Slovenske knjižnice v Argentini

Abstract

Purpose: To present the history of Slovenian libraries in Argentina: outline the work and organization of the libraries (whether they have a catalogue, how lending is done, what the opening hours are, etc.), characteristics of the users, borrowing, visits of the libraries, opinions what they would change in their library, and to present the impor­tance of the libraries for the Slovenian community in the past and today. Methodology/approach: Literature review and fieldwork. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents from 18 Slovenian libraries in Argentina, the data was content analysed. Results: The Slovenian community in Argentina is organized in associations, most of which have libraries, as do the umbrella organization of Slovenians in Argentina, Zedinjena Slovenija, and the Slovene language lectorates in Buenos Aires and Cordoba (eighteen libraries in total). Most libraries are in Buenos Aires, but they are also present in Mendoza, Bariloche, Rosario, Cordoba, and Paraná. Most libraries are community and school libraries. The librarians are mostly volunteers without librarian education. The libraries obtain their materials from Slovenia or through donations and inherit­ances. Most do not have a catalogue, do not keep records of borrowed books, their opening hours are usually during society events. They rarely or never organize events. The only service they offer is book lending, mostly to children, Slovenian school teach­ers and older members. Only the library in Bariloche is included in the COBISS system. The most vital libraries are those of the third-wave emigration associations, most of which were founded in the first decade after the Second World War. They are important for the preservation of Slovenian culture and language, but also have historical, archi­val and symbolic value for the community. Originality/practical implications: The first research on Slovenian libraries in Argentina. In addition to an overview of the history and situation of libraries, it also gives some guidelines for the future development of Slovenian emigrant libraries.