The Oriental Institute Library

Mission

The core mission of Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences Library is to provide information, facilitate knowledge-sharing and preserve historical resources about the history, cultures, religious systems and languages of the countries of Asia and North Africa which in today’s orientalist disciplines, focus on contemporary Asian societies and the roots of their historical development. We connect the community of researchers to the vast collection curated to advance scientific information and research in the field of Oriental studies which is the main purpose of the Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Vision

A knowledge institution that serves as a dynamic partner in creating, expanding and preserving world knowledge and intellectual exploration.

About the Library

The library, officially inaugurated in May 1931, is and has always been a very significant component of the Oriental Institute. On the 30th June 1931 the Research Section of the Library contained only 289 cataloged works, consisting of 459 volumes. In 1937 this figure had already risen to 4,161 works in 6,573 volumes. By the end of WWII the library stock had reached ten thousand items and was still increasing so that by the late 1960s it consisted of more than 140,000 volumes. At the same time, the library was receiving more than 600 Orientalist periodicals from almost 80 countries. Today, with almost 300,000 volumes (including periodicals and manuscripts), the Oriental Institute’s library, which is open both to researchers and the general public, is one of the largest libraries within the Academy of Sciences. The general library collections include mainly publications on the histories, literature, languages, religions, and cultures of the countries of Asia and Africa. Moreover, its depositories also hold rare collections of ostraca, hieroglyphic prints, papyri, Old Egyptian flint instruments and many Persian, Turkish, and Arab manuscripts.

The library, officially inaugurated in May 1931, is and has always been a very significant component of the Oriental Institute. On the 30th June 1931 the Research Section of the Library contained only 289 catalogued works, consisting of 459 volumes. In 1937 this figure had already risen to 4,161 works in 6,573 volumes. By the end of WWII the library stock had reached ten thousand items and was still increasing so that by the late 1960s it consisted of more than 140,000 volumes. At the same time, the library was receiving more than 600 Orientalist periodicals from almost 80 countries. Today, with almost 270,000 volumes (including periodicals and manuscripts), the Oriental Institute’s library, which is open both to researchers and the general public, is one of the largest libraries within the Academy of Sciences. The general library collections include mainly publications on the histories, literature, languages, religions, and cultures of the countries of Asia and Africa. Moreover, its depositories also hold rare collections of ostraca, hieroglyphic prints, papyri, Old Egyptian flint instruments and many Persian, Turkish, and Arab manuscripts.

The Oriental Institute Library

About the Library

General Library

Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies

Lu Xun Library

Korean Library

John King Fairbank Library

Tibetan Collection