LIBRARIANS CONTINUING EDUCATION IN ESTONIA

Silvi Roomets,  Department of Information Studies, Tallinn University of Educational Sciences

Krista Talvi, Estonian National Library

 Abstract

Political and economical changes in Estonia have influenced all the spheres of life, and also the role of libraries in the society has changed. The role of a library as an intermediary of culture and information has increased due to the change in the social situation in the state. We also must rearrange and develop the training of librarians in order to follow international standards and requirements.

Nowadays every person must practice lifelong learning in order to be successful in one's speciality and to have perspectives in the new fields of their occupation. In 1993 the Law on Adult Training was passed in Estonia and legal guarantees were established for the adult continuing education training and three directions were defined:

• general education
• employment-related education
• popular education

The employment-related education of librarians is carried out on three level: national, local and on the level of the professional association. These levels also offer popular education. General education is carried out in Tallinn University of Educational Sciences and in Viljandi Culture College.

Why do librarians want to improve their knowledge?

• basic education, obtained earlier, is not sufficient for today's library work, and is not appropriate for modern society and its requirements and possibilities;
• the rapid development of information and communication technology forces a specialist to understand that her/his education and training is a part of lifelong learning process;
• the Law on Public Libraries prescribes that a head of a library can be only a person with library education;
• a decree of the Misister of Culture has enforced the educational demands for a librarian's post and professional requirements for librarians have been set down.

In 1997 3846 staff worked in 1288 academic, special, public and school libraries of Estonia. Quite a number of people with a university degree in the different fields of the occupation work in research and special libraries.

Librarians' employment-related education is carried out on three levels:

• at a national level the training is organized for all Estonian librarians by Tallinn University of Educational Sciences, the Estonian Folk-Culture Development and Training Centre, the Ministry of Culture of Estonia, the National Library of Estonia, the Estonian Children's Library;
• at a local level the training is organized by research libraries, county/city central libraries and special libraries for their own librarians;
• Estonian Librarians Association organizes the training for its members.

The Centre for Information Work within the Department of Information Studies of the Tallinn University of Educational Sciences, has arranged training courses from January 1996 in innovative subjects that are added to the curriculum of information studies. From May 1996 the Centre arranges distance education courses and from January 1998 long-term courses for librarians without special library education.

For decades the National Library of Estonia has been organizing continuing education activities. The National Library of Estonia and the Estonian Children's Library deals with general problems of librarianship and also with separate processes and methods of library activities. The Ministry of Culture of Estonia pays much attention to the organizing of joint international seminars. The Estonian Librarians Association carries out excursions and advanced training courses, the Estonian Folk-Culture Development and Training Centre organizes courses for librarians to introduce folklore and national culture.

Estonian

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