Latvia
Latvia
| Directory Information | Catalogs, Bibliographies and Indexes |
| History | Reference and Reader Services |
| Organization | Automation |
| Buildings and Facilities | Statistics (1993) |
| Collections |
Formal Name:
National Library
of Latvia
Name of Librarian:
Andris Vilks
Address:
Kr. Barona 14, Riga, LV-1235, Latvia
Phone: 371-7289874
Fax: 371-7280851
E-mail: lnb@com.latnet.lv
"The National Library of Latvia is the main library of the Republic
of Latvia. It was established on August 29, 1919. In 1922 the
Parliament of the Republic of Latvia passed the law "On the State Library
of Latvia" ("On the National Library of Latvia"), the new edition of which
was passed on December 16, 1992.
The main functions of the National Library determined in the
law are: to collect, preserve and promote access to Latvia's published
heritage; to foster library development across the Republic of Latvia;
to compile a current national bibliography; to be the centre of standardization
work in librarianship, bibliography, etc.
The collections of the National Library were formed from various
noteworthy collections, which came into the library's possession during
the formation of the Latvian State.
In a short time catalogues and main functional departments were
founded.
In the 1920s the system of national bibliography was established.
Due to the favorable allocation of funds, the National Library
of Latvia could purchase almost all of the most noteworthy foreign literature.
It furthered the development of economics, science, education
and culture in the state. In 1936 the collections of the National
Library comprised 527,000 items, including manuscripts.
An effective interlibrary loan and book exchange system, including
government publications was established. The main partners were the
'Preussiche Staatsbibliothek' in Berlin, the Library of Congress and the
New York and Chicago Public Libraries.
In 1940 the Library was changed into one of the 15 state libraries
of the former Soviet republics.
During World War II it united with two other libraries - the
Riga City Library (the major of which had been burned) and the J.Misina
private library, bought by the City of Riga in 1925. One library
- Zemes (Landes) Library was founded. After the war the Main Library
of the Academy of Sciences (now the Latvian Academic Library) was formed
from the last two.
After World War II, due to censorship laws, about half a million
publications in foreign languages were removed from the National Library's
collections. Until the beginning of 1990s an increasing share of
Library holdings was in Russian.
During the Soviet regime the main function of the library was
considered to be the supervision of the library system of the Republic.
At the same time the Library received a legal deposit copy of everything
published in Soviet Latvia and continued to publish the current bibliography.
(From 1959 till October 1, 1993 the current bibliography was published
by a separate institution - Book Chamber, now the Institute of Bibliography,
which is a part of the National Library of Latvia).
Since the late 1980s, supporting Latvia in its efforts to gain
independence, the Library has been gradually endeavoring to renew completely
the functions of the National Library."
"Today the National Library of Latvia is the biggest library in
Latvia. Being also a research library, The National Library is an
ISBN and ISSN agency; the national standards of librarianship are formed
there. It is also a research centre, providing studies in the history
of the book and library science. The results of these studies are
published in a series of research publications: "LNB Raksti" ("Articles
of the National Library of Latvia") and in the journal "Nota bene"....
The National Library of Latvia is subordinate to the Ministry
of Education, Culture and Science, and its budget is determined by Parliament.
The National Library employs 560 people, including 420 librarians."
"...All together there are 14 buildings in its possession.
The collections are located in 12 buildings, 5 of them having reading rooms
for 300 users.
In 1989, by Government Regulation decree the designing of a new
library building was begun. The building has been designed by a famous
American architect Gunnar Birkert (Latvian by birth). If the resources
will allow, the construction of the new building will begin in 1995."
"The National Library of Latvia has the biggest and in many fields
the most comprehensive collection of library materials in the state.
At the beginning of 1993 the National Library holdings numbered
over 5 million items (books, serials, manuscripts, rare books and old prints,
printed music, cartographic, graphic and small prints, audio and video
recordings, collection, microforms, etc.)."
The basic collection of the National Library is formed by national
literature (1.3 million items). It has one of the most complete collections
of Latvian literature in the country.
The Legal Deposit Law came into effect in Latvia in 1920 and
since then legal deposit copies ensure a full repertoire of printbased
materials published in Latvia.
Unique is the Lettonica collection (previously called Baltica),
founded in 1919, which comprises 50,000 volumes. The collection has
an important role in the life of the country, as it holds books and other
information about Latvia and Latvians regardless of the language, place
and year of publication.
