Nordic Libraries and their organisations in the 21 st Century

Transcription

1 Nordic Libraries and their organisations in the 21 st Century

2 The Nordic library organisations welcome all colleagues from around the world to Oslo and to IFLA This publication gives you an introduction to what is going on in our part of the world. To the way we work and advocate for libraries, and finally to who we are. Libraries in transformation 3 A brief introduction to current Nordic Library Development A new physical library in Finland 4 by Maija Berndtson Libraries go digital. A Report from Iceland 6 by Thordis T. Thorarinsdottir Library legislation. The Swedish Law Inforcement 8 by Martin Aagård Strategies for cooperation and networking in Denmark 10 by Jørgen Bartholdy & Claus Vesterager Pedersen ABM-utvickling in Norway 12 by Frode Bakken Advocating for libraries in national library associations 14 by Winnie Vitzansky Promoting professional library development via trade unions 15 by Nanna Berg DIRECTORY Denmark 16 Finland 18 Iceland 19 Norway 20 Sweden 22

3 Editors: Peter Axelsson, Swedish Library Association Hellen Niegaard, Danish Library Association Libraries in transformation A brief introduction to current Nordic Library Development Libraries for democracy Nordic countries are characterised by their firm belief in democracy. The Nordic library model is really based on a few common fundamentals reflecting that. The right to freedom of expression and to seek and access information is one. Another is the right to learn. They are both closely related to the idea of citizenship. We therefore have a century long tradition of libraries and of providing access to information, knowledge and culture to all citizens. The service is free of charge for the users, and depending on public money and regulation of the area. Getting ready for the Knowledge Society All of the Nordic countries are in the midst of a process of redefining of traditional library services. In order to take advantage of the information and communication technology itself and in order to meet changing needs for access to knowledge deriving from the Information Society as such. As well as from its transformation into a Knowledge Society. Going from a library relying on physical media formats such as the book to equally embracing all sorts of digital solutions and online services. A library offering access 24 hours 7 days a week, online reference services and e-guidance. The conceptual change is more or less common to all types of libraries whether they are public, school or academic/research libraries. It influences not only focus of the service however it is also transforming the layout of the physical library and the way we cooperate across library categories. In fact we see a new and growing trend favouring border-crossing cooperation between public libraries on one side and other libraries or institutions on the other side. That could be cultural centres, city halls, museums and archives - MLA cooperation (Museums, Libraries and Archives). Partnership is developed to profit from synergy effects and to gain a greater impact locally. Promoting libraries Though Nordic libraries are popular and well attended by potential users they are however often taken for granted and though they are ubiquitous, they are often not as visible as could be wished for. Therefore it is a major and permanently ongoing task for all the Nordic associations to promote awareness of the role of the library in the society. Advocating and lobbying for libraries are done in many ways; we have included a couple of examples to illustrate how organisations try to push for a strong and continuous development of the libraries - for the benefit of the end users, citizens, students and researchers, - and for society as such. The Nordic Library Associations have produced this publication in cooperation with other Nordic library organisations. Should you need more information we invite you to contact one or several of the organisations - they are all available via the enclosed Directory.

4 Maija Berndtson, Library Director, Helsinki City Library: A new physical library in Finland 4 Finnish culture is firmly grounded in literacy and Finns use their libraries more than any other cultural institution. In 2002 and 2003 there were 65 million visits in public libraries. In a country with 5.2 million inhabitants this means that on average every Finn visits the library once a month. Finland is a young nation, independent only since The Finnish literary culture is young, too, but it had an important role in the national movement in the struggle for independence. This strong role of literature can still be seen e.g. in the number of published books which is one of the highest per capita in the world. The young literary culture explains why our first remarkable library building, the Library of the University of Helsinki, the National Library, was built as late as On the other hand Helsinki s former main library, the Rikhardinkatu Library from 1881, was the first building in the five Nordic countries designed especially as a public library. It is still functioning as a modern library. Today there is a public library in all municipalities, with branches there are altogether some 900 libraries. These libraries have approximately m 2 (4.95 million sq. feet) which means about 88 m 2 per 1000 inhabitants (950 sq. feet). The minimum goal set by the Ministry of Education is 100 m 2 (1080 sq.feet). More than 80 percent of library premises have been built or renovated since 1980 s. The municipalities have the main responsibility of public libraries but the annual allowance for funding library investments included in the state budget has been an important support for the construction and renovation of library premises and buildings. The library buildings The best architects in Finland have always been interested and involved in designing library facilities. An inspiring example for the Finnish library architecture has been Alvar Aalto s functionalist-style library opened in 1935 in Viipuri, then the second largest city in Finland but now part of Russia. Another landmark building is Tampere s main library designed by the architect couple Raili and Reima Pietilä and built in Aesthetic buildings are valuable symbols and even raise the status of libraries. The location of libraries reflects the position and the role of libraries in the society. Almost 40 percent of libraries are in separate buildings and about a quarter are situated in school buildings. The latter tells about the strong connection between schools and public libraries and it also partly explains the reason why we in Finland do not have special school libraries. It is also traditional to have libraries and cultural houses in the same buildings. Recently, interesting solutions for branch libraries have been presented in Helsinki metropolitan area. Espoo, the second largest city in Finland, has established two branches in rental premises in two big shopping centres. The Apple Library was opened in 2001 and the Sello Library in Both of these libraries are very busy. This proves that libraries should be where the people are. Helsinki, on the other hand, has established two branch libraries, namely Arabianranta (2004) and Viikki (1999) in the same building as a university science library. These are concrete indications about the closer cooperation between the public and research libraries. In a country where a third of the population has completed tertiary level education this trend seems very natural. A new phenomenon in library construction is the use of feasible premises all ready in existence. Former banks, school buildings, factory premises and even a hotel restaurant (Loviisa, 1998) and a flour mill (Tyrnävä, 1994) have been renovated into libraries in the 1990 s. The future library The number of visits in the physical libraries in Finland has been quite stable during the past few years. On the other hand in a country where mobile

5 phone penetration is over 90 percent and half the population has Internet access at home and even more at the work place the question in the long run is: why would people in the future visit libraries when they can get the information needed through other channels. In the vision for the future the attraction of library premises is based on the lure of social interaction. Libraries are not only storages of media. The users and their needs should have a more central role in planning. Library facilities must be designed for versatility. Both furniture and technical equipment should be mobile components which can be combined in various ways. The customers themselves can create a work environment to suit their own needs. We can talk about do it yourself library. While responding to people s need for social contacts, libraries promote equality and prevent social exclusion. Libraries are meeting places for knowledge, knowledge-seeking people and all those information services professionals who help people seek and find information. Personally I believe in the future of the physical library which can be seen as an important counterbalance to the virtual world of digital culture. In the midst of commercialism, libraries have become aesthetically enjoyable, hallowed spaces where minds are uplifted.

