Else Granheim

Abstract: Discusses the Norwegian Library Act of 1985, and gives the text of the legislation. The Act requires each independent municipality and every primary and secondary school to provide library service in accord with quantitative standards. Although Norway is a relatively wealthy country, the author believes that the principles that underlie the Library Act could be applicable in developing countries as well. The main point is that library service should be grounded in formal national government policy, a policy that harmonizes with accepted professional judgment and guidelines.

"Public library policy" is a very wide concept [1]. Every local community and/ or municipality must have a library policy of its own, based on the needs of its specific population. Local policies must fit into the objectives of national policy, and this again must be framed with a view of universal concepts. In Norway — with just four million population — there are 448 independent municipalities, each with a main public library and branch libraries. The total number of service points, in addition to mobile units, is 1,300. Many of the libraries serve quite small numbers of people — 115 of the municipalities have fewer than 2,500 inhabitants, and another 198 of them have fewer than 7,500 inhabitants. Yet each requires all the administrative and technical apparatus found in large cities. This costly system is based on the principle, long held in Norway, that it is necessary to maintain a decentralized population pattern, and that people living in coastal areas or in the mountains have equal claims to benefit from educational and cultural facilities as the citizens of Oslo. Norwegian national library policy, formalized by government regulation in 1985 [2], is an application of this idea. The text of this legislation is given at the end of this article.

Equality of educational opportunity is also met by government support for publishers. Production of fiction in Norwegian (including translations) is subsidized, and free copies of these books are made available to the public libraries. Access to documents, regardless of where a user may live, is also required by national policy. Interlibrary loans, from all types of libraries, are free to the individual user. And in order to avoid problems caused by incompatible computer systems, the law includes a statement that "libraries shall follow standardized rules for lending cooperation and bibliographic control." This means that all local systems must be compatible with the Norwegian National Union Catalogue for books and periodicals; and this has proved to be a necessity, since local authorities often want libraries to install the system used by administrative offices of the district.

Quantitative standards are a part of the Norwegian Library Act, for school libraries (one is required for every primary and secondary school) as well as public libraries. An argument against minimum requirements for libraries is that those of high standard will suffer. Personally I think it preferable to have a solid floor for all to stand on when politicians are searching everywhere for savings, instead of a situation where libraries in rich areas might prosper but others might be closed.

On the question of staffing, the Norwegian Library Act requires head librarians to have degrees from the School of Library and Information Science. But the law is not retrospective, so that in many places there are still head librarians who have minimal training. To replace such persons — who belong to the local community and are familiar with the interests of their readers — calls for a good portion of diplomacy. However, to meet the advanced information needs in even the smallest municipalities today, fully educated librarians are necessary, persons capable also of handling other functions such as archival work or cultural activities. One solution is to retain the older librarians, but to bring in professional assistance from a neighboring municipality with qualified staff.

Norwegian municipalities are forced by law to make long–term plans and to fit their annual budget requests into them. Libraries are covered by this requirement, so the librarian’s proposals for funding must relate to long-term policy objectives. I know that librarians often consider themselves as special cases, and not parts of municipal administration. I think they should regard themselves as leaders in the community, more than pure librarians. My institution has recently offered a course in municipal management for librarians, to enable them to understand better the work of local administrators and to enhance working relations with them. Librarians should be taught to work effectively with educators, social workers, agricultural workers, and development specialists, rather than to isolate themselves from other groups. And the common isolation of public librarians from school librarians is avoided in Norway, where the law insists that a formal cooperative arrangement between the public and school libraries shall be formed in every municipality.

I have been talking about two key elements of a national library policy: an infrastructure based on equal opportunity for all readers, and the training of staff. Another element is the location of buildings and facilities. Recent study indicates that Norwegians want to have strong collections and well qualified librarians with long opening hours, even if the facility is situated a bit farther away than their local environment [3]. It is desirable for a public library to be situated among other public facilities, and not necessarily in a separate building. A strong central library is crucial. In Scandinavia there is a trend in large cities to decentralize government so that different parts of the city are more independent. The idea is that it is an advantage for people to have easy access to officials responsible for schools and services to the elderly, etc. Libraries are not included in this decentralization, and I hope it will not happen. A main library is essential for efficient service. In times of economic difficulty we have to think of closing branches that are not well utilized, but only if the central library can offer alternative services to the areas affected, such as bookmobiles or book–stations placed in other local agencies. By the way, a bookmobile has many uses apart from bringing books to individuals. It can be used for storytelling to children, and in Norway one of them carries public information documents. A community health worker rides one bookmobile, to tell people about first aid and how to avoid home accidents.

