Library history

The public library in Třinec was founded in 1883. At that time, a lot of cultural institutions were established.

Unfortunately, no information was acquired from the period of the First Republic, but from later dated documents, we assume that the library functioned.

After the liberation in 1945, the library was reopened, thanks to a few loyal citizens who managed to preserve over 2000 documents. In 1947, the library was first situated in the basement of the Masaryk school and was later moved to the former youth clubhouse – house no. 500 on 1. máje street. During that period, the library was administered by the school teacher Erich Němčík. In 1952 the library had 4,700 titles and 13,909 loans.

After the construction of the Třinecké Železárny cultural building in 1970 (now the Trisia building), the library was situated there and began to fill the role of a central library. In this building, there was a children´s section, an adult section and later a study room.

In 1992, computers began to be implemented in the library. At first, it was the library system software SmartLib and from 1994, the library purchased the library system software LANius. In 1997, the automated borrowing system was launched. Currently, the library is fully automated and still uses the library system software LANius and its windows version Clavius.

In the beginning of 1998, the library was connected to the internet, but only by a secondary line and provided this service to the public.

The library began to struggle more and more with the lack of room and aspired for new space. In September 1998, the library moved to a newly reconstructed building on Lidická street, which was formerly a kindergarten. On the first floor, an independent children´s section was created, with unconventional furniture, computers for children and a fairytale room, where activities and exhibitions for children take place. The adult section, study room, depository and offices were situated on the ground floor.

Unfortunately, the conditions in the adult section and the study room no longer fill the requirements of a modern library. There is no reading room, places for study or quiet zones. 70% of the library books have to be in storerooms, because there is not enough room in the open adult section. Furthermore, the technical state of the building is in a catastrophic state and the library administration is again striving for its reconstruction.