The library sector in Lithuania at the beginning of the twenty-first century

The aim of this paper is to provide readers with a snapshot of the Lithuanian library sector since the year 2000. The sector functions as a modern, open, user-oriented, and professional system comparable to other library sectors in Europe. The community of Lithuanian librarians is organized in several professional associations that help in developing different aspects of library work: cooperation, supporting and expanding library activity, and coordinating mutual initiatives. The legal foundations for providing access to information, and the institutions providing information and ensuring its preservation in various forms, are set out in the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania and a set of laws regulating library work. The Lithuanian Ministry of Culture is authorized to regulate state administration of all libraries in Lithuania. The library system consists of the networks of public libraries, academic libraries, school libraries, and special libraries. This paper presents the developments in each of these networks over the past fourteen years. In 2011, a “scientifically” derived strategic plan was developed, which marked a new turn in the management of the state library sector.published or submitted for publicatio

Global Innovation Policy Index

Ranks fifty-five nations' strategies to boost innovation capacity: policies on trade, scientific research, information and communications technologies, tax, intellectual property, domestic competition, government procurement, and high-skill immigration

Full Issue 10.3

Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad Co.The original of this document is in the Stevens Family Papers, #1210, at the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library, Ithaca, New York 14853

Lifecycles of Competition Systems: Explaining Variation in the Implementation of New Regimes

The aim of the study was to investigate the crimes and punishments that were commonly occurring between the years 1601-1651, and how the distribution was between men and women represented in the court in district Sjuhundra and Njurunda district. To answer these questions, a quantitative examination of court records conducted in which the crimes and punishments have been categorized. The results that have emerged have been the basis for the conclusions issued in the essay. The results showed that the most common target types were various civil and propertycase and the most common punishments were sentenced to fines and settlements. It was predominantly men who were in the court, the proportion of women was between 13-22%. The conclusion is that men were increasingly confronted with the court than the women and the crimes and punishments in comparison to the two districts were relatively equal

The changing medium of instruction policies of state-schools in recently formed states: a comparative analysis

In this thesis I analyse changes to the medium of instruction (MOI) policies of primary and secondary schools of new states which gained independence after the end of the Second World War up to 2015. In it I view MOI policies as drivers of linguistic state building, with decisions to use additional languages for teaching and learning being evaluated in terms of the threat that they may pose to the status of official languages and established patterns of social opportunity and status associated with knowledge of them. I develop and use an expanded version of Bourdieu’s theory of the national linguistic market as a conceptual framework to capture the interaction of factors both inside and outside of the state which may influence MOI policy decisions. The existing comparative literature consists mainly of descriptive studies of individual states or geographical regions. My study is distinctive because it focuses on new states and uses a large, longitudinal, sample to provide a global perspective on the choices that new states have made about MOI policies in primary and secondary schools and how these policies have changed. My methodological approach is distinct, using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), an approach which is currently underutilized in comparative education research, particularly in studies with a temporal component. I develop a novel MOI typology, identifying four distinctive models: Purist (only the state language(s) are used); Pragmatic (community languages are used in primary schooling); Accommodating (high status community languages are used in secondary school); and Opportunistic (new, high status, languages are introduced as MOI). I argue that, whilst Bourdieu’s concept of linguistic markets provides a powerful basis for understanding MOI policy decisions, the interaction of national (internal) linguistic markets with the international (external) linguistic market needs to be considered to fully understand patterns of MOI policy change over time

Modernization of libraries in a postcommunist state: The roles of the George Soros, Andrew W. Mellon, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations in the development of Latvian libraries

This paper presents the most important changes in the library system of Latvia in the late 1980s, when, as a result of a nonviolent struggle, Latvia regained full independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Particular attention is paid to contributions by private foundations in the United States—the George Soros, Andrew W. Mellon, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations—to fulfill the main goal of library work: namely, helping to create a democratic society in which everyone has the opportunity to express their views and be able to freely access information. During the Soviet period, libraries were mainly agents of the dominant power; they were often forced to ignore the needs of Latvian society or even to work against them. The activities of libraries were strictly regulated and controlled. Latvian independence has allowed the libraries to end political censorship and strict control, and to independently determine their future directions and work methods. Political changes occurred so rapidly that the immediate normalization of professional work after fifty years of occupation was not possible. However, US private foundations supported strategically important areas of library work: automation and access to the internet, the creation of the State Unified Library Information System (SULIS), and the professional development of library staff. The US foundations, through requirements for the cofinancing of large-scale projects, also motivated state and municipalities in Latvia to increase their investment in libraries. The interest expressed in libraries by these foundations emphasized that Latvian libraries were vital. Consequently, targeted investments shortly after independence ensured the timely inclusion of the basic elements of the national library system—the National Library of Latvia and public, school, and academic libraries—in the modern information environment, thus allowing them to fulfill the main task of all libraries: the provision of public access to information.published or submitted for publicatio

The historical and geographical evolution of the enclavity of the Kaliningrad region

This article considers the origin, development, change in the status, and extinction of enclave and exclave formations in the territory of the modern Kaliningrad region. The author offers information on their socio-economic and political features. The article identifies enclave (exclave) problems peculiar to them, including the land access (passenger and cargo transit) of the metropolis to the isolated territory, as well as the issues relating to the origins of state border, border control, visa regime, and political and economic relations to neighbouring states and the mainland. The author reviews cases of evolutional development of enclavity and peaceful and military methods of eliminating enclave formations. Actions towards the solution of political and socioeconomic problems taken in East Prussia are compared to those taken in the Kaliningrad region. The author emphasizes the need to solve the problems of the only Russian exclave region in view of the experience of its historical “predecessors”

Are Central and Eastern European Countries managing to develop the information Society?

Taking the advantage of the opportunities offered by the advent of the information society is more and more often acknowledged as a sure path for future economic development. Moreover, this could be the only way for those countries with narrow domestic markets or limited physical resources. Many of the CEECs started at an early time the design and progressive putting into practice of programmes intended to adapt their societies and economies to the information society. This article reviews the evolution of these public policies, assesses the impact of the plans (using the most solid indicators published on the development of the information society) and, based on the results obtained, presents some critical analysis