Lithuanian Libraries Research Articles

25 years of publishing "Knygotyra"

The first volume of "Knygotyra" ("Book Science") was published in 1961 under the title "Bibliotekininkystės ir bibliografijos klausimai" ("Aspects of Librarianship and Bibliography"). From 1970 onwards (beginning with volume 8), it adopted the new title "Knygotyra," along with a new double numbering system—1(8). Starting from volume 8(15), the publication was divided into two separate thematic editions: the first focused on historical subjects, and the latter on modern problems of bibliology, librarianship, bibliography, and informatics. During its 25 years of publication history, "Knygotyra" has published 256 research articles, 35 archival documents, and 25 book reviews. Most contributors to the edition come from the scientific and teaching staff of Vilnius State University and the main libraries of Lithuania. Additionally, contributors include individuals from Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, East Germany (GDR), Moscow, and Leningrad (the contributors are listed in Tables No. 1 and 2, with the subject index in Table No. 3). The greatest attention in the publication has been given to the history of the Lithuanian book. Future editions should focus more on the problems of book functioning in society, analysis of the external appearance of books, statistics, etc. In Lithuania, "Knygotyra" was a pioneer in publishing articles on informatics and information activities. Not only librarians and book science researchers, but also historians and literary critics, have shown repeated interest in the archival documents published in "Knygotyra." The publication of archival documents should be expanded, as should book reviewing. "Knygotyra" is available in any Lithuanian library. Additionally, the Department of Exchange at the Vilnius University Library distributes it to 87 libraries across the Soviet Union and foreign countries. It is regularly sent to 34 libraries in socialist countries and 12 other foreign countries (including 10 libraries in the USA).

Lithuanian Research and Studies Center

With origins that date back to the 1970s, the Lithuanian Research and Studies Center is the only Lithuanian diaspora research institution in the world. Its emergence was determined by the Lithuanian heritage accumulated in the Lithuanian diaspora and the need to disseminate it, as well as the developing scien- tific potential of Lithuanians abroad and the consequences of the Soviet occupation. Representatives of the Lithuanian American scientific and cultural elite founded this institution at the Youth Center in Chicago in early 1982, uniting 12 departments under the umbrella principle. The goal was to collect Lithuanian material, make it available to researchers, bring the latter together for scientific work, and promote research both within the Lithuanian diaspora and among non-Lithuanians. Up until 1990, the Center took shape by pooling the Lithuanian base and strengthening Lithuanian research. After 1990, in the second stage of the lrsC’s activities, extensive and resilient relations were established with Lithuanian research institutions and scholars; Lithuanian libraries were supplied with Western literature and diaspora publications; books by Lithuanian and foreign scholars were prepared and published; articles and documents were scanned and microfilmed; and exhibitions were put together. The Center also became known to foreign scholars interested in Lithuanian studies.

Biblioterapija onkologiniams ligoniams ir jų artimiesiems

Cancer patients experience severe health issues and the resulting emotional and psychological complications; therefore, in addition to medical treatment, they also need emotional/psychological support. Bibliotherapy is one of the possible ways of support. The study is aimed at developing a concept of bibliotherapy for cancer patients and providing practical recommendations for service organizers. It uses a targeted information search on bibliotherapy services in Lithuanian public libraries and a questionnaire survey. The concept of bibliotherapy is based on the theories of nursing, social work and library of science. Bibliotherapy services for cancer patients can be provided in primary health care settings or public libraries. The bibliotherapy service in libraries must be conducted in cooperation with medical professionals. The bibliotherapy service, which can be didactic/informative bibliotherapy (recommended reading lists), personal development bibliotherapy (reading services in public libraries), and reading groups (clubs), can be organized in public libraries or in institutions that provide emotional/psychological support. A number of reading clubs with elements of bibliotherapy have been introduced in Lithuanian libraries. A similar service has been identified for a target group, i.e., cancer patients. On the one hand, naming the target audience of the club may traumatize the potential beneficiaries of the service, and on the other hand, it allows for better dissemination of information and better access for patients. Cooperation between institutions is needed to enable patients to learn about bibliotherapy and to have more confidence in the service.