Provision of information that is specific to user needs must be a cornerstone of library policy. On one level, we see municipal libraries in Norway building information services to local government officials. On a different level, we see regions along the coast where breeding of salmon has become a new industry, and where small libraries are being developed into information centers to support that activity. Through resource sharing, one library provides sheet music to all brass bands in an area. Local history collections are found in many libraries. It is often the case that library authorities become too concerned about creating systems and computerizing, without considering the vast numbers of people who may not benefit from large scale developments. One of the difficulties of libraries in the Third World stressed by Professor Bimpe Aboyade in a paper given at the IFLA Paris conference–is to balance their concern for keeping up with technology with the need to serve the majority of their populations with information they require in daily life [4]. Each library should reflect its own local society and the interests of its citizens.

Information technology, as it becomes more universally available, will have greater effects on human lives and on society in general. Maurice Line wrote in 1984 that we librarians should avoid the "technological imperative" — that "because something can be done it will be done and should be done." [5] Librarians should consider first what we want to have done, and then what might be the consequences of using new technology to achieve it. We need to insure that information technology will not increase the gap between rich and poor.

All that I have said has been drawn from the experience of Norway, a relatively wealthy country. But I believe there are applications in our experience for nations at all points of the economic scale. It may not be desirable for industrialized nations to export their library practices to the Third World, but in some cases universal principles are at the base of modern practice and those principles will be important anywhere on the globe. Let me summarize the principles that are at the heart of Norwegian public library policy:

1. Modern society demands that citizens be well informed.

2. A free public library service is vital to the goal of an informed population.
3. Public library service should follow the concepts of a formal national policy, determined by central government authorities. This policy should be in accordance with ideas accepted by competent international governmental and nongovernmental organizations, such as the IFLA guidelines [6].
4. Policies adopted by local library authorities must conform to national policy.
5. A high standard of training for librarians is necessary in libraries of all sizes and location.
6. Public libraries should be well situated in active public areas.
7. Each library should address the interests and specific needs of its community, and should be prepared to meet special demands through interlibrary services.
8. Resource sharing and cooperation at all levels are concepts essential to library activity.
9. Cultural and educational functions of libraries should be equal to functions of information provision.
10. The use of computer technology, or any other technical device, should be seen as a means to an end and not as an inevitable end in itself.
11. Public librarians should view themselves as community administrators, with problems common to other government officials.
12. Like other government agencies, public libraries should make longterm plans for services and expenditures, and fit their annual budget requests into those plans.

Third World librarians may wonder where to begin, in approaching these principles. The answer would be to begin with all of them at once. A national library plan will take time to develop, but it will be more likely to emerge when the government is able to see that libraries are already putting its ideas into practice.

 References

[1].Public Library Policy, edited by K. C. Harrison (The Hague: IFLA, 1981). 152 p. (IFLA Publications, 19.)

[2].Act No.l08, 20 December 1985, Relating to Public Libraries (The Norwegian Library Act).

[3].Else Granheim, "The Library User Survey for 1988," Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly 23, no. 2 (1990): 7–11.

[4].Bimpe Aboyade, "Communication and Information in Contemporary African Society; the Role of the Library." Paper presented at the 55th I FLA General Conference, Paris, 1989.

[5].Maurice B. Line, "Some Possible Future Effects of Information Technology,"IFLA Journal 10 (1984): 57–62.

[6].Guidelines for Public Libraries, prepared for the IFLA Section of Public Libraries (The Hague: IFLA, 1986).91 p. (IFLA Publications, 36.)

 Appendix

ACT NO. 108 OF 20 DECEMBER 1985
RELATING TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Section 1. Objectives.

Public libraries shall be responsible for promoting knowledge, education and other cultural activities by providing access to information and by making available books and other suitable material, free of charge, to everyone residing in the Realm.

Each library shall in its service to children and adults stress the importance of providing high–quality, versatile and up–to–date material.

Library activities shall be directed towards the public and the services shall be publicized.

Public libraries are part of the national library system.

Section 2. The scope of the Act.

This Act applies to the activities of public libraries, including the local public libraries for which the municipality is responsible (chapter II), the county libraries for which the county is responsible (chapter III), and central library and advisory services for which the State is responsible (chapter IV).

The activities of public libraries also include services for patients in hospitals and medical institutions, and others who have particular difficulty in using a library.

Section 3. Lending cooperation, bibliographic control, etc.

