Gordana Stokić Simončić | University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philology (original) (raw)

Books by Gordana Stokić Simončić

The six works gathered in the book Libraries and Identity represent an attempt to reconstruct the... more The six works gathered in the book Libraries and Identity represent an attempt to reconstruct the developmental path of the modern Serbian librarianship, through the research and critical reconsideration of its discourse, theoretical foundations, professional and social contributions, professionalization, and values and norms on which it is based.

LIBRARY AS IDENTITY: PROBLEMS OF THE HISTORY OF SERBIAN LIBRARIES

Using the title of Albertо Mangel's essay from his book Library at Night and his starting point that the national libraries are showcase of the nation and our collective definition, the authors of this work extend Mangel’s postulate on all types of libraries and librarians in general. Considering that the level of economic and social development, democratic quality of relationships in society and its attitude toward culture, education and information of people are closely related to the status of its libraries, authors of this paper have started with two hypotheses: 1) Serbian libraries don’t have developed identity, either in public or internally, i.e. within the profession; 2) study of the history and valid judgments about the significance of certain epochs in the development of the Serbian libraries can lead to change of the existing situation.
This paper discuss the concept of identity and some aspects of its appearance. Starting from the premise that the roots of modern Serbian librarianship are found in the 18th century, but that three centuries of its development and almost a century long efforts to establish work of librarians as a profession, bore no common memory, the category of identity is placed in the context of research in the history of Serbian libraries and its problems (dilettantism, fragmentation, political implications ...).

HEALER OF THE SOUL: ESTABLISHMENT OF LIBRARIAN DISCOURSE OF THE SERBS

On the examples of the terms library, librarian and public library, from medieval manuscripts to the period between the two world wars in the 20th century, authors follow the attempts of establishing the librarian discourse and understanding the meaning and value of libraries in development of literature, culture, science and society of the Serbs. Through the analysis of librarian language and discourse, semantic continuities and interruptions are being noticed within which different aspects of social reality and social life come to the fore.
Production of books, their collecting and taking care of in monasteries, sovereign palaces and houses of nobles, precede the process of establishing the librarian discourse. The modern librarian discourse of the Serbs began to be built in the late 18th and early 19th century, within the enlightening paradigm of understanding the social and historical mission of books and libraries. Despite the facts that at the end of the 20th century all the conditions for professionalization of the activity were gained, and that during the first decade of the 21th century investments in libraries have increased noticeably, the image of libraries, reputation of librarians and attitude of the public toward the profession are changing slowly, greatly due to the difficulties of this activity to adopt the discourse which would be more appropriate to the modern age. The authors believe that the reconstruction of key terms of the Serbian librarianship and their semantic and discursive potentials could be stimulus for building the comprehensive history and theory of our librarianship.

TENDENCIES OF LIBRARIANSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN SERBIA 1945-1990

Nowadays an independent state, in the period 1945-1990 Serbia was one of the six republics of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, which also considerably defined the tendencies of librarianship development in it. This work features three distinct stages in the development of libraries in Serbia from the end of the World War II to the collapse of communism, preceded by a brief historical overview. The first period, from 1945 to 1960, was characterized by the tendencies toward rapidly building a broad organization of state-run educational and cultural institutions for spreading literacy, education and enlightenment of the broadest masses of people. This period culminated with the passing of the Republic of Serbia Library Act, in 1960. The second period, from 1960 to 1971, was the time of organizational and professional growth and strengthening of libraries and their networking at the municipal level. The end of this period was marked by the adoption of minimum standards for all types of libraries in Yugoslavia. The third period began in 1971 and lasted until 1991, when the war broke out and Yugoslavia began to disintegrate. It was characterized by the incentives for interconnection and networking of the libraries, from the municipal to the national level, adoption of common standards and the computer breakthrough into the library services. This period was primarily characterized by the theoretical and practical tendencies to establish an information system at the national level. The 1991 war led to the crumbling of the Yugoslav library system and librarians are now struggling to rebuild it on modern foundations. Тhe authors also investigate the historical, social and professional circumstances and causes that were to bring the Serbian state and Serbian librarianship into the deep crisis in the last decade of the 20th century.

