Bibliography of Czech Literary Studies 1945–1960

This project’s goal was to complete the CLB continuous bibliography of periodical articles about Czech literary studies. The focus was on documenting titles from the most recent recording period, 1945–1960. At the same time, the CLB team prepared certified methods for two work tasks: 1) the creation of specialised analytical bibliographies and 2) the identification of authors named only by initials or pseudonyms.  

The project, thus, had two parts: the bibliographic compilation process and the development of the two CLB methods. The compilation process also had three main phases: 1) academic journals and periodicals from the 1950s, 2) daily press, 1945–1960 and 3) periodicals, 1945–1948.

A total of 70,140 records were created during this project. The resulting Czech Literary Studies 1945–1960 database presents information from the era’s major periodicals to meet the research needs of both specialised and the general public. This database is the first ever literary studies bibliographic database for this period, and it connects with earlier ICL bibliographic resources to create a seamless time line. Since it is the most extensive analytical bibliography of the Czech scene in this era, it may also serve researchers in associated humanities disciplines including history, linguistics and other national philologies. This resource stands out from older bibliographic summaries because it was compiled without any of the external ideological and censorship pressures that may be presumed to affect pre-1989 records. With its high level of analysis (as shown by the number of completed fields, links to external thesauri and full technical compliance) and quantitative parameters (an average of around 5,000 new records each year), this bibliography is one of the most sophisticated CLB databases.  

In parallel, the CLB team has also developed two peer-reviewed methods. Our method for compiling specialised analytical bibliographies is the first certified tool of its kind at least in the Czech context. It offers a comprehensive overview of specialised analytical bibliographies with topics ranging from setting the scope of recording to data classification, editorial work and verification. This method also highlights practical options for planning these bibliographies, with tips again covering every stage from setting the scope to classification, categorisation and editing and the use of annotations, background material and summaries. The options and processes in this guide are designed for all researchers whether they are working with classic card index catalogues and print summaries or online databases, full-text search engines and other tools of the digital age. It may, thus, prove helpful not only for professional bibliographers and information science and library staff but for researchers in general and higher education students.   As concerns the CLB method for identifying authors and decoding pseudonyms, we are unaware of any similar work on these topics. After a theoretical introduction, this guide provides a taxonomy of initialisms. It then outlines the decoding process for different level of encyption and describes various available aids. Identifying authors is important for the compilation and editing of a vast range of bibliographies and library catalogues. It may also improve research in general and substantially enhance the knowledge base. Last but not least, this method has become more relevant in the age of mass digitisation and copyright laws. There is a growing need to ascertain the authorship of texts that are linked only to initials or pseudonyms and not to their author’s real name. 

Identification details