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Book distribution in Estonia is far from functioning well, primarily because of non-existing distribution structures, lack of professional competence and insufficient financial resources. In urban areas one can easily overcome inefficient ordering and delivery mechanisms, but in provincial cities and in remote regions, the situation is completely different: Here, the book trade remains as the weakest sector. Of course there are books in the book stores and highly competent entrepreneurs, but they cannot compensate for the inefficiency of the whole system, primarily characterised by booksellers hesitating to reorder books and sticking to fast-selling titles and slow payment. Moreover, publishers claim that there is a lack of interest in bookshops regarding their output. After the governmental bodies and organisations which regulated and controlled book industry activities during the Soviet period were disbanded, the market infrastructure collapsed and is not yet replaced by a sound system. This partly depends on the newly emerging distribution bodies which are still to weak to contribute to an effective book market structure. There are about 100 bookshops and fifteen wholesalers in the business, and the size and the purchasing power of the market are decisive factors for developments in this sector. The poor performance of the book trade which influences the whole chain of book production is certainly not the only factor contributing to weak distribution. The lack of exhaustive information on new and forthcoming titles and books being available is a major issue for booksellers and libraries, especially since publisher’s catalogues and other information on books are not available on a regular base. A deficit of information and poor feedback between booksellers and publishers make distribution less effective and simultaneously prevent consumers from finding the publication they need. As a result of the generally weak book trade system, publishers and customers look for additional opportunities for selling and buying books. Some publishers try to establish their own bookshops, and Internet and mail ordering from individual readers are gaining importance for direct sales by publishers. At present, booksellers do not face any real competition regarding so called additional or further markets (grocery stores, petrol station etc.), but the possibility of these markets growing in the future is seen a forthcoming challenge. Another issue not yet solved is the poor provision of information to end users/ readers on published books. Promotion and advertising is not yet really developed in the book sector, mainly because of a lack of knowledge regarding marketing for books and lack of funding. However, one could imagine that publishers in co-operation with daily print media finally might take the initiative to fill this gap and increase their market presence. Mail ordering and book clubs are just at the edge of getting established. The first Estonian book club started its activities in early 1999 and is linked to a book club in Finland. Some publishers have developed similar activities trying to establish direct relations with end users by offering subscriptions for their forthcoming titles and selling their backlist, thus increasing their market shares. As there is no special postal rate for books and printed publications, book clubs mostly have special agreements with the mail service. Mail deliveries from bookshops to private individuals are not yet common due to a limited demand, but this kind of service could be the trade’s answer to improve customer relations and meet customers’ demand. In recent years, the EAN bar codes on books have slowly been introduced, facilitating electronic stock control and distribution. As they demand electronic cash desks they are not yet widely used in book shops.
In Estonia today, all booksellers are private apart from one which is partly state-owned (Ministry of Culture holds 51%). Currently there are approx. 100 book stores dealing only with books but it is becoming more and more common that bookshops sell other goods in addition to books in order to improve their sales and to attract more attention. Regarding design and lay out, most bookshops have changed from the traditional socialist structure with sales staff behind counters to a more modern approach, in most cases allowing self service. Still, there are only few bookstores which are re-furnished completely and these have often received finance from outside the book trade. Investments in enlarging stock or modernising stores must be made by the financial resources coming from the booksellers’ small profit. Thus, bookstores modernise their interior only very slowly and then with sponsors from outside. At present, retail prices are not fixed by the publishers, and wholesalers and retailers are able to decide on their mark-ups within a certain range of percentage. Publishers charge their calculated sales price (publishers’ price), no matter whether the books are bought by individuals or the trade; these prices are graded according to quantities. The book trades’ mark up on this price totals 25 to 30 % in urban areas but are remarkably lower in remote regions. Here the mark-up rate is only 15 to 20 % since booksellers have to face the lower purchasing power in these regions. Furthermore, relatively high transportation costs increase prices in remote areas. These costs are partly covered by the mark-up percentage, or are partly added to the booksellers’ price. The system of fixed book price used in most European countries does not exist in Estonia Furthermore, there are no general strategic agreements between the book trade and publishers, and the economic validity of the pricing is not yet clearly defined. Despite the cautious price finding, the volume of books sold has decreased many times in recent years and the position of the bookshops, the main distribution channel for books, has weakened as selling directly from publishing houses or by mail order has gained importance. This forces booksellers to constant hardships; with an average trade margin below 25 % in urban stores and an annual profit rating only between 2 to 4% (which is very little!), and here, the limited economic possibilities become