6 By Thórdís T. Thórarinsdóttir, library director and president of Iceland's Library Association Libraries go Digital a Report from Iceland In small communities like Iceland co-operation is very important. Not least in the field of library and information service and dissemination of information, where it is vital to join forces among libraries and information centers. In this regard two Icelandic nationwide co-operational projects towards digitalization of resources can be mentioned, that will have strong impact on the library and information scenario in Iceland in the future and especially on the dissemination of information. Network & union catalogue Firstly the Union Catalog of Icelandic Libraries, can be referred to and the implementation of a library automation system with the aim that all libraries and information centers in Iceland will be served by a common and centrally operated system run by the firm, Consortium of Icelandic Libraries, Inc., owned by the state and the local governments. The realization of a single nationwide library system, serving all library types, requires an immense amount of organizational effort, co-operation and understanding among the different types of libraries. In the selection process focal groups tested the various models of the systems in question. The library system Aleph 500 was selected and is still under implementation, but it vas opened on the Internet in May One database will serve as a union catalogue for the whole country with information about books, serials, Icelandic journal articles and other holdings of the libraries, and it will definitely make searching and locating material easier and thus the library collections easier accessible for the end users, especially for users living outside of the capital area, who then can demand printed material on interlibrary loans. Nationwide access portal The countrywide access portal to electronic journals and databases (Landsadgangur ad rafrænum gagnasöfnum og tímaritum) is the second Icelandic cooperational project on national basis. It was originally organized by a committee on behalf of the Icelandic Ministry of Education but is now mainly a cooperational project among Icelandic libraries and information centers. In the 90 s the Icelandic government launched its first information policy. In 1997 the former Association of Research Librarians took the initiative by holding a conference on Information on the Internet (Upplysingar á Interneti) in co-operation with the National and University Library and in 1998 a task force was established to make recommendations for electronic access. In 1999 Britannica Online was opened nationwide, the first database subscription in the world opened to a whole nation, and during the following years access was provided to e-journals and more electronic data bases. The nationwide access is housed at the National and University Library in Reykjavík, where its administrator has his workplace. The access is based on IP-recognition and extends to every computer in Iceland, served by local Internet Service Providers. Focus on e-materials The resources are accessible wherever you are within Iceland and whenever you want, day or night. Now (2005) access is provided to 31 databases, more than full text journals, literary works, three reference works and one dictionary. TDNet is used to search for journals by journal title, article title or journal subject. From the beginning of the year 2004 Iceland only buys the electronic version of the journals in question. The administrator in cooperation with a steering committee, where all library types are represented, negotiates contracts with suppliers for the nationwide access to electronic journals and databases. This means great rationalization and cutting of costs for the libraries and information centers. Access is provided through a special web page, which has been established, (meaning where.is?), to make the access easier and to provide practical information about availability and conditions for use, as well as for 6

7 general and technical assistance to end users in order to make the access to different data bases easier. Further there is a possibility to link directly from the library automation system, to e-journals in the nationwide access. Again the Icelandic countrywide access portal to electronic databases and e-journal is very important for smaller libraries and people living outside of Reykjavík and is crucial for the development of distance learning in the country and downloads increase every year. Facilitating web-access Now smaller libraries, and individuals in their homes as well, are able to have access to on-line databases for very reasonable prices. Without the nationwide access it would be unthinkable. The cost is divided among the libraries and information centers in the country and it is also vital that all libraries are willing to participate. This structure is very important for smaller libraries and people living outside of Reykjavík and crucial for the development of distance learning in the country and will enhance educational opportunities in general and thus have considerable social impact. In 1998 the Icelandic Web Library ( was founded by 14 public libraries. It is a subject based collection of links to facilitate access to information on the World Wide Web. The strongest emphasis is placed on Icelandic links. All links are assigned subject headings in accordance with the Icelandic Thesaurus. The National and University Library ( has started digitizing old Icelandic material and placing it on the Internet, e.g. maps, manuscripts, historical journals and newspapers (published before 1920), see: In earlier times the Icelanders were reading the Sagas in their homes, but now they are searching the Internet for information. For more information see: Sveinn Ólafsson: Aleph in Iceland. Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly, 2001, vol. 34, no. 3, pp Thórný Hlynsdóttir & Thóra Gylfadóttir: Remote document supply in Iceland before and after nationwide access to 8000 e-journals: the story so far. Interlending & Document Supply. February 2004, vol. 32, no. 2, pp Sigrún Klara Hannesdóttir: Library Development in the Electronic Environment: Iceland IFLA Journal 2005, vol. 31, no. 2, pp The union catalog of Icelandic libraries - The Icelandic countrywide access portal to electronic databases and e-journals - The Icelandic Web Library, subject based collection of Icelandic links 7

