El Sistema Bibliotecari de Catalunya: una perspectiva en construcció

Since fifteen years have now passed since the approval of Law 4/1993 of the Library System of Catalonia, it is a good time to examine the current status of its implementation. 2007 was also the final year of the Agreement for the Improvement and Modernisation of the Library System of Catalonia covering the period 2004-2007. Therefore, this article analyses the main aspects for the achievement of a fortified Library System in Catalonia that offers services on a national level and is capable of resolving the information access needs of the citizenry. The article acknowledges the long tradition of advocacy of our profession, thanks to which notable progress has been made, even though much remains to be done in certain areas (union catalogues, national lending services or digital strategy). Also described in the text are the unequal speed, status and degree of library development among the different library networks differences often conditioned by the lack of political will and frequently, too, by the lack of technical will. The article concludes by presenting the major lines of action for improving library services in Catalonia being undertaken by the General Direction of Cultural Cooperation of the Generalitat’s Department of Culture and Mass Communication