Lithuanian Librarians' Association - Association of the Academic Libraries of Lithuania

Birute Butkeviciene

There are 15 academic libraries in Lithuania, and during last 10 years they were frequently co-ordinating their activities.

The result of joint forces of 6 academic libraries was the TEMPUS project, which turned out into a joint electronic catalogue on the Internet.

Library automation is one more problem, faced by libraries. Some libraries, together with their Computer centres tried to develop local software. Among them - Vilnius University and Academy of Law libraries. Others acquired cheap foreign systems: Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuanian Medical Academy library.

10 years passed but non of them became integrated library information system. The system, mentioned above, is essential for libraries to function properly. The experience of neighbour Baltic states proves how complicated the development of such system is. The design and improvement of local systems will delay the automation of libraries for decades. At the Consortium of the Lithuanian libraries in 1996 the decision to develop the software for the Lithuanian libraries was approved. Lithuanian academic libraries opposed such decision and in 1997 formed the Association. It is an independent non-governmental association which unites libraries of all academic schools of Lithuania. The Association co-ordinates it’s activities with the Conference of Rectors. It raises suggestions on the library automation, library system selection, co-ordination of acquisition and other topics of library activities. Association can establish temporary groups of specialists and experts, announce competitions, call evaluating commissions for programme implementation.

In May 1997 the Association approached the chairman of the Conference of Rectors and described the situation in academic libraries of Lithuania. In the approach it was said that the main concern of the Association at a present moment is the adoption of world known integrated library system for all academic libraries in Lithuania. The Association prepared a project “Network of Lithuanian Academic Libraries “ (NLAL). The aim of the NLAL is to prepare a functional-organisational structure , which will improve the work of 15 libraries. The first phase will be an automation of a cataloguing process and development of a joint electronic catalogue of all 15 libraries. The concern about bibliographical work was expressed in the project: to automate the creation of bibliographical databases and with the support of electronic catalogues and other bibliographical data bases speed up the producing of bibliographies; to improve the information support for users providing the comprehensive information about holdings of Lithuanian libraries in a convenient electronic form (WWW, e-mail, etc.) The project also included the budget for 1998-1999 with the specification of hardware and where the software will be installed in the first place.

The Conference of Rectors allocated the funding. The first work was to announce an international competition to purchase the software. Five companies send their proposals: Ex Libris Ltd. (Israel), Dynix Gmbh (Germany), Innovative Interfaces Inc., IT ALISE Ltd. (Latvia) and UAB Sigmanta (Lithuania). The Ex Libris Ltd. with a programme ALEPH 500 was announced a winner. It was a great and very much important work, followed by the success - academic libraries of Lithuania will posses the integrated library system ALEPH 500. According to the project before the end of 1999 ALEPH 500 should be installed in all academic libraries of Lithuania.

The question of salaries was also discussed in the Association. As the Lithuanian market was switching from planned system to market economy, the demand of latest information on governing the State, legal reform, new technology, modern medicine, intensification of agriculture in the world appeared. Scholarly community in academic schools are not satisfied with the literature of soviet period. Library specialists had to reorganise the policy of acquisition, learn the search in the electronic catalogues and databases of other libraries. It was rather complicated process which demanded special knowledge and skills (PC use, knowledge of foreign languages, classification and special fields of science).

Though academic libraries were among first institutions to adopt automated systems, many specialists of high qualification left for better salaries. The appeal to the government regarding the low salaries in academic libraries was turned in.

Together with the Lithuanian Librarians’ Association the document to motivate the number of employees in an academic library is being prepared.

The work is time consuming but we are determined to prepare the document which is vital.

When a new software is installed, the Association plans to call not a single meeting. We will give a floor to discuss all questions as we all have one clear aim - to create an integrated system of academic libraries of Lithuania.