The Czech Republic is the country with the most libraries per capita in the world. This was caused by the Library Law of 1919, which ordered each municipality to establish a library.

Today almost every small village still has a library. Unfortunately, they are losing their significance nowadays. This means that the Czech Republic has about 6,000 libraries, which is one library for 1,600 people. Due to the low number of visitors, about 500 there have been closed in the last 20 years.

In addition to low attendance and insufficient space, libraries suffer from outdated book collections and lack of finances. Most libraries are not solitary buildings but part of another village function. School libraries, for example, are the real major competitors of municipal libraries. Our task was to explore this topic, to form an opinion on it, on the basis of which we developed a project.

In the beginning, we addressed a number of municipalities by e-mail, from which municipalities that had the will to be our ”partners” gradually became more refined and were motivated to change the improvement of their libraries. These villages are: Pozořice, Tvarožná and Sivice. This constellation of libraries has ad- vantage because of their geographical proximity, and at the same time, all municipalities are part of the same LAG - Local Action Group called Slavkov Battlefield. All three municipalities are also part of the Roketnice Microregion. We use partnerships of municipalities in existing structures for cooperation between libraries and for obtaining subsidies at the regional, state, and European levels.

We went to the libraries to verify the hypotheses we had right on the spot. At the same time, during the conversation, we received valuable suggestions from librarians and community leaders.

Before designing, we set out a conceptual strategy in which each library design/reorganization will fit. We took into account that each library has different spatial possibilities and, therefore, must be tailor-made. We have written the ”ten commandments” that each library should include on its premises:

In the projects, we try to improve library at- tendance, which is conditioned by new, better-designed spaces and a new program. However, the change depends on the willingness of the municipality, but problems of municipal public libraries are usually solved in the last place. Therefore, we create a financial and marketing strategy, whereas as a group of architects/researchers, we propose to municipalities not only the redesign of library premises but also the entire process of cooperation, including obtaining subsidies. We present our group and strategy on information websites and gradually verify and supplement our hypotheses.

The designs of these libraries are united by common symbols. The first symbol is the material ”paper-concrete” or ”book-concrete.” The main impulse for the creation of this material was the hypothesis that libraries have a number of books that have not been read for more than ten years and are untouched. The on-site visit confirmed that this is a real ”spatial problem.” Such books create 30-50% of the entire collection. It turned out that libraries were willing to discard these books but not throw them away. Here's the stumbling stone - what about books like that? By working with ”book - concrete,” we consider the use of this material as a monument of ”unreadiness,” and the perpetuation of unread books in the furniture is serving the exteriors of libraries. The form is used in walking areas or benches of public spaces.

After the space is freed up, it is possible to embark on another common agenda, and that is the transformation of the ”book warehouse” into a community space. In addition to reading books, free space can be used for discussions, lectures, group meetings, etc. The library thus becomes a platform for connecting local citizens.

The last common theme of libraries is accessibility, which we address through changes in the main entrances to libraries, ramps, exits, and barrier-free connections to public areas.