Publishers:
	2006
		Issued 6 numbers a year

2006 nr. 2

EDITORIAL

CONTENTS

ARCHIVE

Dear colleague, The acquisition and lending, that is, reading of Estonian belles lettres is a keen issue that arouses time and again. This time, talking about it is caused by the library loan compensation for authors that took effect in 2004 and library users’ ‘wrong’ reading preferences. While taking the floor at the Estonian Librarians’ Association’s Speech Meeting, Ainiki Väljataga, the Executive Manager of the Authors’ Compensation Foundation, highlighted Sweden, where fifteen authors, whose books have been lent the most, are all Swedes, as a positive example. I took an interest in what and how much is then read in Sweden in general. I studied public libraries’ statistics provided by the Ministry of Culture and found out the following. The frequency of borrowing audiovisual media several times exceeds the frequency of borrowing books. During the last decade, popular science literature has become constantly more popular. In 2004 the loans of belles lettres constituted, however, only 26,4% of all loans and this proportion has been decreasing since. Books for children are lent the most, forming 44% of total loans. The usage of childrens’ literature is the reason, why Swedish authors, whose books are lent most frequently, are all authors of childrens’ books. There is also an Estonian among the most popular authors – Mati Lepp, an illustator and author of Swedish-language books for children, who is, unfortunatly, unknown to the Estonian public. The decline in reading belles lettres is noticed in Estonia, too. And there rises a question whether the library is a cultural or rather an educational establishment. Whether the librarian is a staff member of a cultural establishment, who offers reading for recreation, or an information mediator for life-long learning. Or is possible to ask such questions in the context of a modern library with open access collections and automatic lending machines and self service? Libraries might as well exist without librarians in the future. Already in the current journal issue you find among other material information how Swedish public libraries lend popular belles lettres, using robots. If users communicate with a machine and librarians’ task is only to acquire literature, then librarians’ own knowledge of literature or reading are of no importance any more. As well as their joint battles together with writers in the name of Estonian literature. Ene Riet Editor

