Publishers:
	2002
		Issued 6 numbers a year

2002 nr. 5

EDITORIAL

CONTENTS

ARCHIVE

A Penny for Your Thoughts is a question asked from you and you frequently ask from others. We also know that thinking is considered to be pleasant. Thinking shows who we indeed are, where do we belong and how we express ourselves. Even good and wrong thinking is talked about. We can even say – thinking is everything. Big and bigger thinkers have always been evaluated, not thinking that those considered lesser have often paved the way for them. Why am I trying to think again about the thinking of librarians? For regret. For regret that I seldom hear their personal thoughts – their own thoughts. A year or a few ago lively thinking was, in my mind, among us stronger and expressed opinions more self-confident. Both contrary, as well as in groups the same thoughts were expressed. Even passionate and angry thinking appeared. Where has it disappeared? Social thinking, of course, defines a lot in our ability to think, too, and this, unfortunately, is showing signs of stagnation; the liberal intelligenzia prefers to take a side view. It is fine, if their glance is still ironical, but it mostly tends to be tired and withdrawn. Sporadically, the people of culture, including us, have quite neglected cothinking. (However, some younger phrasers have indeed become more decisive since this autumn.) While observing a newspaper Sirp, orientated to us, the same names of contributors and similar texts also recur there, though the story mostly is worth reading. How much can three or four individuals think or say? Efforts to collects different opinions and thoughts in our journal have not borne much fruit, too. Nevertheless, I am grateful to those who responded to the polemics on recently published Estonian literature. It has been stated that thinking is not allowed. That alternative opinions are neglected. That it is wiser to obey the orders than to discuss the deep meaning of something. Who forbids? I believe that I know your answer. But believing that, I think that we forbid ourselves the most. There are several reasons to forbid ourselves, from the worry to loose our jobs to the hope to get paid for not thinking. However, one thing is obvious: if the persons of culture do not overcome the present quite serious standstill, our mentality and our culture does not become richer. Look around and think; then you see what has and has not happened. Perhaps the reason for this has been that we have not thought about it and shared our thoughts with others. And though thinking might not always be pleasant at the present moment, it might be a remedy – for instance, to get a better vision. Maire Liivamets

