Đọc hiểu tiếng anh ngành thư viện thông tin

( |g |

ik u u

NG

đại học

Vă n

hoá hà nội

DƯƠNG THỊ THU HÀ

ĐỌC HIỂU TIẾNG ANH
t

NHÀ XUẤT BẢN ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI



DƯƠNG THỊ THU HÀ

DỌC HIỂU TIẾNG ANH
NGÀNH THƯ VIỆN - THÔNG TIN
LIBRARY A N D IN F O R M A T IO N SCIENCE:
E N G L IS H R E A D IN G M ATERIALS
(Giáo trình dành cho sinh viên đợi học và cao đắng
ngành Thư viện - Thông tin)

NHÀ XUẤT BẢN ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI

CONTENTS
Page num ber
F o rew o rd ..................................................................................................... 5
S ection O ne: Introduction to L ibrary and
Inform ation S cien ce
U nit 1 The R ole o f the L ibrary in S ociety......................................... 9
U nit 2 C areers in Library W ork ........................................................31
U nit 3 E ducation and T raining o f L ib rarian s..................................51
U nit 4

L ibrary and Inform ation M ark etin g ................................... 68

U nit 5

Service in the L ib ra ry ............................................................. 92

Section T w o: T ypes o f L ibraries
U nit 6

Public L ib ra rie s................................................................... 108

U nit 7

School L ibraries ................................................................. 126

U nit 8 A cadem ic L ib ra r ie s ............................................................. 144
Unit 9 Special L ib raries................................................................... 160

Section Three: T ech n ical Processing
U nit 10 C atalo g s.................................................................................. 176
U nit 11 B ibliosrapliic D escriptions o f Library M a te ria ls....... 195
U nit 12 C lassification S y ste m s...................................................... 218


U nit 13 P reserv atio n o f L ib ra ry M a te ria ls ........................................243
S ectio n F our: L ib ra ry an d In fo r m a tio n T e c h n o lo g y
U nit 14 A u to m atio n in th e L ib r a r y ..................................................... 263
U nit 15 R etriev al and R efe re n c e W o rk ..............................................286
R e f e r e n c e s .........................................................................................................307
V o c a b u la r y R e fe r e n c e ................................................................................ 310

4


LỜI NÓI ĐÀU

G iáo trìn h Đ ọc hiểu tiến g Anh ngành Thu' viện - T h ôn g tin
được biên soạn cho sinh viên các trườ ng đại học và cao đ ăng thuộc
lĩnh vực có liên quan. N goài ra. giáo trình cũng rất bô ích đôi vói
các cán bộ đ ang công tác trong cơ quan Thông lin-T hư viện.
G iá o trình g iúp cho sinh viên rèn luyện các kỹ năng đọc hiêu.
trong đó chú trọ n g kỹ n ăng đọc đê tìm thông tin, nhăm phát triển
khả năng đọc hiểu tài liệu liến g Anh ngành T h ư v iện-T hông tin.
M ặt khác, giáo trin h còn cung cấp. bồ sung và nân” cao kiên thức
về ngũ' pháp và từ vựiiíỉ cùa tic n a A nh nói chung và tiến g A nh
n gành T h ư viện -T h ô tm tin nói ricnsỉ cho sinh viên. G iáo trình được
biên soạn để dùníí tro n g lớp học có ttiáo vicn lurớns dẫn. N íioài ra.
tỉiáo trin h còn có thể được dùníi làm lài liệu tự học.

G iá o trìn h đ u ự c biên soạn theo các nội dunu khác nhau cùa
naành T h ư v iệ n -T h ô n s tin uồm 15 bài học. Mỗi bài học ứni> với
m ột nội d u n s cụ the cù a nsỉành. cồm các mục lớn dưới đây:
* P r c - r c a d in g : N lũ n m câu hoi cua phần này Ilham tập tru n e sự
chú V cùa 1111ười học vào chủ do cùa bài. khuyến khích nmrời học
chia sè với nhau nhừ níi kiên thức có liên quan trục tiêp đcn chủ đè
đổ bày tỏ ý kiến theo suy níìhĩ cùa mình.
* R e a d in g : M ỗi bài đọc hiêu đê cập đèn m ột nội du nu cua
nuành T h ư viộn-T hôim tin nhàm uiúp sinh viên làm quen với chu
đề củ a bài học. Cline cấp thôntỉ tin. nuữ liệu và phát triên các kỹ
năng đọc h iểu ch o sin h viên.