About the First Edition of ‘Handbook of Lithuanian Information and Documentation Standards’

The rapidly increasing diversity of digital content formats and the possibility to preserve such content heightens the necessity of the interoperability of its identification, ascertaining its location and ensuring its access. All this can be realized only by applying standards, i.e., a specific type of documents, which create added value within the intellectual knowledge economy. The Lithuanian library community is not merely a passive consumer of standardization products and services but has a possibility set by law to be their active developer. In 2022, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania published ‘Handbook of Lithuanian Information and Documentation Standards’ prepared by Dalia Jaskonienė, an aid for better understanding of the standardization of information science and documentation fields important for libraries. This publication must be seen as another important professional information source prepared by the Library’s standardization expert.

Lithuanian Postcard in the struggle against Imperial Russia

The article is devoted to a peculiar episode of the struggle of Lithuanians against the policy of persecution based on nationality which was pursued by Imperial Russia between 1864 and 1904. Its participants were representatives of the parts of the Lithuanian nation separated by the border between Germany and the Russian Empire – Martynas Jankus (1858–1946), a German citizen, a Lithuanian of East Prussia, the owner of a printing office in Tilsit (Lith. Tilžė, currently Sovetsk, a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian Federation) and a group of Lithuanian young people who were operating illegally, a group of citizens of the Russian Empire. The time under discussion is the 1890s. During that period, the Lithuanian national movement was rapidly developing and strengthening while striving to bring together both parts of the nation and the USA-based Lithuanian diaspora community. One of the most important measures of the common struggle was the distribution of publications printed in Latin characters in the Lithuanian language which were banned to be published in the territory of Russia but were legally printed in East Prussia and smuggled across the border into Lithuania. From there, the publications were sent to Lithuanian communities all over the Russian Empire. This struggle resulted in victory: the ban was lifted by Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Russia issued in 1904.
 To strengthen the political opposition, Lithuanian intellectuals printed not only books, brochures and newspapers but also various minor publications – political leaflets. Students of Russian universities and Lithuanian intellectuals graduates of these higher education institutions prepared texts and sent funds intended for their publication to the printing offices of Lithuanians and Germans in East Prussia. The number of such leaflets surviving to the present day is very small. One of these publications was an anonymous card of the size of a standard German postcard (95 x 140 mm). Thus far, three of them have been found in Lithuanian libraries and archives, and one has been discovered in the National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg. A composition of two illustrations is printed on one side of the card: a Lithuanian countrywoman and a Cossack standing in front of her with a raised whip and a bottle of vodka as a gift for obedience. This symbolised a spread of orthodoxy and the deportation of Lithuanians from their native land. The following exclamation of the Cossack is printed: Are you a Lithuanian? Go to Russia! The explanation of the content of the illustration and the encouragement (first of all, to Catholic believers) to oppose the plans of the authorities are printed in small characters. They are related to the colonisation of Siberia. The statements are well-grounded, the exposition of the subject is logical and written in the correct Lithuanian language. Most probably, it was created by the graduate of the Faculty of Law of the University of Moscow Vladas Mačys (1867–1936).
 Vaclovas Biržiška, Professor of Law at the University of Lithuania in Kaunas and Director of the University Library, was the first to describe this publication bibliographically. The author regarded this publication as a postcard, attributed it to Martynas Jankus’ printing office and dated it ‘1892’. A more precise description was publicised in the fundamental work of Lithuanian national bibliography Lietuvos TSR bibliografija. Serija A: Knygos lietuvių kalba (Bibliography of the Lithuanian SSR. Series A: Books in the Lithuanian Language; vol. 2: 1862–1904. Book 2 (Vilnius, 1988, p. 401, No. 4065). It was compiled in the Soviet era, and the only available copy stored in Mikhail J. Saltykov-Shchedrin State Public Library (currently renamed the Russian National Library in Sankt Petersburg) served as the basis for it. The present author amended the publication date of the postcard (1891) and specified the circumstances of its distribution, while also ascertaining that the artist of the illustrations was the lithographer of Tilsit Johann Mai.

The Management of Strategic Change in the Municipal Public Library

The Management of Strategic Change in the Municipal Public Library

The Management of Strategic Change in the Municipal Public Library

The Management of Strategic Change in the Municipal Public Library

Are the Global Cosmetic Surgery Legal Issues Bypassing Lithuania?