CONTENTS

FIRST COLUMN A Little and Big Estonia Sirje Virkus Assessing the role of Estonia in global developments, we experience that our librarianship is insufficiently known and acknowledged. For achieving this goal, we need to cooperate for systematical investment in modernised education, information technology developments, social and economical openness, and international relations and cooperation. NATIONAL INFORMATION POLICY The Internet Resources and the Subject Gateway of the National Library of Estonia Kristina Pihlau The article explains the necessity for establishing the National Library of Estonia’s subject gateway (http://www.nlib.ee/lingid) and lists the principles of choice of the represented Internet links. While choosing the links, the acquisition profile of the National Library was primarly taken into account and, for this reason, the subject gateway does not provide, for example, Web addresses of technology resources. Web publications, mostly foreign, are listed alphabetically and by subject. DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES Library Standardisation Anu Nuut A column that is planned to include in several journal issues. The first piece published in it gives an overview of the present and planned activities of the Standardisation Working Group at the National Library of Estonia. The working group drafted the basic principles of the National Library of Estonia standards Standardimine raamatukogunduses. Põhimõtted ja reeglid. RRS 1:2002 (Standardisation in Librarianship. Principles and Rules of Procedure) for approving unified rules of standardisation in librarianship and, parallelly, establishing preconditions for drafting and implementing standards necessary for Estonian libraries. The working group also proposed the adoption of IFLA standards, using translation method. The first of them ISBD(M): International Standard Bibliographic Description for Monographic Publications is currently in the enquiry stage and has to be published in December 2002. In the first half of 2003, two Estonian standards on library terminology are planned to develop. FOREIGN LIBRARIES Time Sets New Demands: the State Library of Russia Natalja Berezina In 2002 the State Library of Russia in Moscow celebrates its 140th anniversary. As a Russian national library, the State Library considers its most important function the acquisition, preservation and making available an universal document collection that meets the requests of the state and the nation. In the beginning of 2002 the State Library’s collection totalled 43 million units of account and had 22 reading rooms with 2,100 reader’s seats; the library is daily visited by 1.4 million users who borrow over 9 million publications. The library sees a possibility to enhance its activities through converting its collection on new data carriers and implementing new information technologies. The library coordinates the restoration of the national interlibrary lending system and acts as a research centre. ESTONIA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION Estonia Needs the European Common Market Marje Josing The article provides a thorough answer to the question how will the European integration influence the customers – does it mean the increase in Estonian prices and how will our earnings change. The most vital factors of price convergence are explained: macro- and microeconomical reasons, administrative barriers, reasons caused by structural changes and the impact of price level of the infrastucture. The convergence of the economy of Estonia with the European Union is paid attention to. The Estonian standard of wages is compared to the level of wages of other EU countries and the consuming structure of the Estonian population, determined by the level of prices and wages within the state, is characterised. The text is illustrated with graphics. INTERVIEW Library Work Gives Freedom of the Mind: an Interview with Krõõt Liivak Maire Liivamets A year has passed since the Humanities Reading Room was opened at the National Library of Estonia. Its head Krõõt Liivak has also been involved in compiling and editing bibliographies. The interviewee talks about the activities of the reading room, and about library work and life in general. THE ANSWER PLACE Sirje Nilbe, the head of the Bibliographic Control Department of the National Library of Estonia, Ilona Smuškina, a chief specialist at the General and Development Department of Tartu University Library, Katrin Kaugver, a senior bibliographer of the Baltica Department of the Estonian Academic Library, and Meelis Ideon, the head of the Acqusition Department of Tallinn Technical University Library, ponder upon librarianship and life. RECENT LITERATURE ON LIBRARIANSHIP BOOK HISTORY The Roman Law Publications at Tallinn St. Olai’s Church Library Tiiu Reimo An article for celebrating the 450th anniversary of the first library of the town of Tallinn, Bibliotheca Revaliensis ad D. Olai, founded in 1552. Juridical publications were represented in the library by the works of eminent European lawyers, various legal acts, collections of rights and manuals. The Roman law publications were of special importance, because its principles had laid basis for the legislation of most European states. The article gives an overview of the most vital publications. ESTONIAN HISTORY OF IDEAS The Magic of the Written Word: Notes of the Editor Mall Jõgi A review of a book Müütide maagia (The Magic of the Myths) by Ivar Grünthal, edited by Mall Jõgi and published in the series Eesti mõttelugu (Estonian History of Ideas) in 2001. Ivar Grünthal was a poet, a literary critic, an editor and translator; a literary journal Mana, founded by him, is a well-known publication. Müütide maagia includes a selection of his critical reviews, overviews and articles. CRITICAL REVIEW Hortus Librorum Piret Lotman A review of a book Raamatukultuurist Tallinnas 18. sajandi teisel poolel (About the Book Culture in Tallinn in the 2nd Half of the 18th Century) by Tiiu Reimo, published in 2001. READER’S COLUMN Possess Meaningful Word Vaime Kabur A contemplation about Estonian literature and its acquisition. Considering ‘the flow of trival and banal literature’ published in Estonia, the author is of the opinion that librarians should more actively talk about worthy literature, and also in the journal Raamatukogu, to facilitate orientation in the printed matter. ESTONIAN LIBRARIAN’S ASSOCIATION 10 Years of the Committee on Classification and Subject Indexing Arda-Maria Kirsel An overview of the committees activies during ten years. The biggest success has been the publication of the Estonian-language UDC tables. The committee has also contributed to the compilation of Estonian Universal Thesaurus, published numerous articles, organised workshops and speech meetings, made relations with international organisations. The committee is represented in the Standing Committee of the IFLA’s Section on Classification and Indexing. NEWS A Conference Dedicated to the Marks of Ownership Sirje Lusmägi An overview of an international scientific conference Marks of Ownership in Old Books: History. Description. Attribution held at the National Library of Estonia on 12–13 September 2002. The participators gathered due to the mutual interest in the provinence of old books and related problems. Summer Seminar for Research Libraries Riin Olonen An overview of a joint seminar for research libraries Library Cooperation Today and Tomorrow, organised by the National Library of Estonia and the Estonian Libraries Network Consortium and held at Lahemaa on 7–8 August. The event focused on the needs and opportunities for cooperation of libraries in general, and also on the organisational problems, financing issues and cooperation projects related to the consortium. Festive Opening of Viljandi Town Library’s New Building was Held on 5 October Ene Riet Library Loan Compensation is Going to Be Established in Estonia Ene Riet IFLA – 75 Ene Riet An overview of the 68th annual conference of the International Federation of Library Association and Institutions Libraries for Life: Democracy, Diversity, Delivery, held on 17–24 August in Glasgow, United Kingdom. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the organisation, the article also introduces the history of IFLA and, in addition to that, the thoughts of two merited Estonians, active at IFLA, Aira Lepik and Marje Aasmets, on the Estonia’s part in the development of the world librarianship are delivered. IAML Annual Conference Aurika Gergeleziu An overview of an annual conference of the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (IAML), held on 3–10 August in an university town Berkeley on the western coast of USA. The conference mostly focused on digital libraries, which was treated from several aspects on several special section and thematical commission meetings. With NORDINFO grant in Tampere Silvi Metsar Due to the NORDINFO mobility grant for Baltic librarians, an opportunity to visit several research libraries of Tampere in April 2002 opened up for the author of the overview. She mostly stayed in the Tampere University Library, which she thoroughly introduces. Estonian Research and Development Activities in the European Context Anu Nuut

ARCHIVE

2002 - 4, 3, 2, 1 2001 - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

2000 - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 1999 - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2