Asociația Bibliotecarilor din România

The Romanian Library Association (ABR) is the only national professional association that brings together representatives of all types of libraries, reflected organizationally in 4 divisions (national libraries, university and specialized libraries, public libraries, and school libraries), 11 professional sections (Acquisition and Collection development; Library and society; Rare books, conservation, restoration; Cataloging, classification, indexing; Document delivery and interlibrary loan; Information culture; Education and professional training; Automation, digitization; Periodicals; Statistics and assessment; Pedagogical techniques in school libraries and IDC'S), and 41 county branches distributed across 8 development regions. The Association has a Board of Directors that exercises leadership based on the program adopted by the General Assembly, representing the profession's interests before authorities, third parties, and the judiciary.

The purpose of the Romanian Library Association is to support librarians from a scientific and professional standpoint, as well as other categories of personnel working in the interest of library science, to support the development of all infodocumentary structures (libraries, documentation and information centers) by optimizing library services in the spirit of user requirements and contemporary technical progress, thus contributing to the progress of society.

The 35th Anniversary National Conference took place in Oradea (September 2-5), with the theme “Library – Innovation, Accessibility, Communication”.

The 34th ABR Conference was held in Sibiu (September 3-6), themed “Library – From Traditional Library to Artificial Intelligence”.

The 33rd ABR Conference took place in Timișoara (September 6-8), themed “Library 4.0”.  

ABR is a member of the National Council of Libraries in Romania (CNB), the national scientific authority for coordinating Romanian libraries, established by joint order of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education.

In January 2022, ABR submitted to the Ministry of Education the research report “Level of Digitization in School Infodocumentary Structures in Romania and Professional Training of Specialized Staff: Librarians, Documentation Teachers, Responsible Staff”, supporting the digitalization and equipping of school libraries (Authors: Lucreția Bîrz, Viorica Gențiana Onișoru, Dr. Adriana Szekely; Scientific advisors: Dr. Doina Popa, Dr. Carmen-Leocadia Pesantez Pozo).  

The revised and expanded second edition of the “Treatise of Biblioteconomy” (5 volumes, 2,923 pages) was published, reaffirming ABR’s role in developing and consolidating research in the field. 

On August 25, ABR, as a national professional association representing all library types, gave an interview to EURONEWS. 

From August 31 to September 2, the 32nd ABR National Conference was held in Suceava, in a hybrid format, themed “Library – Space of Information, Research, and Innovation”.

The 31st ABR National Conference (September 8-10), held online in Timișoara, themed “i-LIBRARY: Inspire, Innovate, Inform”. 

The Romanian Association of Librarians and Public Libraries (ANBPR) requested collaboration with ABR to update the Romanian Occupations Classification (COR) database for library-related professions.

On March 23, 2020, IFLA issued a statement on library responses to the pandemic, emphasizing service adaptation and digital access development. 

ABR responded to IFLA Secretary General Gerald Leitner regarding support for members and infodocumentary structures amid the pandemic. 

On April 3, 2020, Communia and over 140 other organizations and private individuals sent a letter to Francis Gurry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), requesting that current intellectual property enforcement conditions not hinder efforts to combat the COVID-19 crisis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, ABR's activities were mostly online; the National Conference was not held. Professional meetings, reading promotion campaigns (#libraryathome), continuing education programs, mobile access to databases, and collaborations with ANBPR, IFLA, and EBLIDA were maintained. 

ABR launched the petition “Do Not Close Schools’ Libraries!” and a memorandum on the situation of school libraries in Romania, urging the Ministry of Education and Research to regulate their operation safely during the pandemic, supported by ANBPR and the National Library Commission. 

It also called for support in digitizing school libraries to provide resources and communication means necessary for effective educational activities, modeled on best practices worldwide. 

The 30th anniversary edition of the National Conference of ABR took place in Bucharest, from September 4 to 6, with the theme ”30 Years of Evolution in Romanian Libraries".

The 29th ABR Conference (September 12-14) took place in Sibiu, titled “Libraries – Cultural and Digital Heritage of the Future”. 

ABR published the volume “Guide to Identifying Pseudo-Scientific Publications” by Mihai Constantinescu.

The 28th ABR Conference (September 6-8) was held in Brașov, themed “Libraries. Society. Multiculturalism”. 

The 27th ABR Conference (September 7-9) was organized in Timișoara, focusing on “Libraries Without Barriers”. 

The 26th ABR Conference was held in Iași (September 9-11), titled “Libraries and Challenges of the Digital Age”. 

