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FIRST COLUMN
Some Thoughts in the Middle of the Year of Estonian
Book Andres Langemets
A well-known Estonian columnist describes
how emerged the idea of a broadcast show Ex libris, dedicated to the Book
Year; who participate in it and what has been the goal of the show.
COMMON TOPIC – SCHOOL LIBRARIES
Vastse-Kuuste Library Mall Kõpp
In 1998
a joint village and school library, Vastse-Kuuste library, opened its
doors to the users in the renovated building of the local basic school.
The integration of two types of libraries has cut the costs in the commune
budget; and the school got itself a modern library. The library employes
two librarians; the number of its users, visits and library loans has
increased. The library is also opened during summer time and school holidays.
The head of the library considers very important the fact that there are
two entrances to the library premises – one for the adult readers and
another for the pupils, directly from the school premises. The library
collections are housed in different rooms, too, though it is impossible
to entirely separate two user groups. The library has 21 reader’s desks
in total, but there are quiter corners for adult users, too. The joining
of a school and a public library has not made the service quality worse
from any aspect; still, the acquisition has become more complicated.
Library of Ahtme Gymnasium Galina Smolina
The
library of Ahtme Gymnasium started user services in its new premises in
April 1994. A separate collection was planned to establish for home loans
and the collection of reading room with 40 reader’s desks was to include
reference literature, periodicals and documents in small number of copies.
From 1995 the library of the Gymnasium for Russian-speaking children serves
40–60 users on the basis of its separate collections each per day. As
a result of the library’s targeted acquisition policy the library can
answer to 80% of the enquiries using its own data. On 1 January 2001 the
library collection totalled 22,535 items. The library’s collection now
includes more material on the official language of the Republic of Estonia,
for teaching the Estonian language and literature; as well as material
for teaching foreign languages (CDs, audio-visual material). Using the
library’s computer, a newsletter on recent acquisitions is published,
recommendatory bibliographic lists are compiled, the Gymnasium’s journal,
Helios, is issued, etc. In 1999 the Ahtme Gymnasium got hold of the additional
4-storeyed building which now houses the local basic school. The home
loan and reading room collections which include literature fit for the
basic school pupils’ age were established at the school to support the
childrens’ studies. Traditionally, the library organises meetings with
writers, stage competitions for amateurs, library classes. A club of knowledge-seekers
meets at the library, too. Tours to the research libraries are organised
for the senior class students. The library also took active part in the
events of the Year of the Estonian Book.
Library of Kreenholm School Tatyana Tokareva
After
complete renovation works carried out in 1997 the library of Kreenholm
school has a reading room for 24 users, 16,000 books and 20,000 text-books.
Over the years the library has acquired quite a diverse collection where
in addition to Russian classics (the school is for Russian-speaking children)
now publications needed for teaching the official language of the state
are purchased. Unfortunately, money always runs short; so the school’s
welfare council was asked for material help to buy estonian literature.
Several teachers love to carry out their classes at the library premises.
The task of the librarian then is to select relevant reference literature
and organise an exhibition. A club Miksike is active at the library; the
librarian organises quizes for its members. Library classes fit for the
age of their participant are also held where honouring and using books
are taught to support individual information retrieval later. Hundreds
of people visit the library every day; the library also celebrates festive
events and more comprehensive book exhibitions draw the public, too. The
library’s future aims are to shift to the computerised user services and
establish a methodological centre for the pedagogical staff on the basis
of its collection.
RESEARCH LIBRARIES
The Net-based User Training Taimi Nurmiste
During
the school year 2000/2001 the Tallinn Technical University Library for
the first time carried out bibliography courses, a part of the library’s
user training programme for the first year’s students, in the Web environment
as a distant learning course. The aim of the traing course, The Web-based
Document Search in the Electronic Catalogue, was to introduce the library’s
Web as an information source and teach the use of the electronic catalogue
via the Internet. The instructions for the search of a book, a jounal
and an article were prepared; the questions were formulated and the variants
of the answers saved in a specially created database. On the basis of
these materials a net-based learning environment was designed; its application
consisted of two modules: the answering and the evaluation modules. In
December 2000, 1113 students participated in the Web-based courses. The
feedback was extremely positive. This experience showed that the library
has the potential to support the modernisation of higher education.
