Scarcely had we got used to the digit two in the numeral indicating the year when the tragic events right in the first year of the new century strengthened our opinion that only symbolism, even if as much eloquent as could be that of the turn of millennium, cannot change in any way the age-old human proclivities. There is nothing but education, up bringing, work, cultural experience, open communication and access to information, which are able to cultivate humankind.

Nothing has been changed among the tasks of libraries, which – I dare say – contribute to this cultivation in significant, practical, efficient, and useful way. Neither has been changed any of the tasks of the National Library of the Czech Republic. Despite all obstacles put in the National Library’s way, it successfully continued developing many important fields. To a large extent, it managed that thanks to supports obtained from governmental programmes or those awarded from grants, as current budget sources were lacking at many a place. Library users, both coming as readers and getting in contact from remote locations, or in broader sense all those, whom the results of the library work are addressed to, met again with a wider offer of information sources, data and services of higher quality. However, this only points to a part of all the Library’s activities. Results of the others will become evident only gradually in future months and years. It is not possible to enumerate here all that has been done in our Library. For facts and details, I would like to refer you to the pages of this report, which, as I hope, is clear, sufficient and interesting as well.

The previous year was very important for the National Library since, in certain sense, such essential topics as that of its mission or its further development were dealt with. On the one hand, a newly accepted law on libraries unambiguously defines the position of the National Library as a centre of the system of public libraries; based on the law, new Statutes of the institution were worked out, in which the mission, functions, and tasks of the library in the contemporary context are specified in a more explicit, topical and detailed way. On the other hand, the government adopted in its resolution the idea of reconstruction of the Klementinum and further National Library’s development, and sought the submission of an investment programme.

If it were not for diligent work of all the colleagues in the National Library, their exceptional summoning up of all the strength, and dedicated efforts of many of them, we could not speak today about successfully achieved results. On the other hand, many donors and sponsors helped us again, as in previous years, to accomplish our tasks. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of them.