clear. Certainly, the reduction of VAT for books at the beginning of this year reduced the retail prices with approximately 11% resulting in creasing sales in the short run. Due to their limited income and lack of financial resources backing their business, booksellers, being slow in paying their invoices, depend on publishers’ credit lines. As a rule, 30 days net payment is agreed upon, but many booksellers take longer periods which means that bookshops are in debt to the publishers who in turn are unable to pay in time their obligations to printing companies, authors and translators. Under present conditions it is very hard for the average booksellers to fulfil the role as a cultural player, and the economic constraints force booksellers to focus primarily on fast-selling titles and bestsellers that they know will sell. If a title is sold out it is rarely reordered even though it is still in demand and instead, booksellers rather order new publications or titles they had not stocked before. As a result of this practise, books are sold out extremely fast if they are successful. Most books are not more available in the bookshops one and a half year after publication although they are available at the publisher warehouse; successful titles are sold out in 3 to 6 months. Because of the inefficient wholesaling sector, most booksellers have established direct contacts with publishers. A major bookseller maintains approximately 300-500 delivery contracts with different publishers, but it can happen that they have several contracts with one major publisher due to his lines of publication. These contracts are either for individual titles, a certain parts of a publisher’s title output, or for a publishers’ whole output. The contracts regulate the trade relations between the parties, mainly terms for payment, delivery and returns. As according to these contracts, books mostly are not returned to publishers making booksellers cautious regarding ordering. Mostly, booksellers order books per telephone while written orders are more rare. Normally, publishers provide booksellers with books using their own vans, or booksellers travel to publishers’ warehouses to pick up books or to visit events for booksellers especially organised by publishers. In recent years, a bookseller being not only concerned about the business performance but as well about the cultural function of the book trade has opened up three stores in Tallinn and Tartu. This bookseller, financed by an international player from the newspaper sector, is trying to attract people with New Technologies – for example Internet cafes within the bookshop – and customer services according to international level. Moreover, a central computer database with all titles published and being available in Estonia during the past years have been developed. The database includes some 9,000 titles and approximately 4,000 of these are in stock. Through this computerised database it is possible to control the sales development of each titles, which means decisions reordering or dismissing of titles are based on true facts. To some extent, even individual orders for customers are fulfilled but mostly publishers are not ready to meet such requirements. This small chain not yet really profitable and independent from their investor demonstrate a possible customer oriented future of the book trade. However, not the new shelves are the convincing elements but the companies customer oriented approach and their skilled staff associated with economising management. Internet bookstores have not yet had any significant effect on the book trade in Estonia. There are about twelve on-line bookstores on the Internet offering a rather selected assortment of books in Estonian. The largest Internet bookshop offers over 1,200 titles, including movies and CD-ROMs. The prices customers have to pay including delivery are normally higher than in ordinary bookstores, but although postage fees make books more expensive in the end, Internet bookshops can still be welcomed for people living in remote regions where the bookselling system has practically collapsed.
The wholesaling sector is the weakest part of the Estonian book chain, and booksellers complain that they have to spend much time to locate certain titles, especially if they are not any more available from the publisher. At former times, wholesalers were part of a quite well functioning system, distributing not only Estonian books but those published in other Soviet republics as well. After independence, those active in the market at that time closed down and today, there is only one major well functioning wholesaler together with several small and rather inefficient ones. All in all there are 15 wholesalers in the Estonian market. None of the wholesalers carries the complete list of any of the Estonian publishers, but at the same time, titles from one publisher could be represented by several wholesalers. If their business performance meets their clients’ demands, publishers to some extent are not depending on the performance of a sole distributor; but of course this system contributes to the communication issues of the retail trade if there is no central book information data base. There are different types of wholesalers, those belonging to a group of companies together with either printing companies and/ or bookstores, independent wholesalers selling books only from selected publishing houses, wholesalers selling mainly imported western books and those selling mainly books from the new independent republics of the former Soviet Union. In addition there are three specialised wholesalers for libraries not serving the book trade. One could argue that the Estonian book market is too small for a three-stage distribution chain and that trade relations are already reasonable well established. This would leave the cost driving factors at both, publishers and booksellers regarding distribution unconsidered. Administrative costs could be reduced, if they are centred at one place for both sectors. Individual efforts undertaken to contract, order and to deliver could be reduced and concentrated at one – or several – efficient organisation rationalising the whole process of book distribution. The percentages of cost savings could contribute to increase the trade margins.
