ISSN 0235-0351 (printed edition) 6/2000

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EDITORIAL

Dear Colleague,

After the short period of time this promising year with a magic number will be over. I can pronounce that it had been a good year for the library journal Raamatukogu. It is of common knowledge that culture or special journals do not manage to operate on a self-supporting basis. For many years the Ministry of Culture has covered the printing cost of our journal, from time to time the Cultural Endowment of Estonia has economically supported us and the National Library of Estonia and the Estonian Librarians Association are constantly providing us with guidance and help. The above mentioned institutions supported the publication of the Raamatukogu also in the year 2000. In addition to that, the publishing of the special journal number in colour print dedicated to the Year of the Estonian Book was sponsored the Central Committee of the Estonian Book Year. We are very grateful for their supporting attitude!

We would also like to thank all the loyal subscribers and regular readers of our journal. It seems that the relations between the readers and the editors of the journal have constantly become warmer – this year we received several letters of thanks for publishing a certain material or treating certain themes for the first time. We have also been praised by the readers outside Estonia. For instance, a Russian book researcher Boris Volodin expressed his opinion of our journal on the 5^th International Slavic Librarians’ Conference held in July in Tallinn saying that the editors of other East-European library journals should follow the example of the Raamatukogu in selecting the themes to be treated and in looking into the problems under examination.

A journal cannot be good if it lacks good contributors. For years the authors of the Raamatukogu have included Tiiu Reimo from the Estonian Academic Library, Urve Sildre, Sirje Lusmägi, Rutt Hiie, Helle Remmelt, Riin Olonen, Anu Nuut and Triin Soone from the National Library, Liivi Aarma and Aira Lepik from the Department of Information Studies of Tallinn Pedagogical University, Ljudmila Dubjeva, Malle Ermel, Viiu Klement, Kurmo Konsa, Ene-Lille Jaanson from the Tartu University Library, Mai Põldaas from the Tallinn Pedagogical University Library and others who have enriched the thematics of the publication and expressed new and interesting ideas. The cultural circles have become more aware of the Raamatukogu as acknowledged specialists of other fields have published their pieces here – we are especially obliged to those who have written the books and the authors of the series Estonian History of Ideas known to us.

Editorial board has also shared with us its constructive ideas. Public librarians have always been our most active readers (though less active contributors), our major moral supporters and the generators of fresh ideas at their seminars. But we would like to appeal to the conscience of our colleagues in school and special libraries, so they would consider opening their doors more wider and communicating with the public also by the means of our journal.

Being the only library journal of a small country, the Raamatukogu has important responsiblities. Its editors take their task seriously and hope that the journal will arise further interest. Let’s make it possible by mutual understanding and support.

Ene Riet
Editor

 

FIRST COLUMN

Cultural Events in 2000: an Estonian Case Toomas Liiv 4
A contemplation on the Estonian culture trends of the passing year, published traditionally in the last journal number of the year.

Literature and the Press Rein Veidemann 5
Rein Veidemann’s column replaces our traditional First Column this year. The author expresses an idea that the Word is binding in its essence, that literature delivers messages. We live in the age of information and multimedia, and the media has total power: "If you are not in the media, you do not exist." Media has become a force that determines the attitudes, values and senses of individuals and entire nations.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Creating Internet Connections of Estonian Public Libraries Meeli Veskus, Jüri Liiv 6
In their article Meeli Veskus, a Counsellor for Library Affairs at the Ministry of Culture of Estonia, and Jüri Liiv, the KülaTee project manager at the Estonian Informatics Center, give an overview of the project KülaTee which priority goal was to establish a direct Internet connection for all local authorities. The Ministry of Culture initiated a state allocation of 2.8 million EEK for launching the project Creating Internet Connections of Estonian Public Libraries – KülaTee 2 in the summer of this year. Within the framework of the pilot project 68 libraries were intended to provide with a direct Internet connect. However, the KülaTee had already built 72 direct connections by the time the article was written and additional 9 will still be built by the end of the year. According to the project 95 per cent of Estonian public libraries should have a direct Internet connection by the end of the year 2002, most of them being established in 2001.