CONTENTS

FIRST COLUMN Photographers of Words - Meeli Pandis An essay on the word, picture and reading throughout the history of mankind. It tries to answer to the question what will become of the man, who does not convey words into pictures any more, and what will become of books and reading. BECOMING RICHER BY READING What Is a Book, What Are Its Values? - Kaie Holm The gist of Estonian librarians’ answers to the question about lite­rary events held in libraries and about problems related to their organisation and financing. Several possible solutions to the problems have been proposed, too. RESEARCH LIBRARIES Collection Evaluation and Acquisition - Kristel Schwede The article provides an overview how Estonian and other count­ries’ libraries have implemented the Conspectus system in collection development and evaluation. It also treats the efficiency and problems of Conspectus and acquisition plans based on it. Information Behavior of the Professors, Lecturers and Scholars of Tallinn University of Technology - Aiki Tibar In 2004 the Library of Tallinn University of Technology drew up a Web-based questionnaire to examine the information needs of the university’s professors, lectures and scholars. The results reveal what information sources were used, which criteria were considered important in selecting information sources, and what problems occurred in acquiring information. At the same time the lib­rary asked to evaluate the library’s collection and sought to find out the desired information retrieval possibilities in the nearest years. The importance of books and printed journals for the majority of scholars was pointed out as the most relevant result. In using the Internet, the respondents preferred more general search engines to intermediary thematic portals. The Information Needs of Tallinn University of Technology and the Acquisition Plan of Its Library - Konrad Kikas An important source for ascertaining and fixating the information needs of Tallinn University of Technology’s professors and lectu­rers is generating the database of the university’s disciplines and research works. The database has been supplemented with the UDC classes, given to the disciplines (over 2,500) and research themes (approximately 800). Thus, the disciplines and research works can be treated as an aggregated whole. The most capacious request from the database so far was related to drawing up the acquisition plan for the university’s library: on the basis of the database a three-level acquisition plan of documents that meet the needs of the university’s learning and research activities was drawn up. You Go Into One Room, But Find Yourself In Another: An Interview With Larissa Petina An interview with a researcher of earlier books, who has been working at the National Library of Estonia for thirty-three years, and a long-standing Head of its Rare Book Collection Department. Earlier Russian books and personal collections that have been researched in the course of organising the collection of the National Library, important to both Estonian and Russian culture, and on which Larissa Petina has published articles and treated in her conference papers in Estonia and abroad, are talked about. BOOK HISTORY The Red Book of Estonian Publications - Mari Siiner On 24 January 2006 the presentation of the first part of The Red Book of Estonian Publications, composed as the next stage of a project THULE (1998–2006) and published in Estonian and in English both as a CD as well as in online version (http://www.nlib.ee/PunaneRaamat), took place at the National Library of Estonia. The Jubilee Exhibition of the National Library of Esto­nia’s Archival Collection Brought a Lot of Visitors - Helle Remmelt From 1 November 2005 up to 20 January 2006 the National Library of Estonia celebrated with an exhibition the 70th year of activities of its Archival Collection. 150 publication from among the collections’ 550,000 documents were displayed. NOTA BENE! New Standards for Estonian Libraries - Endla Sandberg The acticle introduces two standards: The article introduces two new Estonian Standards: 1) EVS-ISO 11799:2005 Information and documentation – Document storage requirements for archive and library materials; 2) EVS-ISO 14416:2005 Information and documentation – Requirements for binding of books, periodicals, serials and other paper documents for archive and library use. TERMINOLOGY Information Science Terms - Siiri Lauk The second piece published in an annual column that will focus on library terminology throughout the year 2006 introduces certain library terms that have been approved by the Estonian Librarians’ Association’s Committee on Terminology. PUBLIC LIBRARIES Viimsi Community Library - Eevi Kiling A brief overview of the history and present situation of Viimsi Community Library. In 2005 the library moved to its new premises with the floor space of 560 square metres. Rich and Beautiful - Ene Riet Impressions of the visit to the new building of Viimsi Rural Municipality Library. SCHOOL LIBRARIES A Short Visit to Rocca al Mare - Ellen Arnover An overview of the activities of the library of Rocca al Mare private school of general education. Electronic lending is the distinctive feature of the library. As new textbooks arrive to the library just before the beginning of the academic year, the lib­rarians entered the descriptions of 6,000 printed publications into the electronic catalogue and attached chip codes and security bars to them in two weeks. Jaanus Kõuts, the librarian, is of the opinion that a librarian needs good imagination for organising smooth work. He especially emphasises libra­rian’s role in guiding minor readers. THE EUROPEAN UNION AND ESTONIANS The Conference of European National Librarians (CENL) Welcomes the European Commission’s Support to the Establishment of European Digital Library Estonia Within the European Library - Toomas Schvak On 1 January 2006 the National Library of Estonia officially joined The European Libraries Consortium and its service. The goal of such undertaking was to integrate the National Library of Estonia’s databases into a pan-European information service, where today already fifteen national libraries participate. Firstly integrated Tallinn part of the electronic catalogue ESTER and digital archive DIGAR have been uploaded into the testing portal. European public will be provided access to these in April 2006. Which Sources Provide Information About the European Union? - Liis Võhandu The new series of articles introduces the EU information and advisory services. The first piece in the series provides guidance where to start with information search, when a person in confronted with a question about the functioning, institutions and policies of the EU and about his/her rights and opportunities within the EU. BALTIC AND NORDIC LIBRARIES Bibliotherapy: a Service Provided at the Branch of Vilnius City Library - Rita Veskuniene, Simona Žiliene In 2004 the Naujoji Vilnia Branch of Vilnius City Library introduced a new service – bibliotherapy. Two bibliotherapy groups were established, both including approximately fifteen persons. The groups help young unemployed persons, who have low social status and problems related to school. Lending Robot Is On Its Way An overview of implementing lending robots in Swedish public libraries. A Journey from a Librarian to Poeta laureates - Ellen Arnover In the past year, Bo Carpelan, a Finnish-Swedish writer, who has been working as a librarian for thirty-four years in Helsinki, won the most important Finnish literature prize, the Finlandia Award. The awarded novel, Berg, will be soon published in Estonian in the series of Loomingu Raamatukogu under the title, Suve varjud (Sha­dows of Summer). ESTONIAN LIBRARIANS’ ASSOCIATION What Do They Read? - Katrin Kaugver An overview of the ELA Speech Meeting, “Tell Me, What You Read, and I Will Tell You...”. It discussed the reading habits and prefe­rences of children. Annual Meeting - Reet Olevsoo At the ELA’s Annual Meeting, held on the 28 th of February, the overview of the past year’s activities by Janne Andresoo, the ELA President, was heard. The Annual Meeting approved the management report and financial and audit committee’s report of the year 2005 as well as the action plan for the year 2006. Anneli Sepp (Tartu University Library, the Estonian Libraries Network Consortium) was elected the ELA President. The ELA’s Annual Prize went to Tiina Hoop, Director of Saverna Library, and the Prize for Merits to Leida Olszak, a consultant at the Estonian Children’s Literature Information Centre. I Want to Thank All My Fellow-associates! - Janne Andresoo The ELA President, who resigned her duties at the Annual Meeting on the 28 th of February, addresses all the members of the Association. Bibliographic Publications – To Whom and Why? - Mare Kurvet An overview of the Bibliography Day, titled “Bibliography – To Whom and Why?”, held on the 16th of February and organised jointly by the Academic Library of Tallinn University and the ELA. The prize for the best Estonian bibliography, published in 2004–2005, was also handed over. Sirje Tammoja from Tartu University Library was awarded as a compiler of the bibliographic list, Jaan Eilart. Bibliograafia 1948–2004 (Jaan Eilart. Bibliography from 1948 up to 2004). NEWS The Automatic Lending Machine Has Arrived - Kersti Jalas Since February 2006 an automatic lending machine that provides the students with an opportunity to borrow books on open shelves by themselves is operating at Tartu University Library. Joy of Giving Presents - Krista Talvi In December 2005 librarians presented new books for children to the Tartu University Chlidren’s Hospital and Häädemeeste nur­sery school Naerukajakas. Recalling: Leida Laidvee (1916-1995) at the Archival Library - Heino Räim On 5 April 2006 90 years will pass from the birth of Leida Laidvee, a long-standing Head of the Archival Library of the Estonian Lite­rary Museum. In Memoriam: Aala Krastin-Dmitriev – a long-standing Head of the Foreign Literature Department of Tallinn Central Lib­rary Congratulations: Presidental Badges of Honour and Decorations for Librarians in 2006

ARCHIVE

2006 - 1 2005 - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 2004 - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 2003 - 6, 5, 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