Libraries shall follow standardized rules for lending cooperation and bibliographic control, and for the compilation of statistics and annual reports. The Ministry^* may issue further regulations.

Section 4. General provisions.

In accordance with the objectives specified in chapter I, all municipalities shall have a public library.

A public library may be operated by one municipality alone, or wholly or partly in cooperation with other municipalities or the county. Such cooperative arrangements shall be approved by the Ministry.

The municipality shall lay down regulations for the public library on the basis of recommended guidelines for the operation of libraries which are issued by the Ministry.

Each municipality shall have a professionally qualified head librarian.

The Ministry may grant exemptions from the provision of this section and issue further regulations concerning qualification requirements and transitional arrangements.

Section 6. Cooperation with schools.

Cooperation with school libraries in the municipality shall be ensured by means of agreements, and by placing the professional expertise of the public library at the disposal of the school authorities in the municipality.

The Ministry shall issue recommended guidelines for such cooperation.

The public library shall have a board appointed by the Municipal Council. The tasks of the Library Board may be assigned to another municipal committee. Where the library is operated wholly or partly in cooperation with another municipality or the county, a joint board shall be appointed.

Section 8. General provisions.

To fulfill the objectives at county level which are specified in chapter I, all counties shall have a county library headed by a professionally qualified librarian. The county library shall be associated with a public library. The agreement between the county and the municipality in which the public library is situated shall be approved by the Ministry.

The county shall lay down regulations for the county library on the basis of recommended guidelines for the operation of libraries which are issued by the Ministry.

Section 9. Interlibrary lending.

The county library shall attend to interlibrary lending within the county, organize lending cooperation, and take responsibility for its part in the joint plan for the acquisition and storage of books, periodicals, etc.

The county library may operate direct lending from book vans/ book boats, either alone or in cooperation with other county and/ or municipal libraries.

The county may enter into agreements on joint library operation with one or more municipalities.

Section 10. Advisory services, etc.

The county library shall advise local authorities, offer professional advice and assistance, and arrange meetings and courses on library matters. Cooperation with county and municipal school authorities shall be ensured through agreements and by placing the library’s professional expertise at the disposal of the school authorities.

Section 11. Special duties.

In addition to that which is laid down in section 3, the county library shall make recommendations as regards the distribution of State funds and assist State authorities with research and planning.

Section 12. Steering bodies.

The county library shall have a board appointed by the County Council. The tasks of the Board may be assigned to another county committee.

Section 13. The Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries.

The State’s duties under this Act shall be attended to by the Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries, on behalf of the Ministry, which shall lay down guidelines for this work.

The Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries shall be headed by a Director appointed by the King.

Section 14. Special State grants.

Special State grants may be given for specific library purposes which do not naturally fall within the sphere of responsibility of individual municipalities, or which are of special significance for the maintenance of a national library system. The Ministry shall issue further provisions.

Section 15. Author’s compensation.

(Repealed 1987)

This Act enters into force from the date determined by the King. From the same date the following Acts shall be amended as follows:

I. Act No. 24 of 13 June 1969 relating to the Primary and Lower Secondary School, section 10, subsection 2 — the new second paragraph shall read:

"School shall have a library and a member of staff who is responsible for library services. The school library shall have both an educational and a general cultural function, and must establish a formal cooperative arrangement with the public library in the municipality."

2. Act No. 55 of 21 June 1974 relating to the Upper Secondary School. Section 12, first paragraph shall read:

"The county shall be responsible for providing sites and school premises for schools administered by the county. The schools shall have the necessary equipment, furnishings and teaching material, including library services."

This Act enters into force on I January 1986.

These regulations were laid down by the Ministry of Cultural and Scientific Affairs on 5 January 1987 pursuant to sections 3 and II of Act No. 108 of 20 December 1985 relating to Public Libraries.

The regulations prescribe the procedure to be followed in the reporting of statistics relating to public and school libraries. National statistics for these activities are compiled by the Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries.

Statistics for public and school libraries are compiled in accordance with national and international standards, and are an important tool in overall library planning. Consequently, statistics shall also be submitted for library services in primary and secondary schools, even though these are governed by the statutes relating to education.

In the case of private schools and government–funded schools, the Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries is to collect statistics direct from the respective schools.

There is separate legislation applicable to the colleges of further education, and their libraries are not regulated by statute. The requirement for the obligatory submission of statistics relating to general library activities therefore does not apply to these colleges.

