The Municipal Library in Prague cooperates with the University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings of Czech Technical University on the transformation of part of the interior of the Central Library on Mariánské náměstí. In it, she will try new services with which she has no direct experience yet, in order to clarify her future functioning before making a permanent change.
The project began with an investigation, during which social scientists from the Participatory Planning and Design team of CTU UCEEB, in cooperation with library users and its staff, selected essential topics that can subsequently be supplemented in the evaluation phase that will occur after the modifications are completed. Based on the results of a participatory investigation, the library, together with Eliška Pomyjová from the Sustainable Construction team of CTU UCEEB, created a design for a space in which it will be possible to practically test all new ways of using it before final adjustments are made.
Specifically, this is the area of the scientific literature hall adjacent to Žatecká street, which was equipped as a classic library study hall with rows of tables with fixed places for studying during the reconstruction of the Central Library in the mid-1990s. However, this concept no longer meets the current requirements of library users and librarians.
The project will be implemented in the spring of 2021. It will be followed by pilot operation with evaluation. The total costs for its implementation will reach approximately 350,000 crowns. The event is financed from the budget of the Municipal Library in Prague (a contribution organization of the Capital City of Prague), specifically from the part intended for the innovation of the library premises for community, educational and residence services.