The article deals with an empirical study of certain legal issues of cosmetic surgery and their manifestations in legal articles abroad and in Lithuania. It examines whether the cosmetic surgery-related legal issues analysed in the authoritative databases Scopus and Clarivate analytics and the articles found therein resemble the cosmetic surgery-related legal issues analysed in authoritative Lithuanian legal journals and the Lithuanian Digital Academic Library database (eLABa) articles.

Peculiarities of Dissemination and Functioning of Incunabula: Cases of Collections of Lithuanian Memory Institutions

Incunabula are considered a particularly important part of the documentary heritage. 520 incunabula are preserved in eight different Lithuanian memory institutions. The engagement of Lithuanian libraries in the development of the international database of incunabula provenances, Material Evidence in Incunabula (MEI: https://data.cerl.org/mei/_search), intensified research on incunabulistics, as it led to a closer examination of the marks of the former owners. The article presents the latest data on the distribution of incunabula in different Lithuanian memory institutions, as well as analyzes various book marks that were not recorded in Nojus Feigelmanas’ catalog of Lithuanian incunabula or was revised and supplemented, and evaluates their significance in the printed book culture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The analysis is performed using the provenance method, however is not limited to property marks, but also includes margins – marks left by a reader on the pages of books, and other marks not related to property or reading, providing significant information on book history, culture and peculiarities of reading at that time.
 In the 15th century, there were no printing houses in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, so the main spread of books was by trade. The entries with prices identified in the incunabula reveal a relatively early time of purchase of the incunabula and testify that the books in the 16th-17th centuries were an expensive commodity. They usually mention groschen, the common currency in the territory of Lithuania-Poland, less often – florins or ducats. In this case, the large variety of prices does not allow to draw more specific conclusions on the prices of incunabula in the relevant period, but these data as a source of book history will serve in general when studying the value of the old books and the circumstances of their acquisition. Purchase records usually also provide information about a former owner of a book. The article focuses more on lesser-known owners on whom new information has been found or existing data have been updated, attention is also paid to female donators. The article also discusses the records left by the incunabula rubricators, which allows to determine the period of the book entry into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as well as to look at them as one of the first readers.
 Various inscriptions left by anonymous owners require the most effort. Entries of the 15th-16th centuries, mostly in Latin, many of which are abstracts of an existing book or notes on it, additions to the text, are still awaiting detailed reading and research. Identified Lithuanian words will be a valuable source of the language history for researchers of the old Lithuanian language. Various marginalia – reviews on a book, notes from everyday life, counting the year of the book, as well as graffiti, different drawings that can be seen as feather attempts, amateur illustrations, caricatures or even as an expression of reading boredom, will be an important material to describe a reader’s relationship to the book at the time, for which the incunabula, like books of other ages, were not only the object of study or research, but also a kind of notebook for important thoughts, synopses, everyday details.

„Notaty pamiętnikowe” Antoniego Łazarowicza (1819-1905) – świadectwo Polaka w „rosyjskim mundurze”

Memoirs “Notaty pamiętnikowe” of Antoni Łazarowicz (1819-1905), preserved in the manuscript in the Lithuanian Library of the Academy of Sciences Wróblewscy in Vilnius constitute a unique document. Their author, a civil servant in Vilnius, discovers his true attitude to the tsarist authorities in his diary. This interesting source shows the other face of a tsar official. It is also a valuable account of the living conditions of Borderland Intelligence in the 19th century.

The Personal Archive of Martin Ludwig Rhesa: A Reconstruction

This article deals with materials and data on the manuscripts that were present in the personal archive of Martin Ludwig Rhesa (or Ludwig Jedemin Rhesa, 1776–1840) – professor at the University of Königsberg, scholar of folklore, editor and researcher of the Bible, Church historian, publisher of Kristijonas Donelaitis’s “Metai” and his fables. These manuscripts are traditionally referred to in Lithuanian literary historiography as the Rhesa Archive. The history of the manuscripts’ preservation after 1840 is described: relocation to the Royal Secret Archive in Königsberg, the placing of a part of the archive in the State Archive of Gdańsk in 1903, and its appearance in Lithuanian libraries after the Second World War. The principal aim of this study is to determine the manuscripts that had belonged to Rhesa’s personal archive in the 19th c., i.e., to reconstruct his previous archive. It is sought to determine the current location where it is being kept (the library or fund). In evaluating Rhesa’s attempts to collect sources on the Lithuanian language, literature, history, and folklore, the scholarly and cultural interests that these writings attest to are demonstrated.