100 years from the Release of the First Estonian-language
Gramophone Record Katre Riisalu
In her article, the author provides an overview of the history of
sound recording in Estonia. The first Estonian-language gramophone record
was released by The Grammaphone Company in St. Petersburg 1901. The first
sound recording in Estonia took place some years later when the choir
of the Estonian Society sang in the hall of the hotel Kuldne Lõvi
in Tallinn on 25 January 1904. In the years between the two world wars
big record companies released about 2,000 records in Estonia. After the
WW II, the recording of Estonian music and performers started again as
late as in the end of 1940s, now already following the instructions coming
from Moscow. The Tallinn Gramophone Record Studio, founded in 1959 and
functioning up to 1989, released over 900 records of well-known Estonian
performers, composers, writers and actors. In 1990s the release of sound
recordings increased tremendously. The annual output of sound recordings
has reached 300 titles.
The article also treats the registration of Estonian sound recordings
in discographies. The systematic research and registration of the gramophone
records from the beginning of the 20th century was started
only in the last quarter of the century. In 1988 Eesti heliplaatide koondkataloog,
1901–1939 (The Joint Catalogue of Estonian Gramophone Records, 1901–1939)
compiled by H. Pedusaar was published. The annual lists of sound recordings
have been compiled at the National Library of Estonia since 1993. In the
recent years the Estonian discography has formed a part of the Muusika
(Music) series of the Estonian Current National Bibliography.
BOOK HISTORY
Presentable Books of the Year of the Estonian Book Helle
Remmelt
The author reviews two books published in the Year of Estonian
Books 1935 – Eesti Vabadusristi kavalerid (The Chevaliers of the Estonian
Cross of Liberty) published by the Brotherhood of the Cross of Liberty
in Tallinn 1935, and the 5th edition of the Friedrich Reinhold
Kreutzwald’s Kalevipoeg (the Estonian national epic) published by the
Estonian Literary Society in Tartu 1936. The publishing of Eesti Vabadusristi
kavalerid was to commemorate the chevaliers of the Cross of Liberty, the
then only state decoration of the Republic of Estonia. The decoration
has been awarded to 2,078 Estonian citizens and 1,057 foreigners. The
book presents a photograph and curriculum vitae of 1,343 chevaliers of
this Estonian state decoration. The 5th edition of F.R. Kreutzwald’s
Kalevipoeg has been reviewed as "an aesthetically valuable public
edition without much intoduction and comments" (From August Annist’s
foreword to the publication). The illustrations by Kristjan Raud and Hando
Mugasto have an essential part in the publication.
INTERVIEW
Live on, Estonian Librarianship Maire Liivamets
An
interview with Tiiu Pihlakas, an unexpectedly retired chief librarian
of the Jõgeva County Central Library. She explains her reasons
for retirement and talks about things that still make her heart ache (for
instance, local history study). Tiiu Pihlakas also expresses her opinion
of the joining of public and school libraries. It should be taken under
consideration, and if necessary, then the integration libraries of these
types should take place. She also makes several remarks about the cooperation
of public libraries which should be more effective it is today. She promises
to join in in the future activities, if she is invited.
THE ANSWER PLACE
Anzori Barkalaja and Krista Talvi Answer to the Editor’s
Question
Anzori Barkalaya, the Principal of Viljandi College of Culture,
and Krista Talvi, the President of the Estonian Librarians Association,
answer to the editor’s question whether the Department of Librarianship
and Information Sciences of the College has succeeded in fulfilling its
tasks in respect of the demands of the 21st century’s librarian.
Barkalaya concentrates more on the development plan and the future of
the school; Talvi evaluates the present level of the students’ knowledge.
RECENT LITERATURE ON LIBRARIANSHIP
ESTONIAN HISTORY OF IDEAS
We, Estonians Mall Hiiemäe
Mall Hiiemäe, the senior researcher at the Estonian Folklore
Archives introduces a collection of articles Meie, eestlased (We, Estonians)
published in 2000 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Oskar
Loorits, an outsanding Estonian specialist in folklore and national ideologist.
The collection compiled by Hando Runnel was published in the series Eesti
mõttelugu (Estonian History of Ideas); it includes 30 selected
articles from the legacy of Oskar Loorits (over 500 works in total), written
in the author’s native county 1927–1958 and, later, in Sweden where fled
as the war broke off.
In these arcticles, Loorits concentrates his attention on the development
of the fundamental nature and knowledge of life of Estonians, a minor
nation on the borderline between the Eastern and Western Europe and under
the influence of big nations, from the pre-historic ages to the middle
of the 20th century. He values the aboriginal Finno-Ugric culture
background of Estonians and contrasts it with the western ideological
model. Many of his standing points are also valid in the modern Estonian
social and political life.
