Bókasafnið - 01.07.1984, Blaðsíða 35

landic Library Association held in Akureyri
on May 5th, 1984, defies the lcelandic
Government and the associations of local
authorities in lceland
to abolish sales tax on books to librar-
ies.
to abolish taxes from videotapes com-
prising matter for educational and
cultural purposes.
to revise the laws for public libraries
with the goal to strengthen the librar-
ies, e.g. by the state paying the same
proportion of the cost of library build-
ings as for schools and health
centers.
to speed up the revision of the laws for
elementary schools with special att-
ention to school libraries and their
staff and to pass guidelines for school
libraries. Furthermore, to pass as
soon as possible the laws for second-
ary schools.
to affirm by law a clause about the educ-
ation of librarians and to increase the
educational opportunities for acting
librarians, e.g. by establishing corr-
espondance courses and by support-
ing library science within the Univers-
ity of lceland.
to bring the construction of the National
Library building to an end so the nat-
ional library will be able to take over
its role as a central library for lce-
landic libraries.
• 17-20
Laws of the Library Associations in
lceland
These laws are printed in full. First are
the laws of the lcelandic Library Associat-
ion, which comprises both qualified and
unqualified librarians. Next are the laws of
its three divisions for public librarians, re-
search librarians, and school librarians.
The last laws printed here are those of the
Association of Professional Librarians,
consisting of librarians having certain
library qualifications.
• 21-24
Kristín H. Pétursdóttir:
Public libraríes in lcelana and their
development
A committee appointed by the Minister of
Education and Cultural Affairs in Febr-
uary 1980 to write a general plan for the
development of public libraries in lceland,
delivered a report in October 1983.
1 he committee points out that despite
considerable progress during the lastfew
years, lcelandic public libraries in general
are far from goals set by legislation.
According to the law on public libraries
from 1976 the country is divided into 40
library districts, each with a central library.
The total population of lceland in 1982
was 231.958. The largest library district
had 86.092 inhabitants and the smallest
406. 23 of the library districts had less
than 3000 inhabitants.
The central library has a dual role. It is a
main library for the community it is located
in and it is supposed to give guidance and
assistance to libraries located within the
library district, both public and school
libraries.
The committee states that the division
of the country into so many small districts
with central libraries which for the most
part have insufficient staff, housing and
materials is a great hindrance to creating
a functional library system.
The committee suggests that by esta-
blishing posts of seven regional librarians
or consultants and regional library centers
which would be situated in well-establis-
hed town libraries, a unified library system
could be developed that would secure
better utilization of manpower and res-
ources and easier access to library
sources for the public as well as students
and specialists.
• 25-27
Thórdís T. Thórarinsdóttir:
Staatsbibliotek PreuBischer Kultur-
besitz in Berlin visited
The author considers the library one of
the most magnificent libraries she has vis-
ited. She traces its colorful history, which
dates back to the former PreuBische
Staatsbibliotek founded in 1661 and
considered one of the most important Eur-
opean libraries before the Second World
War. Its collection amounted then to some
three million printed books and more than
70.000 manuscripts. At present, 40 years
later, the holdings of the library are about
the same amount of books and some
60.000 manuscripts, which shows clearly
the impact the Second World War and the
split of Germany had on the cultural devel-
opment of the country.
During the war the holdings of the
library were dissipated to 30 safe places
around the country, most of them were
within the American and French zones.
After the war the holdings were gathered
together and the library opened again in
1946 in Marburg. On Dec. 15th, 1978, the
new building in Berlin was inaugurated.
As a general research library the
Staatsbibliotek undertakes to serve the
supra-regional library and information
network at home and abroad, taking the
responsibility for great number of import-
ant national tasks of librarianship, such as
a data bank of periodicals in Federal
German libraries and central special
subject catalogues; international ex-
change of official publications etc.
• 28-32
Sigrún Klara Hannesdóttir:
Education in the information society.
The role of the school library
In recent months a great deal of con-
cern has been voiced in the Western
press concerning education. Two main
themes are recurring, i.e. the problem for
modern schools in connection with rapidly
advancing technology and the need to
prepare students for life and work in this
technological society, - and as a second
theme the question of exellence in edu-
cation. People ask whether the new edu-
cational methodology which aims at mak-
ing education more flexible, abolishing
rote learning, mixing students into classes
regardless of capabilities and increasing
student participation in deciding what is
taught and what they should learn - whet-
her this has led to an increased broad-
ness of mind, tolerance and development
of the individual’s capabilities. The metho-
dology of transferring the emphasis of the
teaching/learning process from the teac-
her to the student, i.e. teaching is done in
the form of guidance rather than trans-
mission of facts, - has it in fact resulted in
better preparation of each individual stu-
dent than the old method where the teac-
her taught and the students listened?
There is no yes or no answer to these
questions but the fact remains that many
leaders in our part of the world are con-
cerned about the future. They feel that the
result of the new educational methodo-
logy has been a lack of discipline and
absence of respect for people and issues
instead of democracy and social awaren-
ess, the intended result.
The modern school library has a vital
role to play in dealing with both these
issues - the exellence of education and
introduction of technology to students.
We expect school to educate students
by giving them an insight into the know-
ledge and experience of the older gener-
ation in order to make them active parti-
cipants in their society. Education must
also train the students to gather informat-
ion for future use. Information skills are
therefore a must in today’s education.
The knowledge in the textbook is
limited and prepared to fit a special age-
group. When comparing a textbook treat-
ment of a subject and the total knowledge
available on that subject we realize how
limited the textbook treatment will always
be. The school library offers knowledge
which differs from the textbook both ling-
uistically and contentwise. The school
library material is not prepared for special
age-groups but transmnted in common
language as it is used in society and is
both deeper and wider than the textbook,
i.e. the school library represents know-
ledge as transmitted in society.
The issue which should concern all
schools is how much knowledge the stu-
dent acquires in shool - and if in fact the
information the student collects becomes
knowledge within him. Information is like
mental food which must be digested be-
fore it becomes nourishment! The system
that mixes all students regardless of
learning capabilities will in the long run
have a damaging effect. The good stud-
ents do not get enough challenge be-
cause teaching is áimed at the average;
the poor student suffers because he cannot
keep up with the average; the teacher
cannot attend equally well the whole
spectrum of capabilities; the school be-
comes blamed for mediocrity; and society
suffers as it needs that all qualities be
used to the fullest, particularly a small nat-
ion like lceland which must not neglect
BÓKASAFNIÐ
35