Bibliografia Polska Estreicherów a digitalizacja katalogów i zbiorów bibliotek rosyjskich, ukraińskich, białoruskich i litewskich. Kilka spostrzeżeń z perspektywy redaktora: nowe wyzwania i rozwój metodologii

The shape and content of the newly edited volumes of the Estreicher Family Polish Bibliography (namely vol. 19 and 20 of the new edition of the Polish Bibliography of the 19th century) were strongly affected by the accelerated pace of digitization of catalogues and collections of the Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Lithuanian libraries. Digital access to these re- sources allowed our team to locate many previously unknown Polish books, but the vast amount of data required a practical strategy of quick and effective searching. Moreover, the criteria of selection became an important methodological concern: both the specific characteristics of the newly surfaced materials and recent studies dealing with participation of Polish people in the cultural and academic life of the neighbouring nations show that the Polish heritage includes numerous books in Russian (and other languages as well), e.g. the publications of the Polish scientists who worked in the Russian Empire. Discovering and documenting such unobvious parts of Polish heritage become one of the fundamental tasks for the present-day researchers.

Išeivijos bibliotekų ir skaitymo klausimai JAV lietuvių periodikoje (iki 1904 m.)

[straipsnis ir santrauka lietuvių kalba; santrauka anglų kalba]
 Lietuvių išeivijoje XIX a. pabaigoje – XX a. pradžioje augant dėmesiui švietimui, skatinant savišvietą ir skaitymą, didėjo dėmesys bibliotekoms. Jų būtinumas aptarinėtas išeivių spaudoje švietimo, savišvietos ir skaitymo klausimų kontekste, taip pat ir jų veiklai skirtose publikacijose. Nuo XIX a. paskutinio dešimtmečio pradžios ėmė rastis privačios ir visuomeninio pobūdžio išeivių bibliotekos, taip pat stengtasi, kad lietuvišką spaudą komplektuotų JAV miestų, kur gyveno nemažai lietuvių,viešosios bibliotekos. Nepaisant deklaruoto bibliotekų steigimo nesudėtingumo, išeivijos sąlygomis tai buvo sunkiai sprendžiama problema, todėl jas kuriant dalyvavo įvairios institucijos, matoma bibliotekų steigimo ir jų gyvybingumo užtikrinimo būdų paieška. Straipsnyje nagrinėjami šie klausimai, taip pat bibliotekų santykis su tuo metu besiplėtusia išeivių leidyba.

The relation between library activities and community members’ quality of life: an independent study of Lithuanian county public libraries

Straipsnyje nagrinėjama, koks yra Lietuvos apskričių viešųjų bibliotekų (AVB) teikiamų paslaugų poveikis vietos bendruomenei. Daroma prielaida, kad bibliotekų viešosios paslaugos ir kultūrinė edukacinė veikla keičia bendruomenės narių gyvenimo kokybę (GK). Atliktas reprezentacinis penkių Lietuvos AVB bendruomenių tyrimas (apklausa). Pasiūlyta struktūruota dviejų dalių nauja tyrimo metodika. 1-ojoje tyrimo dalyje, taikant adaptuotą SERVQUAL metodą, įvertinta paslaugų kokybė ir vartotojų pasitenkinimas paslaugomis GK kontekste. Reikšmingos šios paslaugų kokybės dimensijos – apčiuopiamumas, patikimumas ir efektyvumas. Galutiniai pasitenkinimo paslaugomis tyrimo rezultatai apibendrinti pageidaujamiems lūkesčiams: AVB organizuoti mokymai pranoksta lūkesčius, informacinės paslaugos atitinka lūkesčius, o kultūrinė švietėjiška veikla ir partnerystės renginiai neatitinka pageidaujamų lūkesčių. 2-ojoje tyrimo dalyje atliktas tiesioginis AVB veiklos poveikio GK įvertinimas, atsižvelgiant ne tik į teikiamas paslaugas, bet ir į vartotojo emocinį pasitenkinimą bibliotekos aplinka, supančia atmosfera, aptarnaujančiuoju personalu. Čia svarbios santykių kokybės ir rezultato kokybės dimensijos. 64 proc. respondentų nurodė, kad bibliotekos įtaka jų gyvenimo kokybei sudaro per 30 proc. Didžiausią įtaką bendruomenės narių gyvenimo kokybei daro bibliotekininko kompetencija, paslaugumas, tarpusavio santykiai ir komunikacija. Tyrimas patvirtino koreliaciją tarp AVB veiklos ir bendruomenės GK, tačiau taip pat atskleidė esantį silpną bendruomeniškumo jausmą, komunikacijos spragas informacijos efektyviai sklaidai pasiekti.

