| Abstract [eng] |
The retrospective acquisitions of publications from earlier periods have been carried out by Adomas Mickevicius Vilnius County Public Library since the year 1950, when the the library has been founded. Documents of regional significance comprise an important part of the printed heritage of the library. The library also accumulated a large amount of old and rare publications of other documents, which, however, are dispersed throughout different library units and the status of which has not been clearly defined. This tentative status along with the narrow understanding of the printed heritage causes difficulties in making decisions when it comes to organization, research and actualization of old and rare publications. A question thus arises: how old and rare publications that do not belong to the category of regional study should be viewed, e.g, should they be treated more attentively as belonging to the category of printed heritage, or should they be just considered as regular publications having some degree of significanse in their value? This study provides evidence supporting the notion that the printed heritage can be made available for efficient access to and searching of information as well as for research and actualization only if it is organized in one location. Comprehensiveness of the search for information and its presentation to a public are depending on how well the printed heritage is defined. Publications that have been issued abroad before 1900 and publications that were issued in Lithuania and in emigration until the year 1918, which are stored in Adomas Mickevicius Vilnius County Public Library, have been chosen for the analysis. The main goal of the current study is to explore the potential of the management and actualization of these publications. The printed heritage in the current study is viewed from the perspective of the whole amount of existing publications, which institutional library selects for preservation for future generations, and, in accordance to public needs, provides appropriate conditions for preservation, access to it, exploration and actualization. Results of the current study show that the concept of the printed heritage may change even if the heritage is organized into one location. This prompts to change a view onto the printed material that is considered as the printed heritage as well as criteria for selection of publications and stimulates to carry out research and actualization work. Yet the printed heritage material receives the biggest attention only when their preservation is legalized by founding a new unit for this purpose. Therefore, Vilnius County Public Library should provide a clear definition of what kind of the printed material, other than regional studies, can be considered as the printed heritage. This would enable to re-evaluate all the high quality polygraphic material, which is unique, even though it belongs to a contemporary literature, that is currently available in stock of the library. It would also prompt to consider the conditions of preservation of these publications as well as their presentation to the public. The next important step would be to increase the efficiency of the search for information by (i) cataloging some of the publications with the use of the standard ISBD (A), which has been designed for making bibliographical descriptions of old publications, (ii) describing publications de visu, and (iii) keeping records of new tags, which have been obtained by publications during the time they functioned in the society (proveniencies, marginalies etc.). Finally, Vilnius County Public Library, may consider an idea of gathering the printed heritage, which is currently carrying a wider definition, to a one location, maybe even changing the storage location. The suggested changes should ensure better perspectives for printed heritage preservation, studies and actualization. |
