A seminar for librarians from Kosovo/Kosova

was organised by the Budapest Observatory between 21 and 25 November 2001, supported by the Mosaic project of the Council of Europe, the Open Society Institute, the Hungarian Ministry of Cultural Heritage (NKÖM) and the Hungarian National Commission for UNESCO. Originally, the idea to provide a complex overview of Hungarian libraries to the 15 librarians (both of Albanian and Serb nationality) arriving from Kosovo/Kosova occurred in the NKÖM.

The flow of the agenda was outlined, the lecturers were selected and trained by the Library Institute. Besides the current situation of libraries in Hungary changes they have undergone since 1989 as well as prevailing trends and problems to be solved were discussed.

The group comprising of leaders of the national and university library of Pristina, the president of the association of librarians and colleagues of various regional libraries was accompanied by Deogratias Niragira on behalf of UNMIK, Jean-Philippe Gammel representing the Mosaic project (Managing an Open and Strategic Approach in Culture) and a Danish expert Carsten Frederiksen.

The four-day agenda was built mainly on the findings and action plan of the study 'Libraries in Kosova/Kosovo...' (the introduction of libraries as democratic and multicultural institutions, the development of a training scheme for librarians, legislation etc.).

The programme was based on lectures, lively discussions however also made part of the agenda. Two libraries namely the National Széchényi Library and the Szolnok County Library were visited, too. Outstanding efforts made by the interpretors helped the group through the jungle of Albanian, English, Hungarian and Serbian languages.