Especially rich is the collection of history materials: the literature
of 18th and 19th century written by Baltic Germans and all the possible
publication on Latvian history. A great deal of Lettonica book collection
is rarity not only in Latvia, but even in Europe. Each 5th book is
the unique copy at the National Library.
During recent years the Lettonica collection has been considerably
supplemented with Latvian printed materials published abroad and this augmentation
continues to increase.
The majority of readers who uses the Lettonica collection are
researchers. The collection is regularly used by foreign readers
as well too.
Since its very beginning, the National Library has been collecting
old and rare printed materials and manuscripts. The basic part of
the collection is formed by 2,300 old Latvian printed materials.
It is an almost complete collection of Latvian publications till 1850.
The periodicals collection comprises 1.2 million items (more
than 16,000 titles). Latvian exile periodicals are widely represented
in the Library. Almost complete is the collection of Latvian newspapers
and their supplements published at the end of the 19th and the beginning
of the 20th century. Widely represented are also the Russian prerevolutionary
periodical publications and the Baltic Province periodicals in Russian
and in German.
The National Library has the largest music collection in Latvia
(scores, music literature, sound records and compact disks) with more than
250,000 items, including 45,000 items audiovisual material.
The users of the National Library have access to the largest
cartographic prints collection in Latvia (approx. 17,000 maps, plans, gloves,
reproductions of ancient maps printed in different countries and issued
by different institutions and private publishers).
The Graphic collection (more than 200,000 items) is the only
specialized collection of drawings, postcards, bookplates, posters, albums
on separate sheets, portraits, exhibition catalogues and catalogues of
stamps and coins in Latvia.
Very rich informative material is offered by the small prints
collection (more than 500,000 items). The collection includes directive
materials of local meaning, calendars, telephone catalogues, address books,
theatre programmes, stud-books, etc.
Catalogs, Bibliographies and Indexes
"Cataloguing at the National Library is not automated; therefore
it is one of the most labor-intensive and time-consuming process.
An automated system would be much more efficient and allow time to be utilised
more effectively elsewhere.
Bibliographic description is based on ISBD principles.
Currently AACR-2 is widely used.
As a basic means of access to the collection, catalogue cards
are used, which are prepared and duplicated on copying machines.
The whole collection of the National Library is listed in its
main and auxiliary catalogues. Currently the Library is operated
by a manual system of card catalogues and card indexes, which were formed
in 1946.
The system of catalogues comprises the central catalogues
(alphabetical and systematical, the union catalogue of books published
abroad in Latvian, the union catalogue of foreign literature, etc.) and
the catalogues of special departments, which are supplemented by different
card indexes.
In 1992 at the National Library there were 57 catalogues and
35 card indexes with 7 million cards. Some of catalogues are in 2
and 3 copies because they are situated in different buildings.
In 1956, a union catalogue of foreign books was organized at
the National Library of Latvia. It includes books published since
1956. At the same time a union catalogue of foreign periodicals was
organized, registering bibliographic data from 90 libraries in the country.
Both catalogues exist in the form of cards.
The National Library and the Latvian Academic Library together
publish a monthly union book catalogue registering recent foreign acquisitions
in the research libraries in Latvia.
The National Library prepares information about publications
in Latvia for "ABHB:Annual Bibliography of the Printed Book and Libraries".
"The Bibliographical Institute acts as the national bibliographic
agency in Latvia. The main task of the institute is to prepare a
full bibliographic description of each new Latvian publication received,
which is to be officially published in the current national bibliography.
The Bibliographical Institute publishes current and retrospective
national bibliographies, also a special bibliography in the field of bibliography.
In addition it carries out standardization and Latvian publishing statistics
activities. It cooperates with international organisations - ISBN
International Agency in Berlin and ISDS Center in Paris and assigns ISBN
numbers to new monographs published in Latvia."
The current national bibliography has been compiled and published
by the bibliographic agency since 1940. At present it is published
as the Latvijas Preses Hronika (Latvian Press Chronicle), consisting of
several parts and published monthly. The bibliographic description
is based on the International Standards of Bibliographic Description (ISBDs)
of the legal deposit copy coming to the Bibliographical Institute.
Annual dissemination of the Chronicle is 500 printed copies, almost 100
of them being ordered from abroad. This publication represents the
greatest number of most valuable printed materials published in Latvia.
Books and pamphlets, art publications, maps and printed music
form separate parts of the Chronicle. About 2000 books and pamphlets
are registered annually; other kinds of publications do not reach this
number. The greatest part of the Chronicle comprises articles from
Latvia's newspapers and magazines. These number about 20,000 titles
per year and cover all significant articles from almost all periodicals
found in Latvia, thus giving a complete review of the contents of serial
publications. The register of the serials themselves is compiled
once a year and published at the end of the year (Chronicle No. 12).
