Library of Palacký University in Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic

The Library of Palacký University in Olomouc, Moravia, Czech Republic is an academic library serving students, faculty, and the general public. The majority of the collection of almost 500,000 volumes, consisting of monographs, magazines, theses, electronic books and databases, is literature and fiction. The library has over 26,000 registered readers.

Moravia is a traditional region in central Europe that was the centre of a medieval kingdom known as Great Moravia, before it was made part of the kingdom of Bohemia in the 11th century. In the 20th century Moravia joined the modern nation of Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic.

The Thammasat University Library owns many books about the Czech Republic, its history and culture.

Palacký University Olomouc is the oldest university in Moravia and the second-oldest in the Czech Republic. It was founded in the 1500s. At first it only taught theology, but soon philosophy, law and medicine were also made subjects of instruction.

Palacký University Olomouc is named in honor of František Palacký, a Moravian historian and politician from the 1800s. František Palacký was known as Father of the Nation because of his work to promote the Czech nation.

Olomouc is a city located in the east of the Czech Republic. It has a population of about 100,000, of which about one fourth are university students.

Among distinguished graduates of Palacký University Olomouc is the scientist Gregor Mendel, who graduated at a time when it was still known as the University of Olomouc. The TU Library owns a book about Gregor Mendel, who is recognized as the founder of the modern science of genetics. As David P. Clark wrote in Molecular Biology (2010), a book which is in the TU Library collection,

The birth of modern genetics was due to the discoveries of Gregor Mendel (1823–1884), an Augustinian monk who taught natural science to high school students in the town of Brno in Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic). Mendel’s greatest insight was to focus on discrete, clear-cut characters rather than measuring continuously variable properties, such as height or weight. Mendel used pea plants and studied characteristics such as whether the seeds were smooth or wrinkled, whether the flowers were red or white, and whether the pods were yellow or green, etc. When asked if any particular individual inherited these characteristics from its parents, Mendel could respond with a simple “yes” or “no,” rather than “maybe” or “partly.” Such clear-cut, discrete characteristics are known as Mendelian characters.

Another distinguished alumnus and member of the faculty was Karel Slavíček, an early example of a Czech scientist who worked on exchange of knowledge and expertise with Asia. Professor Slavíček was a Jesuit missionary and scientist born in the 1600s, who drew the first accurate map of Beijing. He was sent to China because of his understanding of mathematics and music. He was an accomplished performer on the spinet, a small type of harpsichord. In Beijing, he met the Kangxi Emperor, fourth Emperor of the Qing dynasty who reigned for 61 years. The Emperor hired Professor Slavíček as a court musician.

Professor Slavíček also had time to draw the first accurate map of Beijing, and determined the city’s latitude. He learned the Chinese language and worked on astronomy and mathematics as well.

Mission, Values, and Vision

According to the website of Palacký University, its mission, values, and vision are as follows:

The mission of the University is to promote the involvement of students in all areas of research, to cultivate their critical and creative thinking, and to provide high-quality university education in a broad range of natural, medical, and social sciences and humanities on the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral levels. Our active partnership with both the regional community and the global community contributes to the development of the intellectual wealth of the society and its sustainable scientific, technological, cultural, and social development.

The Library of Palacký University in Olomouc has 8 branches and a collection of over 700,000 items. The library Director is Mgr. Helena Sedláčková of the Department of Experimental Physics of Palacký University.

In East Europe, the magister degree, abbreviated as mgr., is awarded after five years of university level education and is equivalent to a Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Laws, or Master of Music. Professor Sedláčková earned a PhD in Linguistics at Moscow State Linguistics University.

She has worked as a simultaneous and consecutive interpreter at international conferences, and translated international trade agreements and technical texts.

The motto of the Palacký University Library is a quote from John Amos Comenius, a Czech philosopher, teacher and theologian who is considered the father of modern education: Make libraries from armories.

John Amos Comenius was one of the earliest defenders of the idea of universal education. As an educator and theologian, he led schools and advised governments across Protestant Europe through the middle of the 1600s. Comenius introduced new educational concepts such as illustrated textbooks written in languages that students spoke at home, instead of Latin. He also promoted lifelong learning with a focus on logical thinking over memorization, equal opportunity for poor children, and education for women.

Thailand and the Czech Republic

In June, The Nation newspaper reported that Assistant Professor Verita Sriratana of the Faculty of Arts at Chulalongkorn University, who has organised Czech arts and cultural activities at Thammasat University as well as other Thai institutions of higher learning, was the first Thai citizen to be named a Gratias Agit Laureate in the Czech Republic. The Latin term Gratias Agit means thank you.

Ajarn Verita was presented with the award for her work on Czech culture, history, literature, and politics. In addition, she also promotes the good name and raises awareness of the Czech Republic and the rest of Central Europe in Thailand.

The TU Library owns her translation into Thai language of a novel by the modern Czech author Bohumil Hrabal.

It is shelved in the Fiction Stacks of Puey Ungphakorn Library, Rangsit campus.

Other cultural exchanges

In June, a Thai art exhibit, Same Same but Different was shown at the Prague Quadrennial (PQ) of Performance Design and Space 2019.

The previous month, the Thai National Women’s Water Polo team won the gold medal at the 2019 EU Nations Water Polo Cup – Women Tournament held in Brno, Czech Republic.

In January, The Bangkok Post noted that the government of the Czech Republic along with 39 companies from the Central European country met with the Thai government to discuss investment in trade and technological development in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). The meeting resulted in the two governments signing a memorandum of understanding yesterday to further discuss and solidify investments.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)