Russian and English are the two main languages among imported foreign language books. Russian language titles are primarily imported for the Russian population but lately, the reading of books in Russian has increased again among the Estonian population due to the wide range of subjects offered and their relatively low prices. Although Russian is well known in Estonia, few Estonians read Russian books after independence, but now a more realistic approach and less resentments regarding the use of Russian as a means of communication can by are identified among educated Estonians. The rising importance of English as a foreign language and a means of international exchange has caused a growing demand for English language books. While literary works are frequently translated teaching materials for higher education in English as well as books for English language studies and dictionaries are brought into Estonia. Regarding international co-production titles prepared by international developers as joint editions for the global book market, Estonian publishers have increasing tendencies to acquire such translation and distribution rights. These books are well received and published in spite of high production costs followed by high retail prices. They are typically high quality cartography, educational material, children’s books and general trade books. Considering retail prices of these titles in comparison to the average Estonian book it becomes obvious that consumers are ready to spend money on expensive books if they believe there is a value equivalent to what the spend.
In 1996 the Council of Europe had commissioned a feasibility study describing the aims and objectives of such an information tool for the book market in each of the three Baltic countries and outlining the benefits for the sector . While a first pilot editions of Books in Print catalogues (BIPc) have been published in Latvia in 1998 (prepared by the Booksellers’ Association) and Lithuania in 1999 (prepared by the National Library) the subject is still under discussion in Estonia. The supporting role regarding the distribution and function of Books in Print catalogues (BIPc) is not questioned among professionals. Discussions among professionals confirm that they are in demand and that they could bridge the information gap regarding books available as well as new and forthcoming serving the needs of various sectors of the book community especially booksellers and libraries. One reason that BIPc have not been compiled may be the limited market which is the smallest of the three countries and a lack of willingness regarding joint inter-sectorial developments. Another explanation is the structure and the limited growth rate of the Estonian book sector. The need to rationalise efforts jointly in order to increase margins through cost reduction has obviously only second priority after expanding own market shares. An Estonian Books in Print catalogue could be based on the information collected by the ISBN Agency which receives all basic details for a short description of books. Until the end of 1998 this information was compiled and published monthly as a prepublication service (Uued Eesti Raamatud) by the National Library and disseminated to approximately 200 subscribers. To some extent it could be seen as a provisional version of a Cataloguing in Publication (CIP) bulletin. Unfortunately, this publication has ceased to exist due to economic reasons and today, this information is used by the National Library for internal needs only. However, this information it could be communicated to other libraries and the book trade, supporting public libraries’ acquisition of books and facilitating budget preparation. Since the information collected by the ISBN Agency is received well before new titles go to press it could easily be used as a source for a CIP bulletin. However, such a publication does not include information considering the availability in the market and therefore it cannot properly serve the information needs. The same problem regards the National Bibliography which is, moreover, published only after legal deposit copies have been received and described, making it insufficient according to book sector needs. For publishers, a proper Books in Print catalogue could serve as an efficient tool regarding information on new and forthcoming titles and books hooked in the warehouses, and it would also ease ordering as both librarians and booksellers would have correct information about books available and where they could be located. Considered the BIPc would be available electronically, it could also facilitate the setting up of databases at booksellers for individual stock control and the use of EAN bar codes. Regarding the information on new titles, first steps have actually been taken by the Publishers’ Association commissioning a publication (Raamatukuulutaja) aimed mainly at the professional public and published by Ilmamaa on behalf of the Association since February 1996. Unfortunately, not all publishers provide information on their new publications and therefore it is far from giving a complete view of available books. In view of what has been said above a number of problems regarding the compilation of a BIPc can be outlined,
An Estonian BIPc will be essential for solving some problems of the country’s book sector: It could support the formation of working trade structures and contribute to professionalise market approach and relations, and moreover, it could add to improved presence of the book in the market. Books in manuscript form were brought to churches and monasteries in Estonia during the 13th century. The first city library, the Tallinn Oleviste Library, was founded in 1552, and public libraries were opened during the second half of the 18th century. Tartu University Library, which is the oldest Estonian research library, was opened in 1802. During the Russian occupation, the libraries were methodically cleaned of banned literature according to the lists produced by official censors. Approximately one third of the publications originating from the time of the Republic of Estonia was destroyed, altogether 10 to 20 million books, and 5 to 6 million newspapers and journals. The largest libraries in Estonia today are the Estonian National Library in Tallinn carrying about 3.5 million titles, the Tartu University Library with 3.7 million titles and the Estonian Academic Library in Tallinn stocking about 2.8 million titles. These figures are defined according to ISO standards being obligatory in Estonia for several years already. Scientific and specialised libraries totalled 103 in 1998 having in all almost 1,500 employees. The number of school libraries was 571 in 1998 and their number of employees was 697, most of them having university education. The Estonian Librarians Association is a member of IFLA. In 1994-98, the joint electronic information system of the largest libraries in Estonia was established. However, there is still a problem regarding smaller libraries wanting to use the system as they often have different electronic catalogue systems which sometimes are not easily compatible. Thus, there is a reason for closer co-operation between libraries, but also between libraries and publishers. Generally, regarding information on books, libraries demand not only more, but also more detailed information on new and forthcoming titles and claim that data coming from publishers in most cases are not sufficient and received too late. Thus there is a demand for CIP and BIPc projects in the library sector.