Rõngu Library – 110 Years Old Laine Meos 10
The head librarian of Rõngu Library in Tartu County Laine Meos sums up the activities of 110-year-old parish library. The library in Rõngu was opened in 1890, but the archieval data certify that one village school had a library in 1886. At present Rõngu Library consists of 16,208 books and 35 titles of journals and newspapers have been subscribed a year.

RESEARCH LIBRARIES

Estonian Patent Library Harri-Koit Lahek 11
The director of the Estonian Patent Library Harri-Koit Lahek gives a thorough survey of the library he is supervising. Though the roots of the library runs back to 1963, the need for a common patent system arose after the restoration of Estonia’s independence, and so the Estonian Patent Library was founded on the basis of industrial property documents in the Estonian Technical Library. The library’s main task is to complete, maintain and make accessible the collection containing Estonian and foreign documents of the legal protection of industrial property. Every juridical or physical person has an access to the information about industrial property. There are millions of documents from different countries or regional industrial property organizations. On november 1 , 2000 there were 4,493 books in the EPL.
The library’s development trends are:
• to find out the information needs of private and public sectories
• to work out the methotology of information research for private and public sectories
• to work out the standards of library information and service
• the training of information users and founding the basis for that
• to optimize the completing of collections
• to develop information technology
• to extend the collaboration with other libraries (regadless their type) in the creation of the Estonian decentralized information system
• to develop the collabration with private and public sectors in the field of innovation.

FACE TO FACE WITH CH

Face to face with CH Linda Pärnoja 13
The quick social development claims that organisations, including libraries, must learn how to adapt themselves to the changes taking place in the environment. In developing the strategy for changes, the organisation should first make itself aware of the necessity for changes. Changes presume joint action – an active participation of all the individuals who are influenced by the innovation. There are no guarantees for preventing failure. Major failures indicate little concentration on the future.

A Confused Person at Work Pirkko Lahti 14
The President of the Finnish Mental Health Association Pirkko Lahti presented the paper published here at the seminar of the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre on 18 May this year. Confused persons at work speak that they are tired of constant changes which take place in the society and at work, partly also in their private lives. It is discussed too little how the changes in the different sectors of the society directly reflect at daily work and by this also in the private life and welfare of every individual.

INTERVIEW

An Interview with Mare Ektermann Maire Liivamets 17
In her interview Mare Ektermann, chief librarian of Lääne County Central Library (in Haapsalu) concentrates on the work and ethics of librarians. She addresses the current problems of librarianship, e.g. the Estonian state and libraries; the public opinion of library work and the impact of the development of informa-tion technology. A reader has changed, too, and Mare Ektermann advises to keep an eye on public libraries. She has been working in librarianship for many years and considers that librarians have to maintain their internal balance and self-confidence in spite of professional difficulties. They must not follow the changes only formally. She also speaks about school libraries.

* * *

Manifesto of School Libraries 20
The manifesto presents the mission, funding principles, information networks, goals, staff, working principles and management of school libraries. The document was prepared by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions and it was ratified by the UNESCO General Conference in November 1999.

RECENT LITERATURE ON LIBRARIANSHIP 21

ESTONIAN BOOK YEAR

In Tartu County Personal Libraries Were Tested Toivo Ärtis 25
The most important event to celebrate the Year of the Estonian Book at Tartu County was the competition of home libraries which was held by the assistance of librarians and local newspapers. The results of the competition were summarised at the hall of the Tartu City Central library on the last Sunday of October. The article gives an overview of the competion and also characterizes the winning libraries.

ESTONIAN LIBRARIANS ASSOCIATION

Some Glimpses of Rapla Maire Liivamets 28
Some thoughts and remarks of the opening conference of the Estonian Library Days held in Rapla on 20 October.

