Music Department Reading Room Rules

Rules for Visitors of the Music Department Reading Room, National Library of the Czech Republic

The operation of the Music Department Reading Room is governed by the Library Rules and the following rules.

1. The Reading Room is intended for the study of sheet music, books on music stored in the reference library and other units of the department's collection. In a special mode, recordings on CD from the collection of the National Library of the Czech Republic are also made available here.
2. A valid library card is a prerequisite for providing services in the reading room. When using the Union Music Catalogue, studying rare prints and music manuscripts, it is also necessary to fill in a research sheet. Visiting the Reading Room and studying literature from the reference library are also possible after purchasing a one-day admission ticket in the Main service hall.
3. Before entering the Reading Room, readers shall leave their outer clothing, briefcases, backpacks, etc. in the library cloakroom or lockers.
4. It is not allowed to bring food and drinks into the Reading Room, and their consumption in the Reading Room is prohibited.
5. When entering the Reading Room, readers shall produce their NL card or a one-day admission ticket to NL staff at the desk.
6. Materials from the Music Department collections can only be studied onsite in the department's Reading Room.
7. Delivery of materials from the Music Department collections to the Reading Room are made on the basis of an electronic order via the NL online catalogue. In case of special requests, it is possible to send an order by email to oh@nkp.cz. Readers can see information about order processing in their reader account, in case of special requests they are informed by e-mail.
8. A single delivery of printed and manuscript music usually contains no more than 6 items.
9. Music can be booked for a period of 14 days including the day of order. Extension is possible in the reader's account, unless another reader has requested it.
10. Items from the reference library do not need reservation.
11. The user is liable for the material provided for the duration of the loan.
12. Silence must be maintained in the Reading Room. Voice communication via mobile phones and other brought-in devices is prohibited in the Reading Room. The use of loudspeakers and sound signals is not permitted.
13. At the end of the study, the borrowed material from the store and the reference library is handed over to NL staff. The same applies when the Reading Room is left for a short period of time.
14. The computer in the main Reading Room is intended for searching in the NL electronic catalogues, for studying music databases and electronic media available in the Music Department, for conducting bibliographical research related to music and other specialised musicological activities. The computer in the adjacent Reading Room is intended for the use of the National Digital Library (full access). In case of greater interest of users, the duration of work with the computer is limited to 60 min. If the computer is occupied, please contact NL staff.
15. The digital piano in the Reading Room is designed to play borrowed sheet music from the collection of the National Library of the Czech Republic. In case of greater interest of users, the playing time is limited to 30 minutes.
16. The audio players are intended for listening to the content of audio media borrowed from the National Library of the Czech Republic.
17. Headphones for use of the digital piano and listening to music from the audio players are issued by NL staff at the loan desk, where they are returned after playing/listening is finished.
18. In the Reading Room it is possible to order the appropriate type of reprographic services, the provision of which is regulated by separate rules. Copies of copyright-free materials, the physical condition of which makes this possible, can be made self-service at the appropriate locations in the library by arrangement with the service. The Copyright Act (121/2000 Coll.) does not allow copies of musical works to be made before 50 years have elapsed since their publication and 70 years have elapsed since the death of their author.
19. The use of own cameras, mobile phones or other devices to take pictures of the documents studied is possible only after agreement with NL staff, always according to the nature of the material, in the case of rare documents after signing the appropriate declaration.
20. Exceptions to the Visiting Rules are authorised by the Head of Department.

Violation of the provisions of the Research Regulations may result in exclusion from the use of the Reading Room of the Music Department, the Reading Room of the Manuscripts and Old Prints Department, as well as other Reading Rooms of the conservation collections of the National Library of the Czech Republic, or other sanctions against the user according to the Library Regulations of the National Library of the Czech Republic.

In Prague, 6. 3. 2024, Ludmila Šmídová, Head of Music Department