The public library system administrated through local governments is regulated through the public libraries act passed in November 1998. According to this act they are funded by two major sources, the budget of the local government and the state budget through the Ministry of Culture. As they are providing inhabitants free and unlimited access to information, knowledge and culture, support life-long learning and continuing education they have gained new and increasing importance. With book prices rising, their readership increased demanding not only the latest print publications but on-line and off-line titles as well. Despite this development public libraries have decreased in numbers over recent years from 629 in 1990 to 599 in 1998, of which 494 were situated in remote areas. In 1998 they had a staff of 1,602 employed, which is about the same level as in 1990 (1,626 staff). Of the library staff, 480 employees (about 30%) had university education and of these, 329 people had additional library education. The total collection of public libraries holdings amounted to 10.6 million units in 1998, which was 0.1 million more than in 1997. Compared to previous years the number of visits increased by 13.7% and the number of units lent out grew by 12.2%. The number of visits per user and the number of units lent per visitor has increased as well, a trend resulting from the increased consumer prices of books. Libraries normally buy books directly from the publishers, and specialised wholesalers, so-called Library Collectors, provide basic information about new and forthcoming titles. Unfortunately neither the book trade nor the publishers are able to provide sufficient information on new books before publication and therefore, acquisition of new titles often is late. In general, there is sufficient funding for book acquisition but resources for developing the internal infrastructure improving the computer network and for renovating library premises are lacking. Technology in general is seen as problematic because the hard- and software used is not of the latest generation. The competence of library staff in using computers is rather limited as no training is offered for them. Internet access is also very limited in the public library system though there is a great demand. Regarding the description of holdings, the public library system in Tallinn prepare their own catalogue, not using the National Library data and at present, they do not have an open access catalogue (OPAC). There is a great difference between academic libraries on the one side and public libraries on the other regarding the implementation of electronic components such as hard- and software, Internet access and cataloguing. It is rather obvious that there is a certain disadvantage for public libraries in respect of training and equipment. The Children’s Library in Tallinn, not being part of the public library system but still a public library, is a centre of collection and methodology regarding children’s literature and reading for children. In this sense the activities of the library can be seen as a best practise model for smaller specialised libraries. The library does not only record the present trends but tries to set standards and influence the development of children’s and young adults’ literature in Estonia. Special attention is paid to topics having a negative influence on children’s reading. Among their activities are educating children towards reading, and preparing them to be critical and open readers. A competition for children regarding the role of the book in the information society put forward the question whether they could live without books or whether they could imagine that computers and TV could replace the role of books. The overwhelming result was that the children could not imagine a life without books.