8 Martin Aagård, journalist, the Swedish Library Association Library Legislation The Swedish Law enforcement 8 By law every municipality in Sweden is obliged to adopt a plan for the functioning of its local libraries. Activities are to be described. Objectives are to be set. Results are to be described. In other words, the activities of libraries constitute today an issue placed on a high political level an issue of great importance. This development is the result of one of the more successful lobbying endeavours of the Swedish Library Association, namely making the Swedish Library Act more stringent. But how important is it to promote libraries by influencing the legislation? And how are the library plans used today? The Swedish example offers inspiration, but also raises certain questions. From 1st January 2005, the Swedish Library Act contains the following amendment: Libraries and authorities responsible for libraries within the publicly financed system of libraries are to cooperate with each other. Municipalities and county councils are to adopt plans for the activities of their libraries. Lobbying for an amendment At first sight this wording is perhaps self-evident, but it was missing in the first library act in Sweden, which was passed in The wording is the result of lobbying that commenced about six years ago. Joneta Belfrage played a special role in taking the initiative for this lobbying. At that time Joneta was the chairperson of the Association. We adopted the principle that we would work intensively for two years with a special theme. And I myself was intensely focused on precisely the issue of library plans. It is extremely important to think like a lobbyist and have good, close contact with politicians. We take libraries so much for granted. Everyone is working hard and is dedicated, but sometimes one has to change focus. We have to be able to see beyond our daily work and quite simply play the role of marketer. During intensive attempts were made to amend the act that had recently come into force. Although it was historic Sweden was the last Scandinavian country to have obtained a library act it was quite toothless. A pamphlet was drawn up, setting forth the Association s ideas, the Association arranged conferences in the four largest cities in Sweden, politicians were invited, and government ministries were visited persistently for the purpose of lobbying them. The Association s present chairperson, Britta Lejon, was the Minister for Democracy of the government of the day, and she became the object of the same lobbying activities as the then Minister for Culture, Marita Ulvskog, was subjected to. At that time library issues were spread across many ministries. The Ministry of Culture was responsible for public libraries, the Ministry of Education and Science was responsible for school and research libraries, and the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs also had a certain responsibility. Joneta Belfrage continues. The Association Campaign The Association presented a clear description of objectives setting forth what a library plan should be: By library plan we mean a management document which is guaranteed political support and which comprises an analysis of the collective library needs in a municipality and measures for the fulfilment of these needs. In addition to library activities, this library plan is also to include library needs concerning education, nursing and health care, and industry and commerce. According to the Library Association, library plans should be based on UNESCO s Public Library Manifesto and School Library Manifesto. The campaign however also served the purpose of inspiring individual libraries to draw up plans. The present Secretary General of the Association, Niclas Lindberg, was at that time Head Librarian in Haninge Municipality, outside Stockholm, and on his own initiative he drew up his own plan for his library. The Association defines a library plan as being a plan that has been approved by the municipal council. I never reached that far, but we made one ourselves, which was of course not prohibited. We broke down the objectives of the Committees for Culture and Recreation into measurable objectives. And that was an important step. We attracted a certain amount of atten-

9 tion in the Municipality. We issued service guarantees and set up a system for handling complaints, which gave us goodwill. The finances of Haninge Municipality were poor, which had led to a drain in library resources. When lobbying for more money, it was quite simply an advantage that we had done our homework. The result was a success for Haninge Public Library. A new cultural centre was built, and the Municipality appropriated more money for purchasing books and for staffing. Eventually the Committees for Culture and Recreation drew up a common plan for the whole Municipality, which will be approved by the Municipal Council in April Our planning quite simply won the respect of the politicians. Proof that library plans are an effective tool when lobbying for libraries, declares Niclas Lindberg. How to follow up? What does the actual amendment to the Act mean in practice? Opinions are divided on that issue. In some quarters there is a certain resistance to the idea. Of course, writing plans involves extra work and can take a great deal of time. However, the biggest question perhaps is who actually is to play the role of library police? The Library Act does not provide any possibility of applying sanctions against those municipalities that break the law. Even before the Act was made more stringent, clear infringements of the law were taking place. The way in which school libraries have been mismanaged all over the country is in direct contravention of the Act and will probably be an important issue for the Association in the future. We will probably have to do it ourselves, believes Niclas Lindberg, but this is a discussion that will have to start soon. Parliament cannot just pass laws that no one follows. Will the Association continue to try to increase the stringency of the library legislation? Niclas Lindberg answers, There is a risk connected with that. Libraries have established themselves as the largest cultural institution in Sweden completely without legislation. And if one studies that development, perhaps one should not, to the exclusion of all else, concentrate on legal regulation and on defining in legislation what a library should be and should not be. And I really wonder if one should do so. Naturally, one proceeds on the assumption that public libraries should define themselves, but this may not be the case at all. Legal regulation also creates the possibility of limitations and restrictions in libraries range of services. Should public libraries not constitute an issue that is to be dealt with at the highest democratic level? I have no objection to that replies Niclas Lindberg, but perhaps more legal regulation is not necessarily an issue that the Association has to place at the top of its agenda. It is a great asset to be strong without legal regulation. The most important task of a lobbying organisation is rather to be constantly a step ahead of the politicians, asserts Niclas Lindberg. The interview with Joneta Belfrage was held in February Two months later she died after a short period of illness. 9