5


* W o r k in g w ith v o c a b u la r y : M ục đích của các dạng Dai tạp
luyện từ v ự n g đ ư ợ c th iế t ke tro n g g iá o trìn h này n h ă m g iú p sinh
v iê n ghi n h ớ số lư ợ n c từ đ ã h ọ c v à p h á t triể n c h ú n g tro n g ngữ
c ả n h m ớ i.
* U n d e r sta n d in g th e read in g: Phần này được thiệt kê dưới
các d ạ n g bài tập như: Bài tập “ đ ú n g /s a i” v à câu hỏi k iê m tra đọc
hiểu. C ác d ạ n g bài tập n ày g iú p sinh v iên k h ăc sâu k iê n thứ c cùa
bài đ ọ c h iểu v ừ a h ọc và ô n lại n h ữ n g ý c h ín h c ủ a bài đọc.
* F u r th e r practice: Phần này được thiết kế dưới hai dạng bài
tập: câu hỏi th ảo luận và v iết bài luận. H ai d ạ n g bài tập này íỉiúp sinh
viên có c ơ hội sừ d ụ n g n g ữ liệu đã h ọ c cù n g với n g ữ liệu trong bài
học để m ở rộ n g k iến th ứ c bài đọc h iểu trên cơ sờ nam ch ác bài học
v à liên hệ vớ i th ự c tế (cụ th ể là th ự c tế về th ư v iện ờ V iệt N am ).
* F u r th e r read in g: M ỗi bài học đ ều có m ộ t bài đọc thêm
n h ằm c u n g c ấp n h ữ n s t h ô n í tin có liên q u an đ ến các nội d u n s mà

bài h ọ c đ ề c ậ p đến.
*

L a n g u a g e focu s: giúp sinh viên cùng cố và nâns cao liiêu

b iết về k iế n th ứ c n g ữ p h áp v à p hát triển v ố n từ VỤT12 c ù a họ. Một
số bài tập g ồ m : tạo từ b a n s c ác h sử d ụ n g tiề n tồ , h ậu tố. đ iền giới
từ . m ạo từ , d ạ n a đ ú n a c ủ a đ ộ n e từ v v . ..
* B u ild in g v o c a b u la r y sk ills: "Ồm có hai loại bài tập: " ô n lại
từ v ụ n g " v à “ đ o á n từ d ự a th e o n a ữ c ả n h ". H ai d ạ n a bài tập nàv
n hăm g iú p sin h v iên ôn lại từ cù a các hài học trư ớ c , p h át triên khá
n ăn g đ o á n n u h ĩa c ủ a từ th eo n e ũ cảnh.
C u ô i sách là d a n h m ụ c từ v ự n s đ ư ợ c liệt kê th eo tìrn s bài học.
Tác già hi v ọ n g rằng g iá o trìn h Đ ọ c hiểu tiế n g A n il ngành
T h ư v iệ n - T h ô n g tin sẽ m a n g lại n h iề u bổ ích ch o sin h v iên . Chúc
các bạn th à n h công.
T ác g ià x in ch ân th à n h cám ơ n P G S . T S . -Trần Đ ứ c N gôn,
6


T hS . N guyễn T iến H iển, ThS. Vũ D ương T húy N gà, TS. Lê Văn
V iết, ThS. N guyễn H uy C hương, TS. N guyễn H oà và TS. T ô Thị
T h u H ư ơ ng về nhữ ng ý kiến đóng góp rất quí báu cho việc biên
soạn giáo trình này.
T ác giả cũng xin bày tỏ lời cám ơn chân thành tới ông John
F D rennan, T rư ờng Đ ại học T ổng hợp M elbourne, A ustralia, người
đã đọc và sử a giáo trình.
T rong q uá trình biên soạn chắc chắn còn nhiều thiếu sót, tác
g iả rất m ong nhận đư ợc sự chi giáo từ những người quan tâm.
T h S . D ư o tig T h ị T h u H à

SE C T IO N ONE

INTRODUCTION TO LIBRARY AND
INFORMATION SCIENCE

U N IT 1

THE ROLE OF THE LIBRARY IN SOCIETY
♦ P r e -r e a d in g
1.

W hat do you understand by the w ords ‘aim ' and ‘objective"?

2.

W hat do you kno w about libraries?

