IAML International Association of Music Libraries

In 1996 we had eleven IAML members (8 institutions and 3 individuals). In November our Branch organized a study weekend which was devoted to music library management. Twenty-four librarians from different types of libraries took part. The study weekend started with a professional visit to the Pärnu Central Library where a Music Department had been established only a year before our seminar was held. The music librarian told about the experiences and problems that had occurred during the first year. The Music Department had proved its worth in a very short time and now has a firm place in Pärnu's musical life both as a library and a music information center. Our seminar participants from other public libraries in particular received many ideas about how to start and run a music department in a small library.

The seminar itself was a three-day event and was held jointly with the Finnish Branch: the professional program was set up by Finns, according to our suggestions as to what kind of problems should be discussed. There were two lecturers from Finland: Pirjo Hakuni (Head of the Music Department of Tampere City Library) presented an introductory paper about developments in music librarianship in Finland during the past thirty years. Everything else on library management-starting from acquisition, cataloguing and classification problems, and ending with circulation and other services-was conducted and lectured on by Heikki Poroila, President of the Finnish Branch (Head of the Music Department of Vantaa City Library). An overview of the present music library scene in Estonia was given by Aurika Gergeležiu (National Library of Estonia, Fine Arts Department), and the present state of cataloguing, classification, and the indexing of music was introduced by Avo Kartul, President of the Estonian Branch (Tartu University Library, Recorded Sound Department). The seminar included not only lectures, but also two working groups on particular subjects and some practical exercises. At the end of the seminar we handed out a small questionnaire to get some feedback and suggestions for the future. This study weekend was particularly important because it was the first education and training event in Estonia devoted to music librarianship.

In March Aurika Gergeležiu was invited to the meeting of the Estonian Musicological Society to speak about IAML and its activities, joint projects and publications.

A block of five articles on music librarianship was prepared for the third issue of the Estonian general library journal Raamatukogu (The Library): Introduction of Music Departments in the National Library of Estonia (by Katre Riisalu), Tartu City Central Library (by Meery Salu) , Pärnu Central Library (by Ene Roost), Estonian IAML Branch; Education and Training for Music Librarianship (by Aurika Gergeležiu).

In September six Estonian music librarians attended the IAML Annual Conference in Perugia. The Secretary of Estonian Branch, Aurika Gergeležiu, presented a paper at the Research Libraries Branch session devoted to the problems of uncatalogued music research collections. She was also elected the Vice-Chair of the Research Libraries Branch.

In March we extended an invitation to IAML to have its Annual Conference in Estonia in 1999. At the Council meeting in Perugia - having first been very impressed by the thoroughly prepared and excellent materials compiled by the New Zealand Branch to support their invitation, second, finding New Zealand to be an extraordinarily interesting place for the IAML meeting, and last, wanting to save the Council members from the very uncomfortable situation of having to vote on a conference site-we postponed our invitation to the first free year, that is until 2003.

Aurika Gergeležiu
Secretary, Estonian Branch

• More reports for 1996