Self Access Centre (SAC)

The Self Access Centre (SAC) of the Department offers reference books, the possibility of watching video, and a few PC's.

The Library/SAC weekly schedule is posted on the door. The Library and/or SAC hours may be shortened or otherwise interrupted on occasion due to departmental activities. Thank you for your understanding and co-operation on these occasions. During the showing of films and courses, the Library and/or SAC and all their facilities are closed to all students.

In addition to the SAC at the Department, the students are also encouraged to make use of a similar service – Jazykova studovna MU at the Rectorate. This SAC is run by the Department of Foreign Languages at Masaryk University.

Library Funds

The entire book fund of the Departmental Library (over 20 000 volumes) has been catalogued electronically and became part of the joint catalogue of the Faculty of Arts Central Library. Almost all books were moved to the Central Library of the Faculty of Arts (see below). Only a selection of dictionaries and handbooks is now available in the S.A.C.

Faculty of Arts Central Library Homepage (with access to the Catalogue)

The library of the Canadian Studies Centre (a separate book fund – includes, among others, books by Playwright's Canada Press).

Other separate funds available at the English Department:

• Magazines and newspapers

• Video and Audio Cassettes, DVD's (see List of Video Tapes)

From the History of the Library

The English Department Library has existed as an independent unit since the foundation of the University. In 1990, the conversion of the catalogue began as part of a joint pilot project of the Computer Centre, the Central Library, the English Department and the Archive Studies Department. Full conversion (ie. conversion of the whole catalogue to the electronic form) is a laborious process; most libraries only catalogue new acquisitions from a certain date, or else they convert only parts of the fund or create reduced records. The following institutions and individuals helped create the electronic catalogue of the English Department books:

Development fund of the Czech School Board (Fond rozvoje VS)
The IREX foundation
Open Society Fund

dr. Marie Bednarova (Pennsylvania State University)
PhDr. Hana Nováková (Faculty of Arts Central Library, later Institute of Computer Science)
PhDr. Pavla Kánská (Head, Central Library)
Mgr. Zdenka Dohnálková

For detailed history, see Historie digitalizace katalogu (written by H. Nováková; only in Czech).