3.

C an you nam e so m e different kinds o f libraries?

♦ R e a d in g
A IM S A N D O B JE C T IV E S O F L IB R A R IE S

A

library (in stitu tio n ) is a

inform ational m aterials

collection o f books and other

m ade available to people for reading,

study, o r reference. T he w ord library com es from liber, the Latin
w ord for "book ". H ow ev er, library collections have alm ost alw ays
co ntained
collections

a

variety
that

o f m aterials.

include

not

onlv

M odern

libraries

w ritten

m aterials

m aintain
such

as

m anuscripts, books, new spapers, and m agazines, but also art
reproductions, film s, sound and video recordings, m aps,
p hotographs, m icro fich es. C D -R O M s, com puter softw are, online
9


d atab a ses, and o th er m edia. In ad d itio n 10 m a m ia in in a collections
w ith in

library

buildings,

m o d em

teleco m m u n icatio n links th at
in fo rm atio n at rem ote sites.
T h e central

lib raries

p ro v id e

m issio n o f a lib rary

u sers
is to

o ften
w ith

feature

access

to

co lle c t, organize,

p reserv e, and provide access to k n o w led g e and inform ation. In
fu lfillin g th is m ission , lib raries preserv e a v alu a b le record of
c u ltu re

th a t can

be

passed d o w n

to

su c c e e d in a

senerations.

L ib raries a re an essen tial link in th is c o m m u n ic atio n betw een the
p ast, p re se n t, and future. W h eth e r th e cultural reco rd is contained
in b o o k s o r in elec tro n ic fo rm ats, lib raries en su re that the record is
p re se rv e d and m ade a v ailab le fo r later use. L ibraries provide
p e o p le w ith access to th e in fo rm atio n they need to w ork, play,
learn , and g o v ern .
P eo p le in m any p ro fe ssio n s use lib rary reso u rces to assist them
in th e ir w o rk . P eo p le also use lib rary re so u rces to gain information
ab o u t p e rso n a l in te re sts o r to o b tain recreatio n al m aterials such as
film s an d n o v els. S tu d en ts use lib raries to su p p lem en t and enhance
th e ir c la ssro o m ex p e rie n c e s, to learn skills in locating sources of
in fo rm a tio n , ariu to d e v e lo p g o o d read in g and study habits. Public
o ffic ia ls use lib raries to re se arc h leg islatio n and public policy
issu es. O n e o f th e m o st v alu ed o f all cu ltu ral institu tio n s, the
lib rary p ro v id e s in fo rm a tio n and serv ice s that are essential to
le a rn in g and progress.
A n v o rg a n iz a tio n w h ic h is

w ell m an ag e d w ill have defined

aim s o r g o als to w a rd s w h ich all its ac tiv itie s and th e en erg ies of
its p erso n n el are d irec te d . A lib rary m a n a s e r has th e re fo re an
o b lig a tio n to spell o u t th e a im s o f his lib rary in relatio n to the
a s p ira tio n s o r the ro le o f th e p a re n t b o d v in so ciety . F or a public
11b ra r\ sy stem , its aim s m u st be d e riv e d from the lo n g -term stỄte
10

goals particularly in education, inform ation and culture.
ex am p le, its aim s m ight be form ulated as follow s:

For

T o support form al education, i.e. providing for the needs o f
th o se pursuing prim ary and secondary education.
T o contribute to non-form al education, i.e. providing for
literacy program s, vocational training and professional
education.
T o encourage reading for know ledge and inform ation.
To cultivate reading habits and to sustain literacy in society
etc.
T h e aim s o f a university library, a college library, a school
library o r a special library should be defined on the b asis o f w hat
the library m ust do to further the w ork o f the organization o f w hich
it is a part. T he prim e goals o f a university library, for instance, are
to co n trib u te to the teaching role o f a university, to support learning
and research activities, and to stim ulate creativity and intellectual
d ev elo p m en t am ong sta ff and students.
It is not enough, how ever, only to define the aim s o f a library.
A ll th e sta'T should know the aim s so that :hey may relate their
w o rk and d evote th eir tim e to the fu lfilm en t o f those aim s.
F u rth erm o re, the m anag er m ust involve s e n io r sta ff in setting the
o b jectiv es or targets o f th eir ow n departm ents in the light o f stated
aim s o f the entire library. T h e o bjectives o f a dep artm en t such as
the lending d epartm ent arise directly from the aim s. O bjectives are
the basis o f the day-to-day op eratio n s o f a d epartm ent and a
m easu re o f its perform ance.

