Editorial 2025/2
Dear readers,
We are pleased to present our winter issue of Knihovna: knihovnická revue, which, as always, offers a wide variety of content. The articles cover a range of different fields, yet two are related to the topic of artificial intelligence (AI), two focus on historical themes, and one explores historical themes in relation to the present.
The first article describes the legal challenges and new obligations that artificial intelligence (AI) brings to digital libraries in both the Czech and European legal environments. The authors emphasize the principle of equal access to information, which is key to fulfilling the public service mission of libraries. The text analyses the legal implications of the main activities of digital libraries, such as digitization, online access (including electronic lending and the regime for works unavailable on the market—DNNT), and text and data mining (TDM). It also addresses the key mechanisms that form the essential foundation for digitization activities (such as the statutory license for the preservation of cultural heritage, which allows collection institutions to produce archival and preservation copies of works in their holdings). The article highlights potential difficulties that may arise from the application of the research license to works not available on the market (DNNT). In the context of the European AI Act, it analyses the impact of other artificial intelligence tools used to support scientific research (e.g., machine translation, interactive Q&A systems, or automatic summarization), as well as the legal conditions for their use. It also highlights new transparency obligations for libraries. In conclusion, the article offers strategic recommendations for the legal and ethical use of AI, with an emphasis on open solutions, data protection, and user education.
In the second study, the author introduces previously unknown aspects of 19th-century musical life in Teplice. She presents the lives and work of Josef Groh the Elder and Josef Groh the Younger, father and son, who served as choir directors at the Dean's Church of St. John the Baptist in Teplice. Drawing on available archival and other sources, she describes their life stories—often far from easy—and their paths toward music, performance, and composition. Based on a careful study of contemporary sources, she offers a new perspective on the musical scene of the time and, for the first time ever, provides a comprehensive account of the compositional legacy of both figures, whose significance extends beyond the borders of the region.
We open the non-peer-reviewed section with a summary of the now traditional nationwide survey, conducted every five years, which focuses on the salary, age, and educational structure of library staff. Each survey places special emphasis on selected areas—this time, language skills, the use of artificial intelligence in library work, and the system of human resources documentation. The survey also compares public and specialized libraries.
We continue with an article presenting a book donation received in 2022 by the National Library of the Czech Republic from the Regional Museum for Vysoké nad Jizerou. The author focuses on describing more than a hundred early printed books acquired by the Manuscripts and Early Printed Books Department at the National Library of the Czech Republic. The article also includes a brief introduction to the museum in Vysoké nad Jizerou and its role in creating and preserving this significant donation. The author then examines the content and authorship of the donated collection and conducts a provenance analysis of the items.
Another contribution describes one of the key moments in both Czechoslovak and global librarianship. In 1926, an international library congress was held in Prague. This gathering was important not only for Czechoslovak librarianship but also for international library cooperation. Leading figures in librarianship from around the world gathered in Prague for this occasion, and a rich accompanying programme was prepared. Following the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia, Prague became a centre of the post-war boom in libraries and library thought. It was here that the idea of founding the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) was conceived; the federation was established a year later in Edinburgh. Czechoslovakia was represented at its founding by Zdeněk Václav Tobolka, one of the first members of the IFLA committee. One of the chapters in this article is also dedicated to him.
This review focuses on two publications united by the common theme of the teaching librarian: Developing the Competencies of the Teaching Librarian and The Teaching Librarian.
The issue once again concludes with Recommended Reading from the Library and Information Science Literature Library and New Library Science Publications from Abroad sections. This time, the latter features abstracts of several French articles on topics related to making digital audiovisual documents accessible in libraries: films, documentaries, and video games. One of the articles addresses the training of librarians in the field of cinematography and audiovisual media. Of particular interest is the information on the French academic audiovisual platform for science and research, Canal-U, an important resource for institutions seeking to disseminate and share reliable, high-quality audiovisual content. The platform is supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, and the content is available completely free of charge. Several articles present interesting collections and libraries: the audiovisual and multimedia collections at the Museum of Aviation and Space, and the Audiovisual Media Department of the National Library of France (BnF). Others bring news regarding the legal deposit of films and video works at the BnF. The section also includes an overview of developments in this field in France from the 1970s to the present day.
On behalf of the editorial team, I wish you a successfull end to the year and good health and happiness in the year to come.
Renáta Krejčí Salátová