SERBIAN BOOKS AND LIBRARIES IN KOSOVO AND METOCHIA

Various causes have led to the current situation in which Serbian books in Kosovo and Metohija - the territorial, political and cultural epicentrum of the medieval Serbian state, are less and less frequent and present: from five centuries of slavery under the Turks (1459–1912), robberies, devastation, and dispersion of books under different excuses (even for scientific researches), through major migrations of population, two world wars and interethnic conflicts in the last decade of the 20th century, to the declaration of the independent state of Kosovo in 2007. This article gives an overview of Serbian library collections in Kosovo and Metohija at the actual moment of serious political changes following the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. Special attention was given to the library collections of Peć Monastery - the historic residence of Serbian Patriarchs, as well as to those of Veliki Dečani Monastery, Gračanica Monastery, the Library of Serbian Orthodox Theological College Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Prizren, temporarily placed in Niš, and the National and University Library Ivo Andrić, now in Belgrade. This paper does not deal with the genesis of the process in which the libraries of Kosovo and Metohija have become sharply divided by national criteria to: 1) Albanian; 2) Serbian and others, nor the political assessments and implications of the recent events, but encourages reflection on extent to which these events affect the level of intellectual, informational, ethnic, religious and, in general, democratic freedoms of all the citizens of Kosovo and Metohija.

INFORMATION LITERACY IN SERBIA: INITIATIVES AND STRATEGIES

The term information literacy was first used by the U.S. informatician Paul Zurowski in 1974, defining this concept as an efficient use of information in problem solving. In 1989 the American Library Association formulated nowadays widely accepted definition according to which information literate persons are those who have learned how to learn because they know how the human knowledge is organized, ones who know how to find the right information and how to use it efficiently. The general aspiration toward joining the European Union and creating the knowledge society, involve significant challenges for Serbia. One of the most demanding changes that libraries will be facing consists of implementing information literacy (IL), i.e. citizens that are prepared for lifelong learning in a world that is overloaded with information of all sorts. The essential premise of this paper lies with two convictions of the authors: that, on the one hand, libraries are natural environment for the development of the information literacy, and on the other, the information literacy must contribute to the citizens’ quality of living. The absence of a clear and consequent national strategy in the development of the information literacy does not mean that it is not developing in Serbia, but that its development is sporadic and not efficient enough. Instead of a system working as a whole, individual actions and initiatives are taken that, from their own perspectives, try to bridge the gap between the demands of the global information age and the situation in the field. This paper is offering a general overview of the current status of the IL in Serbia, the actors in the IL process, the programs, initiatives, and, above all, the role of libraries in this endeavor.

SEARCHING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY: LIBRARIANSHIP IN SERBIA 1991-2011
Critical survey of the actual situation in Serbia is given through the analysis of position of libraries, automatization, digitization, communication, relationship between theory and practice of librarianship, difficulties in process of scientific research, status of professional education and associations. Librarians and their professional communication are seen essential for implementing socially responsible management of graphic records and knowledge, management of professional values and libraries management.
The need to develop a new discourse on librarianship at the Serbs is based on the idea of contribution the librarians may have in the processes of formal education, lifelong learning, and acceleration of economic, scientific and cultural growth of the country.

Papers by Gordana Stokić Simončić

Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 2012

Studies in Informatics and Control

2. Information Literacy and Libraries Knowledge society as the emerging social paradigm has estab... more 2. Information Literacy and Libraries Knowledge society as the emerging social paradigm has established a new model of relations, new concept of the organisation,

The paper gives a brief overview of systems and materials for writing used by people of the ancie... more The paper gives a brief overview of systems and materials for writing used by people of the ancient Near East, as the basis for more detailed presentation of the most important achievements in organizing and managing collections of written documents– antecedents of modern archives and libraries. Archaeological excavations, language studying and textological analyses of materials found on the territory of the former Sumerian cities, the Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian and Hittite empires and the Eblaite, Ugaritic and Phoenician settlements, done in the 19th and 20th centuries, have greatly enriched the history of libraries.
There were certain attempts to efficiently organize the written materials back at the end of the third millennium BC. Scope of scribal activity, along with diversity and usage of texts, have led to the appearance of inventories, rudimentary catalogues
and classification according to professional fields, practice of using catchwords and colophons in manuscripts... All the libraries of the ancient Near East, known nowadays, were rulers’ libraries (whether they were built in imperial palaces or temples of gods), with the exception of those in Ugarit that belonged to the supreme priests or high court officials. The oldest library, reliably known of, was on the territory of Syria, formed in the Royal Palace of Ebla and destroyed in the fire in 2250 BC. However, the biggest and probably the most developed library originated in this cultural circle, was the royal library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal from the 7th century BC. The oldest tablet considered to be the library catalogue, dates from around 2000 BC, and was found in the ruins of the Sumerian city of Nippur; the first known founder of a library is the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser I (12th century BC) – which, all together, testifies to the age of libraries, but also to their rootedness in the
cultural models of certain nations.