Tartu University Library is well advanced concerning technical equipment and the general view at the library is that electronic communication will gain increasing importance. Therefore, the library tries to focus its assets on improving electronic data processing systems following the latest developments. The library runs already 1,400 electronic databases some of them having Internet access and being at students’ disposal. Besides these databases there are electronic holdings on a limited scale and there is an electronic Union catalogue, covering of course all electronic titles and those in print being available within the Central Library and the departments. As the University Library has the competence in preparing holdings for databases they intend to digitise their collections, including their precious books in order to make them available electronically to the public. In principle there is no technological problem but rather a legal and financial one. However, this plan receives great response from the international academic community, especially those researchers dealing with the history of the Baltic coutries. Regarding the works, written and created within Tartu University, the library owns all rights, and therefore, the digitisation of these titles does not cause any problems. However, before digitising titles not yet in public domain, legal questions such as the copyright issue, the problem of remuneration of authors and the question of authentication have to be solved. The University Library co-operates with other libraries through a consortium called ELNET (including nine Estonian libraries; 6 from Tallinn and 3 from Tartu), for example on technical issues and the exchange of materials. In addition the University Library collaborate with the National Library on data exchange and the compilation of the National Bibliography as they are responsible for the description of periodicals.
The objectives of the National Library of Estonia to collect, store and disseminate national cultural heritage are corresponding with those of national libraries in other countries; they are based on the UNESCO recommendations to national and parliamentary libraries. Their status as a legal person in public law, their tasks and obligations are defined by the National Library of Estonia Act passed in March 1998. The history of the National Library begins on December 21st, 1918, when the Government of the Estonian Republic passed the Founding Act of the State Library with the aim of collecting printed matter essential for governing the new state. In the time of the independent Republic of Estonia the library developed and grew quickly, and in the summer of 1919 it began to receive one free legal deposit copy of all printed matter published in Estonia. During Soviet period the library was known under the name of the State Library of the Estonian SSR. Along with the change of the name, also the role of the library changed considerably – the bulk of Estonian and foreign publications were restricted in access, foreign contacts were cut off and Russian publications gained predominance. However, despite strong ideological pressure, most Estonian publications were saved from destruction thanks to the libraries status as a research library. In 1988, the library received again its function and name of National Library of Estonia, with the primary aim to collect, store and publicly make accessible printed matter published in Estonia or concerning Estonia. In 1989 the National Library of Estonia re-gained its status as a parliamentary library with the aim to satisfy the information needs of the parliament and government by collecting printed matter on law, history and politics and receiving legal documents. In the mid 1990s the NLE was invited to house the information centres of the Council of Europe and of the European Union. The NLE is a depository for the documents of ten major international organisations and receives materials from a number of others without the official depository status. As to foreign publications, the library has to rely on extensive book exchange (about 400 partners in 37 countries). Books have been donated by embassies, different institutions and foundations. NLE also acquires printed materials, audio-visual items and text based CD-ROMs. Regarding music, the library collects only printed, not recorded music. Software and on-line publications are not yet systematically collected either. Due to their outstanding collection not only of books but of other content carriers as well, the NLE is popular not only among researchers, and the library has more than 130,000 registered readers. Since 1992, the NLE has Internet access and in 1997, an Internet reading room opened which is very popular and has long waiting list.
As responsible for the preservation of the cultural heritage and the National Bibliography the NLE receives legal deposit copies, and besides the University Library Tartu (since 1919), the Estonian Academic Library, and Technical University Library are entitled to legal deposit copies. Altogether eight legal deposit copies are collected by the National Library and disseminated to other main libraries. During Soviet the number of legal deposit copies was 22 and some of them were circulated to other Soviet Republics. Present Estonian legislation define the term of legal deposit copies as compulsory copies with the aim to create a complete collection of content products as a significant part of the national culture. It is unquestioned regarding printed materials in their pure sense but for example, brochures accompanying CDs, software etc. are not regulated leaving producers to decide according to their interpretation. The Compulsory Copies Act passed in February 1997 (latest amendments in June 1998) mentions printed matters, audio-visual materials and electronic data recordings, not regarding explicitly products accompanying other products. Violations against the Act are subject to fines, but the enforcement remains open as there are only limited means to control the delivery of products other than printed ones. Another issue is the collection of electronic on-line material. The library has been obligated to collect electronic materials like discs and CD-ROMs since 1998, but up till now, they have not been clearly obliged to collect on-line materials. The Act on Compulsory Copies does not explicitly define these products as being a subject to the law and therefore, on-line products are not yet systematically collected, and according to the National Library archiving electronic publications is not yet a major issue. Regarding the collection of electronic publications like CD-ROMs, producers/ publishers of these products ignore the regulations of the Act or do not know that they are subject to it and the National Library and has no means to execute it. At present the collection of electronic documents includes mainly audio-visual materials based on speech like magnetic tapes, discs etc. A project to regulate the issues of electronic digital materials and the enforcement of delivery is supposed to be under preparation.
