On Novea before the Time of Tycho de Brahe (And Other Things)












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            * On Novea before the Time of Tycho de Brahe (And Other Things)
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            “Students of Prague University 1882-1945”, a new digitalisation project, is underway, aime

            old Charles University documents pertaining to staff and students. Some of this is for the
            new app run by the university, enabling users to search for old doctorates.
            The project is the work of the Institute of History of Charles University and the Archive 

            University, in collaboration with the Charles University Computer Centre. Whilst the work 
            focused on registry books of both Czech and German doctoral students of Charles University
            1945, Rigorosum protocols, catalogues of students and examination protocols of both the Cz

            (in 1945 abolished) German universities of Prague will be added. In total, information on 
            students will be made available. The project was initiated in the autumn of 2011, and in A

            website, containing a database of these records as developed by the Institute for Computer
            Charles University, was launched. At this moment however, the app only gives access to doc
            period 1882 to 1945; personal data protection laws curtailing the addition of any post-war

            As Petr Cajthaml, the head of this project, and his colleague Jakub Jareš tell me, this pr
            inspired by similar ones in other universities; and follows other programs run by Charles 
            digitise documents from earlier periods. The most important reasons for its conception how

            there was a demand from people to study these documents, and also as they are not in good 
            is a need to preserve them for posterity, lest some mishap occurs to them. Unlike earlier 
            this one is done by the university archive, rather than being outsourced to an independent

            such as Manuscriptorium or Monasterium (apparently this was facilitated by the acquisition
            book scanner by the university). As Jareš and Cajthaml note, it’s a struggle: so far, 27,0
            been digitised, that leaves 1 million to go (however, the project will save them a lot of 

            finished, as it will mean they will no longer have to prepare copies of these documents an
            is interested in viewing any of them).
            For anyone interested in Czech and Slovak history, this database, and the app that stems f

            tools indeed. As there were no other universities in the Czech lands (and Slovakia) till t
            of the universities of Bratislava and Brno after Czechoslovakia became independent in 1918
            great figures of Czech and Slovak history and arts appear here (Edvard Beneš, Karel Čapek,

            Štefánik, to name a few). Another interesting facet of the database are documents of promi
            Germans, such as Franz Kafka, Max Brod, and Gerty Theresa Radnitz.
            Whilst conducting the interview with Jareš and Cajthaml, I was given access to the storage

            original documents are contained. A small, climate controlled room in the ceiling of the C
            features metal cabinets and shelves, littered with old documents. First I’m shown an old r
            containing names and information of former students. I’m then given a fascinating historic

            as I am shown the actual dissertations of Edvard Beneš, the last president of the First Cz
            Republic (and unluckily, the president predating the tragic periods of Czechoslovak histor
            president preceding the Munich Agreement and then the Communist seizure of power), and Mil

            Štefánik, a Slovakian astronomer turned French army officer and one of the key figures of 
            Czechoslovakia.
            Štefánik’s dissertation, entitled “On Novae before the Time of Tycho and on the Novae Cass

            simple beauty to it, blue cover with its title written in gold-coloured ink; and its pages
            written passages. Beneš’s dissertation, entitled “Origin and Development of Individualism 
            of Modern Philosophy” is sadly less than impressive in view, bound in a rather worn and pr

            back cover.
            The project is ongoing; many documents are yet to be digitized and I’m told that there wil
            more projects in the future. Nonetheless, there seems to be enough demand in the future to

            other projects like it.
            Profile of the author:                                                                    
                                                William Francis Hannell is an Erasmus student from Bri
                                                Arts in Charles University. He joined the IForum as he
                                                opportunity to work with fellow students and to partak
                                                                                                      
                                                to contribute more than just essays to the university,
                                                Email is wfh(zavinac)hannellfamily.plus.com [ MAIL "wf