About AKM
by Mirna Wiler

The Seminar entitled “Possibilities for Cooperation in the Environment of the Global Information Infrastructure” came out of the idea that there was a need for libraries to open up toward related institutions so that the user could get as complete, precise and professional answer as possible to his question through a singular, coherent approach to various information sources. The information technology which is available today makes the realization of this idea possible. 

The point is that it is no longer sufficient for libraries to seek out paths for solving their most acute problem on their own: how to transform its functions and secure its quality of service in a situation of a sudden technological boom into overall globalization. The information shock caused an earthquake on three basic levels of library functioning. Thus, they must first redefine the unit of a library collection, the process by which it is obtained, preserved and disseminated. Moreover, the principles and rules of cataloguing must be reconceptualized and finally, the user must be once again visualized. (Governance, economical, organizational, personnel-related and general sociological aspects of the situation in which libraries have found themselves have so far be left aside in our thinking about these issues).The complexity of the problem and the need for an interdisciplinary approach has lead libraries around the world to seek out partners in related fields, primarily in archives and museums. Many conferences, projects, but also already built data-bases mark possible directions for thinking and working.

The goal of the seminar was, therefore, to research the theoretical framework within which we can place such thinking, to get acquainted with the contemporary information infrastructure as a basis for its enactment as well as to investigate into the possible levels of co-operation in concrete situations of information-creation in archives, libraries and museums.

The purpose of the seminar was to bring together experts who work with theoretical assumptions and their application in the automatized processing and usage of collections in archives, libraries and museums, to motivate the participants to exchange their ideas, knowledge and experience as well as to recognize the fields and levels in which co-operation is possible in creating and approaching informations.

In the part of the seminar which was devoted to theoretical assumptions, the phenomena of cultural heritage and the definition of a collection unit the central lecture, which set the tone for the whole seminar and which pointed our thoughts, was given by prof. Dr. Ivo Maroevic. Dr. Tatjana Aparac, in speaking about the basic concepts, development and problems of information science, showed that the convergence of disciplines was an irreplaceable concept in thinking about the environment in which we work. Dr. Aleksandra Horvat explained what is common and what specific in the professional education of archivists, librarians and museologists and underlined the challenges which are posed by the global information infrastructure to archives, libraries and museums and, therefore, to the conceptualization of a faculty studies program. Mr. Predrag Pale spoke about the users of libraries, museums and archives in the information society in general and in our environment specifically, while noting the current situation in Croatian libraries and their capacity to utilize contemporary information technology. Ivanovic introduced the newest archives theory with which a radical conceptual change has taken place. The custodian of the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Tihomir Milovac, was in a good position to discuss the virtual art piece, which is born and lives digitally as well as the need for a redefining of the custodians relationship toward it. 

Zoran Bekic, Nevenko Bartolincic, Predrag Vidas and Ruzica Vucic gave lectures which spoke about the role of the Internet in changing the organization of work and our life-styles in general; the information infrastructure and the structure of the CARNet network; libraries as members of the CARNet system and finally, the need of archives, libraries and museums for an information infrastructure. Dr. Maja Jokic spoke about various forms of electronical sources of information and the role of the librarian as an intermediary between the source and the user. Dubravka Osre;ki Jakelic analyzed the application of the librarianship standard, the UNIMARC format for computer-readable cataloguing, the international librarianship community in the museum profession for creating data bases and other products of the Museum of Arts and Crafts (e.g. catalogue collections). 

In the organization of this seminar great attention was paid to preparing workshops since it was precisely within these workshops that the idea of possible co-operation between archives, libraries and museums was to be tested in concrete situations and examples. Four ways of processing collections were analyzed in four workshops: formal cataloguing lead by Mikica MaŠtrovic, content analysis lead by carka Vujic, normative control lead by Tinka Katic and formats for computer-readable cataloguing and data exchanges lead by Radovan Vrana. The leaders gave reports about the work in the workshops at the end of the seminar, while presenting conclusions and suggestions for further co-operation.

The following projects were presented separately: Jadranka Stojanovska presented the results of an ongoing project entitled “The National Information System of the Croatian Libraries”, Markita Franulic and Edin Zvizdic presented the project “Croatian Art on the Internet” which was initiated by the Museum Documentation Centre, while Zlatko Mileusnic demonstrated the method of processing museum collection in the Ethnographic Museum, from the recording of materials to the noting of data and researching.

Irena Kolbas developed a small glossary of terms used in the three target communities which served as the base of our discussions. It would be valuable to continue collecting terms and to expand the glossary. 

Apart from the regular program, Dragutin Katalenac introduced the new number of the magazine Librarianship: The Voice of the Association of Librarians from Slavonia and Baranja, while Ivan Kani;, from the National and University Library in Ljubljana presented a work on the dictionary Libarianship Terminology, from which a small sample was published as well as the international project about the multi-lingual (15 language) dictionary of librarianship terms. CARNet, quite appropriately, showed a promotional movie “Who is the Man of the 21st century”.

Just prior to the seminar, on November 18, Albert Novak, from CARNet Pula, gave a lecture “An Introduction into the CARNet” so that participants of the seminar would receive a brief overview of Internet technology and basic information about the structure of the Croatian Academic Research Network CARNet. Apart from this, Albert took care of the net, our link to the world, during the whole period of the seminar. 

The seminar was accompanied by a book exhibition with the help of the Croatian Library Association, the National and University Library, the Department of Information Science at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, Benja Publishing House, the Museum Documentation Centre and Lange & Springer. The German publisher Lange & Springer donated the exhibited books to the librarians. 

Live discussions during the lectures as well as the conclusions of the workshops affirmed the extraordinary interest of the participants in the analyzed topics and the need for further co-operation through the suggested projects, the creation of joint working groups and informal communication (the organization of a discussion list on the web page of the URL seminar: http.//pubwww.srce.hr/hbd/akm). The suggestion of the organizer that a seminar on the same topic be organized next year and that it be set up by the Croatian State Archive and the Commission for the Automatization of the HBD and the Museum Documentation Centre was accepted. 

In the end I would like to thank all the members of the Program Board and Organizational Committee, the lecturers, workshop leaders and their colleagues who helped prepare them for their great efforts, professional approach to solving problems, openness to discussions and generally, their enthusiastic communication with which they spurred on many new ideas and thoughts. As can be seen from the conclusions of the seminar, they also realized the need for joint co-operation. A special thank you to the seminar participants who with their unexpectedly large turn-out and active participation in all forms of work made this seminar successful. 

I hope that his report will be just one of the many reports of our future meetings.