History of Libraries as a Scholarly Discipline. Abstract. Considering the history of libraries a... more History of Libraries as a Scholarly Discipline.
Abstract.
Considering the history of libraries as a scholarly discipline, one tries in this work to determine its scope, to present its concise history and point out the need for answering questions about the qualiﬁcations and motivation for historical
researches. The author is of the opinion that the history of libraries demands competent researchers, but that it should also be value-neutral and not serve the needs of daily politics, since that is the only way for it to become the foundation of the collective identity of the library community.

У овом раду покренута су актуелна питања професионалног идентитета школских библиотекара, а повод... more У овом раду покренута су актуелна питања професионалног идентитета школских библиотекара, а поводом могућности за професионално образовање и стручно усавршавање које им се пружају у Србији. Рад се не бави историјатом формалног и неформалног образовања за библиотекаре, нити модалитетима рада савремених институција у овом домену, него анализира узроке због којих је занимање школског библиотекара несигурно, а активност школских библиотека широм Србије врло неуједначена -од потпуне пасивности, до изузетних иновативних решења. Да ли заиста библиотекар у школској библиотеци треба да буде наставник, да ли постоје наставници одговарајуће струке за рад у библиотеци, шта са аспекта образовања и усавршавања значи позиција стручног сарадника, како је слична проблематика уређена у свету, питања су од интереса за овај рад. Као могуће решење он предлаже усаглашавање домаће праксе са праксом Европске уније, односно увођење мастера из области библиотекарства и информацоних наука као норме за обављање послова у школској библиотеци.

The general aspiration towards joining the European Union and creating the knowledge society in S... more The general aspiration towards joining the European Union and creating the knowledge society in Serbia involve significant challenges for the Country. One of the most demanding changes that Serbian libraries will be facing consists of implementing information literacy (IL), i.e. citizens that are prepared for lifelong learning in a world that is overloaded with information of all sorts. The essential premise of this paper lies with two convictions of the authors: that, on the one hand, libraries are a natural environment for the development of information literacy, and on the other, information literacy must contribute to the citizens’ quality of living. The paper will offer a general overview of the current status of IL in Serbia, the actors in the IL process, the programs, the initiatives, and, above all, what the role of libraries in this endeavor is.
Кеy words: Information literacy, knowledge society, library’s mission, libraries in Serbia, information literacy in Serbia

Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 2012

The article uses conceptual correlations between information literacy and financial literacy as a... more The article uses conceptual correlations between information literacy and financial literacy as a basis for arguing that financial literacy services have a place in library settings. The article discusses the general requirements, profile of services, and various challenges related to the introduction of financial literacy programmes in public libraries. An intensified interest in financial literacy matters may be assigned to the global financial crisis of 2007 to 2009. The interdependencies between financial crisis, financial literacy, and the potential of public libraries is illustrated by the example of one South-Eastern European country whose economic transformations and developments reflect the importance of financial literacy.

In the countries with highly developed library and information system, librarians are responding ... more In the countries with highly developed library and information system, librarians are responding to the popularity and utility of social networking sites by using them as central media for interacting with library patrons for traditional and novel services. Through an examination of trends in the area of social media usage and a review of the potential challenges and opportunities, the paper analyzes the current situation in Serbian libraries in terms of the role of social networks with emphasis on the evaluation of library services. This analysis has shown that even though the majority of librarians are aware of the implications of social networks, they are not able to use them with full capacity due to a number of reason. For the survey we used an online research method – computer assisted web interviewing (CAWI).

