Lithuanian Librarians' Association - The Second Meeting of the Nordic-Baltic Librarians

Elena Stasiukaitiene

Four years passed since the first NBML in Latvia, and Lithuania welcomed the second meeting. It took place in a beautiful resort Birstonas. Top representatives of library communities from seven countries - Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden met to discuss the interaction of a library and society.

The meeting was organised by the Lithuanian Librarians Association (LLA) with the support of Nordic Countries Bureau of Information and Helsinki public library. Among 168 delegates were politicians, scholars, library directors, experts of commissions of the European Union and library programmes.

In thirteen plenary papers three aspects of the subject were covered :

Information society and attitude of the government and politicians;
Internet and library, changes;
Copyright and author rights.

In two day workshops topics of lobism, education, automation, Internet, copyright, research libraries etc. were cowered.

Library association and big libraries placed their publications in the information technologies from Lithuania, Latvia and Sweden.

The Meeting was sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Culture of Lithuania, Open Society Fund - Lithuania, Ministry of Education of Sweden, Royal Department of Culture of Norway, Danish National Library Authority Group of Public Library Co-operation (NORDFOLK) of the Nordic Committee of Literature and Libraries (NORDBOK) and the Swedish Institute.

The minister of culture Saulius Saltenis greeted the Meeting, he expressed his hopes for better support for institutions of culture, also for big changes. The minister encouraged librarians for new ideas, speak a louder voice, which could reach the society.

The Meeting also was greeted by Ebbe Flatau, the director of the Nordic Council Bureau of Information Vilnius office and Antanas Zenkevicius, the major of Birstonas.

During the Meeting the ceremony of the award for the best librarian of the year 1996 took place. The president of the LLA Emilija Banionyte presented the award to Elvyra Satkunaite, Rima Girzadiene and Irena Aleksandraviciene.

The papers of the Meeting will be published in a special issue.

The Meeting was very well accepted by all participants, they could hardly express their enthusiasm and thanks to the main organisers - president of the LLA Emilija Banionyte and director of Helsinky public library Kristina Virtanen.

The Estonian library association took over the organisation - the third Meeting of the Nordic - Baltic librarians will take place in Estonia in 2001.