MARKET PENETRATION OF LIBRARIES
The Balanced Scorecard Methodics Aira Lepik
The
article gives an overview of the balanced scorecard methodics and analyses
its use in library performance measurement. The piece treats, in the context
of balanced scorecard which has multiple levels, the impact of the analysis
of a library’s vision and strategy on users, inner resources, innovation,
readiness to learn and financing.
CRITICAL REVIEW
Across the Land of Troubles Vaime Kabur
In
her critical review on Piret Lotman’s book Parlamendiraamatukogust rahvusraamatukogust
III. F.R. Kreutzwaldi nimeline Eesti NSV Riiklik raamatukogu 1954–1988
(From a Parliamentary Library to a National Library III. F.R. Kreutzwald
State Library of the Estonian SSR 1954–1988), a merited and elderly worker
of the National Library of Estonia describes what she felt and went through
in her working years. Kabur claims that work was then done, too, – of
course, depending on the staff member’s will to carry it out – but the
Soviet power was always above and next to us. She acknowledges Piret Lotman’s
work as an honest and unvarnished treaty of the times of ideological pressure.
ESTONIAN LIBRARIANS ASSOCIATION
The ELA’s Annual Meeting
At the ELA’s Annual Meeting
on 28 February Krista Talvi, the President of the ELA, reported on the
activities of the passed year. The participants in the meeting also listened
to the reports of the Financial and Auditing Committees, the Action Plan
for 2001 and selected new ELA Board members. The ELA’s annual prize was
awarded to Tiiu Reimo (employee of the Estonian Academic Library; the
member of the ELA’s Committee of Old and Rare Books and its leader for
a long time) and prize for merits to Tiiu Pihlakas (the trustee of the
regional association of Jõgeva County).
The ELA’s Forum Linda Kask, Reet Olevsoo
This
year’s theme of a traditional ELA forum held on the same day with the
Annual Meeting, the seventh in turn, was Does the Estonian Library System
Need Reforms? In his speech, Margus Allikmaa, the Chancellor of the Ministry
of Culture of the Republic of Estonia, informed of the steps taken in
drawing up the Development Plan for Estonian Research Libraries and detailed
his vision of a common acquisition centre for public libraries. Maie Toimet,
the Head of the Science Service of the Ministry of Education, provided
information on the planned changes in the Act on the Scientific and Development
Activities Organisation which also concerne libraries. Krista Talvi, Anne
Valmas, Aira Lepik, Ivi Tingre, Rutt Enok and several others also expressed
their thoughts and comments on Estonian librarianship. The forum did not
give a straight answer to the question whether the Estonian library system
needs reforms, but it was carried by a thought that several things indeed
need changes.
Librarian – the 21st century profession Malle
Ermel
The author summarizes the issues treated at the joint forum of
the Viljandi College of Culture, the Department of Information Studies
of Tallinn Pedagogical University, the ELA Committee on Education and
the Education Board for Librarians at the Ministry of Culture on 15 November
2000 in Viljandi. The forum supported the idea that besides professional
training and academic degree courses, Estonia needs more further professional
training for librarians. In addition to that, Estonia needs a development
plan for the librarianship field.
The ELA – For What? Katrin Kaugver
At the meeting
of the ELA Board and activists on 1–2 February at Roosta tourist camp
the mission, key issues, goals and primary tasks of the ELA were reviewed.
The opportunities and challenges as well as the stronger and weaker sides
of the ELA were discussed.
The Book as a Culture Value Rutt Hiie
On 15
February the ELA’s Committee of Old and Rare Books and the Estonian Academic
Library held a conference The Book as a Culture Value. 6 papers primarly
dealt with the history of the book during the Reformation. Earlier books
are an interesting material for researchers, and when historians, book
preserves and the researchers of book history together step up with their
reports – as it was the case this time – the results will be more weighty
indeed.
NEWS
An Important Book for the Year of the Estonian Book Tiina
Aasmann
On 11 April a hundred years passed from the birth of Richard
Antik, a famous Estonian researcher of librarianship, bibliographer and
archivist (died in 1998). A brief overview of his life and activities
as a founder of the Archival Library of the Estonian National Museum is
given to celebrate the event.
Richard Antik and The Estonian Archival Library Merike
Kiipus
On 11 April a hundred years passed from the birth of Richard
Antik, a famous Estonian librarian, bibliographer and archivist (1901–1998).
The best years in his librarianship caree passed in the Archival Library
of the Estonian National Museum (1923–1942) which became a real national
library of its time. The Estonian Literary Museum published a collection
Richard Antik to celebrate his birthday.
In Memoriam - Linda Liinve
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