10 By Jørgen Bartholdy, Library Director Skanderborg Public Library and President of the Association of Danish Public Library Managers and Claus Vesterager, Deputy Director and Director of Planning and Development at Roskilde University Library and President of the Danish Research Library Association Strategies for cooperation and networking in Denmark Let us start by giving you an impression of the dimensions of the Danish library community. Denmark has app. 5.4 million inhabitants and covers a little more than square kilometres. There are approx 230 public municipal libraries as some municipalities cooperate and more than 300 governmental research and special libraries. Add to this more than 400 libraries in educational centres and grammar schools. Cooperation in the Danish library system is built upon the fundamental principle that every citizen in the country has a basic right to use all material and all sources that has been financed out of public money, no matter in what public library the sources are, municipal or governmental. This right has secured the free access to the collections of the research libraries to ordinary citizens usually by getting the books or journals procured by the local public library. It has also secured a rational utilization of the libraries united resources, not least owing to a consistent State-subsidized structure of regional central library networking. Above all it means that all students and teachers at the institutions of higher education can use the resources of their own institutional libraries even if they live far away and want to use the local public library instead or as an alternative. The All-Denmark Network The right to loan is the backbone of the cooperating Danish library system and it has not only ensured the rights of every single citizen, it has also contributed to ensure the improvement of the public libraries all over the country. The creation of the joint network based union catalogue, bibliotek.dk, and the access to every single Danish library database on the internet, has made the use of interlibrary loan to downright explode during the last few years. The possibility to loan across libraries and sectors apparently is liked very much by our users. So this is what the libraries must come up to. The Danish National Library Authority has done its share by establishing a nationwide transport system between all the libraries. Now it is the duty of the libraries to bring cooperation farther. A closer and more intensive cooperation on user s rights is evident - especially because closer cooperation often gives great possibilities of efficiency and rationalization. It is, in fact, a wish both among the users and among professionals to obtain a closer cooperation where terms and possibilities are as equal as possible, the different public sectors and different public library owners considered. The existing technological possibilities to identify users and to unambiguously place them in the right library connexion give us reason to believe that we will be able to work this out soon. The Danish research libraries, however, already have a great deal of experience in this area, among other things with projects concerning singlesign-on and remote access. The Electronic Research Library Since 1998 the research libraries have worked together on the implementation and operation of a joint virtual library, called DEFF: Denmark s Electronic Research Library. The purpose of DEFF is the development of a national infrastructure for research and education in Denmark and working within seven programme areas (user facilities, digitisation, e-learning, e- publishing, licenses, portals and system architecture) it is a very important aim to make the united resources of all Danish research and special libraries available for students, teachers and researchers. The DEFF-cooperation implies a number of specific advantages: exchange of experience, consolidation and standardization, joint development, education and qualification, direct access for the end-user, reduction of operational and administrative expenses, international cooperation and sensation. Within the public libraries there has been concentration on the joint development and operation of a number of professional tools based on the Internet. The participating libraries have not only been able to develop individual 10

11 services. They have established fora where the contents of the various services can be coordinated. Finally the development has been made with the stated purpose to give free access to all the various services through the open internet to both other libraries than the participating libraries and to all ordinary people as well. Joint online reference service Of course there are several projects where public libraries work side by side with research libraries and in several of the big university cities the various libraries have established coordination meetings or even coordination boards. There is also a large national cooperative project across the library sectors: Biblioteksvagten.dk. This is a telephone and internet based enquiry service a national virtual reference service that gives all citizens access to a professional information service established jointly by various public, special and research libraries. The purpose for cooperation henceforward should be to ensure the possibility for every user to choose the library or libraries whose service and site suit her or him best. We do not, however, foresee a library system where the differences in service between the various libraries will be settled. Eventually it is each municipality or each educational institution that, through their grant and their visions, decide what services to be offered locally, but it must be every single user s right and own decision where to get her or his requirements covered. New possibilities In a recent published report on the possibilities of further integration of the rights to use and get access to the various libraries resources it is stated that the possibilities for further cooperation between the libraries municipal as well as governmental technologically are present and that the barriers, if any, will be of political and economical character. With the Danish tradition of cooperation it seems possible that these barriers at least to some extent could be overcome so that the libraries in the future could be even better. Some links: DEFF: Denmark s Electronic Research Library Bibliotek.dk Biblioteksvagten The Danish National Library Authority 11

12 By Frode Bakken, president Norwegian Library Association New partnership the Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority (ABM-Utvikling) The Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority (NALMA) was established in 2003 after a tough process of deliberations in the Norwegian library community. The Norwegian Library Association (NLA) and most of the Norwegian library community had for years been agitating for the establishment of a single government office or authority for all library matters and library types. A main reason and argument for a merging into one government office was the artificial separation into education - and culture -based libraries and the subsequent lack of coordination of actions and strategies represented in the two government offices for library affairs under the ministry of education and the ministry of culture. In the end of the 90 s and the beginning of this century this lack of cooperation became evident also for the parliament and was shown very clearly through the lack of policies on infrastructure and interlending, lifelong learning and many other strategic and practical arenas. Promoting one body NLA and many other forces in the Norwegian library community promoted this merging in different ways and in different policy aspects. The library resources in the country could only be used for the good of the whole of society if the strategies and planning of library matters were done in a unified way and in one government body. An important inspiration for NLA was the Danish example with the united government office for library development in Denmark. The Danish National Library Authority (Biblioteksstyrelsen) is the Danish government's central administrative and advisory body to the public libraries and the research libraries under the Ministry of Culture. In 1999 the Norwegian Government proposed for the Storting (the parliament) that there should be a merging of archives, libraries and museums government offices into one new office and policy arena. The problem was that in the proposal only the office for public libraries was included in the proposal. NLA said in hearings in the parliament that the merging of archives, libraries and museums was not a proposal from the library community but it could be accepted if also the office for research libraries was integrated in the new government body. After one year of hard lobby activity from NLA in the parliament a final decision to include the research libraries in the new body was done in June NALMA officially states archives, libraries and museums play an important role in a democracy and in promoting social inclusion because they select, preserve and facilitate the use of various sources of knowledge and information. The majority of such sources extend across all the ABM institutions, including art, sound, photography, film, archival material and literature. Furthermore, the common interests of the three constituent sectors have been strengthened by the use of information and communication technology (ICT). ICT provides simplified access to the sources both across different types of sources and the traditional sector boundaries. These factors combined provide the main reason for the establishment of the Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority. What is NALMA? NALMA is a strategic body, and promotes partnerships and collaboration between the three sectors, in addition to addressing sector specific challenges and funds projects it initiates on its own, in addition to supporting measures directed by the institutions themselves. The main objective is to work towards the improved development, preservation, and use of our cultural and knowledge based assets and work to improve the ability of the sectors and the institutions to meet the new challenges posed to our society, today and tomorrow. The merging of archives, libraries and 12

