Problems of Romanian Librarianship: Romanian Librarianship on the Verge of European Integration
Ionel Enache
Abstract
Romanian librarianship is dealing with a number of difficulties including the lack of documents, financial resources and a constant reduction of trained staff, in addition to the lack of information, vague action, isolation and many others. The present situation is based as well on the fact that there has been no professional library and documentation education in Romania aimed at training specialists and professionals for the work in libraries and for other information structures. European integration may be a solution for all these problems.
1. Introduction
Romanian society is crossing a period characterised by deep transformations which politicians call reform. It is not possible to speak only of economic reform resulting in the crossover to a market economy, the reinstatement of private ownership, and of new exchange and production structures, but one also speaks of a social reform through a process of regrouping social categories which leads to the emergence of new social classes. One also speaks of a change in mentality and of the political, economic, cultural, and informational behaviour — a change in social and individual relations.
In this respect, the library also is crossing a reform process determined by the revision of its own services and activities in connection with the changing world through the mastery of indispensable professional library fields such as management, marketing, information science and user psychology. Romanian librarianship is facing hard times. Apart from the problems which are part of this era and which directly or indirectly affect library activities, Romanian librarians are dealing with a series of difficulties including the lack of documents, financial resources and a constant reduction of trained staff, in addition to the lack of information, vague action, isolation and many others.