From September 3-5, the 25th ABR Conference took place in Cluj-Napoca, with the theme “Libraries – Open Access to Education and Culture”.

The “Treatise of Biblioteconomy”, comprising 4 volumes in 5 tomes totaling 2,507 pages, was published, representing a fundamental work synthesizing theories and practices in biblioteconomy and information science. 

From September 4-6, the 24th ABR Conference was organized in Oradea, focusing on “Library – Research, Knowledge, Culture”. 

The “Guide to Information Culture”, developed by Prof. Angela Repanovici, was launched, becoming a methodological tool for training informational competencies. 

From August 29-31, the 23rd ABR Conference was held in Galați, titled “Library – Tradition and Innovation”. 

During the National Conference in Sibiu (September 7), the volume “Romanian Libraries” was launched, a synthesis work dedicated to Romanian libraries, authored by Elena Tîrziman, Gabriela Dumitrescu, Robert Coravu, Mihaela Zecheru, Gheorghe Buluță, Carmen Pesantez; edited by Prof. Emeritus Mircea Regneală; translated by Corina Apostoleanu. 

The 22nd ABR Conference (September 7-9, Sibiu) focused on “The Library in the Knowledge Society”.

Between 2010-2012, ABR organized professional training courses in information culture for school and university librarians, accredited and culminating with certificates issued by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor. 

In 2010, it was published the “Repertory of Works Developed by Romanian Libraries”, Vol. 2 - Works developed by university libraries, ABR, IX, 345 pages.

From September 9-11, the 21st ABR Conference was held in Bucharest, themed “Libraries in the Culture of Information and Communication”. 

The 20th ABR Conference was held in Constanța from September 10-12, with the theme “Continuity and Change in Libraries”. 

ABR published the volume “New Studies in Biblioteconomy” by Mircea Regneală. 

From September 17-19, the 19th ABR Conference took place in Pitești, titled “Romanian Libraries in the Digital Era”. 

On March 19, 2007, in the Aula of the Romanian Academy Library, the transformation of the Association of Librarians in Education – Romania (ABIR) into the ROMANIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION (ABR) was unanimously voted.

ABR consolidated its statutes and organizational structure, operating as a unified association organized into five professional divisions covering main types of libraries (national, university, specialized, public, school). 

From September 19-21, the 18th ABR Conference was held in Brașov, focusing on “The Status of the Librarian Profession in Romania”. 

The “Code of Ethics for Librarians” was adopted by the ABR General Assembly during the 18th Conference (September 19-21, Brașov). 

It was published the "Repertory of Works Developed by Romanian Libraries", Vol. 1 - Works Developed by Public Libraries, ABIR, XX, 433 pages.

From September 20-22, the 17th ABIR Conference took place in Timișoara, focusing on “The State of Educational Libraries on the Eve of Romania's EU Accession”. 

“Buletin ABIR” was renamed “Revista română de biblioteconomie și știința informării”, initially bilingual, then published exclusively in English, online as “Romanian Journal of Library and Information Science”. 

From September 7-9, the 16th ABIR Conference was held in Petroșani, themed “Interlibrary Cooperation in the European Context”. 

From September 9-11, the 15th ABIR Conference was held in Brașov, with the theme “Library Management and Marketing in the Information Society”.

From September 10-12, the 14th ABIR Conference took place in Cluj-Napoca, titled “The Librarian Profession in Change”.   

Law No. 334/2002 on Libraries was adopted, establishing the legal framework for the organization and operation of Romanian libraries. 

From September 11-13, the 13th ABIR Conference was held in Iași, with the theme “Quo Vadis Bibliotheca?” 

ABIR published “Multilingual Interdisciplinary Thesaurus for Library Use: Romanian, English, French” by Victoria Frâncu. 

ABIR organized an International Workshop on Continuing Education for Librarians, emphasizing ongoing professional development, with support from the French Institute and British Council. 

The second edition of the “Explanatory Dictionary of Biblioteconomy and Information Science” (2 volumes, 2001, with 4,789 terms and concept index) was published.  

From October 25-27, the 12th ABIR National Conference was held in Bușteni, titled “From Traditional to Electronic Libraries”. 

From September 21-23, the 11th ABIR National Conference was held in Suceava, themed “School Libraries in the Information Society”.

In June, the Constitutive Assembly of the Federation of Library Associations in Romania (FABR) took place, aiming to reunite various librarians’ associations, with ABIR, ANBPR, ABBNR, and ABIDOR joining. 

