National Library of Czech Republic
Czech Republic
Role in the project: Principal Contractor 

The National Library of the Czech Republic is very rich in rare documents related to the history of Europe and other countries of the world. Its collections contain, among others, ca. 9000 manuscripts, 3900 incunabula, and 150,000 old books printed prior to 1800. The history of the library dates back to the foundation of the Charles University in 1348. 

Czech and foreign manuscripts as well as rare old Czech, Latin, and German printed books are important sources of information for Europe and especially for its central part. Periodical holdings contain also rare German newspapers and the Slavonic Library rare émigré Russian and Ukrainian titles from the period between the two world wars.

The library is responsible for running two national digitization programmes concentrated on manuscripts and old printed books (Memoriae Mundi Series Bohemica - up to date ca. 300,000 pages digitised) and acid paper materials (Kramerius - ca. 400,000 pages filmed and digitized). The materials are accessible through the Digital Library. The above programmes concern also holdings of other Czech institutions.
For 2002, the library plans to digitise also ca. 300 historical maps and to continue the activities mentioned above.

NKP participation in VICODI will be based on already digitised materials and on the materials that will be chosen in late 2001 for digitisation. 
NKP is committed to create a platform of interrelated ideas from different works on the basis of horizontal linking of various phenomena from concrete manuscripts. The works would be presented mainly as commented images and also as text. 
The e-doc format for digitised manuscript will be redefined in XML by the end of 2001 and it will reflect the European MASTER bibliographic record and other well-established standards or recommendations incl. ICC profiling metadata for images.