Nowadays the Estonian National Bibliography is compiled by the Centre of National Bibliography of the National Library. The records are based on the description of legal deposit copies and the information received from the ISBN Agency. In spite of the image of bibliographic description being slow, records of titles based on ISBN entries are available within one month after legal deposit copies are received. This information is then published and made available on the Internet. The current bibliography is divided into four major sections, books, maps, serials and sound recordings, published regularly. Records on collected articles and on printed art are compiled and published as well.
The Estonian ISBN Agency, now operating within the Centre of the National Bibliography at the National Library of Estonia, was established in 1992 as Estonia received the ISBN prefix 9985. The former prefix 5 with the numbering blocks issued for Estonian publishers during the Soviet period continue to be valid; a policy of the International ISBN Agency related to the new independent states of the former Soviet Union. In Estonia today, small publishers either do not know or ignore the ISBN system. In 1998, still only 62% of Estonian books included in the Estonian National Bibliography were published with an ISBN, however, the rate has increased with 11% since 1996. Consequently the Agency is still working to rise awareness by advertising the importance of the world-wide ISBN trying to convince publishers to join. As the advanced rationalising system based in ISBNs like electronic ordering and stock control are only beginning to be implemented in Estonia publishers and booksellers are not immediately understanding the advantages. If the projects of CIP bulletin and/ or BIPc will be prepared, the function and the effect of this ten-digit number will be more convincing. In order to receive ISBN prefixes and title numbers for publications, publishers have to contact the Agency which mostly is done by telephone. Publishers having issued 100 title or more, receive blocks of 20 ISBNs and then allocate the numbers to their titles themselves. In this case they are obliged to report the numbers being used. ISBNs are also used in non printed books, materials and in some electronic documents. The use of ISBN numbers is controlled by the agency through legal deposit.
The literature created in Estonia today has adopted to the changes of times. Memoirs and political literature are not common any more, and present Estonian literature is mainly concentrating on creative fantasy and experimenting with new forms of language and style. Of course the prominent issues of life and the value of life are subjects as well. The so called drawer literature which was well received and played an important role during the first years after independence has no surprises any more; everything that had been written in the past and was not published then has been published by now which means that writers have to really redefine their position. In Estonia today, no creator can make a living out of books and Estonian literary writers would hardly be published unless they are very famous or receive some kind of financial support. Honorariums for authors and fees for translation are very low compared to international level, primarily relying on the small print runs. Remuneration for authors is based on individual agreements between authors and publishers or any other partner wanting to use the rights of an author. With such a situation it is hard to obtain any good deals. Subsidiary rights are seldom negotiated or sold because there is normally only one edition which serves the whole Estonian book market. Reprints are covered within the main right and are rare. Regarding international translation rights, well established Estonian authors are represented by international agents. The most important Estonian organisation for authors is the Writers’ Union which with their 260 members – Estonian writers and translators, Estonian exile authors and Estonian authors writing in Russian – should be in a good position to protect the interest of their members. The Writers’ Union wants to secure certain standards for their members and tries to develop a frame contract for deals between authors and publishers; the Writers’ Union working like a trade union in this context. However, publishers are unwilling to accept such a contract as they do not see any need for it. They fear that a general frame contract, which exist in many countries, would limit their opportunities and formulate their terms for publication and payment forcing the Unions’, and thereby the writers’ interest upon them. Still, publishers and writers ought to be obliged to find common terms acceptable for both sectors, since they depend on each other.
Very few high level translators can make a living out of their profession, implying that most of them take what they can get. Hardly any translator specialises in certain types of texts and they all work with technical and commercial texts, acknowledging that a literary translation takes longer and is paid worse than a handbook of user instructions. A number of translators are self-employed, but most of them have translating as an additional job. Official documents are estimated as well paid and easy jobs as classical literature mainly is translated by experts with philological background who are badly paid. The huge demand for translated books can be divided into two categories: the so-called trade books with fact-based content which is easier for translation, and literary fiction and academic texts from humanities and social sciences demanding all the competence and skills of a translator for rendering the content correctly. Cultural Endowment and the Open Estonia Foundation are supporting translations of above all ambitious titles which otherwise would have no chance. Translations are undertaken from English, but also from German, Finnish and the Scandinavian languages. Within the OEF programme line East translates East, texts from eastern European languages are translated as well as they would otherwise not be considered. Translations do not lack professionallity, although many of the translators are not professionally trained and some are complete autodidacts. There is practically no special education for translators and interpreters. Certainly, Tallinn and Tartu University run special courses for translations at their philological departments but these are too short and too superficial to be taken seriously. To improve this situation the Open Estonia Foundation organised a summer university in translating issues some time ago.
