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AIB. Commissione nazionale biblioteche pubbliche |
(After the title of each paragraph, within the round brackets, are references to the paragraphs of the Guidelines to which that paragraph refers)
1. The mission of public libraries (cf. §§ 1.3 and 3.4.5)
The overall layout of the document seems to give primary importance to the educational function of public libraries, to be carried out in collaboration with scholastic institutions. There is no doubt that this is an essential function, especially in those developing countries in which the main cultural problem is basic illiteracy, and to which the attention of the Guidelines seems to be first and foremost addressed.
It should however be pointed out that in countries like Italy, where a widespread and effective network of public libraries has still not been sufficiently developed, due weight should also be given to the informational and cultural function of libraries to ensure them a future development. It is on the informational and cultural function that the role of the public library as an active subject in the informal processes of permanent education is built, as well as, of course, its role in the field of community information, business information, etc.
2. The integration function of public libraries (cf. §§ 1.4-1.6)
We agree with the idea that a public library carries out an integration function (critical confrontation/hybridization) between different cultures, ideologies, systems of values.
The same concept must also however be extended to the integration of the contents of information and of the means of information: we believe that a public library is the place where the research and exploitation of information through paper, audio-visual, local and on line digital sources becomes a social experience. It is for this reason that the role of the library remains an essential one, in spite of the fact that today it is possible to have individual access from home or from one's workplace to an increasingly large mass of digital sources: a library is a place of socialization of cognitive experiences that integrate different sources.
Both the Italian national government and some regions (see for example the Telematic Plan of Emilia Romagna) have accepted the suggestions of the European Union, which foresees an important role of public libraries in the development of telematic culture. In particular, public libraries can be important agents in the programmes of computer-telematics literacy and essential providers of digital contents (for example in the field of local documentation).
3. Type of Libraries and Public Library Legislation (cf. §§ 2.2, 2.3 and 2.5)
The different types of libraries (public, scholastic, research, etc.) must be traced back to national and local particularities. For example in Italy we observe the presence of State (i.e. National Government) public libraries with a generalist institutional vocation together with the spread of municipal or provincial libraries that unite the function of public library with the possession and enhancement of important historical collections.
The design of a library system can therefore often be quite complex: the division of work (different demands to be satisfied with different tools) regards the individual libraries themselves.
At the moment in Italy there is no national law that governs the services of public libraries. The Constitution entrusts the Regions with powers of direction and vigilance over local government libraries. Almost all the Regions have emanated laws for regulating these functions. For the Municipalities, and in some cases the Provinces, there is no duty but the faculty to establish and manage public libraries. The national government directly controls about fifty historical libraries including two national central libraries. The laws of institutional reform (federalism/decentralization) currently being applied in Italy will bring significant changes to our sector.
Italian Constitution vests Regions with the control of public libraries established by Municipalities and Provinces. Some Regions (e.g. Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and others) have issued Library Acts, in order to regulate co-operation between libraries and the other information, documentation, cultural and educational agencies (like Archives, Museums, Schools) and in order to set quality standards verifiable by users. Library User's Charters are also recommended.
4. Library systems and networks. Cooperation. Administrative autonomy (cf. §§ 2.4.2 and 3.7)
In the document, the "library" is usually spoken about as an isolated institution. We however are aware of how important it is to identify the catchment areas to which to match networks of services that are differentiated but cooperating with one another. The administrative unit can also be extended to a vast territory served by many libraries that have a sole direction, with great management autonomy: the library networks must operate as an active subject of the library policy of each country. In Italy there is still a long way to go in this direction: we hope that the laws of reform of the public services, currently being examined by Parliament, will give the libraries a greater degree of management autonomy, that will permit the coordinated management of resources, programmed common acquisitions, coordinated projects of formation and updating, agreed service standards, etc.
5. Library resources. Free and payment services (Cf. § 2.4 )
The following should be added to the income from taxation and sponsoring:
Access to information remains free of charge. Payment for personalized services (special research studies, personal bibliographies and dossiers, business information) may be considered.
6. Service standards and Charters (Cf. §§ 4.9 and 3.5)
The dimensional standards of the collections, proposed both for the establishment and maintenance of a library, are excessive for the Italian situation, both for libraries and for editorial market (we calculate 50.000 new titles every year, at least 15.000 of interest for public libraries), except if the numbers demonstrate a widespread presence of multiple copies. In this case the problem is just one of costs, which would be excessive for the average budgets of our libraries. Here too it would be right to speak of local networks rather than of individual libraries.
These are italian best performance indicators:
space:
0,5-0,7mq per 10 population
open hours: 40-60 a week
staff: 0,7-1,2 FTE
per 2.000 population
cost: 25.000-35.000 per capita
collections: 2-3 books
per capita
periodicals: 10-15 titles per 1.000 population
acquisitions:
200-250 a year per 1.000 population
impact indicator: 25-40% population
registered
loans: 1,5-2,5 per capita
circulation: 0,7-1,5 loans per
book
It is suggested to consider, for Italy, the standard-objectives proposed in the book Linee guida per la valutazione delle biblioteche pubbliche italiane : Misure, indicatori, valori di riferimento (Guidelines for evaluating Italian public libraries : Reference measures, indicators, values) / edited by the Work Group "Management and assessment". - Rome : AIB, 2000.
Italian public libraries statistics are also in:
Anna Galluzzi e Giovanni
Solimine, Le biblioteche pubbliche italiane negli anni Novanta: dalle misure
agli indicatori e dagli indicatori ai dati, "BollettinoAIB", 1999, n. 4, p.
455-467
http://www.aib.it/aib/boll/1999/99-4-455.htm
There is much discussion in Italy today about standards of service and rights of users. The AIB has proposed a reference plan in the volume Linee guida per la redazione delle carte dei servizi delle biblioteche pubbliche (Guidelines for drawing up Charters of public libraries) / edited by the National Commission for Public Libraries - Rome : AIB, 2000. This also illustrates the role that is attributed in Italy to the involvement of the users in the assessment of the service of public libraries rather than in its management.
7. Building Standards (cf. §§ 1.11 and 3.10.2)
There aren't Italian Library building standards, but we have
some big projects, as you can see at these web sites:
Biblioteca Sala Borsa,
Bologna
http://www.bologna2000.it/grafica/2000/progetti_architettonici/sala_borsa.html
Biblioteca europea di informazione e cultura,
Milano
http://www.beic.it/
8. Codes of ethics (cf. § 5.4)
Italian Libraries Association has developed The Librarian's
Code of Conduct
At this web page you can find the english
version:
http://www.aib.it/aib/cen/deocod-e.htm
Copyright AIB 2000-09-30, a cura di
Elena Boretti
URL: http://www.aib.it/aib/commiss/cnbp/guide-e.htm