Since the establishment of the Education and Research Library of the Pilsen Region, the book stock has been built up on a universal base. From the very outset, preference was given to technical subjects: engineering, electronics, ceramics and beer brewing. Later the profile was supplemented by medicine and pedagogy. After the establishment of the University of West Bohemia and faculties of Law, Economics, Philosophy and Arts, and Applied Sciences, the requirements of lecturers and students at these faculties were also taken into account. There is also a historical tradition of systematically following and adding items concerning regional literature.

For a more detailed description of the profile of the book stock in terms of topic, region and types of item, see Stock of the Education and Research Library of the Pilsen Region.

At present the SVK PK obtains a selection of all types of items available on the domestic market:

Types of items

  • books – to the maximum possible extent original Czech works for adults (professional literature, university lecture notes, conference proceedings, secondary school textbooks, foreign language textbooks, literature of a polytechnic character, cartographical items and original Czech belles-lettres), selection of foreign monographs; updated regularly and retrospectively
  • serial publications – on the basis of a legal deposit, Czech periodicals to the maximum possible extent, supplemented regularly and retrospectively, selection of foreign periodicals
  • music sheets – Czech production to the maximum possible extent
  • gramophone records – recordings of classical and popular music, systematically updated to the end of 1996
  • CDs – selection mainly of language learning programmes, classical music, the spoken word and quality recordings of modern music according to the interests of users and Library for Blind
  • video cassettes – language learning programmes and regional topics only
  • audio cassettes – audio recordings of language courses, the spoken word and music up to the end of 2006
  • CD ROMs – multimedia encyclopaedia, bibliographical and full text databases, conference proceedings, computer programmes –  both separately and as a supplement to books and periodicals
  • DVDs – selective multimedia, full text, bibliographical a documentographical databases, learning programmes, computer programmes and films since 2004
  • Ex-libris – regional artists, regional publishers and regional content since 2004
  • microfilm – copies of periodicals from historical stock of the SVK PK, National Library of the CR and other libraries
  • microfiche – copies of foreign periodicals and bibliographical lists issued up to the end of 1991, Czech technical norms, ISO norms – complete collection, one copy of each up to the end of 2004
  • Czech patents – complete collection, one copy of each

Provenience

  • Czech Republic – to the maximum possible extent items for adults
  • Slovakia – selective encyclopaedias, professional literature, local history and cartographical items
  • Germany and Austria – selected encyclopaedias, professional literature and periodicals, life and institutions of German-speaking countries, educational materials for students and teachers of German, belles-lettres for use in teaching German
  • Great Britain and the USA – selected encyclopaedias, professional literature and periodicals, life and institutions of English-speaking countries, educational materials for teachers of English and belles-lettres in the original for use in language teaching
  • Russia – primarily literature obtained before 1989
  • France – selected encyclopaedias, life and institutions of French-speaking countries, manuals for teaching French, professional literature and belles-lettres
  • other countries – represented only peripherally

Stock of the English Library

  • reference library, encyclopaedias: The Cambridge Encyclopaedia, Encyclopaedia of Contemporary British Culture, The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language, The Britannica, etc.
  • learning materials for beginners and highly advanced students; for primary, secondary and language schools; and for adults focused on both general and professional English
  • preparatory materials for Cambridge examinations (including examinations in Business English, Legal English, English for Children and English for Studying and Staying Abroad IELTS)
  • methodological and linguistic materials for teachers
  • British Studies, information about Great Britain, both past and present.
  • CD-ROMs
  • audio books
  • belles-lettres
  • simplified readers, books for children and young people
  • dictionaries
  • periodicals

Stock of the German Library

  • reference library, encyclopaedias: Brockhaus, Duden, Wahrig, etc.
  • topical professional literature on cultural and social topics
  • DaF teaching materials
  • preparatory materials for the Goethe Institute examinations
  • methodology and linguistics materials for teachers
  • CD-ROMs and music CDs
  • belles-lettres in German
  • simplified readers, books for children and young people
  • weekly publications: Die Zeit, Der Spiegel, Stern
  • periodicals: Psychologie heute, Bild der Wissenschaft, Neon, Praxis Deutsch, Fremdsprache Deutsch, Frühes Deutsch, and others

Online loans

As a partner library of the Goethe Institute we offer the possibility of downloading digital media (audio-books, music, videos, e-books, e-magazines) for use on your own computer – download here.

Stock of the Austrian Library

  • professional literature (medicine, architecture, arts, linguistics, literary science, history, economics, biographies, politics, sociology, law), encyclopaedias
  • study materials for students and teachers
  • preparatory materials for ÖSD examinations
  • methodological and linguistic materials for teachers
  • textbooks for German as a foreign language
  • dictionaries
  • music and film CDs/DVDs
  • books for children and young people
  • belles-lettres
  • belles-lettres in spoken form
  • simplified readers
  • bilingual readers
  • newspapers: Die Presse (Monday – Saturday)
  • periodicals: Der Profil (weekly), News (weekly), Die Bühne (monthly)
  • periodicals which appear irregularly: Ö. Zeitschrift für Kunst und Denkmalpflege, Lichtungen, Celuloid, Europäische Rundschau, Literatur und Kritik, Zwischenwelt, Solidarität, Anzeiger, Die Rampe
  • guides to and maps of Austria
  • since 2007 Austrian Library stock has also included items focusing on the Principality of Liechtenstein

Stock of the Romance Library

  • professional literature on cultural and social issues in French and Spanish
  • teaching materials for beginners and highly advanced students, for language schools and adults, focusing on Spanish and French for both general and professional purposes
  • preparatory materials for the DELE Spanish examinations
  • methodological and linguistic materials for teachers
  • information on Spain and France, both historical and contemporary
  • belles-lettres
  • graded readers and CDs
  • books for children and young people
  • dictionaries

For download