13 museums into one government office is controversial. Many in the library and museum communities are sceptical to the real benefits for each sector. NLA considers that the new office needs some more time to show the real benefits of its activity. And there is no way back to separated offices for public and research libraries. NLA was never promoting the unified office of archives, libraries and museums in itself. Only an analysis based on facts can decide whether this new way of approaching the library challenges will be successful. NALMA is organised under the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs, which has the overall responsibility for the Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority. The Authority is headed by a board consisting of eight members who are appointed by the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs in consultation with the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of the Environment. The office has approximately 60 employees, divided into three departments: Administration, Information and Strategy and planning. The department of Strategy and planning, the largest, is jointly headed by three department directors (libraries, archives and museums). The Norwegian Digital Library One of the main initiatives of NALMA in the library field is the Norwegian Digital Library. This programme will run for 3-5 years. The Norwegian digital library is being designed to make it possible for users to exploit the quality assured digital information that is now available at many places, by many owners and suppliers. The Norwegian digital library shall also help make more content available in digital form, for more users. It will encompass all kinds of libraries: the national library, university and college libraries, public libraries, special libraries and networking librarians, content, services and user, in a way that will be conceived as seamless. Some links: englishindex.html

14 Winnie Vitzansky, Director, the Danish Library Association Advocating for libraries National library Associations and how they work Library associations have a long history in the Nordic Countries, as most of the countries had established library associations by the first part of the 20th century. Today we have numerous associations in each country, but we also see a very different development, as some of the countries are in the middle of a merging process of the associations (Sweden and Finland), while Denmark is quite comfortable having seven associations, including the trade unions. It makes little sense within the scope of this brochure to try to tell the detailed story of us all, so I will use The Danish Library Association as an example of how one of the Nordic Library Association works. The Danish Library Association (Danmarks Biblioteksforening (DB)) is the oldest of the Nordic associations, founded in DB has played a central role in the development of especially the Danish Public Libraries. DB was instrumental in the preparatory process underlying the first Danish Library Act in 1920, and DB has continued being a political lobby organisation ever since. Using IFLA terminology DB since the very start of the association has been focused on the two pillars: the societal work and the professional work. We have used a quite radical solution, which is to bring politicians and library professionals together in the same association. The Danish Library Association has a long history of cooperation between librarians and politicians, which is reflected in the structure of the Danish Library Association where the president since 1962 has been an active politician and from late 70 ies a local politician. DB is comprised of two main groups: the politicians and the professionals. The 2. vice-president is always a professional, while 1. vice-president is a politician. This structure has been instrumental in developing a very close cooperation beween the the local cultural politicians and their library managers through the joint work in the library association on the same cause: the development of the Danish library system. Today the main goal of DB is to work for the free, open democratic society with free and equal access to information and culture for all. To reach this goal DB works to further the Danish library system with special emphasize on public libraries. This means that we are involved in all sides of public library development, networking with other associations in related fields as e.g. museums, archives, adult education, schools etc. as well as the more traditional political work. In cooperation with The Royal Danish School of Librarianship and Information Science we initiates research necessary to the library system and their politicians. DB has been involved in the international work from the very beginning and was one of the founders of IFLA in 1927 as well as of the European library association EBLIDA in We still put much emphasize on international cooperation as we strongly believe that in a global world we need to work together. We need IFLA as well as EBLIDA to influence the international treaties, declarations etc as well as the European legislation, efforts we support nationally, whenever we are called upon. Together with the other Danish library associations and the Nordic ones we work to ensure, that the Nordic citizens in the information society of today get easy access to information and culture as well as to qualified guidance. 14

15 Nanna Berg, Information and Library consultant, Danish Unions of Librarians Promoting professional development Library Trade Unions and how they work The international concept of a trade union is to organise relevant areas of profession and interest into strength by numbers, allowing the trade unions to have the strength of many yet also protect the interests of the individual member. In the Nordic region of Europe, the trade unions use that strength and diversity in service of the members by striving to improve the work environment and subsequently engage in all spheres of the members working conditions: level and regulation of income, amount and distribution of working hours, pension funds, further education, maternity leave, sick pay, standardising employees rights, resignation, discharge and holidays etc. The Scandinavian area of Europe is diverse in many aspects yet has a deep common history and a long-standing tradition of cooperation and relations across the borders, giving space to many common strengths and ideas. This has created a homogenously structured society and political culture, which in turn allows the Scandinavian trade unions to share a similar work environment spread over nations. As an example of the above trade union example in the Scandinavian countries, the Danish Union of Librarians: Union of Information Specialist and Cultural Intermediaries (Bibliotekarforbundet (BF)) is a trade union that combines professional and educational development with maintaining the work environment and dealing with issues of employment and economy. BF is politically independent and is solely financed by the annual mem-bership fees. Currently BF represents 5,500 members and is run by a Board of Directors elected by the members at the bi-annual convention. It is the Board s responsibility to protect the interests of the members and to form the strategy of the Union. Supporting the Board is a staff of 26, who answer the members questions. The staff is professionally trained, many of them specifically within a given field. Whilst engaging in all areas of the members working conditions, BF divides it s attention into two spheres; the first addressing the work environment and the second maintaining professional and educational development for the members. Currently BF provides 12 special interest groups in various areas of culture and library work. Some of these special interest groups are; children s libraries, leadership, reference work, services to multicultural populations and information technology. BF is also the members common voice in the public arena and BF takes care of general press relations. In the public arena, BF gets involved in political subjects of interest to our field and openly discusses with politicians. BF also engages lobbyists in order to draw politicians and other opinion-formers awareness to cases and subjects of special interest to BF. Using these tools, BF increases public knowledge of librarians as highlights their diversity and competences. International work and cooperation is also of great importance to BF. BF is a member of IFLA, EBLIDA, FID and SLA. Furthermore BF is a member of FAIFE, an activity within IFLA. BF feels that international cooperation with other organizations is important as this allows BF to exchange experiences within the organisational and the professional levels. The European regulation of the labour market has made this international cooperation increasingly important and we find that international work strengthens BF as a trade union, as well as provides a way to be heard on international matters and in sum is very beneficial for the members. In sum the major aims of BF are to strengthen the future work in the professional field, to enforce the educational work and make a special effort to secure employment for the members. 15