Estonia’s mass media over the past few years have again become diversified and multilingual, just as they were during the period of independence. Everybody seems to take a stab at publishing. Newspapers and magazines are issued by local governmental organs, organisations, cultural societies, political parties and special interest groups. Of the various dailies and weekly papers available, all of them are private except one titled SIRP which is a cultural weekly. Most of the newspapers and magazines are either belonging completely or partly to foreign press companies, which guarantees their political, but not always their financial, independence. Scandinavian ownership has a certain majority in Estonian press. Only the broadcasting companies are state-owned. Press publications comparable to Le Monde does not exist in Estonia and most papers have a clearly defined boulevard character with no very high profile. They are more oriented towards a very general readership and their day to day interests, leaving out critical issues that might be controversial for the Estonian society. Nevertheless, according to the needs of the leadership, all papers report seriously about all subjects of interest to Estonian readers, and the political function of the press is taken very seriously. The press as an institution to control political development values the interests of readers and communicates these to officials. Unfortunately most papers are not very profitable making them easily interested in sensational news. Though journalists are aware of the need for re-establishing reading and the book culture they cannot ignore the economic constraints which are judged as the main reason for the low level reading, applying for printed mass media as for books. This tendency to cover sensational news occasionally ignores the existence of moral boundaries (as everywhere!). Therefore the adapted code of honour being the basic condition for the journalistic ethics and profession has an important function to settle controversial issues; it is very much based on the one applied in Germany. There is no law on journalism or mass media, but issues of media is very much in discussion in the Estonian society. As judged by journalists formerly active in Estonia, today’s approach regarding the development of the press, the freedom of the press and the freedom of expression, is seen as very liberal and free and in accordance to western democratic traditions. Estonians themselves are very western European oriented and in general they do not feel that they belong to the former East. The system of book reviews as common in countries with a highly advanced book industry in the western world is yet not well developed in Estonia. Certainly, the daily paper publishes book reviews every second day, but most other papers do not. Eesti Päevaleht also provides weekly two pages on cultural developments including books. To mark and to support the Year of the Estonian Book 2000, a literary supplement is planned from next year on. The idea is to promote literature and books in Estonia and redevelop the literary culture which was on high standards in the past. The first periodical in Estonian language was published in 1766 to 1767, and in 1806, an Estonian weekly newspaper for the first time was issued in Tartu. By the end of the 19th century, Estonia already had some twenty newspapers. In the first decade of the 20th century, press developed rapidly although all Estonian publications were subject to strict censorship by the Russian tsarist regime. During the following period of independence, freedom of the press was constitutionally guaranteed, and newsprint enjoyed technological improvements. These conditions boosted to journalistic activity, and hundreds of publications competed for readers. Beside periodicals in Estonian, nine other languages were represented, German, Russian, Yiddish, Finnish, Swedish, English, French, Latvian and Esperanto. Following occupation, almost all publications were closed down. Only the literary magazine, Looming (Creation) has been continuously published to this day. A major breakthrough occurred in the late 1980s, when the press regained independence and once again became a reflection of public opinion and a consistent advocate of democratic ideas. The Journalists Union of Estonia exists since 80 years. Before World War II, the Union had their own magazine. In 1940 the Union was closed down by the Nazi occupation force but after independence it has been re-established and is working again following its former independent approach. The members are journalists, editors and writers. Most of the journalists are also publishing books from time to time, mainly on current issues. The Journalists Union of Estonia has 700 members and is a member of IFJ. The Russians living in Estonia have their own press and TV channel. The government is publishing three Russian cultural weeklies which focus on Estonian subjects to enable integration and assimilation.