ABIR drafted, in collaboration with ANBPR, the Statute of FABR. 

Two biblioteconomy dictionaries were published: 

- “Dictionary of Biblioteconomy and Information Science: Romanian-English” by Mircea Regneală (1999, 315 pages, 5,500 terms) 

- “Dictionary of Biblioteconomy and Information Science: English-Romanian” by Mircea Regneală (1999, 332 pages). 

From November 11-12, the 10th ABIR National Conference was held in Bușteni. 

The National Council of Educational Libraries was established as an advisory body to support national library coordination.

From November 19-20, the 9th National Conference was held in Bușteni, focusing on modernizing library services and preparing for the transition to digital information structures. 

On July 12, Law No. 128/1997 was enacted, recognizing librarians as auxiliary teaching staff with a professional status. 

Between 1997 and 2000, the publication “Informații ABIR” became a supplement to the bilingual, academic-themed magazine “Buletin ABIR”.

From November 14-15, the 8th National Conference took place in Craiova, focusing on adapting libraries to the information society, including themes of digitization, standardization, and European integration. 

The “Vocabulary of Biblioteconomy” (two volumes) was published in 1996, authored by Mircea Regneală, as a reference work standardizing professional terminology. 

From February 26 to March 1, with support from the British Council and following an agreement with the Library Association, ABIR and ANBPR organized a seminar in Cluj titled “Development of Biblioteconomy Education Programs and Information Science”.

The 7th National Conference was held in Bucharest from September 18-20, titled “Libraries in the Information Society”.  

ABIR, in collaboration with UNESCO, organized the International Informatics Workshop in Sinaia (May 1-12 and 15-26), dedicated to library digitization, with three sections: A. Digitization of university libraries; B. Functional digitization of university departments; C. National inter-university computer network. 

Between August 20-26, ABIR participated in the 61st IFLA General Conference in Istanbul, themed “Libraries of the Future”.  

ABIR, together with ANBPR, initiated the publication of the first “Who's Who” of Romanian librarians.   

The 6th ABIR National Conference was held in Timișoara on September 20-22. 

ABIR became a founding member of EUCLID (European Association for Library and Information Education and Research) on November 20.

Key publications for librarians’ activities appeared, including: “ISBD(S) Methodology”, “Guide to University Libraries”, “ABIR Yearbook”, “ABIR Bulletin”, “Dictionary of Biblioteconomy”, “Guide to Old Books in Educational Libraries”, and the “Cumulative Catalog of Biblioteconomy and Documentation Publications”. 

From March 8-10, the “How to Run a Democratic Library Association” Colloquium was organized by ABIR within the project “Development of the Activity of the Library Association in Central and Eastern Europe”, in collaboration with the Hungarian Library Association.

ABIR proposed amendments to the new Education Law regarding the role and position of libraries in education, which were reflected in the Library Law. 

Between May 14-20, ABIR contributed to creating the Pan-European Forum of Library Associations with 31 other associations. 

From October 20-22, the 5th ABIR National Conference took place in Cluj-Napoca, focusing on library development, modernization, professionalization, and specialized structures in librarianship.

ABIR signed cooperation agreements with the Italian Library Association (June 20) and the Hungarian Library Association.

ABIR participated in the IFLA General Conference in Barcelona (August 22-28).  

ABIR published and distributed the “The methodology for implementing the International Standard Bibliographic Description for Monographic Publications (ISBD(M))”, supporting the digitization of Romanian libraries, with copies sent to most university and school libraries.  

Efforts were made with the Ministry of Education to standardize procedures in school libraries. 

The Fourth National Conference was held in Iași on November 8-9. Starting this year, the Conference sessions will begin to take place in sections.

The year 1992 saw ABIR expanding its international relations by signing cooperation agreements with professional associations from the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Denmark. 

Efforts were made toward the Romanian government and relevant ministries to establish academic ranks for librarians (tenure, Grade II, Grade I) and improve librarian salaries. 

The third National Conference took place in Craiova, from October 29 to 30, continuing the series of annual professional meetings. The Local Elections Regulation and the General Elections Regulation have been approved by the General Assembly.

This year also marked the founding of the Association of Young Bibliologists. 

On January 8, 1991, ABIR initiated efforts to establish library education departments at the universities in Cluj-Napoca and Iași, through letters addressed to the rectors of the respective universities. 

In 1991, ABIR participated for the first time in the IFLA General Conference, held in Moscow from August 18-24.   