A t this ju n ctu re it is im portant to d istin g u ish betw een “aim s”
and “ o b jectiv es” . W e w ould-define “a im s” o r “ g o a ls” as statem ents
ab o u t the purpose or the m issio n o f an o rg an izatio n or statem ents

11


w hich spell out the b u sin e ss

an O igam /.auun 1Ĩ> en gaged in.

“ O b je c tiv e s” sp rin g from “ a im s” an d th ey are the ta rg e ts and tasks
o f an o rg an izatio n o r p art o f it; th e y are. to an e x te n t, a m easure of
an o rg a n iz a tio n 's effe c tiv e n e ss in th e fu lfilm en t o f its aim s.
T h e ta s k o f the ca ta lo g in g d e p a rtm e n t w o u ld be to catalog a
ce rta in n u m b er o f b o o k s w ith in a sh o rt tim e and to producc
c a ta lo g s useful to read ers. T he o b je ctiv e s o f the len d in g department
w o u ld be to p ro v id e rea d in g m a te ria ls to th e lib ra ry 's user groups:
to m ain tain efficien t c ata lo g s and sto ck s; to p rep are statistics of
usaue reg u larly ; to ed u cate re a d e rs on th e use o f the library, etc1 1

♦ W o r k i n g w it h v o c a b u la r y
A . F o cu s on th e rea d in g
C h o o se th e best w o rd o r p h rase fo r each sen ten ce. U se each word
o r p h rase o n ly on ce. If y o u need h elp , look at the reading again.
T h e w o rd s are in b la c k e r letters in th e read in g passage.
co lle c tio n
p ro v id e
m anage

d ev o te
s ta f f
b asis

p ro d u ce
d istin g u ish
relate

ow n
m aterials
sp rin g from

sen io r
1.

A lib rary (in stitu tio n ) is a ___________ o f b o o k s and other
in fo rm a tio n a l m a te ria ls m ade a v ailab le to p eo p le for
re a d in g , stu d y , o r referen ce.

2.

In a d d itio n to m a in ta in in g c o lle c tio n s w ith in librar)
b u ild in g s, m o d e rn lib raries o ften fe a tu re te le co m m u n i-

( ’ ) A d a p t e d f r o m R i t c h i e , s. I 19 X 2 ) M o d e rn l ib r a r y p ra c tic e , pp. I -9

12


cation links that__________ users with access to inform a­

tion at rem ote sites.
3.

T he aim s o f a university library, a college library, a school
library o r a special

library should

be defined on the

__________ o f w hat the library m ust do to further the w ork o f
the organization o f w hich it is a part.
4.

All the ______________ should know the aim s so that they
m ay____________th eir w ork a n d ___________ their tim e to the
fulfilm ent o f those aim s.

5.

T he m anager m ust involve__________ sta ff in setting the
objectives

or

targets

o f th e i r __________departm ents in

the light o f stated aim s o f the entire library.

It

is

im portant

to

_ betw een

_

6.

“aim s”

and

“o b jectiv es” .
7.
8.

"O bjectives” ____________ "aims”.
T he task o f th e cata lo g in g d epartm ent w ould be to catalog a
certain

num ber o f b o oks

w ithin a short tim e and to

catalo g s useful to readers.

B. F ocus on N ew C on tex ts
In this exercise the w ords are in a different context. They are in
d ifferent sentences but they m ean the sam e as in the reading
passage.
co llectio n s
basis
ow n
devoted

p rovided
produced
related
sen io r

distinguish
staff
change
spring from

13


1.

1 here are t w o _____________ a day from th is m ailbox.

2.

T he firm h a s _______________________ him w ith a car.

3.

R ates o f w o rk are calcu lated on a w e e k ly ___________.

4.

H o w m u ch i s ___________d ep en d s o n h o w h a rd w e w ork.

5.

T h e _______________in th is shop are very help fu l.

6.

W ealth is s e ld o m _____________ to happiness.

7.

H e ______________ his life to e d u c a tin s children.

8.

H e 's ____________ to m e. b ecau se he jo in e d the firm before
m e.

9.

H e saw it w ith h e r _____________ eyes.

