Knihovna AV ČR, v.v.i.

What Knihovna AV ČR, v.v.i. does

Knihovna Akademie věd ČR, v. v. i. (Library of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic) is a public research institution (veřejná výzkumná instituce, v.v.i.) founded in 1953 and headquartered in Prague. It serves as the central research library of the Akademie věd ČR, providing library services, digital information resources, and research support to Academy institutes, partner libraries, students, and the general public. The institution operates with approximately 42 employees and has no commercial revenue, being funded through government allocations and research grants as an integral part of the Czech governmental research ecosystem.

The institution's core product portfolio centers on a unified digital library platform anchored by the Kramerius-based Digitální knihovna AV ČR (containing digitized periodicals and monographs from Academy institutes), the Systém ASEP (a centralized database coordinating bibliographic records, full texts, and data outputs of Academy scientific research), the Katalogy KNAV library catalog, and the AS Journals electronic journal platform. Underlying infrastructure includes the ALEPH library management system and a specialized Digitization Center. Service offerings span interlibrary document delivery, reprography and bookbinding, bibliometric/scientometric analysis, Open Science support (Open Access and Open/FAIR data), and dedicated study facilities including soundproof rooms. Research activities are concentrated in the Centrum pro výzkum knižní kultury, which produces the academic journal Knihy a dějiny and maintains the bibliography of foreign Bohemian prints (BCBT), alongside digital humanities software development.

The business model is non-commercial: services are provided as part of institutional membership to Academy of Sciences affiliates and partner libraries, with no disclosed individual pricing. The library has no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no disclosed revenue. Distribution is dual-channel — physical access via the Prague facility and global digital access via the Kramerius portal, online catalog, and Webarchiv AV ČR. The institution holds WCAG 2.1 Level AA web accessibility certification (declared July 2026) and is currently undertaking facility reconstruction scheduled to close the building from August 10 to September 25, 2026.

Name

Knihovna AV ČR, v.v.i.

Legal name

Knihovna Akademie věd ČR, v. v. i.

Website

https://knav.cz

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Knihovna AV ČR, v.v.i. is the central research library of the Czech Academy of Sciences, operating as a public research institution that provides digital library collections, the ASEP scientific output database, electronic journals, digitization services, and research support to Academy institutes, partner libraries, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519), Software Publishers (51321)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries) (EDAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Resource Sharing Operations (EDAEAGAK), Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL), Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols) (EDAGAGAG), Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

Keywords

• Research library services
• Digital library systems
• Scientific information databases
• Document digitization services
• Academic library management

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Knihovna AV ČR, v.v.i. operates as the central research library of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, providing unified library and information services including a digital library of digitized periodicals and monographs (Kramerius platform), the ASEP database coordinating scientific research outputs, library catalogs, electronic journals, electronic information resources covering multiple scientific fields, digitization services, interlibrary loan services, study room rentals, and research support in bibliometrics and book culture history.

Product overview

Knihovna AV ČR, v.v.i. operates as a research library providing a unified platform of interconnected information services. The core offering centers on the Digitální knihovna AV ČR (digital library with digitized periodicals and monographs) and the Systém ASEP (research output database), supported by the Katalogy KNAV (library catalog) and AS Journals (electronic journals). The library offers access to extensive Elektronické informační zdroje (electronic information resources) spanning multiple scientific fields. Service infrastructure includes the Digitalizační centrum (digitization center), Knihovní systém ALEPH (library management system), and specialized services such as Meziknihovní služby (interlibrary services), Reprografické a knihařské centrum (reprography/bookbinding), and Studovna (study room). Research activities are conducted through the Centrum pro výzkum knižní kultury and its journal Časopis Knihy a dějiny. Additional digital collections include Webarchiv AV ČR (web archive) and Knihoveda.cz (book studies portal).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ASEP – Výsledky vědecké práce AV ČR: System for collecting data on scientific outputs of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, containing bibliographic records, full texts, and data records.
• Digitální knihovna AV ČR
• AS Journals
• Knihověda.cz