AUŠRININKO ANDRIAUS VIŠTELIO ARCHYVO LIKUČIAI

Straipsnyje analizuojami aušrininko Andriaus Vištelio (1837–1912) asmens archyvo likučiai, saugomi Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos instituto bibliotekos rankraštyne. Šie archyviniai dokumentai dėl skurdžių aušrininko biografistinių tyrimų nebuvo sulaukę deramo dėmesio. Išlikusi A. Vištelio archyvo dalis – 35 bylos – reikšminga analizuojant jo 1878–1889 m. laikotarpio kūrybinę ir visuomeninę veiklą bei įvertinant tokio pobūdžio archyvų formavimo praktiką. Iš aušrininko epistolinio palikimo išliko keletas laiškų „Auszros“ redaktoriams ir bičiuliams Mažojoje Lietuvoje. Vertingi kūrybinės veiklos rankraščiai: poezijos kūriniai, vertimai ir publicistika. Atlikus archyvinių dokumentų patikrą, vertimų ir originalių A. Vištelio darbų sąrašas reikšmingai prasiplėtė ir pasipildė. Atskleisti visiškai nežinoti aušrininko leksikografiniai darbai, genealoginiai ir istoriniai tyrinėjimai. Atsirado galimybė įvertinti A. Vištelio pastangas išsaugoti Mažosios Lietuvos raštijos veikėjų palikimą. Archyviniame palikime aptikta ir keletas nežinomų knygynų ir spaustuvių sąskaitų už lietuviškas knygas, leidžiančių papildyti aušrininko bibliotekos istoriją. Lietuvių tautinio atgimimo Mažojoje Lietuvoje istorijos analizės kontekste šie A. Vištelio asmens archyvui priklausę dokumentai gana reikšmingi – jie į lituanistinius tyrimus įneša naujų faktinių duomenų, brandina naujas tyrimo perspektyvas ir ženkliai pildo per mažai pažįstamą biografinį aušrininko portretą.

AUŠRININKO ANDRIAUS VIŠTELIO ARCHYVO LIKUČIAI

Andrius Vištelis (1837–1912), known for having given his wholehearted support to the first Lithuanian periodical publication “Aušra”, left behind a rich creative legacy, which is relatively unscattered. The major part of his personal archive was housed in the Manuscript Repositary of the Lithuanian Literature and Folklore Institute Library. A. Vištelis’ creative process was quite intensive. He took time before destroying handwritten rough drafts manuscripts. At times he failed to release timely publications of his writings and had to postpone his creative endeavours. Due to complicated circumstances related to the survival of his personal archive, not all the documents have survived intact. In the course of time, there have been losses and selective redistributions. From the documents attributed to the most creative period (1879–1889), 35 document files have survived. At the discretion of Adolfa Wysztelewska, A. Vištelis’ wife, her husband’s Lithuanian manuscripts were handed over to the Lithuanian Science Society, whereas the Polish ones remained at her disposal. It has been established that A. Vištelis’ personal archive was compiled in a rather intensive manner. Due to fragmented studies conducted by researchers into the biography of the aušrininkas in question, his archive was not evaluated in its entirety. Among the surviving manuscripts by A.Vištelis, one should mention his letters to “Auszra” editors and his friends in Lithuania Minor. Of special value are the manuscripts of A. Vištelis’ creative activity, including his pieces of poetry, translations and publicistic writings. After a thorough examination of A. Vištelis’ archival documents, the list of his translations and original works has been significantly expanded and suplemented. They reflect both a creative process of his ideas brought to life and the horizon of unrealized ideas. Light has been shed on totally unknown lexicographic endeavours undertaken by A. Vištelis, namely, a compilation of a Greek-Lithuanian dictionary. An interest in the history of the Lithuanian nation and its proper representation served as an impetus for A. Vištelis to conduct genealogical and historical research. He also attempted to write a history of ancient Lithuania. The research conducted provided its author the opportunity to evaluate A. Vištelis’ efforts aimed at preserving the legacy of prominent representatives of writing in Lithuania Minor. In his archival legacy, several previously unknown invoices issued by bookstores and publishing houses have been found, which complemented the history of the library owned by A. Vištelis. He was not a solitary figure in researching the Lithuanian language, therefore the surviving archival documents are most relevant in reconstructing both individual activities carried out by the aušrininkas A. Vištelis, aimed at promoting the Lithuanian identity, and evaluating mutual relationships and accomplishments by the other representatives of national revival who were actively working in A. Vištelis’ surroundings.

