Publishers:
	2003
		Issued 6 numbers a year

2003 nr. 5

EDITORIAL

CONTENTS

ARCHIVE

Dear colleagues, I admit that I have lost my sense of what is beautiful and what is ugly, what is right and what is wrong, what is bad – in the sense of everyday living, behaving on a wider scenery than one’s own room, at one’s own working place. I think about dignity of a human being. Our, that is, the whole nation’s culture of interpersonal communication is putrefying. Still, it is paid little attention that makes me feel helpless. And though humiliating and insulting interrelations between people are revealed every day, they are quite anonymous of their nature. Perhaps nobody can exactly tell when and from where did this deepening train of rudeness begin. It destroys our brain cells and hinders our work and doings. We cannot blame it on media, or on the Government or political parties, too; to my mind, we all are to be blamed. We settle with offensive expressions; we even enjoy if men in good-quality jackets are rude to other men in expensive suits. If ladies, who use expensive make-up, besprinkle the lapels of their sisters’ costumes with offensive remarks. We do like to watch with an ironical smile on our face, how old women are having an argument on the corner of the street. We sneer at them. We hurry to buy newspapers, where somebody has been torn to pieces, in good spirit, at the same time, believing in our integrity and goodness. We never do anything like that! But let’s just once listen to each other’s way of expression more carefully. It could be said that the best self-defence would be especially selective reading of the press and ignoring of all sorts of texts published on the Internet (which I do), but this is no escape. A line someone else a pig, and the third – an idiot. Somebody hates a Minister so much that turns red with anger, some other a former Minister so that gets chest pains, and the third hates even the State that he/she, in fact, also is. The way to hating and contempt is open to everybody. Everyone tries to outdo others in abusing one another, let it be in waiting for a mobile shop or leaning on the bar in a cocktail lounge. Every reader of our journal knows that especially ‘murderous’ and uncontrolled are the texts published in online portals, but they are not, however, written by a drunken farmer or a widely scorned associal drop-outs. To my mind, the authors of these texts are idle people, who have time to produce cruelty. Those, who are waiting for a moment to rush ‘throwing stones’ via the Internet, radio channels or newspapers for a kind of a self-assertion. There are idle people in every society, but there seems to be too much of them in ours. Where do they come from? What do they do? A threat that we suppress each other with scorning, abusing and aggressive behaviour is more actual than ever, perhaps even more actual than our concern about earning our living. My idea and purpose for writing about it is rooted in the hope that we, people of culture, should jointly start gathering together the remains of our nation’s dignity. Let us be strong enough to fight all this! Maire Liivamets