"Publications of foreign Letonica", including both separate publications
and articles from periodicals, form a separate part of the national bibliography
and lists 5,000 titles per year. Indexes of the names of persons,
geographical names, titles of books and subjects are compiled to facilitate
use of the Latvian Press Chronicle.
Latvijas Periodika 1940-1980 ("Latvian Serials 1940-1980") has
registered all the serials issued in this period of time and gives the
most detailed bibliographic description of them, including all changes
of publishers, single supplements etc. The dissemination of this
publication is 500 printed copies. It has been published in 4 separate
parts, the earliest copies new being bibliographic rarities.
The National Library is also working with the retrospective national
bibliography. The compilation of the Union catalogue of Latvian old
printed Materials ("Publications until 1855") is nearly finished.
This catalogue includes also the lost, but in literature mentioned, printed
materials. It is formed as a general research bibliographic index
to give information about Latvian book history.
Work has also begun to compile a union catalogue of literature
in foreign languages (the current registration was started in 1927).
Since the 1920s the National Library publishes a retrospective
analytical bibliography (all newspaper and journal articles) in a systematical
range. There are materials with bibliographical descriptions for
the years 1916-1919, 1936-1942, although they have not been published yet.
The bibliographical description of the materials from 1943-1944 has also
been started.
The National Library is compiling a union catalogue Literatura
par Latviju ("Literature about Latvia"). The first volume-literature
until 1919- is in process.
The National Library also compiles a ("Bibliography of Latvian
Bibliographies'). the first volume has already been published, the
second is in the manuscript stage, with another in process.
"Displays of new acquisitions regularly acquaint readers with
the new books received by the Library. In order to familiarize readers
with literature on a specific branch of science or themes and topics of
current interest, thematical exhibitions are organized.
A permanent exhibition "The History of Latvian Bibliology" has
been organized in the Research Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts.
The 50 book display allow viewers to trace the development of the Latvian
book from its origins to today.
In response to requests from institutions and organizations the
library also organized mobile exhibitions.
The National Library provides library and bibliographic services
to the inhabitants of both Latvia and foreign countries, ad well as businesses,
institutions and other organizations. Yearly 1.3 million printed
items are loaned from the collection of the National Library of Latvia.
The Library and bibliographic service for readers is carried
out in 8 special reading-rooms. They are organized in the following
departments:
- Parliament,
- Lettonica,
- Rare Books and Manuscripts,
- Music,
- Periodicals and Cartographic Publications,
- Small Prints and Picture Publications,
- Reference and Information.
Subsidiary collections have been formed at branch reading-rooms,
which include books in frequent demand, current magazines, newspapers of
the current year and authors' abstracts of dissertations received during
the last six months. Information about the literature required is
provided by the reference librarian on duty.
The inter-library loan department receives literature from other
libraries, and collections of the National Library are available to other
libraries in and outside of Latvia.
Besides these free services, the National Library also offers
some services for a fee: for example, copying of materials, sound
recordings, organization of exhibitions, compilation of bibliographical
lists.
"Main Directions
1. Automation Project of the National Library of Latvia.
2. Computer Network for Latvian Libraries.
3. Creation of Library Network in Baltic States via BALT*INFO*NET
General Tasks
1. Creation of the Latvian National Bibliography DB (including
books, serials, analytical descriptions)
2. Creation of DB with Bibliographical Descriptions of foreign
issues stored at the National Library.
3. Access to external Bibliographical DB via INTERNET
4. Installation and use CD-ROM DB."
Staff 560
Books, Serials, Manuscripts, Rare Books 5 Million
and Old Prints, Printed Music, Cartographic,
Graphic and Small Prints, Audio and Video
Recordings, Collection, Microforms, etc.)
Service
Answers to reference inquiries
Books circulated
vols.
Service to government agencies
Answers to reference inquiries
Loan of books (Interlibrary)
Service to the public (one year)
Answers to reference inquiries
Loan of books (Interlibrary)
Books circulated vols.
Books circulated (daily average)
Readers
Readers (daily average)
Finance (budget for fiscal 1993) Ls 395,000 (465,000-
660,000$US)
Salary and other personnel expenses
Purchase of books and other materials
Automation of service
Others
Total
Taken from material supplied by the National Library of Latvia.