYVTÁR ÉS HAGYOMÁNY – LIBRARY AND TRADITION

J. Zahradil by personal connections of the Society's functionaries and members abroad, their membership in foreign scientific institutions etc. In exchange new connections were linked up beside previous contacts. As for foreign periodicals, library stocks comprised of high quality complets and plenty of uniques. The number of items went beyond 60,000 in 1930 and 93,000 in 1939. Problems, limiting the use of the Library, were the unsuitable state of employees, (including their inadequate qualifications) and unsatisfactory location of the library as well. 1939 became a critical period for the library just like for the whole Czech nation. Systematic oppression by the fascist occupation affected both the Society and its Library. Not only interruption of the connections in exchange with foreign countries was the problem, but the Library even had to leave its location and remove its stocks to the cellars in a very short time. This caused - as it would become evident later on - great damages to library stocks. Book lending was stopped completely. Considering the aerial bombardments, the Library was moved out of Prague in 1944, and there it remained till the end of the war. The return transfer of publications to Prague wasn't finished before May 1949. At that period the Library's holdings consisted of about 100,000 items, which were, however - considering their unsuitable location - impossible to use. This situation lasted practically till 1952, when the Society Library stocks were placed under the administration of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, which was just created. The Society played an important role during the age of Enlightenment in Bohemia and it succeeded in gaining such a position for Czech science, that its representatives had to be recognized both within the monarchy and abroad. In contrast to the situation of scientific institutions abroad it fulfilled, however, only one task - it gathered outstanding scientists, without their own institutional basis who were represented by the academies in other countries, which supported research institutes or had some of their own. In addition, there was another problem, specific for the Hapsburg Monarchy and its relations to the Czechs. The Society was of a cosmopolitan character, which was quite correct surely, but on the other hand it couldn't create those "national" bases, that would have enforced interests of the Bohemia Kingdom even in science. The significance of all these points emerged at the mid 80s, when Bohemia became the most industrialized part of the Austrian Monarchy, reflected, naturally, in an increasing role of the Czech capital. These realities were projected into demands on science. In 1861 the world-known physiologist Jan Evangélista Purkyné published his proclamation about Czech science to be reborn on modem bases. He suggested to found an academy with institutes, laboratories and a common library. This idea 106 „ Thoughts in the library "