Árbók Landsbókasafns Íslands - Nýr flokkur - 01.07.1992, Page 111

ENGLISH SUMMARY
111
years, volumes and numbers. There are notes at the end of the entries where
necessary. Following the main section, there is an index of titles by date and an
index of places of publication.
Regína Eiríksdóttir: Alþjóðlega bóknúmerakerfið á Islandi. Landsbókasafn
íslands. Árbók. Nýr flokkur 17 (1991). Rv. 1992, pp. 88-95.
In September 1989 it was formally announced that a regional office for ISBN
was to be opened in Iceland and would be run as a unit within the National
Department of the National Library. After a period of preparations, the fírst
ISBNs were assigned in March 1990. One librarian works part-time in the
Icelandic offíce. By the end of 1991, 66 Icelandic publishers participated in the
system, including most of the important ones. The increasing demand for EAN
bar codes has, among other things, encouraged the use of ISBN. Among the
advantages of using ISBNs in so far as publishers and booksellers are concerned
is that they help with stock-keeping and automation. For the National Library,
that receives deposit copies of all material printed in Iceland and all material
printed abroad for Icelandic publishers, it makes the task of collecting more
manageable.
Landsbókasafnið 1991 [a reportj. Landsbókasafn íslands. Árbók. Nýr flokkur 17
(1991). Rv. 1992, pp. 96-107.
At the end of the year, the nurnber of printed books in the National Library
was, according to the accessions catalogue, 423,239 volumes, the annual increase
being 8273 volumes. The library acquired a great number of books through
donations and exchanges (cf. a list of donors on pp. 96-98); a list of those who
gave manuscripts is on pp. 98-100.
Four exhibitions were held in the library during the year, the first to
commemorate the bicentenary of the birth of Mr Sveinbjörn Egilsson, the poet
and translator. Some of the library’s manuscripts were exhibited during the
summer. In 1991 the National Library published A Bibliography of the Writings
of Foreigners Relating to the Nature and People of Iceland (ísland í skrifum
erlendra manna um þjóðlíf og náttúru landsins. Ritaskrá) by Dr Haraldur
Sigurðsson, and an exhibition of such books owned by the National Library was
held in the autumn. At the end of the year there was an exhibition of Icelandic
postcards.
The Libertas Library System from SLS (Information System) Ltd. (Gegnir in
Icelandic) was taken into use on 1 October 1991. About 230,000 records are now
in Gegnir, including foreign books both in the National Library and the
University Library, Icelandic books 1974-1991, and foreign periodicals in
Icelandic libraries.
Work on the construction of the new National and University Library building
continued; the budget for 1991 was 145,000,000 ISK.