Today, parliamentary libraries are at a turning point in their history. All over the world they
are deeply changing their nature and experimenting new possibilities.
The internal fragmentation of parliamentary administration, the multiplication of search
possibilities, the amount of topics debated every day and the need for information processed
and immediately available for use are some of the reasons why the traditional parliamentary
libraries are lagging behind in everyday parliamentary activities.
Analyzing and comparing the trends pertaining parliaments and those referred to
libraries, the need for second thoughts about the role of parliamentary libraries seems
necessary.
... are parliamentary libraries as traditionally conceived disappearing? Maybe.
For sure, they are deeply changing. Is that good or not? I think it is not a matter of goodness.
As Ranganathan wrote as long ago as 1931 “libraries are living organisms”. If true, this means
that they are expected to adapt themselves to the context in which they work, without giving
up their inner mission and role in the society, and to give up a barren protection of theoretical
prerogatives.
Anna Galluzzi, Biblioteca del Senato "Giovanni Spadolini"
ReplyDeletethe changing characteristics of knowledge and its evolving relationship with the digital framework should be taken into account as another phenomenon affecting the nature of parliamentary libraries and of libraries in general and deserving to be thoroughly studied. In particular, the interdisciplinary character of knowledge, together with the mix of theoretical, organizational and practical knowledge, has deeply modified the way in which research is carried out as well as the nature of its contents. Together with a growing specialization of the single disciplinary fields, there is a need for hybridising disciplines and a decreasing gap between popular and academic knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that the digital revolution is putting library identity under pressure, insofar as the majority of information sources are going digital, most of the reference transactions are moving towards the network, the physical premises of libraries are becoming less important, the mediation role is being overcome by Internet access and the number of competitors in the field of media offering is constantly increasing.