Cieszyn Library was established on 1 January 1994. It is a municipal research library whose aim is to watch over historic book collections created in Cieszyn from the 18th to the 20th century. The activities of Cieszyn Library are directly determined by the nature and contents of these book collections and focus on a few main areas. The most important of these activities is the broadly defined protection and conservation of books which belong to our collection and newly purchased ones. The second important area of activity is related to describing and cataloguing our resources, as well as introducing them to scientific and cultural circulation both in Poland and internationally. Another sphere of our activity is linked with the creation of modern documentary tools for use in regional and bibliographic studies, as well as with inspiring, organizing and conducting research on book culture and the culture and history of Cieszyn Silesia. We also popularize the results of such research. Our aim is to promote knowledge of the history and culture of our region.

The tasks of the library set forth in its Charter include:

      1. Protecting and preserving historic books which have long been in the library collection and those newly purchased.
      2. Describing and cataloguing historic collections and publishing research results.
      3. Continually collecting and cataloguing books devoted to Silesian studies.
      4. Making books available in our reading rooms and to readers from other libraries (through interlibrary loan).
      5. Undertaking documentary and information activities, for example building an information base which gathers knowledge about the region, creating a central catalogue of historic book collections in Cieszyn Silesia, and preparing regional bibliographies.
      6. Inspiring and organizing research on the literary culture of Cieszyn Silesia.
      7. Disseminating knowledge of Cieszyn Silesian culture, for example by organizing exhibitions and scholarly sessions.
      8. Cooperating with Polish and international institutions and organizations to the extent necessary to carry out the tasks of the library.
      9. Joining and supporting social cultural initiatives.
      10. Constantly improving the forms and methods of our work, for example by using modern IT solutions.