Will We Argue More? Maire Liivamets 30
An overview of the information day of the Estonian Librarians Association Science and Research Library held at the Estonian Academic Library on 26 October. As the representatives of scientists Prof. Marju Lauristin and Ene Ergma, an academic, and as the representatives of libraries Krista Talvi, the President of Estonian Librarians Association, Tiiu Valm, the Director General of the National Library of Estonia, Aili Normak, the Deputy Director of the Estonian Academic Library, and Toomas Liivamägi, the Director of Tartu University Library, spoke up.

BOOK HISTORY

Rare Publications of Põltsamaa in Tartu University Library Ene-Lille Jaanson 31
In the article "Rare Publications of Põltsamaa in Tartu University Library" Ene-Lille Jaanson analyses the bibliography "The Oldest Publications of Põltsamaa" which was published by Liivi Aarma in the collection "Estonia in Books" (Tartu, 2000). In Põltsamaa private printing house far from capital cities very few copies (about 42 titles), printed in 1766–1773 and in 1782–1789 have survived, several of them have dissapeared without leaving a trace behind. The author compares the data in the list of publications with the publications available in Tartu University Library. There are 8 copies from the both periods, 5 of them are sole copies. Three titles that Liivi Aarma considers to be lost, are preserved in Tartu.

ESTONIAN HISTORY OF IDEAS

Ways of Understanding Human Culture Hilve Rebane 33
The literary historian Hilve Rebane in her article "The Ways of Understanding Human Culture" introduces Gustav Ränk’s collec-tion of articles "Myth and History" published in the series "Estonian History of Ideas". Gustav Ränk (1902–1998) was studying folklore, archeology and ethnography. The last became his main speciality in Estonia and also in exile where he had to escape in 1994. Gustav Ränk is considered to be one of the best specialists in the ethnography of the Baltic states. The collection consists of five cycles and Hilve Rebane has opened up and introduced their essence.

CRITICAL REVIEW

Estonia, What Are Your Books Talking about? Tiiu Reimo 35
A review of the book Raamatulooline Eesti. Kodumaa tundmise allikad (Estonia in Books. The Sources for Getting to Know One’s Native Country) compiled by Jaan Eilart and published in Tartu, 2000. The interrelations of home study and book culture were discussed at the conference Estonia in Books held at Põltsamaa at the beginning of September. The conference papers were previously published on the Internet and by the beginning of the conference also a hard copy collection was prepared. 24 contibutors’ articles are included in this collection of 126 pages.

CONFERENCES & SEMINARS

On National Bibliography Silvi Metsar, Anne Ainz 36
A conference National Bibliography in a Changing Information Environment was held at the National Library of Estonia on 12-13 October with the representatives also of the Nordic countries, Latvia, Czech Republic and Russia. On the first day the new challenges national bibliography has to meet and the interrelations of legal deposit and national bibliography were discussed; on the second day the problems faced by individual libraries and relevant projects were treated.

Oskar Kallas’s Day Urve Sildre 39
On 25 October at the Archival Library of the Estonian Literary Museum the 28^th Conference of Book Science, for many years already dedicated to Oskar Kallas, the founder of the archival collection of the Estonian national publications, was held. This year the preservation and availability of earlier books in Estonian, ownership marks in books and reading of books were treated. Several book exhibitions also were displayed at the hall of the Literary Museum: 1) Oskar Ugart – 100, 2) Books, posters and souvenirs of the Years of Estonian Book 1935 and 1975, and 3) earlier spelling-books.

Stradegic Development of the Baltic States Libraries Aili Norberg 40
An overview of the 6^th Conference of Baltic Librarians Library as an Information Gateway to the New Millennium held in Vilnius, 5-6 October 2000. The development of the librarianship in the Baltic countries during the last four years which had passed from the previous conference was discussed and the collection preservation and digitation, special libraries’ matters, the legal aspects of the library activities, professional education, library cooperation, integrated information systems and other themes were treated.

NEWS 42

SUMMARY 43