16 Facts about Denmark and Danish library organisations Inhabitants Extension Capital 5.4 mio square kilometres Copenhagen National Library Body Danish Library Authority (Ministry of Culture) - Public Library Act (2000), see National Library (legal depository etc) The Royal Library Other libraries providing national services Århus State and University Library incl. - Danish Repository Library for Public Libraries - Danish Central Library for Immigrant Literature The Danish Library for the Blind The Danish Bibliographic Centre Ltd. IT infrastructure DANBIB and national bibliography As well as bibliotek.dk National Danish data-networks DANBIB - all library collections in DK Bibliotek.dk - national bibliography online and one access-point to all library collections: seek, find and make reservations 24/7 Deff.dk - national portal for all research and educational libraries in Denmark Danish Net Libraries (a selection) BIBLIOTEKSVAGTEN.dk - Reference service BiziGate.dk - Business Portal for private sector, students and researchers DOTBOT.dk - Children's Library Portal FINFO.dk - Portal to the Danish Society for ethnic minorities Litteratursiden.dk - Library portal: Danish writers, ideas for reading etc. Musikbibliotek.dk - Danish Music Portal Netmusik.dk - MP3 files Public libraries (mandatory in all 272 municipalities) 227 main libraries - some cooperate, 447 branches & approx 48 book mobiles (16 county libraries incl. Copenhagen and Frederiksberg - 3 level superstructure service) Research and special libraries 241 of which 17 larger - plus 141 Institute libraries Directory - Denmark National Network Danish Library Umbrella Coordination and cooperation - all Danish library organisations Acting chair: Pernille Drost, BF - Danish Union of Librarians Acting Secretariat: att. The Library Umbrella, c/o The Danish Library Association, [email protected] BF - Danish Union of Librarians Independent trade union securing wages and working conditions for librarians. Organising approx 5,500 Danish librarians; around 90% of all educated librarians in Denmark. Of which around are working in the public libraries, 900 in the research and special libraries, 550 in the private sector. Around 5% are without permanent employment. Member of EBLIDA and IFLA. BF - Union of Danish Librarians Lindevangs Allé 2, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark [email protected] Chair: Pernille Drost Library journal: Bibliotekspressen BLF - Association of Danish Public Library Managers Public Library managers association promoting library development and management. Member of EBLIDA and IFLA. BLF - Skanderborg Bibliotek, att.: Jørgen Bartholdy, Parkvej 10 B, DK-8660 Skanderborg, Denmark [email protected] Chair: Jørgen Bartholdy Library journal: Bibliotekslederforeningens Internettidsskrift, see web-site School libraries One at every primary and lower secondary school (Folkeskolen) Activities Public Library Visitors (2003): (161 libr.) Public Library Net visits (2003): (112 libr.) Public Library Loans (2003): Public Library Downloads (2003): (approx 150 libr.) Research Library loans (2003): Research Library Downloads (2003): (17 major libr.) 16

17 DB - Danish Library Association The aim of the Danish Library Association is to further library development. The objective is to ensure that public libraries can further enlightenment, education and cultural activity to the highest standard for the good of the community. The Danish Library Association is unique because it counts politicians as well as library staff among its members. This leads to a fruitful collaboration and ensures political backing as well as interest. Membership is either personal or by local authority. 80% of the Danish population is represented in the association through local authority memberships. Member of EBLIDA and IFLA. The Danish Library Association, Vesterbrogade 20, DK-1620 Copenhagen, Denmark. HK/Kommunal Library Committee HK/ Stat - Denmark Two trade Unions for library assistants in Danish Public libraries and in Research libraries, organising in total approx 4.500, and promoting library training and continuing education. HK/KOM - member of EBLIDA and IFLA. HK/Kommunal - att. Birthe Bille Hansen, Weidekampsgade 8, DK-0900 Copenhagen, Denmark. HK/Stat - att. Jens Lethan, Weidekampsgade 8, DK-0900 Copenhagen, Denmark. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Chairs: Charlotte Rasmussen & Jonna Vestergaard Chair: Finn Vester Library journal: Danmarks Biblioteker Danish Research Library Association The aim of the association is to promote initiatives for the benefit of Danish research libraries including strengthening cooperation as well as knowledge-sharing plus international networking. Member of EBLIDA and IFLA. DF-Sekretariatet, att. Hanne Dahl, Statsbiblioteket. Universitetsparken. DK-8000 Århus C. Denmark [email protected] Chair: Claus Vesterager Pedersen Library journal: DF-Revy 17

18 Facts about Finland and Finnish library organisations Inhabitants Extension Capital 5.1 mio square kilometres Helsinki Ministry In Finland the libraries are under the Ministry of Education, which has two departments and two ministers: the department of Education and Research and the department of Culture. Library Act Public Library Act 1999 (1st in 1928) National Strategy Library Strategy 2010: Policy for access to knowledge and culture by Ministry of Education. It presents visions and objectives regarding access to knowledge and culture, and identifies challenges and development needs. And it details measures aimed at securing information services for all citizens, as it outlines the roles of local authorities and the state. See National Library Helsinki University Library State Library The National Repository Library National Finnish Networks Inf. Gas Station Research and special libraries 70 approx Public libraries (2003) 429 municipal main libraries, which also serves school library functions 458 branches book mobiles and 1 library boat Activities Public Library Loans (2004): 109 mio. including school library services Public library visitors (2003): 65.9 mio. Public library virtual visits (2003): 35 mio. Public Libraries Internet access (2003): 90% Research library loans (2003): Research visitors (2003): (physical, virtual not included) Directory - Finland THE FINNISH LIBRARY ASSOCIATION The association and was established It has about 2,000 personal members, most working in public libraries; is a professional body, not a trade union; accepts non-librarians as members. Has a politician as President, other Board members are librarians. The Board can appoint divisions, standing committees and working parties; just now there are working parties on copyright, on fiction, for children's library work, for music libraries, for bookmobiles and for cooperation between public libraries and schools. Organizes for instance campaigns for the libraries, provides decision makers with expert information on the subject - and further education courses and several theme days annually, runs projects with various partners; for example with the Ministry of Education. Member of EBLIDA and IFLA, collaborates in Nordic and Baltic ventures. Finnish Library Association, Vuorikatu 22 A 18, FIN Helsinki, Finland [email protected] Chair: Tarja Cronberg Library journal: Kirjastolehti Finnish Research Library Association The association promotes the role of library science in research and education. Anyone involved in the field can join as member. It was established in 1929 and now has 750 individual members and about 30 corporate members. It's operating by increasing the visibility and efficiency of library- and informationservices. By issuing statements, sponsor initiatives, and by making proposals when appropriate to arrange training events for professionals to brush up on their skills. The Association works mainly by its different professional committees, which give seminars, meetings and happenings on their special fields. It furthermore publishes guides and reports. Member of EBLIDA and IFLA. Finnish Research Library Association, PO Box Helsinki, Finland [email protected] Chair: Tuula Ruhanen Library Journal: Signum 18

