Final assessment, closing session of the seminar

The first to take the floor was Susan Perry. From her vantage point of somebody who made several visits to the Czech Republic over a period of three years she is able to evaluate and compare. She believes that there are some cultural differences determining the development of the system in this country and in the USA: while they tend to move rapidly with the risk of having to make amends for mistakes made, the Czechs move more slowly but very thoroughly.

Andrew Lass' message was very encouraging: it is necessary to continue.

Sylva Šimsová positively commented on the programme and particularly emphasized the successful discussion at the end of the conference.

Karen Drabenstott emphasized the preparation of the presentation and repeated her recommendations on university education. She spoke of the importance of life-long education and of training of graduates, particularly after a long period of employment in the library. In her assessment she said that she had heard relatively very little about the content of life-long education in the Czech Republic, and that it was training rather than education. Training does not require certified teachers or programmes, and allows people to study from books on their own. Librarians could study and then teach others. She welcomed the way the issue of changes has been approached, new technologies are being used more extensively, particularly in on-line systems. Nobody can afford to disregard new developments and stay behind. It is necessary to learn to cope with problems.

Jela Steinerová's assessment of the seminar, its programme and overall atmosphere was highly positive. She appreciated the organization of the event and its very stimulating discussions. She underlined the importance of good relationships between Czechs and the Slovaks, the importance of mutual contacts that help in managing implementation, of receiving new stimuli and developing co-operation in education.

Martin Svoboda spoke about the good outcome of the discussion that was interesting for all of the participants. He recalled the sense of anxiety about the conference, about the new topic. He stressed how important it was to pass on the results of the discussion to appropriate people in decision-making positions. It was to be regretted, he said, that the seminar was attended by a representative of the Ministry of Education only. Svoboda expressed his satisfaction with the outlined foundations on which it was possible to build, and also with good contacts with Slovak colleagues. He specially mentioned Jiří Cejpek's very positive assessment of the seminar.

Antonín Vítek presented the offer by Ivana Kadlecová, Director of the Library of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, to use the Academy's Nové Hrady facility for the 8th CASLIN in 2001. In co-operation with, and depending of the possibilities of, Andrew Lass, they suggest August or September 2001 for the seminar, and asked for help in selecting the topic(s) to be discussed there.

Ján Guľa appreciated the fact that the Slovak ProLIB project keeps pace with the latest developments in further education for librarians. He underlined the importance of discussion in the "fish-bowl", and spoke of the difficult situation in Slovakia where 10 per cent of university employees are to be made redundant. He appreciated the information about schools for librarians in the Czech Republic, and the extensive support given to the training of librarians, which is necessary in view of growing requirements on the part of library users. He suggested "interaction with readers (users), with a particular emphasis on modern technologies" as a topic for next year's seminar.

Vojtěch Balík pointed to the organization of the CASLIN project since 1991. Its main objective was not only to build a computer network: it also had social and political aspirations, with an emphasis on co-operation, which were greatly enhanced by CASLIN seminars organized every year since 1993 with the exception of one year only. The programme, the goal of the seminar is a cooperative effort and it therefore effectively meets the participants' needs. The success of the seminars lies in the fact that they are entirely conceived as a dialogue, a discussion. The participants do not make a closed community. On the contrary: the seminars can boast of an increasing number of participants and enhanced creative atmosphere.

Pavla Kánská emphasized the importance of management in libraries.

Zlata Houšková presented her assessment of the CASLIN seminar from the viewpoint of a first-time participant. She said that the issue of specialist training first came to the fore about a year ago; today it is clear that attention to that issue is a necessity. Questions are being raised about procedures, formats and content. The participation of directors of the institutions is particularly important.

Jaroslava Štěrbová spoke about attitudes of public libraries, need for work interconnection, contacts between academic and public libraries, programme and discussion enhancement.

The concluding words of thanks went primarily to sponsors of the seminar and its organizers including Ota Brídl.