[Fwd: Message from the National Library of the Czech Republic]

[Klaus Graf <graf _at__ uni-koblenz.de>]

sophie.felfoldi _at__ ifla.nl wrote:
> 
> Libraries, museums, and archives of the Czech Republic suffered from floods that struck a large part of the country in August 2002, and Prague in particular. There was a great need of vacuum sublimation chambers for freeze drying. Condensation and heat drying equipments. The National Library of the Czech Republic appealed 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 the country.
> 
> Message from the National Library of the Czech Republic
> 
> Dear colleagues,
> 
> Let me express my great thanks for your help provided not only to the National Library of the Czech Republic, but also to many other Czech institutions struck by floods. Many individuals, libraries and even institutions that are not professionally related to libraries showed their solidarity and helped in reaction to the calamitous events in the Czech Republic.
> 
> The National Library of the Czech Republic, which suffered losses in the amount of CZK 22 million - mainly on its technical equipment, tries to heal its wounds without interrupting its standard work. Besides others, a new technical department was established, which has a time-long task - to unfreeze and dry hundreds of thousands of damaged documents kept in deep-freezing plants at the moment. Liquidation of material as well as morale damages will take for a long time yet.
> 
> However, we work with a good feeling that we were not left alone in the disaster.
> 
> Yours sincerely,
> Vojtech Balík
> Director,
> National Library of the Czech Republic
> 
> E-mail: vojtech.balik _at__ nkp.cz
> 
> Prague, 10th January 2003.