19 Facts about Iceland and Icelandic Library organisations Inhabitants Extension square kilometres Capital Reykjavík National Strategies Governmental Strategies and Action Plans concerning the development of the Information Society (first published 1995), see Access to Internet - 90% of all inhabitants between age 16 and 75 Public Library Act 1997 (1st in 1955). Local public libraries are exclusively operated by local governments. National Library (legal depository etc) The National and University Library in Reykjavik Other libraries providing national services The Icelandic Library for the Blind National Icelandic networks - Consortium and national catalogue of Icelandic Libraries National co-operation - Countrywide access portal to e-resources Public libraries co-operation - The Icelandic Web Library, subject based collection of Icelandic links Public libraries (2005) 57 municipal main libraries, 7 branches, 1 book mobile Research & special libraries A library at most institutions and in many firms as well School libraries A library at every primary and secondary school Activities Books: Library books per capita: 12 Registered users (2001): Total loans (2001) Loans per capita 9 Downloads (2004): from Downloads per capita 2 Directory - Iceland Information - the Icelandic Library and Information Science Association Commenced operation in 2000, when four former associations merged, the oldest dated back to Almost exclusively operated on voluntarily basis. Primarily a personal membership organization, for professionals and paraprofessionals as well, based in Iceland, but hospitable to institutions and overseas members. The full members are about 400. Its goals are: To strengthen cooperation amongst libraries and professionals working in the library and information field. To encourage the development of Icelandic libraries and information services. To work for the recognition of the importance of the services of libraries and information centers within the Icelandic society. To work with other Icelandic organizations with similar objectives and to strengthen contacts with organizations with similar objectives in other countries as well. Member of EBLIDA, IASL, IFLA, NORD I&D, NVBF. Information - the Icelandic Library and Information Science Association Lágmúla 7, 108 Reykjavík, Iceland [email protected] Chair: Thórdís T. Thórarinsdóttir ([email protected]) Newsletter & Publications: Fregnir and the journal Bókasafnid ( a yearbook of library and information science. History of Icelandic library associations 2004 (Á leid til upplysingar). Association of Public Library Directors (SFA) The Association comprises 49 members who are directors of public libraries from all over Iceland. The main focus is on public library services, human resources and management. Current project is among others: participation in the project Books and the mother-tongue which involves providing books for immigrating children in their original language to help them learn and maintain their mother tongue and publication of brochures on the importance of reading aloud for children. Association of Public Library Directors c/o Amtsbókasafnid á Akureyri, Brekkuugötu 17, 602 Akureyri, Iceland [email protected] Chair: Hólmkell Hreinsson ([email protected]) 19

20 IRMA Directory - Iceland Icelandic Records Management Association (IRMA) The main objective of IRMA is to strengthen knowledge and understanding of records management in organisations and companies, both private and public, and to strengthen and promote cooperation amongst those who work within records management. All those concerned with records and information, regardless of their professional or organisational status or qualifications, can join the association. IRMA has 190 members: records managers, librarians, archivists, IT specialists and consultants, all of whom work in a wide variety of industries, including government, legal, healthcare and financial services. Icelandic Records Management Association (IRMA) P.O. Box 8731, 128 Reykjavík, Iceland [email protected] Chair: Inga Dís Karlsdóttir ([email protected]) Newsletter: Fréttabréf Félags um skjalastjórn Association of Professional Library and Information Scientists (SBU) A trade union with emphasis placed on wage negotiation, employment and working conditions. The main aim is to protect the wage rights and contracts of its members. SBU has approximately 180 professional librarians and information scientists as members. Most are employed by the state, by municipalities or by other public entities, but many work in the private sector as well. Association of Professional Library and Information Scientists Borgartúni 6,105 Reykjavík, Iceland [email protected] Chair: Una N. Svane ([email protected]) Facts about Norway and Norwegian library organisations Inhabitants Extension Capital 4.5 mio square kilometres Oslo National Library Body The Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority (ABM-utvikling) Public Library Act (1985) National Library (legal depository etc) The National Library of Norway Other libraries providing national services University of Oslo Library The Multilingual Library National Norwegian data-networks BIBSYS is a shared library system for all Norwegian University Libraries, the National Library and a number of college and research libraries. Norwegian Net Libraries Public libraries (777) 434 municipal main libraries 458 branches and approx 36 book mobiles Research and special libraries 336 School libraries A library at every primary school Activities Public libraries visitors (2003): 5.0 visits per capita Public library loans (2003): 5.45 loans per capita Total loans: Books: Other medias: Book mobiles Visitors (2003): Total loans: Research and Special Libraries total loans (2003):