Products and services

• Digitální knihovna AV ČR (Digital Library of the Academy of Sciences) Digital library containing digitized periodicals and monographs from the production of institutes of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and their predecessors, accessible via the Kramerius platform at kramerius.lib.cas.cz.
• Systém ASEP (Research Output System) System coordinating data collection, modifications, development, and support of the ASEP database containing bibliographic records about scientific outputs, full texts of publication outputs, and data records from Academy of Sciences institutes.
• Katalogy KNAV (Library Catalog) Library catalog providing searchable access to the collection of printed documents and e-books held by the Library of the Academy of Sciences.
• AS Journals Electronic journal platform providing access to journals published by the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
• Elektronické informační zdroje (Electronic Information Resources / EIZ) Access to extensive databases, electronic books, journals, and other resources covering 10 scientific fields with 5×10^0+ articles and records and 5×10^1+ e-books across multiple EIZ databases.
• Digitalizační centrum (Digitization Center) Digitization center focused on processing journals and monographs published under the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, with scanned documents made accessible in the Digital Library AV ČR.
• Sbírka nejstarších tisků a rukopisů (Collection of Oldest Prints and Manuscripts) Historical collection of oldest prints and manuscripts from the library's historical holdings, preserved and made accessible for research purposes.
• Webarchiv Akademie věd ČR Web archive preserving Czech web content related to the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
• Knihoveda.cz Portal dedicated to book studies and the history of books and print culture.
• Studovna Knihovny AV ČR (Study Room Services) Study room providing reading rooms, individual and soundproof study room rentals, printing services, and virtual tours of library facilities.
• Meziknihovní služby (Interlibrary Services) Interlibrary services for users and other libraries, enabling document delivery and borrowing across institutions.
• Reprografické a knihařské centrum (Reprography and Bookbinding Center) Reprography and bookbinding center providing document reproduction and book repair services.
• Bibliometrie a scientometrie (Bibliometric and Scientometric Services) Bibliometric and scientometric analysis services and support for research evaluation.
• Open Science Support Services Support services for Open Science focusing on Open Access to research results and Open/FAIR research data.
• Centrum pro výzkum knižní kultury (Center for Book Culture Research) Research center for book culture studies, including the bibliography of foreign Bohemian prints until 1800 (BCBT), historical fund management, and academic journal publication.
• Časopis Knihy a dějiny (Books and History Journal) Academic journal focused on the history of books and book culture published by the library's Department of Book History.
• Knihovní systém ALEPH (ALEPH Library Management System) Library management system used for cataloging, circulation, and library operations support across the Academy of Sciences library network.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Europeana: EU-funded digital platform aggregating digitized cultural heritage from European institutions. Comparable as a digital library ecosystem for academic and cultural content, though it operates as a federated platform rather than a single research library.

Direct peers

• National Library of Technology (Národní technická knihovna): Prague-based scientific and technical library serving Czech academic researchers with comparable digital services, e-resource access, and Open Science support functions. Directly comparable in target audience.
• Saxon State and University Library Dresden (SLUB): German academic research library combining state and university library functions with significant digital library infrastructure and digital humanities work. Comparable scale and dual mission of physical research library plus digital services.
• Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences: Central research library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences with analogous mission supporting a national academy of sciences, including bibliometric services and digital infrastructure for academy researchers.
• National Library of the Czech Republic (Národní knihovna ČR): National library of the Czech Republic, operating both physical and digital research services with similar scholarly content and digitization programs. Closest peer in the same geography and mission space.
• Moravian Library in Brno (Moravská zemská knihovna): Czech regional research library with comparable digital library (Kramerius/Monographia), shared digitization infrastructure, and similar academic service portfolio. Strong comparable due to shared technology stack and overlapping user base.
• Max Planck Digital Library: Central research library serving Max Planck Society institutes in Germany with similar role of supporting a national research organization. Provides Open Science, bibliometrics, and digital infrastructure for academic researchers.

Emerging players

• JSTOR: Large digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources. Comparable in providing digital access to scholarly publications and historical content, though commercially operated with global scope.

Broad incumbents

• Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF): French national library with massive digitization program (Gallica) and similar academic, historical, and bibliographic roles. Comparable in operating a digitized national cultural and scientific collection.
• Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library): Major German state research library with extensive digital collections (digitale-sammlungen), Kramerius-style digitization program, and similar mandate combining historical preservation with modern digital services. Comparable in scope, larger in scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knavcr

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Knihovna AV ČR, v.v.i.