Keywords: knowledge era, library, resources, social media, network, web 2.0, electronic services, applications, evaluation, technology, trends

This article gives an overview of Serbian library collections in Kosovo and Metochia at the actua... more This article gives an overview of Serbian library collections in Kosovo and Metochia at the actual moment of serious political changes following the dissolution of the former
Yugoslavia. Careful consideration is given to the library collections of Peć Monastery - the historic residence of Serbian Patriarchs, Veliki Dečani Monastey and Gračanica
Monastery; the Library of Serbian Orthodox Theological College Sts. Cyril and Methodius
in Prizren, temporarily in Niš; and the National and University Library ″Ivo Andrić’’,
presently in Belgrade.

New information and communication technology, digitization and development of network information... more New information and communication technology, digitization and development of network information services, have enabled nowaday librarians to collect, organize, structure, disseminate and control the vast amount of factual, bibliographic and cataloging information in a way that their predecessors could hardly conceive of. New technology, however, opens up new problems of epistemological, evaluational, psychological, organizational and institutional nature. Society of communication, knowledge and information seeks for fast reaction/response and new methods of resource management. On the other hand we are faced with the paradoxes of the digital world: we are suffocating in the information and still we are thirsty for knowledge;superficiality and velocity replace the wisdom and knowledge; clicking replaces thinking. In short, for all the libraries it is unsafe, dangerous, but exciting and challenging time, which requires reconsideration of traditional technical skills and professional values and formulating a new mission in accordance with the possibilities of information society and information requirements to humaniye the universe.

Keywords: electronic library, digitalization, the knowledge society, education.

Циљ овог тек ста ни је да по ну ди ко на чан од го вор о уло зи и суд би ни чи та ња у ин фор ма ... more Циљ овог тек ста ни је да по ну ди ко на чан од го вор о уло зи и суд би ни чи та ња у ин фор ма ци о ном дру штву. 1 Упра во обр ну то, по ку ша ће мо да отво ри мо не ко ли ко пита ња о сми слу чи та ња у са вре ме ном све ту и да по ка жемо да је реч о фе но ме ни ма ко ји су врло ин ди ка тив ни, не са мо за свет књи га и би бли о те ка, већ и за кул ту ру и дру штво у це ли ни. Ме то до ло шко по ла зи ште на шег истра жи ва ња чи ни иде ја о књи зи и чи та њу као ми кро моде лу це ло куп не кул ту ре. Кул ту ра, књи ге и чи та ње чи не не рас ки ди во је дин ство. Кул ту ра, као свет сим бо лич них и осми шље них тво ре ви на чо ве ко вог ства ра ла штва, отвара жи вот ни про стор за чи та ње, ми шље ње и раз у ме ва ње: "У кон тек сту ова кве уло ге свет као кул тур на ре ал ност пре тва ра се у јед ну огром ну књи гу ко ја укљу чу је зна ња, ве ро ва ња, умет ност, мо рал, за ко не, оби ча је, а та ко ђе 2 Ма ри ја Ва си љев на Кар да но ва, "Кул ту ра чи та ња у рит му гра нич не ра ци онал но сти", у: Би бли о те ка као огле да ло ва се ље не, прир. До бри ло Ара ни то вић, 425 (Бе о град: Слу жбе ни гла сник, 2009).

Pomi šlje njuŽa naBo dri ja ra,jed nogodnaj lu cid ni jihte o re ti ča rapost mo der ne,sa vre me... more Pomi šlje njuŽa naBo dri ja ra,jed nogodnaj lu cid ni jihte o re ti ča rapost mo der ne,sa vre me niraz vi je nisvetpo staojeje danop šti in ter ak tiv niper for mans,lu naparkide o lo gi ja,zna nja,pro iz vod nje,zna če nja,smr tiira za ra nja.Post mo der nasemo žeraz u me ti i kao svo je vr sna ide o lo gi ja in for ma tič kog dru štva. Plu ra li zam smi sla i ži vot nih sti lo va, bez ika kvih čvr stih vred no snih upo ri šta,za pra vojepo sle di capro iz vod njevi škain for ma ci jaisvo 1 Radjena staokaore zul tatis tra ži va njauokvi rupro jek taDi gi tal ne me dij ske teh no lo gi je i dru štve noobra zov ne pro me ne (Pro je katbr.III47020)ko jise re a li zu je uz fi nan sij sku po dr šku Mi ni star stva za na u ku i teh no lo ški raz voj Re pu bli keSr bi jezape riod20112014.