Enterprise Social Networking: Innovation Difficult to Adopt?

IntroductionThe promotion of social innovation has been widely identified as one of the EU's priorities because it contributes to the improvement of the quality of life of citizens and national competitiveness (Dobele et al., 2015). The concept of social innovation often refers also to social media as tools affecting everyday communication. It is clear that in the contemporary world social media tools are becoming a more prominent form of communication, not only among individual consumers but also within enterprises (McKinsey Global Institute, 2012). Every day, organizations use different social media platforms, including one of the most popular tools, social networking sites (Goeman, 2013). In fact, the adoption of social networking services together with other social media platforms in different organizational contexts is considered to hold potential for value creation in such areas as internal and external communication, collaboration, knowledge sharing, etc. (Ahlqvist et al., 2008). Evidence from different researches shows that information-rich social media enabled networks have a positive effect on management sustainability: they affect work outcomes, change network structures, give economic benefits (for example, lowering transaction costs or contributing toward becoming more profitable), improve work performance (especially in information diversity and social communication) and affect productivity and job security (Wu, 2013; Zyl, 2009). Although the positive effects are undeniable for both business and public sector organizations' sustainable management, the risks and dangers are the reason to go deeper into the analysis of whether to put effort into social media adoption. Researchers have discovered risks in legal, security, privacy, intellectual property, copyright matters, misuse, waste of time and other resources, and even employees' reluctance or resistance to participate themselves (Turban et al., 2011).Almost everybody is now affected by social media (Vasko and Abrham, 2015). Usage of social media technologies affects the previously established structure of organization (for example the emergence of virtual organizations) and has led to the development of so-called internal Social Networking services or Enterprise Social Networking (hereafter ESN) tools: private social networks created for use within organizations. One leading example of this innovation is Yammer, launched in 2008. Yammer is described by the company itself as a collaboration software and business applications [that] allow you to get connected to the right people, share information across teams and organize around projects and which is used by more than 200,000 companies worldwide, including DHL, Shell, Unicef UK, various universities, etc. (Yammer.com; Pinto, 2014). Lithuania is no exception: even though the concept of ESN is still very new, it was announced in October 2014 that within the website www.3erdve.lt a social network Yammer was as a personal and safe platform for communication between all Lithuanian libraries (Lietuvos nacionaline biblioteka, lnb.lt).The newest research (Durkin, Lokshina, 2015) confirms that integrated wireless and mobile communication technologies are key success factors, even if there are challenges presented by such issues as the SLA (Service Level Agreement), security, privacy, mixed mode usage and deployment, and finding the appropriate business models for profitable growth. However, despite the reasonably predictable benefits of ESN tools for communication and information sharing within organizations, the experience in a number of companies shows that such innovations are not easily adoptable. After a rapid spread across various enterprises and being adopted by most leading companies in the world, news began to appear that the actual use of ESN has not been as high as hoped and that management is struggling to make it work (Roe, 2014). Thus, a number of organizations which choose to adopt ESN tools are possibly facing an implementation failure, mostly due to a lack of sufficient knowledge about this particular type of innovation and their diffusion process. …

