Location
Viničná 7, the
1st floor
Library Hours
8:30 to 17:00
(on Mondays and Thursdays)
8:30 to 18:00
(on Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
8:30 to 15:00
(on Fridays)
For operating
hours outside school terms, i.e. from July to September, check directly in the
Library.
Contact us
Phone:
+420 221 951 607
E-mail: knihbio@natur.cuni.cz
The Biological
Library is the largest unit of the Library of Biological Sciences with
approximately 125,000 items representing the majority of biological disciplines.
It is located on the 1st floor of Viničná 7 building, directly
opposite the main staircase. The Main Area of the library is organized as an
open-access room with gallery; part of the library book collection together
with the recent issues of scientific journals are on display here. Course materials
are shelved behind the main desk. Besides 30 seats in the Main Area, the library visitors can also use the Student Study/Rest Area and the Computer Gallery
with an internet access and a laser printer (under the administration of the Centre
for Information Technologies). A wireless access for personal notebooks is also
available throughout the Library. This area further includes the Staff Work Room.
Dissertations
and other theses, as well as older monographs (including historical collections
and rare prints), bound journal volumes (in some cases represented by
continuous series beginning in the 19th century), and collections of
printed or photocopied articles are stored in the Depository located on the
second basement of Viničná 7 building. Readers that wish to consult these types
of library documents must do so by request at the main desk (be prepared to
wait as it takes some time to deliver the requested document, or make your
request in advance either personally, by phone or by e-mail). Journals, the dissertations
and other theses cannot be borrowed outside the library and are for library
room use only.
The Biological
Library combines the original collections of the Library of Plant Physiology,
Genetics and Microbiology (ABD045) and the Zoological Library (ABD046). The
open-access collection is organized by subject with easily enough orientation
based on color tags directly visible on books; the items marked by an
additional tag with red point in the yellow field are for library room use
only. The collection contains material in the fields of general biology and
supporting life sciences, genetics, molecular and cell biology, biochemistry,
enzymology, immunology, microbiology and virology, parasitology, histology and
microscopic anatomy, plant and animal morphology, anatomy and physiology,
developmental biology and embryology, botanical and zoological techniques,
evolution biology, etology and zoopsychology, ecology, hydrobiology,
zoogeography, fauna of the world and animal taxonomy.
A significant
part of the Biological Library collection is comprized of historical books (i.e.
documents published not later than 1860) including some rare prints (i.e.
documents published between 1501 and 1800). These items originate mainly from
library collections of the Zoological Department (founded in 1882) and the
Department of Plant Anatomy and Physiology (founded in 1899) of the Czech
Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague, and the Second Zoological Department
(founded in 1925) of the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague.
Furthermore, some important Czech scientists also donated their private book
and journal collections to the Faculty, e.g. Professor František Vejdovský
(1849-1939) and Professor Alois Mrázek (1868-1923), Heads of the Zoological
Department, or Professor Bohumil Němec (1873-1966), Head of the Department of
Plant Anatomy and Physiology. At present, the historical collection is utilized
mainly by scientists working in the field of zoology and animal taxonomy. The
documents belonging to this collection are subject to specific loan rules.
Recently, the
Biological Library underwent several major reconstructions and reorganisations.
In 2005, the Student Study/Rest Area was equipped with new furniture and the
Computer Gallery with an internet access was erected here. Two years later, the
area in the second basement of Viničná 7 building was completely rebuilt and
converted into the Library Depositary with automatic-carriage bookshelves. In
2009, the major reconstruction of the Biological Library was realized, during
which the original room of the Zoological Library on the 1st floor
of the building (at that time no longer suitable for the purpose of a modern
library service) was re-shaped into the open-access Main Area that can be seen
today. At the same time, the 1st stage in the amalgamation of the
previous Library of Plant Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology (originally
housed at Viničná 5 building) and the Zoological Library collections took
place; this was accompanied by the thorough audit of their contents, the
elimination of out-of-date and otherwise unsuitable items and the global
reorganisation of the joint collection.
The Student
Study/Rest Area of the Biological Library houses also a photocopier which can
be used for copying the documents from library collection (or other study
materials) under general copyright laws. The copier is operated by specific staff provided by the Section
of Biology (not by librarians !) and the copy service is available on workdays
from 9:00 AM till the Library closing hours. The price of one single-sided /
double-sided black-and-white copy is 2,- / 3,- Kč, resp. 3,- / 6,- Kč for A4 and A3 formats, respectively.