As laid down by the Ministry of Cultural and Scientific Affairs on 5 January 1987 pursuant to sections 3 and 11, cf. sections 6 and 10, of Act no. 108 of 20 December 1985 relating to Public Libraries.

The Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries may issue supplementary regulations.

3. Form, reporting and publication of statistics.

The chief county education officer collects statistics from the upper secondary schools, compiles a combined statistical overview, and forwards the statistics to the county library within a specified time limit. The county library forwards to the Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries within a specified time limit statistics relating to its own activities and general conditions. The county library prepares a combined statistical overview of the activities and conditions of the libraries within the county, and forwards these statistics to the Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries within a specified time limit. The county library shall assist the Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries with the compilation of special statistics.

Library statistics for medical institutions and prisons are provided by the person responsible for the management of the said institution. The statistics are compiled by the person responsible for running the library, and are collected according to the procedure applicable to other library statistics. The Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries may issue specific rules.

4. The regulations enter into force on 1 February 1987.

These regulations were laid down by the Ministry of Cultural and Scientific Affairs on 5 January 1987 pursuant to section 5 of Act No. 108 of 20 December 1985 relating to Public Libraries.

The Act stipulates that every municipality shall have a professionally qualified head librarian. The range of duties in this post are not prescribed. The regulations apply when the post of head librarian is advertised.

The regulations provide specific rules applying to dispensations and transitional arrangements in the event of there being no professionally qualified applicants for the post of municipal head librarian.

The regulations lay down the educational requirements for head librarians. There are no such requirements stipulated for branch librarians (those in charge of a stationary or mobile branch library), but the Ministry assumes that the municipalities will avail themselves of any educational opportunities for branch librarians that may be provided by the Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries.

The Ministry of Cultural and Scientific Affairs establishes obligatory training programmes for head librarians who lack professional qualifications and are appointed to permanent posts. At present, these consist of a basic programme in the form of a correspondence course and a week’s practical experience at a county library, and an advanced programme comprising 4 sets of courses and 14 days’ practice at a county library.

Applications for a dispensation from the requirement to appoint a professionally qualified head librarian should be addressed to the Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries which determines such matters in the first instance. Rejections may be appealed to the Ministry of Cultural and Scientific Affairs^*.

The Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries provides further guidelines for advertising the post of head librarian.

As laid down by the Ministry of Cultural and Scientific Affairs on 5 January 1987 pursuant to section 5, cf. section 8 first paragraph, of Act No. 108 of 20 December 1985 relating to Public Libraries.

A professionally qualified candidate is defined as being one holding a degree in library science from the Norwegian College of Library and Information Science, or an equivalent, officially recognized qualification.

3. Qualification requirements, transitional arrangements, etc.

Every municipality shall have a professionally qualified head librarian.

When the vacant post of head librarian is advertised, professional qualifications shall be required.

Exemption from this requirement may be given by the Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries if no qualified candidate applies for the post, and if it can be documented that it was impossible to find a professionally qualified applicant for the post.

In such cases, dispensation is usually given for a period of 2 years. The dispensation expires when the post of head librarian becomes vacant. It ceases, too, if changes in the job structure of the municipal public library system result in the establishment of new posts for professionally qualified library staff.

4. A prerequisite for such dispensations is that the person appointed to the post completes any introductory course relevant to the post.

5. If after the expiry of the dispensation period a post is advertised and no professionally qualified candidate applies, the Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries may permit a permanent appointment on condition that the appointee undertakes to complete the training programme prescribed for the post.

6. The Ministry of Cultural and Scientific Affairs^* may issue further provisions concerning such training programmes.

7. The regulations enter into force on 1 February 1987.

^*From I January 1990 the Ministry of Church and Cultural Affairs.

About the Author

Else Granheim has been Director General, Norwegian Directorate for Public and School Libraries, since 1973. One of her accomplishments was to prepare and carry into effect the Libraries Act discussed in her article. Mrs. Granheim has also been involved in the improvement of library services to the blind and to other handicapped users. Her publications have appeared in journals, yearbooks, and festschrifts of Norway, Europe, and North America. She edited Bog og bibliotek from 1970–85, and has been co–editor of Reol and Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly. She has served on the Norwegian Unesco Commission and on the Intergovernmental Council for the Unesco General Information Programme. She was President of IFLA from 1979–85. Mrs. Granheim has expressed her professional commitment in these words: "development of public library service of equal standard to all individuals, wherever they live, and free of charge, as a means to create more tolerance and human understanding and to assist in giving all people equal opportunities to participate in building a democratic society."

© 1990 Else Granheim