10. P e o p le w h o c a n n o t _____________ betw een co lo u rs are said
to be co lo u r-b lin d .
1 I . H e r a c t i o n s ____________ g o o d w ill.
c . C o n te x t clu es
Y ou c an o ften u n d e rsta n d

the m ea n in g o f a new w ord from other

w o rd s in th e se n te n c e o r fro m n ea rb y sen ten ces. T he o th er words
that h elp y o u u n d ersta n d n e w w o rd s are called c o n te x t clues.
P ractise

u sin g

c o n te x t

clu es.

C h o o se

th e

n earest

equivalent

w o rd /p h ra se to e ach w o rd in b o ld p rin t from a, b, c and d. These
w o rd s a re from the re a d in g passag e. (D o not use y o u r d ictionary.)
I.

A lib rary (in stitu tio n ) is a co lle c tio n o f b o o k s and other
in fo rm a tio n a l

m a teria ls

m ade

a v a ila b le

read in g , stu d y o r referen ce.

14

a.

p ro v id ed

b. paid for

c.

im p ro v e d

d. eate n

to

peo p le

for


T he w ord library com es from ‘lib e r ', the L a tin w ord for
"book".
a. a m odern language
b.

a country in South A m erica

c.

an ancient language

d.

a kind o f book

In addition to m aintaining collections within library buildings,
m odern libraries often feature lelecom m uni-cation links that
provide users w ith access to inform ation at rem ote sites,
a. spectacles
c. co u n tries

b. pictures
d. places

A ny o rg an izatio n w hich is well m anaced will have d efin ed
aim s o r g o als tow ard s w hich all its activities and the
energies o f its personnel are directed.

a.

good

b.

useful

c.

put into precise w o iJs

d.

refined

A library m an ag er has therefore an ob lig atio n to sp ell o u t
the aim s o f his library in relation to the aspirations or the
role o f the parent bod\ in societv.
a.

w rite each letter correctly

b.

take a rest

c.

ex p lain carefully

I lie

a i m s

VJ I

CL U I I M V U I I ;

■II/IUI'T.

w v n v s j v

, |W | U | ; *

**

-JVII UUI

Iib ran o r a special library sh o u ld be d efin e d o n th e basis of
w hat the library

m u st do to

f u r t h e r th e w o rk

o f the

o rg an izatio n o f w h ich it is part.

a.

to p ro m o te/en co u rag e

b.

to m ov e to a d istan t place

c.

to ex plain

d.

to define

T he prim e so a ls o f a u n iv ersity lib rary . ... are . ... and to
stimulate creativity and in telle ctu a l

d e v e lo p m e n t

am on g s ta ff and students.
a.

im p ro v em en t to th in k in g

b.

a a th e rin g in fo rm atio n

c.

m em ory tra in in s

d.

creativity

F urth erm ore, th e m an a g e r m u st in v o lv e

se n io r staff in

setting the o b je c tiv e s o r ta r g e ts o f th e ir o w n d ep artm en ts in
th e lig h t o f the stated aim s o f th e e n tire library,
ob jectiv es/ta rg e ts
a.

things

b.

b e lo n s in s s

c.

goals th a t d e p en d o n aim s

d.

results

in the light o f
a.

th ro w in g light on

b.

fo llo w in g th e e v id e n c e p ro v id e d by


9.

c.

in the daytim e

d.

clearly

The objectives

.
of

the lending d epartm ent

w ould

be

to

provide reading m aterials to th e library's reading groups; to
m aintain efficient catalogs and stock s ...
efficien t
a.

w orking w ell

c. full

b. cheap
d. m arine

stocks

♦

a.

kind o f soup

b.

an instrum ent o f punishm ent

c.

holdings

d.

flow ers

U n d e r s t a n d in g th e r e a d in g
A . C om p reh en sion : T ru e/F a lse
W rite T i f the sentence is true and F if the sentence is false.
1.

A m odern library d o es m uch m ore than sim ply collects
books and m anuscripts.

2.

T he w ord 'library' co m es from an ancient Latin w ord
m eaning 'collection'.

3.

A public library should aim to su p p o rt both form al and
inform al education.

4.

B ased on the aim s o f a library, o b jectiv es are concerned
w ith day-to-day o p era tio n s o f each asp ect o r d epartm ent o f a
library.