Performance evaluation as a tool for strategic decisions about serving visually impaired users: The case of the Lithuanian Library for the Blind

The complexity of serving diverse and dispersed target audiences of visually impaired persons suggest that there is a need to analyse the performance of libraries for the blind. This issue is currently neglected in library and information science research. Library managers and policy-makers can employ performance data for developing new strategies for service delivery and sustainability. The balanced scorecard and historical benchmarking approaches were applied to analyse the performance of the Lithuanian Library for the Blind (LLB) in 2008–2012. The concepts of strategic issues and strategies were employed to demonstrate how performance evaluation findings may be used for the purposes of strategic planning. The findings revealed the attractiveness and sufficiency of cultural services, but also the inability of the LLB to reach its target audiences, the inefficiency of internal processes, low use of information resources and electronic services, and a lack of sustainability in organisational learning. A model of service provision in collaboration with public and academic libraries for publishing and distribution of literature in accessible formats was suggested to the LLB. It is in line with the policy and legal decisions necessary for achieving the Library's main goals.

Understanding the Elderly Non-users with Visual Impairments: The Case of the Lithuanian Library for the Blind

With an increasing number of the visually impaired elderly population libraries need to adjust their services to this audience which is often under the risk of becoming library non-users. The aim of this paper is to determine the profile and reasons for non-use of library services by the visually impaired elderly basing on the case study of the Lithuanian Library for the Blind (LLB). Findings of the structured interview survey have shown that most non-users don’t use libraries due to low motivation, health and mobility issues. They have few purposes for information use, get it incidentally, and apply the simplest and easy-to-reach assistive technology. The findings can be used in libraries to develop targeted services for this population.

CERTAIN PROBLEMATIC ISSUES PERTAINING TO THE THEORY OF PERSONAL LIBRARIES

The article aims to investigate certain theoretical problem aspects of a personal library, regarded as a concept of scientific research. The specific aspects researched are as follows: terminological definitions, the question of personal libraries’ typology and classification, the place of a personal library, as a subject-matter of scientific research, in book science and librarianship. The analysis in question is based on the research of Lithuanian professionals in book science, conducted in this area. In addition, the article provides insights into the research of foreign book scientists on theoretical aspects of personal libraries. The author specifies certain semantic aspects of defining a personal library in the terminology of Lithuanian book science. Furthermore, the author makes a suggestion with regard to classification of personal libraries, namely, that such libraries should be grouped into historical and contemporary personal libraries. Such classification highlights the importance of the subject-matter of research, bearing in mind the differences between the two groups of libraries, such as access to these libraries, methodology of research, etc. In the article, historical personal libraries are treated as complexes of book heritage; they also embrace personal libraries which could be granted the status of printed heritage (personal libraries as complex artefacts, as certain monuments of book heritage, which in institutional compilations could be referred to as book collections in corpore). In contrast, the situation regarding the investigation of contemporary personal libraries is more difficult, due to the fact that these libraries are regarded as objects of intellectual property and therefore very limited access is provided to them. The article analyses the reasons why personal libraries in Lithuania and Russia have become the subject matter of scientific research in the area of book science rather than librarianship. It was concluded that the Law on Lithuanian Libraries (2004) does not provide for any provisions regarding personal libraries. From the legal point of view, these libraries are not covered by the Law on Lithuanian Libraries. Likewise, personal libraries are not included in the typological scheme of Lithuanian libraries. In Russia, personal libraries have for a long time not been regarded as libraries. Instead, they were looked upon merely as compilations or collections of home books. This can be explained by the fact that after an attack against private ownership had started in the 20-ies of the 20th century in the Soviet Union, a policy of nationalising personal libraries was launched and a communist ideology of the public ownership of books was introduced and promoted. “An ideological education of a reader” was regarded as the most important function of libraries. Naturally, personal libraries could not serve such a purpose. Furthermore, it was impossible to control the activities of such libraries. The mandatory provision for control was embedded in Soviet laws. It was only natural that the subject-matter of personal libraries disappeared from the field of research of librarianship. The niche of research was soon taken over by professionals of book science. This article draws the conclusion that given a certain amount of research on personal libraries in Lithuania, a closer dialogue between book scientists and theoreticians of librarianship is expected to be promoted in the area of researching personal libraries.