Најважнији актери информационог друштва, школе, универзитети, библиотеке, суочавају се са парадок... more Најважнији актери информационог друштва, школе, универзитети, библиотеке, суочавају се са парадоксима дигиталног света: површност и брзина замењују мудрост и образовање, растући квантитет информација и разни методи лаког и брзог приступа не гарантују квалитет и креативност њихове употребе. Постмодерно уверење да су све вредности легитимне и да су све информације и све истине лако доступне у дигиталном облику, као негативан резултат има недовољну информациону писменост и све очигледнији недостатак елементарних знања о свету у којем живимо. Сви појединци и институције одговорни за смер и смисао дигиталне револуције морали би да заједнички дефинишу основне циљеве информатизације и дигитализације.

Od 1. februara 2009. godine u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama postoji Udruženje bibliotečkih pover... more Od 1. februara 2009. godine u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama postoji Udruženje bibliotečkih poverenika, zagovornika vrednosti biblioteka, prijatelja i fondacija (Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations - ALTAFF), koje objedinjuje sve modalitete građanske podrške usmerene na rad blioteka. Ovaj rad nastoji da objasni specifičnost učešća nevladinog sektora u radu biblioteka, kao i da pruži pregled aktivnosti koje doprinose jačanju bibliotečkog sektora u Americi. Ideja autora je da i potpuno drugačiji kulturni modeli, poput onoga u Srbiji, pružaju mogućnost za razvoj bar nekih od brojnih vidova građanske podrške radu biblioteka razvijenih u SAD.

Ključne reči: biblioteke, odnosi s javnošću, zagovornici vrednosti, prijatelji, fondacije, ne-vladin sektor

LIBRARY AS IDENTITY: PROBLEMS OF THE HISTORY OF SERBIAN LIBRARIES

HEALER OF THE SOUL: ESTABLISHMENT OF LIBRARIAN DISCOURSE OF THE SERBS

TENDENCIES OF LIBRARIANSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN SERBIA 1945-1990

SERBIAN BOOKS AND LIBRARIES IN KOSOVO AND METOCHIA

INFORMATION LITERACY IN SERBIA: INITIATIVES AND STRATEGIES

Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 2012

Studies in Informatics and Control

Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 2012

Keywords: knowledge era, library, resources, social media, network, web 2.0, electronic services, applications, evaluation, technology, trends

Keywords: electronic library, digitalization, the knowledge society, education.

Ključne reči: biblioteke, odnosi s javnošću, zagovornici vrednosti, prijatelji, fondacije, ne-vladin sektor

Оригиналан научни рад Увод Син таг ма од но си с јав но шћу (pu blic re la ti ons) стара је је дв... more Оригиналан научни рад Увод Син таг ма од но си с јав но шћу (pu blic re la ti ons) стара је је два 120 го ди на: ње на упо тре ба по че ла је у Аме ри ци 1897, го то во исто вре ме но у Го ди шњаку аме рич ких же ле зни ца и у ком па ни ји Ве стиг ха ус Елек трик 1 . У то вре ме, у Јав ној би бли о те ци у Денве ру, у аме рич кој др жа ви Ко ло ра до, већ де сетак го ди на слу жбо вао је као ди рек тор Џон Ко тон Да на , пи о нир од но са с јав но шћу у аме рич ким би бли о те ка ма. Осни ва ње деч јег одеље ња у би бли о те ци, са рад ња са основ ним шко лама, за ла га ње за отво рен при ступ чи та ла ца фон ду, ис тра жи ва ње чи та лач ких по тре ба, ус по ста вља ње Гордана Стокић Симончић Универзитет у Београду Филолошки факултет Катедра за библиотекарство и информатику, Београд Сажетак У развијеним библиотечко-информационим срединама библиотекари своју улогу посредника у комуникацији сматрају суштински важном у контексту понуде фондова, услуга и програма на прави начин. Ова студија случаја емпиријски истражује и сагледава праксу односа с јавношћу у јавним библиотекама Србије, те пружа препоруке за даљи развој ове области. Примарну циљну групу у истраживању чине директори јавних библиотека, њихови помоћници и руководиоци сектора и одељења, а секундарну сарадници на пословима PR-a. Методолошки приступ огледа се у спровођењу онлајн анкете којом су прикупљени подаци квантитативног и квалитативног карактера од укупно педесет испитаника. Иако је тешко говорити о развијању или стагнацији ове области, будући да у Србији до сада нису рађена слична истраживања, јасно је да се библиотеке све више окрећу интензивној комуникацији с јавношћу. Забележена су значајна запажања у погледу разумевања појма односа с јавношћу, профила запослених који се баве овим послом, важности интерне комуникације, визуелног идентитета, затим квалитета разговора са стејкхолдерима, те свести да поједини сегменти рада које библиотека обавља суштински припадају овој области. Кључне речи: односи с јавношћу, јавне библиотеке, Србија, PR менаџер, комуникација, запослени, корисници, локална заједница, визуелни идентитет, култура организације