17


I IK’ dHTii OI a I i u i a i ' a i c uabcu em m e u o j e t m e s or the

lihrar> .
6

T h e o n K role o f a universitN !ibrar> is to fu rth er the teaching
role o f the u n i \ e r s i t \ .
T he w ord

'library ' co m es fro m

an an c ie n t

L atin word

m eaninn 'book'.
S.

C D -R O M s, p h o to g rap h s and m a p s can o ften be found in
m odern libraries.

9.

A lib r a n 's aim s should be fo rm u lated and m ad e know n b\
the library's m an ase r.

10. O ne o f th e aim s o f a u n iv ersity libran. sh o u ld be that of

stim u latin g creativitN a m o n a stu d en ts an d staff.

B.

C om p reh en sio n q u estio n s

A n sw er the q u estio n s about the read in a.
1.

In broad term s, w hat m o k in d s o f e d u c a tio n sh o u ld public
libraries aim to su p p o rt or c o n trib u te to?

2.

N am e on e kind o f librar> th a t h as. as o n e o f its prim e aims,
that o f su p p o rtin g re search activ itie s.

3.

w hy is it im p o rtan t that all m e m b e rs o f s ta f f in a librarx
should know the a im s o f th e ir lib rary ?

4.

On the b asis o t w h at c rite ria c a n th e su cc e ss o f the da\-tod a\ o p eratio n s o f a library he m e a su re d ?

5.

W hich o t th e follow inn are b est d e sc rib e d as 'aim s' and
w hich are best d esc rib e d as 'o b je c tiv e s '?

a.

IS

C atalo g in g at least 500 b o o k s each w ee k :


b.

T o provide userui maieriaiij 1UI IUUI 101.0,

c.

T o encourage reading am oniỉ the com m unity;

d.

T o keep statistical records;

e.

T o teach readers how to care for books;

f.

To provide adequate lighting;

g.

To provide reading m aterials for education

o f all

m ain kinds and at different levels.
6.

W ho has the responsibility o f spelling out the aim s o f a
library?

♦

F u r t h e r pr a ctic e
A. D iscussion
1.

N am e som e function room s in a library.

2.

N am e

som e d ivisio n s

(or departm ents) w ithin a large

library.
3.

W ork out the tasks and functions o f each room o r division.

B. G uided w ritin g
C om position topic: D escribe the kinds o f books you like to read
!.

M ake a list o f at least ten different kinds o f boo k s, e.g.
history books, novels.

2. W rite one sentence d escrib in g six o f these. E.g. H istory
books tell the story o f people in the past, as individuals and
in society, and they try to find explanations for the ev en ts o f
the past.

19


3

G ive tw o reasons w hy y o u like o n e p a rticu lar kind o f book.
E ơ I like history b o o k s b ecau se (i) I can im ag in e m yself
living at a d ifferen t tim e in histo ry and ta k in g p a n in the
events o f that tim e; (ii) histo ry trie s to ex p la in w hy the
w orld has com e to be the w ay it is today.

4.

G ive tw o reasons w hy y o u d islik e one p a rtic u la r kind of
book. E.g. In history th ere are so m an y d a te s th a t I find it
confusing; (ii) I p refer to read a b o u t th e p re se n t rath er than
the past.

5.

N ow , w rite a short co m p o sitio n on th e ab o v e to p ic , making
use o f the w ords and sen ten ces y o u have ju s t w ritten .

♦ F u r t h e r r e a d in g

U N E S C O PU B L IC L IB R A R Y M A N IF E S T O (1994)

A gatew ay to k n ow led ge
Freedom , P rosperity and th e D ev e lo p m e n t o f so ciety and
individuals are fundam en tal h u m an v alu es. T h ev w ill only be
attained through the ab ility o f w e ll-in fo rm e d citizen s to exercise
th eir dem o cratic righ ts and to p lay an activ e ro le in society.
C o n stru ctiv e p articip atio n and th e d e v e lo p m e n t o f democracy
depend on satisfactory e d u c a tio n as w ell as on free an d unlimited
access to know ledge, th o u g h t, cu ltu re and in fo rm atio n .
T he public library, the local g a tew ay to k n o w le d g e , provides a
basic co n d itio n for life lo n a learn in g , in d e p e n d e n t decision-m aking
and cultural d ev elo p m e n t o f the in d iv id u al an d so cial ero u p s.

