Bulgarian Librarians Grapple with Challenges of Modernization

Bulgarian librarians assembled in historic Shumen.

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Some 80 librarians from every region of Bulgaria gathered September 29–30 in the city of Shumen to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the birth of Stoyan Chilingirov, a prominent Bulgarian author of books about history, ethnography, and folklore and an early library advocate. Sponsored by the Shumen Regional Library, Shumen University, and the municipality itself, the conference also highlighted the latest efforts of Bulgarian librarians to modernize library service in the former Soviet satellite whose libraries were well-stocked and well-used instruments of the state but whose resources have diminished since 1989. Shumen Regional Library Director Krasimira Aleksandrova hosted and emceed the conference, at which attendees heard success stories from colleagues.

The U.S. State Department sponsored the keynote speech by Leonard Kniffel who represented the American Library Association and talked about ALA’s advocacy and public awareness initiatives, as well as the Campaign for the World’s Libraries.

Snejana Ianeva, director of the Information Resource Center at the U.S. Embassy in Sofia, observed, “We have many issues here in Bulgaria, starting with the need for good management in a time of financial crisis. We came together at this conference to share best practices, to learn about sharing resources, digitization, and for professional training for these librarians, many of whom work in small public libraries.” She said, “This is about creating a sense of community that supports libraries, advocacy, and public awareness, as well as continuous evaluation and raising the status of libraries in the community.”

“We are facing a lot of challenges,” Ianeva went on to say. “Bulgarian librarians are doing their best to be a gateway to information in their communities, and our relationship with American libraries and librarians has helped us know more about the ways we can achieve that goal.” She said the State Department has sponsored many programs and speakers, as well as travel to the U.S. for some 36 Bulgarian librarians over the past 15 years.  She acknowledged the enormous contribution of American librarian Nancy Bolt, former state librarian of Colorado, whose special dedication to improving library service in Bulgaria “has made a tremendous difference.”

Presenter Anna Popova, of the Bulgarian Library and Information Association introduced the new, updated Interlibrary Loan Code, which follows IFLA ILL best practices and guidelines to reflect technological changes and the expanded needs of users. In addition, BLIA is launching a new library journal that focuses on best practices. The association is investigating whether to make it a print or electronic publication and how to finance it. “Most of the Bulgarian librarians we polled still want print,” she noted.

A September 28 preconference workshop sponsored by Global Libraries Bulgaria, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation program for free access to the internet and training for librarians, focused on advocacy and how to engage library supporters as well as how to expand and improve library services through technology. Local administrators attended and led training sessions for public librarians from the Shumen area.