Library Public Relations: A Proud Librarian and Other Stories. At the time of finalizing the lat... more Library Public Relations: A Proud Librarian and Other Stories.

At the time of finalizing the latest issue of Čitalište, the Serbian cultural public was agitated by the question of appointment of public library directors. A great possibility of their election through the open competition has, however, shown all the incompleteness of legislation in the field of library and information activities, as well as the human resource vulnerability of the profession, and the old habits of individuals that seem to be completely at variance with the essence of the proclaimed principles of transparency in work and decision-making. Amendments to library statutes, designed and adopted for this occasion, discriminatory conditions for employees of libraries eligible to apply, spreading misinformation and fatalism have become a commonplace.
It is interesting that, up to this point, the professional librarian public is mostly – mute. Those who do give statements are writers, university professors, publishers, public figures and, only occasionally, some of librarians. We could maliciously notice that precisely those librarians who, over the past years, could not possibly accept the idea of formal librarian education as the strongest barrier against any type of manipulation, were the only ones who spoke up, but it is not time for being malicious. In the absence of generally accepted values of the profession, those who form the public opinion and affect it are mostly people from the outside of librarianship. And they are, logically, less interested in status issues of the profession.
The relationship between libraries and the public was planned to be the theme in this issue of Čitalište long before the actual events have occurred. The research conducted by Vesna Vuksan and Gordana Stokić Simončić in public libraries of Serbia, has unambiguously imposed conclusions about deficiency in internal communication in libraries, underdeveloped awareness of the need for nurturing organizational culture, anachronistic mode of delegating tasks, as well as malicious attitude towards volunteering. On the other hand, construction of identity and image of libraries, public opinion polls, establishing relations with financial institutions and sponsors, fundraising, lobbying, even forming support groups, also belong to underdeveloped forms of public relations. Having in mind the actual events, we can say that they have, in an unexpected way, confirmed the results of the research.
The texts of Marjan Marinković, Mirjana Starčević and Radmila Janičić confirm that librarians communicate more successfully with the public regarding funds, programs and services. The Belgrade City Library and the Cervantes Institute in Belgrade are presented as exemplary models. Finally, in their article, Claudia Serbanuta and Annie Pho show how the interests of libraries can be represented through the concept of non-conference – riding bikes with librarians.

Да и у на у ци не ке те ме ула зе у мо ду и из мо де из ла зе, са свим је ја сно. Под ути ца јем ... more Да и у на у ци не ке те ме ула зе у мо ду и из мо де из ла зе, са свим је ја сно. Под ути ца јем дру штве них кре та ња, то је слу чај и са по је ди ним на уч ним обла сти ма, ди сци пли на ма или под ди сци пли на ма. Та ко је на ком па ра тив ни ме тод ис тра жи ва ња у дру штве ним на у ка ма по че ло, од ка сних ше зде се тих го ди на 20. ве ка, да се гле да као на но ву ве ли ку на ду на у ке. Иако су се још у 16. ве ку ја ви ле ком па ра тив не сту дије у обла сти ана то ми је, у сед мој де це ни ји 20. ве ка по ја вио се зна ча јан број сту ди ја о ком па ра тив ном ме то ду, 1 али су на ја вљи ва на и ве ли ка на уч на до стиг ну ћа у обла сти ма ком па ра тив не књи жев но сти и лин гви сти ке, упо ред ног пра ва, по ли ти ке, па и ком па ра тив ног би бли о те кар ства. Ипак, два де се так го дина ка сни је ја ви ле су се оце не да ве ли ког на прет ка на по љу ком па ра ти сти ке -не ма. Ка да 1990. го ди не Ђо ва ни Сар то ри пи ше о из не ве ре ним оче ки ва њи ма у ис тра жи ва њу ме ђу на род не по ли ти ке, 2 као да синте ти зу је осе ћај број них те о ре ти ча ра да су не до вољ на ме то до ло шка из гра ђе ност, те о риј ска и тер ми ноло шка не раз ви је ност довелe до га ше ња ен ту зи ја зма ис тра жи ва ча и гу бит ка ин те ре со ва ња за ком па ратив не сту ди је.