On December 4-5, the Association’s Second National Conference was organized in Brașov, fostering professional dialogue among Romanian librarians. 

Volume 2 of the “ABIR Yearbook” and the “Guide to School Libraries in Romania” were published. 

The year 1990 marks the founding moment of the modern professional movement of librarians in Romania, through the establishment of Association of Librarians in Education – Romania (ABIR). 

The first General Assembly took place on March 28 in Bucharest - Casa Universitarilor, and the Association was legally registered on April 20 via Sentence No. 1310 (File No. 1332/P.J./1990), which approved the registration request of the Association of Librarians in Education – Romania as a legal entity. 

The first local branches were formed between May and September, and ABIR's first scientific session was held on November 6. 

On November 7, in Bucharest, the Association's first Conference was held, with special guest Guse van Wessemael, Secretary-General of IFLA. 

Between October and December, issue No. 1 of the “ABIR Bulletin” (quarterly) and volume 1 of the “ABIR Yearbook” (modelled after the French example) were published, with editions continuing until 1996. 

On November 12, ABIR became a member of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA), thereby strengthening its international status. 

The “ABIR Library” was established with a collection of 500 donated volumes from abroad. 

On December 20, ABIR President Prof. Univ. Dr. Ion Stoica, together with Prof. Univ. Dr. Mircea Regneală, participated in a meeting with the Minister of Education to discuss the salary classification for librarians. 

At the 1947 Conference, the first step was taken towards reorganizing the Association of Librarians of Romania, founded in 1924, as a continuation of the associative life of librarians. The conference was convened at the initiative of the Library of the Romanian Academy - whose director was Professor Ion I. Nistor - together with the Library of the "Carol I" University Foundation.

Ștefan Gruia (Grumberg) was elected President of the Association, a senior official at the State Committee for Culture and Arts in the 1950s–1960s, later head of the Libraries Directorate within the Ministry of Education.

Ștefan Gruia subsequently became the editor-in-chief of the journal Călăuza bibliotecarului (The Librarian's Guide), later renamed Biblioteca (The Library), one of the longest-running professional journals in the field, still existing today.

Angela Popescu-Brădiceni, director of the Central State Library / National Library between 1955 and 1989, succeeded him in leading the association. She was also active internationally, being a member of the Standing Committee of the Official Publications Commission and the IFLA Bibliography Section, as well as Vice-President of the 2nd European Conference on the International Exchange of Publications, held in Vienna between 1972 and 1976.

After 1970, the association was known only in name. It no longer carried out significant activities or professional meetings until the collapse of the communist regime, which was reticent towards public gatherings not organized by the communist party.

In April 1924, the director of the "Carol I" University Foundation, Alexandru Tzigara-Samurcaș, together with the director of the Library of the Romanian Academy, Ioan Bianu, decided to establish a new association, which would include university libraries, as well as other important libraries in the country, such as the Library of the Romanian Academy and the Library of the "Carol I" University Foundation.

To this end, they prepared a congress that took place in the Aula of the "Carol I" University Foundation, on September 15–17, 1924, on which occasion the foundations of the Association of Librarians of Romania were laid. In the conception of the two scholars, this was to be an elite association, comprising prominent figures of national librarianship, intended to provide a modern orientation for the development of Romanian libraries.

The association's statute provided for strengthening ties between librarians, developing a plan for the unitary organization of all libraries in Romania, intervening with the government on issues related to the salaries of librarians, as well as establishing a school and a central bibliographic office.

The following were elected to the “board of directors” of the Librarians Association: president: Ioan Bianu; vice-presidents: Al. Tzigara – Samurcaș and C. Mandicevschi; secretary: Emanoil Bucuța; treasurer: Mrs. M. E. Ciuchi and 14 other members.

The activity of this new association also failed to achieve all the objectives it had set for itself in its 16 years of operation, until the outbreak of the Second World War, when it practically ceased its activity.

On July 19, 1919, Professor Nicolae Iorga was entrusted with the leadership of the Association of Public Libraries. The concept of a public library at that time differed from the contemporary one, referring to a library intended for a local community. The Romanian state had established, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, several libraries with a dual purpose – school and public. These were the public libraries that the great historian was to oversee, which were then under the authority of the Ministry of Public Instruction, an institution that also had responsibilities in the field of culture.

The main mission of this library association was to equip the libraries destroyed during the war with books and magazines. Unfortunately, the results achieved in those years of hardship were modest.