21 Directory - Norway Directory - Norway Norwegian Library Umbrella Chair: Ms. Rannveig K. Eriksen, Kulturforbundet Contact: Norwegian Library Association, [email protected] Norwegian Library Association (NLA) NLA is a national independent organization with the main task to encourage and promote the development of all kinds of Norwegian library activities, including documentary and information activities. The association was established in NLA has today members, consisting of individual as well as institutional members (libraries, universities, communities). Member of EBLIDA and IFLA. Norwegian Library Association Malerhaugv. 20, NO-0661 Oslo, Norway [email protected] Chair: Frode Bakken Library journal: Bibliotekforum NFF - Norwegian Association of Special Libraries NFF was established in 1948, and is an association for both public and private special libraries. NFF aims to strengthen the role of special libraries in society, research, education, business and industry. NFF's members are collectively associated members of NLA and IFLA. NFF, Helleveien 30, N-5054 Bergen, Norway [email protected] Chair: Anette Breder Koch Librarians Union of Norway Librarians Union of Norway was founded in 1993 to promote the wages and other work related issues for librarians in Norway. The initiative in 1993 resulted in 500 librarians joining as members, a number which in December 2003 passed 1300, which is roughly half of all librarians in Norway. Membership is open to librarians in both private and public sector. Librarians Union of Norway, Lakkegt. 21. N-0187 Oslo, Norway The Union of Cultural Workers - Section for libraries The Union of Cultural Workers - section for libraries, deals with professional interests for librarians and other library employees in public libraries. Contact: Ms. Rannveig K. Eriksen, [email protected] The Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees - The Council for library employees (Fagforbundet) Organizes librarians and other employees in public libraries in Norway. Works for better wages and better working conditions for all its members. All political issues concerning the library in the society, the employees in the library are our working field. Slogan: stronger with - than without. The Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees (Fagforbundet) Keysersgt. 15, Oslo, P.O. Box 7003, St. Olavsplass, 0130 Oslo, Norway [email protected] Contact: Ms. Kari Bjørklid, Public Library of Oslo (Deichmanske bibliotek). [email protected] The Norwegian Association of Research Workers (NARW), - Library Network (FBF) The Library Network of NARW deals with professional interests for librarians in research and higher education. FBF v/lisbeth Eriksen The Norwegian University Library of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Aas, Norway [email protected] [email protected] Chair: Monica Deildok Library journal: Bibliotekaren 21

22 Facts about Sweden and Swedish library organisations Inhabitants Extension Capital 9 mio square kilometres Stockholm National level The Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs is a government authority whose principal task is to implement the national cultural policy agreed to by the Parliament. The Council is responsible for allocation of state cultural funding to for instance public libraries, fine arts, museums and exhibitions. Public Library Act 1997 (1 st ), amended National library The Royal Library National Data-network: - national bibliographic library system incl. search facilities etc., the Royal Library - search in Swedish libraries (BTJ Ltd. and Libris) - Swedish net search Public Libraries 290 municipal public libraries. Approx branches and 90 mobile libraries Research libraries 70 - plus several hundred government agency and special libraries School Libraries Approx Hospital libraries Approx 100 Activities Public libraries book loans (2003): 64.7 mio. Public Library loan per capita (2003): 7.2 Public libraries total loans (2003): 76 mio. Research libraries loans (2003): 9.8 mio. Research libraries downloads (2003): Approx 5 mio. full text articles & e-books Directory - Sweden Swedish Library Association The Swedish Library Association is a non-profit organisation whose task is to work to promote a national system of libraries that meets high standards. The Association brings together libraries of all kinds and employees from all kinds of libraries, and has more than individual and institutional members. The Association is continually endeavouring to influence and cultivate contacts with political decision-makers, government agencies and other actors, in order to reinforce and develop the role of libraries in society. Holding conferences, influencing public opinion, and participation in networks also constitute important parts of the Association's activities. The Association was formed on 16 June 2000 through the amalgamation of SAB (Sveriges Allmänna Biblioteksförening - est. in 1915) and SBS (the Swedish Association of University and Research Librarians - est. in 1921). Member of EBLIDA and IFLA. Swedish Library Association (SB), Saltmätargatan 3A, P O Box 3127, SE Stockholm, Sweden [email protected] Chair: Britta Lejon Library journal: Biblioteksbladet, BBL The DIK Association - Documentation, Information & Culture The DIK Association is a professional association and trade union for university graduates in the fields of documentation, information and culture. The basis for membership of DIK is one's formal education, training and profession. The members represent different professions within the field of documentation, information and culture. As a professional association DIK is working with issues concerning its members' professional status, e.g. the quality of education and training, professional and ethical criterions, professional development, cultural policies and information policies. The largest section of DIK is the DIK Librarians' Association, which is responsible within DIK for professional, educational and research issues within its sector. The DIK Librarians' Association has approx members, comprising both employees at all types of libraries and students of library and information science at any of the five universities in Sweden, which offer study programmes in this field. Member of EBLIDA and IFLA. DIK, Planiavägen 13, P.O. Box 760, SE Nacka, Sweden [email protected] Chair: Johannes Rudberg (libr.) Library journal: DIK-forum 22

23 Directory - Sweden Swedish Association for Information Specialists The Swedish Association for Information Specialists is a nonprofit organisation for professionals active in information management. The Association enables those who require knowledge of business, science, health care, technology or the humanities to receive accurate and timely information. The Association is also a professional network for many different groups. The Association, founded in 1936, has about 1100 members. Its members work in the private and public sectors, at universities, in government, in large conglomerates, and in small companies. The activities include training, conferences, publishing, marketing and cooperation with other organisations. Member of IFLA. Swedish Association for Information Specialists, Grev Turegatan 14, P.O. Box 55580, SE Stockholm, Sweden [email protected] Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly Latest issue, e-version: Current library development trends in the Nordic countries Published by: Danish National Library Authority, Finnish Ministry of Education - Dep. for Cultural Policy, The Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority and Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs Chair: Anna Maria Magnusson Library journal: InfoTrend - Nordic Journal for Information Specialists Country information: Denmark, Hellen Niegaard Finland, Sinikka Sipilä Iceland, Thórdís T. Thórarinsdóttir Norway, Tore Kr. Andersen Sweden, Peter Axelsson Layout: Stæhr reklame & marketing Photos: Danmarks Bibliotekers archive; Nordic Public Libraries, 2002, published by Danish National Library Authority; - and others.

24 Printed July 2005