Читалиште : научни часопис за теорију и праксу библиотекарства, May 2013

Не ма ју је дин стве ни на зив, де лат ност им је озна че на име ни ма по је ди-нач них ин сти ту... more Не ма ју је дин стве ни на зив, де лат ност им је озна че на име ни ма по је ди-нач них ин сти ту ци ја, тер ми но ло ги ја ко јом се слу же у ме ђу соб ним кон так ти-ма ни је јед но знач на и пре ци зна, па ипак се би бли о те ке, му зе ји и ар хи ви све че шће по зи ва ју на је дин стве ну дру штве ну ми си ју и за јед нич ке вред но сти. Те о ре ти ча ри под се ћа ју да им је и по ре кло за јед нич ко, да је мо дер но до-ба по ка за ло уско гру дост и не ра зу ме ва ње раз два ја ју ћи их ор га ни за ци о но и ин сти ту ци о нал но, те да су се у по след њих че тврт ве ка, за хва љу ју ћи бр зом раз во ју ин фор ма ци о не тех но ло ги је и бо гат ству ко му ни ка ци о них мре жа, сте кли усло ви за њи хо во по нов но по ве зи ва ње. Кул тур не, обра зов не, ин-фор ма тив не и ре кре а ци о не по тре бе гра ђа на за пра во су оно што их спа ја у вре ме ну ко је пре тен ду је на отво рен при ступ из во ри ма са зна ња, ин фор ма-ци о ну пи сме ност, до жи вот но уче ње и кул тур ну ра зно ли кост. Да ле ко смо од фор ми ра ња је дин стве не но ве ди сци пли не оно ли ко ко ли-ко су (не)раз ви је ни њен те о рет ски кор пус и ве шти не ко ји ма се слу жи, фор-мал но обра зо ва ње, прав но уте ме ље ње, стан дар ди за ме ре ње ефи ка сно сти ра да, ори јен та ци ја на пру жа ње услу га... Не зна мо ни ка ко би се зва ла та но ва ди сци пли на. Па ипак, у прак си су за јед нич ка дру штве на од го вор ност на чу ва њу лич ног и ко лек тив ног иден ти те та, на раз во ју мо рал них и естет-ских вред но сти, на не го ва њу сло бод ног и кри тич ког ми шље ња, на сти ца њу му дро сти, на уна пре ђе њу за јед ни це, до ве ли до бли ске са рад ње би бли о те-ка ра, му зе а ла ца и ар хи ви ста. Из гле да да су би бли о те ка ри нај пре по ста ли све сни за јед нич ке дру штве не од го вор но сти и мо гућ но сти ко је им, у ре со ру кул ту ре, пру жа ује ди ње ни јав ни на ступ, те су кре ну ли у су срет удру жи ва њу и пре у зе ли у том про це су ли дер ску уло гу и у све ту и у Ср би ји. Чи та ли ште, ко је од свог пр вог бро ја у 2002. ука зу је на гло бал не трен-до ве и зна чај по ве зи ва ња би бли о те ка, му зе ја и ар хи ва, по све ћу је њи хо вој са рад њи те му 22. бро ја. Уред ник те ма та, др Вла ди мир Кри во ше јев, оку пио је струч ња ке из ре ги о на да раз ра де кон цепт јав ног пам ће ња и ње го ве дру-штве не уло ге, ко му ни ка ци о не мо гућ но сти ба штин ских уста но ва и мо гућ но-сти њи хо вог за јед нич ког на сту па на ве бу, фор мал но обра зо ва ње ме на џе ра за рад у ин сти ту ци ја ма ба шти не, као и пред но сти и не до стат ке ове са рад ње на ло кал ном ни воу.

Читалиште : научни часопис за теорију и праксу библиотекарства

The Pursuit of History. Using the title of the book of John Tosh1, without pretensions to consid... more The Pursuit of History.

