The LIBRARY COLLECTION is divided into a research collection and a museum collection (registered in CES).
RESEARCH COLLECTION contains more than 20,000 items. The main focus is on history, particularly regional and Czech history, as well as publications in the fields of archaeology, numismatics, ethnography, the history of crafts, architecture, art, and museology. The collection also includes periodicals. Currently, the study library holds nearly 1,300 titles of domestic and foreign journals (such as Český časopis historický, Český lid, Časopis národního muzea, Minerál, etc.). Each year, the library expands by approximately 400 new titles of books and periodicals. Books are primarily acquired through purchases, donations, or exchanges with Czech and foreign institutions.
The collection now includes the Ivo Křen Study Library, which specializes in research on glass art with overlaps into other fields of applied arts IVO KŘEN STUDY LIBRARY
MUSEUM COLLECTION consists of several parts. The most frequently visited collection for research purposes is the “Slavín” collection (signature Sl), which houses publications on regional topics. The Slavín Library contains around 3,000 titles. Another significant collection from the perspective of the history of education and pedagogy is the Pedagogical Library (signature Ped). The library includes textbooks (signature Uč), children’s literature (signature Ped A), and educational journals. The collection also features a collection of calendars (signature K) and the private libraries of prominent regional figures – including the libraries of Baron Artur Kraus, Jaroslav Fryč, Emanuel Kalenský, and Vojtěch Horák. The collection also includes old prints (signature KS), the Local History Library (signature VK), and a collection documenting the output of Pardubice printing houses (signature T). The collections contain a selection of Pardubice and East Bohemian newspapers and periodicals.
In 2018, the VČM Library received a grant from the Ministry of Culture VISK 3 to improve its services. The project is being implemented in cooperation with the libraries of the Regional Museum in Chrudim and the Regional Museum in Vysoké Mýto. The grant funds were used to purchase the new Verbis cataloging system from the company Kp-sys. One of the key objectives has been the creation of a union catalog of museums in the Pardubice Region. This allows readers to search the book collections of participating libraries from a single location. The next step will be the creation of a shared digital library, where digitized regional newspapers, old prints, manuscripts, maps, and 19th-century prints will be made available.