20


T his M anifesto proclaim s U N E S C O ’s b e lie f in the public
library as a living force for education, culture and inform ation, and
as an essential agent for the fostering o f peace and spiritual w elfare
through the m inds o f men and w om en. U N E S C O therefore
enco u rag es national and local governm ents to support and actively
eng ag e in the developm ent o f public libraries.

T h e P u b lic L ib rary
T he Public Library is the local centre o f inform ation, m aking
all kinds o f know led g e and inform ation readily av ailable to its
users. T he services o f the public library are provided on the basis o f
eq uality o f access for all, regardless o f age. race, sex, religion,
nationality, language o r social status. Specific services and
m aterials m ust be provided for those w ho cannot, for w hatever
reason, use the reg u lar services and m aterials, for exam ple
linguistic m inorities, people w ith disabilities o r people in hospital
or prison.
A ll age groups m ust find m aterial relevant to th eir needs.
C o llectio n s and services have to include all types o f appropriate
m edia and m odern technologies as well as traditional m aterials.
H igh q u ality and relevance to local needs and conditions are
fundam ental. M aterial m ust reflect current trends and the evolution
o f society, as w ell as the m em ory o f hum an en d eav o r and
5 im agination. C o llectio n s and services should not be subject to any
- form

of

id eological,

political

or

relisio u s

censorship,

nor

• com m ercial pressure.
M ission s o f th e P u b lic Library
T he

follow ing

key m issions w hich relate to inform ation,

literacy, ed u catio n and culture should be at the core o f public
1 library services:

21


1

creating and stre n ath e n m g read in g habits in c h ild ren at an
early age;

2.

supporting both individual and s e lf c o n d u cte d ed u catio n as
well as form al ed u catio n at all level;

3.

p ro v id in g o p p o rtu n ities for perso n al c re a tiv e dev elo p m en t;

4.

stim u latin g the im ag in atio n and creativ ity o f c h ild re n and
youniz people:

5.

prom oting aw aren ess o f cu ltu ral h erita g e, a p p re c ia tio n o f the
arts, scientific ach ie v em en ts and in n o v a tio n s;

6.

providing access to cultural expressions o f all p erform ing arts;

7.

fostering inter-cultural d ialo g u e and fa v o rin g cu ltu ral
diversity;

8.

su p porting the oral trad itio n ;

9.

en su rin g access for c itizen s to all sorts o f co m m u n ity
info rm ation;

10. p ro v id in g adequ ate in fo rm atio n serv ic e s to local enterprises,

asso ciatio n s and in terest gro u p s;
11. facilitatin g the d e v e lo p m en t o f in fo rm atio n and co m p u te r
literacy skills;
12. su p p o rtin g and p a rtic ip a tin g in literacy a c tiv itie s and
p ro g ram m es for all age g ro u p s, an d in itia tin g su ch activities
if necessary.

F u n d in g, legislation and n e tw o rk s
T he public L ibrary shall in p rin c ip le be free o f c h arg e. The
public library is the re sp o n sib ility o f local an d n a tio n a l authorities.
It m ust be su p p o rted by sp e c ific
22

le g isla tio n and fin a n c e d bv


national and local governm ents. It has to be an essential com ponent
o f any long-term strategy for culture, inform ation provision,
literacy and education.
To ensure nationw ide library coordination and cooperation,
legislation and strategic plans m ust also define and prom ote a
national library netw ork based on agreed standards o f service.
The public netw ork m ust be designed in relation to national,
regional, research and specific libraries as well as libraries in
schools, colleges and universities.
O p eration and m anagem en t
A

clear

policy

m ust

be

form ulated, defining objectives,

priorities and services in relation to the local com m unity needs.
T he public library has to be orean ized effectively and professional
stan d ard s o f operation m ust be m aintained.
C ooperation w ith relevant partners - for exam ple, user groups
and o th er p rofessionals at local, regional, national as well as
international level - has to be ensured.
Services have to be phy sically accessible to all m em bers o f the
co m m unity. T his requ ires w ell situated library buildings, sood
read in g and study facilities, as w ell as relevant technoloaies and
su fficien t opening hours co n v en ie n t to the users. It equally im plies
o u treach services for those unable to visit the library.
T he library services m u st be adapted to the different needs o f
c o m m u n ities in rural and urban areas. The librarian is an active
interm ediary betw een users and resources. Professional and
co n tin u in g education o f the librarian is indispensable to ensure
adequate services. O utreach and user ed ucation program m es have
to be provided to help users b en efit from all the resources.1 1
(*)

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