CONTENTS

FIRST COLUMN Professional Association – Our Common Voice? - Ilme Sepp On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Estonian Librarians’ Association the Director of the Central Library of Lääne County ponders upon what she as a manager of the library of a borough expects from her professional association. The participation in the activities of the association has opened up an opportunity to get involved in developing the policy that shapes the life of all Estonian libraries. The ELA is the most high-sounding institution in developing Estonian librarianship. It fights through its members for all Estonian librarians. However, its voice would be even more louder, if its membership grew. DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES Terminological Standard Is to Be Published Soon - Endla Sandberg In the beginning of 2002 an international standard of terms ISO 5127 Information and documentation – Vocabulary was published. It contains 1084 terms and definitions related to information and documentation. At present a draft Estonian standard has been prepared and it can be commented upon up to 1 December 2003. The standard will be hopefully published in 2004. RESEARCH LIBRARIES A Library: a Postmodernist Approach - Olga Einasto The article describes the philosophy and practice of library work in the categories of postmodern philosophy and analyses how adequate are these catagories in the context of librarianship. The author proceeds from postmodernism being a world view, where the major tendencies of the development of modern society and the cultural changes of the last few decades are expressed. Performance Appraisal - Tiina Kuusik Modern libraries have to look for an answer to the question how to perform more with reduced resources. Performance appraisal methods, used by business enterprises so far, are being introduced in libraries. The article provides an overview of the aims of performance appraisal, and of the evaluation criteria, methods and process. Towards International Cataloguing Rules - Janne Andresoo, Sirje Nilbe In July this year an international meeting of cataloguing experts took place under the auspices of IFLA. Before the meeting, European cataloguing rules were analysed that concerned eighteen sets of rules. The goal of research was to approximate national instructions and, if possible, to draw up international cataloguing rules. PUBLIC LIBRARIES The Kännukuke Library - Shvea Sogenbits In August 2003 the Kännukuke Library was opened to the public in the Mustamägi District of Tallinn. The library has its own two-storeyed building. On the ground floor, there is Estonian-language literature, on the first floor – Russian-language literature. The library serves both adult population as well as children. Its services are computer-based. The library houses public Internet access point and a room for organising events. Io, a Library! - Piret Kiivit A Day in the Library - Marju Roosileht Works Submitted to an Essay Competion, Organised by the ELA and a Journal Raamatukogu RECENT LITERATURE ON LIBRARIANSHIP CRITICAL REVIEW The Cosmos is an Organised Chaos - Piret Lotman A critical review of a book Vsemirnaya istoriya bibliotek (A World History of Libraries) by Boris Volodin. The monograph treats the history of libraries as a journey, which libraries have made from their emergence up to the information age. Library is a social institution and the history of libraries is the history of the social demand for libraries. The author focuses on different stages of development and on critical changes in the history of libraries. THE ANSWER PLACE The Head of the Library of the Estonian Academy of Music, Ilvi Rauna, and the Head of the Collection Management Department of the National Library of Estonia, Krista Kats, ponder upon the importance of Estonian library journal Raamatukogu. INTERVIEW A Book Is Pleased if It Is Thumbed Through: an Interview with Tiiu Reimo - Maire Liivamets An interview with a Ph.D., the present Chair of Book Science of Tallinn Pedagogical University, a long-standing Head of Baltica Department of the Academic Library of Tallinn Pedagogical University about the history and present day of the book, about book research, educational policy and teaching of librarianship . FRIEDRICH REINHOLD KREUTZWALD – 200 Our National Epic in Foreign Languages - Urve Sildre The Estonian national epic, compiled by Kreutzwald, the founder of our national literature and a medical doctor, has been translated into eleven languages and it could be considered an Estonian literary work that has intrigued the world the most. ESTONIAN HISTORY OF IDEAS The Cultural Theology of Toomas Paul - Ringo Ringvee A review of a collection of articles Kirik keset küla (Halfway House) by an Estonian theologian Toomas Paul, published in the series Eesti mõttelugu (Estonian History of Ideas). Paul’s ideas have reached outside the church walls in such a way that he can be defined as a cultural theologian. He approaches both church and cultural history as well as the whole human culture and ethics in the collection. These treatments are frequently personal and untraditional. His wide reading is reflected in his every writing, and perhaps partly for this, he sees Estonians in a slightly wider and longer perspective than we have accustomed to. ESTONIAN LIBRARIANS’ ASSOCIATION Autumn Season Has Begun for the ELA - Krista Talvi CONFERENCES & SEMINARS Summer Camp for Public Libraries - Krista Talvi An overview of a summer seminar for public libraries, held in the boroughtown of Aegviidu on 12–14 August this year. The main issue treated was library standardisation. Summer Camp for Research Libraries - Anu Nuut An overview of a summer seminar for research libraries Quality Management: Services and the Market, held in Vihterpalu on 28-29 August. Annual Meeting of the CENL in Vilnius - Tiiu Valm An overview of an annual membership meeting of the Conference of European National Librarians on 25-26 September at the National Library of Lithuania in Vilnius. The final conference of a project The European Library (TEL) preceded the meeting. It has been expected that the TEL will become a central information array of European national libraries that will provide library users with diverse information retrieval possibilities in the nearest future. A Festive Event on the German Book Market - Tiina Tammer An overview of the 55th Frankfurt Book Fair on 8–13 October 2003 by the manager of an Estonian publisher Tänapäev. Why Is It Important for Research Libraries to Visit Frankfurt Book Fair - Mihkel Volt Collection Development Officer of the National Library of Estonia explains, why Estonian research libraries should send their acquisition librarians to this major event among publishers.

ARCHIVE

2003 - 4, 3, 2, 1 2002 - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 2001 - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

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