Professional education does practically neither exist for booksellers nor for publishers, and there is no further education either. All the skills needed by staff in both sectors are trained on the job, except for some publishing houses who offer employees additional professional in-house training in marketing. Editors are mostly academics, in most cases Estonian philologists. Thus, training for booksellers and publishers is seriously in demand and would be very much appreciated, however, such training must be developed according to Estonian needs. To directly adopt western training materials is of no use! Another problem is the lack of educational literature. For example, there is no special material on how to run a bookstore; there is only some general marketing and management literature providing some basic information. Moreover, Two years ago, a seminar was organised by the Frankfurt Book Fair organisation and the Estonian Open Society Foundation for booksellers, providing basic knowledge for running a bookstore. The problem at this seminar was that it was too much oriented at Western models and not seriously considering the Estonian situation being very special because of its small market size.
Librarianship as any other field bears the stamp of the Soviet system but now, after the opening of the society, there are new tasks and new challenges librarians should adopt to. The main issues Estonian librarians are facing today rely on the cultural change as well as technological development:
Another problem is that public powers do not promote advanced training in terms of increased salaries. The general salary is about 600 EEK, below the national average level and better trained librarians do not receive any benefits, even if they have two academic degrees. Therefore, only a limited number of well educated librarians ends up in libraries and it is not rare that librarians having used opportunities of further training in computing or languages leave their jobs for better paid positions, especially the younger, more flexible ones. Because of this development, library staff is ageing rapidly, increasing the demand for further education. Some 3,000 librarians are estimated to need further training, roughly, half of them coming from research libraries and the rest from public libraries. The main issue is still the backwardness in information technology concerning both the availability of hardware and computer skills. Though the shaping of a new professional librarian takes time, there are already some of these species running their library like an information company. A modern librarian understanding his role in the future of the information society will appreciate that one’s own initiative is the most productive instrument in the improvement of the position and material situation of libraries at large. The lack is especially significant in economic thinking deciding the priorities that librarians face. Independent and entrepreneurial decision making does not go without saying for people who have lived and worked under a non-democratic system.
This document was commissioned by the Council
of Europe within the framework of the program Electronic Publishing,
Books and Archives and the activity “Government love books (electronic
books too)”. The Consultant wants to thank all those professionals who
contributed to this report by dealing so cautiously with his questions
and offering inside views into day-to-day practices of the book community,
of the needs and strategies to develop a healthy book economy. Their
information and advice has been very grateful received, but the presentation
of this report and the ideas and opinions mentioned here are those of
the author, who takes full responsibility for them. Aben, Hillar Institute of Cybernetics
Amos, Ralf Estonian Union of Journalists
Aru, Krista Estonia Literary Museum
Grünberg, Georg Eesti Raamat
Hinnok, Kärt Ministry of Culture
Järs, Jüri Tallinn Technical
University
Kaarma, Jaak Ilo Ltd.
Kaarma, Rain Iloprint
Kaer, Krista Varrak Publishers
Kareva, Doris UNESCO ERK / Ladina Kvartal Koger, Tonu Estonian Encyclopaedia
Kork, Eve Estonian Booksellers Association
Kraut, Aita Estonian Academic Library
Küttner, Rein Tallinn Technical University
Kuusik, Rein Tallinn Technical University
Lang, Ants Kirjastus Koolibri
Liivamägi, Toomas University Library
of Tartu
Liivamägi, Marika University Library
of Tartu
Loddes, Ene National Library of Estonia
Matjus, Prof. Ülo Eesti Raamatu Aasta
Peakomitee
Metsar, Silvi National Library of Estonia
Oro, Lemmi Ministry of Finance
Päevaleht, Eesti Rein Veidemann ;
Kultuuritoimetuse juhataja
Puusepp, Helle Helena Ministry of
Culture
Rattus, Kalev Estonian Authors‘ Society
Rebo, Ülle Estonian Academic Library
Reial, Mihkel National Library of Estonia
Riismaa, Kersti Postimehe Raamatuäri
Saul, Mall Ministry of Education
Sirkel, Mati Eesti Kirjanike Liit
Sulp, Sirje Postimees
Talihärm, Ülle National Library
of Estonia
Tammsaar, Taavi Kirjastus Koolibri
Tigane, Vaiko Tartu Universty Press
Trummal, Mart Ilmamaa Publishers
Trummel, Asta Avatud Eesti Fond
Tulviste, Peeter Eesti Raamatu Aasta Peakomitee
Udam, Maiki Ministry of Education
Valm, Tiiu National Library of Estonia
Valmas, Anne Estonian Academic Library
Veerits, Jüri Tallinn Technical University
Viiol, Avo Cultural Endowment of Estonia
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