Directory Information Library: National Library and Archives Address: POB 1907, Addis Ababa Contact: Telephone: (01)512241 Fax: Http: E-mail:

History & Collections


Foreword


Ethiopia is the 10th largest country in Africa in terms of size, with a population of over 30 million. Before the 1974 Ethiopian Revolution it was estimated that illiterates in Ethiopia were 98% of the population. It was in a 2-year period, during 1979-1981 G.C., that the masses waged a bitter war against illiteracy, and the number of literates was raised from 2% to 37%-a sheer miracle of a 35% increase in a short time. Ethiopian statisticians and analysts estimated that with the existing pace of development, illiteracy would be eradicated from this country within the coming 10 years.

The Ethiopian Revolution is bringing important change in the social and economic conditions of the population and has politicized and raised the level of consciousness of the masses in order to safeguard their revolution from reactionaries. The Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia in 1975 G.C. proclaimed the "Development Through Cooperation Project," which has strongly enlightened the rural masses for cooperative work. The objective of the campaign was:

... to teach reading and writing to as many people as possible in the different languages of Ethiopia and to give basic agricultural, health, technological and other community oriented education for the betterment of the masses in cooperation with public authorities.

The foresight of the government in seeking, at this early stage, to rationalize the development of all types of library, and to avoid the waste and insufficiency which follows from uncoordinated endeavor; thus afforded an unusual and challenging opportunity to plan on a scale appropriate to the country's future needs and in line with modern library principles.

Since public libraries are essential institutions for disseminating culture and knowledge, all the concerned governmental and private organizations should be aware of their importance and take the initiative in hastening their development.


The National Library of Ethiopia which is a division of the Department of the National Library and Archives of Ethiopia, of the Ministry of Culture and Sports was first set up in 1943-1944 G.C. (or 1936 E.C.*), in a temporary building which is not functional for library activities. In its early years, for more than a quarter of a century later its founding, the National Library underwent many changes but could not secure a building suitable for its services.

The National Library was reorganized after the 1974 Ethiopian Revolution as the Department of Libraries and Archives. Major library activities are carried out under the guidance of this library. In conformity with the reorganization it came to have four divisions, which are: the Division of Historical Archives, the Division of the National Library, the Division of Public Services and Branch Libraries, and the Division of Technical Services. The organizational framework of the Department of the National Library and Archives is summarized in Figure 1. Information on the staff, their numbers and their educational backgrounds, is given in Table 1.

In 1975 the government promulgated "A Proclamation to Provide for the Deposit of Printed Materials in the Ministry of Culture and Sports under the Custodianship of the National Library." As the central, the national library where the library policy of a nation is best reflected, this library serves as a yardstick against which to measure the standards of all other libraries. The progressive act for the deposit of all published materials in Ethiopia is of epoch-making moment for development of libraries across the nation.



Objectives and Functions


The Department of the National Library and Archives of Ethiopia, with the central library, that is, the National Library, is the national representative library. It serves as the center of studies and of bibliographic information, spearheading other libraries in the country and striving to serve the nation as a whole. Figure 2 is a view of its Headquarters.

Special functions of the department are:

1. Acquisition and preservation of national literature and archives
2. Compilation of bibliographies and their introduction to the public
3. International exchange of library materials
4. Guidance and support of public libraries in the country
5. Training librarians
6. Research and study on Library Science




Objectives of the Basic Administration





PURPOSE



The basic objectives of the Department of the National Library and Archives of the Ministry of Culture and Sports are to fulfill the given functions of "The Programme of the National Democratic Revolution of Ethiopia" and to make a great contribution toward educational and cultural advancement through the rationalization of library work.



POLICIES



The policies that flow from these objectives are as follows:

1. Preservation and development of cultural values
2. Promotion of scientific research
3. Guidance for libraries and mutual cooperation
4. Enlightenment for the reading public
5. Acquisition and preservation of national literature at home and abroad
6. Publication of the national bibliography

Principal Activities and Services




REPRESENTATIVE FUNCTIONS


The department has two functions as a representative of Ethiopian libraries:

1. Affiliating the department with international organizations
2. Participation in international conferences on libraries and archives

The department is an affiliated member of IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) and ICA (International Council on Archives), and it has kept pace with the concern of the world with the ever-growing information store.



INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION


International cooperation will promote friendly relations with other countries and this department will make every effort to gain international cooperation through the extensive services of international exchange of books and documents.



PUBLIC LIBRARY DEVELOPMENT


The department plays a leading role in the development of public libraries. Its functions in this area are:

1. Training librarians in short courses as a crash program
2. Providing assistance in obtaining reading materials
3. Rendering services of technical assistance for library and archival administration




ACQUISITION OF MATERIALS


The department acquires materials in three ways:

1. International book exchange
2. Donation-materials furnished by individuals and organizations at home and abroad
3. Purchases-buying the very important reading materials at home and abroad



READING SERVICES


This library-documentation center has been striving for the improvement of its service system as a social education institution. Its service room facilities are:

1. Public Reading Room
2. Periodicals Room
3. Reference Reading Room
4. Arabic Literature Room
5. Ethiopian Reading Room
6. Legal Deposit Room
7. Government Publications and Documents Room

A section of the main "reading hall" is shown in Figure 3.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC WORKS


Bibliographic works have gained very important recognition because of the proclamation of the legal deposit of all materials published in the country. In order to play its role as a bibliographic information center for all levels of domestic libraries through the arrangement of bibliographic information, this library publishes a bibliography under the title Ethiopian Publications.


153,600 vol, 35 curr per: 531 mss, 455 incumabula, 4600 govt docs, 1426 music scores, 278 maps, 861 microforms, 92 16/35 mm films, 83 sound-rec, 142 clippings, 15, 000 pamphlets, library loan

Sources:

Belay, Arefaine, "Ethiopia, The National Library Of", Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, 39 (4)185-191 (1985)
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