Using the title of the book of John Tosh1, without pretensions to consider myself a connoisseur of his rank, I am still giving myself the right, as someone who deals with the history of books and libraries, to speak about the visible tendencies related to the history of Serbian librarianship.
Teaching, for years, History of Book and Libraries at the Department of Library and Information Science of the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade, I can state, with a large degree of certainty, that history is not among the favorite disciplines of Serbian youth, nor they, coming to college, know enough of it. It seems that we, who remember more, being traumatized by contemporary history, have transferred to them, if not our confusion regarding the historical events since the Second World War, then the idea of the futility of one area of knowledge that, anyway, is being shaped by - winners. On the other hand, strong tendencies of globalization have a certain aspect of action that almost equates dealing with the history with nationalism... Therefore it is not surprising that even when they know the facts, they have no knowledge of the context - nor are they willing to deal with it much.
Things are different with the category of librarians, heterogeneous and divided by various interests. First, a small number of them deals with the history of books and libraries. But while the history of Serbian books has great research stronghold among literary historians, linguists, and even culturologists, library history is not in such an easy position. Outside the library profession there are very few people who deal with it, and within the profession, very few have relevant knowledge of the historical method and research techniques. And finally, there is even fewer researchers and studies that enable consideration of the history of local libraries in the context of social and cultural history of the Serbs, on the one hand, and global library history, on the other. Together with a number of monographs which follow chronological development of some of the Serbian libraries, today we also have a series of biographies of prominent individuals, but we do not know, for example, how many public libraries were there in Serbia between the two world wars; inconsistency in interpretation of relations between the social and public libraries makes the years of foundation of some of the public libraries problematic, to say the least; we do not have the clear picture of the overall achievements of Serbian librarianship after the Second World War; we know little about the professional association, except that it exists for more than 60 years; we do not have a lexicon of famous librarians; we do not try to disprove the terrible accusations which charged us for being a nation who had behaved vandalistic toward someone else's book and libraries.
The history of libraries reveals that they form at the level of economic development of society that provides support of libraries, and that economic and political stability of the community represents special convenience for their development. Furthermore, libraries are, always and everywhere, reflection of the dominant social values, mirror of democracy, particularly in relation to education and informing. In other words, they are exactly the same as the relationship of the community towards knowledge and, more specifically, towards certain levels and types of knowledge.2 In this sense, there is no distinction between capitalist and socialist librarianship, as there is not a black and white image of any of the two. Successful and less successful library and information systems differ in the percentage of participation of libraries in scientific, educational, economic and cultural life of a community, and this percentage is responsibility of the state (which creates and implements a certain cultural policy), local government (or the central institution of libraries) and - librarians (professionals and the management).
Writing, a few decades ago, his Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn did not have in mind librarianship as a field of knowledge, he did not mention library history, nor, of course, dealt with the situation in Serbia. Considering the development of science in general, he, however, sent a great guideline for further action to librarians, as persons who act in a field that in a certain way has pretensions to be considered scientific: "(...) nothing depends upon a definition of science (...) nor are questions like: Why does my area fails to move forward in a way that, for example, does physics? suitable for an agreement on the definition (...). These issues will cease to be a source of concern, not when the definition is found but when the groups which now doubt their own status, come to an agreement about their past and current achievements".3
My belief that researched, systemized and synthesized history of libraries is one of the fundamental pillars for a change in the position of libraries in Serbia, as well as for a change in attitude towards knowledge, education and informing the citizens, is inspired by the Kuhn’s standpoint according to which the future is built only on the basis of a clear image of what we have done, what we are doing now and what are our competencies to do so. This image is not easy to get, because young scientists in our field are growing up slowly, and the profession itself is ambivalent about the formal education system and scientific research. But the human need to understand the past, monitor the development of phenomena, explore the unknown and steal it from oblivion, is stronger than the current political (in)suitability of history or the current difficulties of our librarianship to constitute itself as a profession or a scientific discipline. Welcoming the appearance and recent publication of several historical studies that illuminate development of libraries at the Serbs in a new way, in the Theme of this issue of Čitalište we point out, among other things, the richness and diversity of potential research topics.

1 Џон Тош, У трагању за историјом (Београд: Clio, 2008).
2 Gordana Stokić, Ka filozofiji bibliotekarstva: Džesi Šir u teoriji i praksi bibliotekarstva 20. veka (Pančevo: Mali Nemo, 2002).
3 Tomas Kun, Struktura naučnih revolucija (Beograd: Nolit, 1974), 222-223.