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Lithuania, report 2006

The Lithuanian music libraries network consists of over 150 different libraries possessing music stocks. Libraries belonging to research library system - the National Library, Vilnius University Library, Library of Lithuanian Academy of Science and Library of Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre - have the most important holdings of music documents. The National Library is the leading library in the country; and the Music Department of the National Library provides professional assistance to the network of music libraries in order to introduce music specification into the field of library science and activity. The music document stocks are formed by integrating specialized and universal library function and holdings contain all form of music documents as printed music, manuscripts, audio video materials, books, serials etc.

Preservation and digitalization of national culture heritage on electronic resources is a reality nowadays.

The National Library of Lithuania holds more than 220 thousand music documents. From historical point of view, there is a significant collection of over 8,000 published Lithuanian sound documents; the most important for us are the old Lithuanian shellac records it contains. The collection was named the National Archive of Sound Documents as a part of the National Press Archive of the National Library of Lithuania. The Music Department of the National Library prepared a project for the preservation of these Lithuanian shellac records and was awarded funding in a contest organized by Ministry of Culture. Last year the National Library of Lithuania converted to CD 1,100 titles of Lithuanian shellac records. Now the most important task is to save all old Lithuanian sound recordings as our heritage and to create a unified digital collection of Lithuanian shellac records from all Lithuanian music libraries and private collections. In addition, we want to provide access to them for all users.

Over a thousand musical manuscripts from the fourtheenth to the twentieth century, reflecting musical life of Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Holland, are currently preserved in the Manuscript Department of the Library of Lithuanian Academy of Science.

Aiming at preservation of Lithuanian cultural heritage in electronic space, the Library of Lithuanian Academy of Science participates in the project ECH:TOPICC in the framework of European Research and Development and Cooperation Program EUREKA developing a Lithuanian version of MUSICALIA web site (http://www.musicalia.lt) as well as creating and providing direct access to the digital archive of records and images of musical manuscripts preserved in Lithuania. The project provides for creation of text, image and sound universal multimedia database, covering old music medieval, baroque manuscripts from various European countries including Lithuania. The public presentation of the digital storage and website occurred on 7 December 2005.

An important old printed music and manuscripts collection of sixteenth through eighteenth century early editions and manuscripts, some first publications of works by famous composers like Bach, Beethoven, Lully, and a full collection of Lithuanian printed music comprise the printed music holdings of the National Library of Lithuania. This collection was restored and is cataloged on the Lithuanian Integral Library Information System (LIBIS) Union catalog now. As the main task I would like to mention the research and cataloging of all old music manuscripts and old printed music in the Library of Lithuanian Academy of Science and Vilnius University Library. As they have no particular Music departments, many documents in these stocks need to be researched by music librarians and musicologists, and included both in the Union LIBIS catalogue and in the RISM. In order to do it, we are going to establish Lithuanian RISM group. This year, the  music Librarian from the National Library of Lithuania visited the Warsaw National Library to get acquitted with RISM, and in July after conference will go to Warsaw to take part in RISM seminar again. It will help us to join RISM project.

Unified Lithuanian library information network has been implemented by the creation of Lithuanian Integral Library Information System - LIBIS - in 1996. The LIBIS Center was established at the National Library of Lithuania. The Center acts as the main compiler of Union Catalogue. At present 84 libraries take part in it. The Music Department of the National Library introduces music specifications into the computerized LIBIS programs and provides relevant training and seminars annually for music librarians from other Lithuanian libraries so that they may part in the shared cataloguing of music documents in the Union Catalogue. 

After 22 public libraries got the financial support from Open Society Fund of Lithuania, they became leading libraries in the public music libraries network. The Music Departments and largest musical holdings (sometime over 100,000 items) remained at county public libraries, the stocks of music documents are in town and district municipal public libraries and in the libraries of music teaching institutions. I must say that Music Departments of county public libraries became the culture centers in their towns.

The problem is that the acquisition of music documents and renewal of stocks is being made slowly. Donated Music Materials Program helps us in this situation.

I would like to point out the Yale University Library's support project, which was initiated and performed by Music Librarian Kendall Crilly last year. Along with this project, the National Library of Lithuania received a total of 2,640 items. We were given an opportunity to select from Yale University Library's recommended list of publications the publications necessary for us, and modern music scores were ordered and sent by Harrassowitz bookseller and subscription agents. We appreciate this support.

The Music Department of the National Library of Lithuania has a permanent exchange contact with Slavic and East European Section of the University of Washington Libraries.

Lithuanian music libraries felt great need to create a special body for cooperation, but establishment of music libraries association and Branch of IAML is rather complicated. Amendments made to the Law on Associations in Lithuania last year ceased and stopped our activity in this field. The National Library of Lithuania took part in IAML and prepared materials for RILM project in the Soviet times, unfortunately, as a representative of the Soviet Union. At present we have a National RILM Committee, four libraries are the members of IAML and represent our country: the National Library of Lithuania, Library of Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Vilnius Public Library of Music and Arts, and a new Lithuanian member - Klaipeda University Library joined IAML this year. The most important aim of Lithuanian music libraries is to establish the Lithuanian Music Libraries Association, to expand IAML membership and to create Lithuanian IAML Branch. Now we are looking for how to overcome this situation.

Eglė Elena Marčėnienė