Baltic National Bibliography

Abstract

This paper is an overview of national bibliography in the Baltic states. Its purpose is to present the main lines of development and discuss the major publications that contributed to and currently make up the national bibliographies, current and retrospective, of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. With the growth of printed material from the sixteenth century, there were early efforts by individuals to provide general coverage of Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian publications long before national bibliography was politically viable. The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw a shift from the languages of ruling elites to vernacular language in publications, and emerging expressions of national consciousness that fostered the development of national bibliography. During the periods of independence in the inter-war period, national bibliography flourished, influenced largely by individuals and independent organizations. Soviet-era national bibliographies, despite their ideological focus, were numerous and well produced, and provided a continuum and basis for national bibliography today. Since the collapse of Soviet authority in 1991, scholars and librarians have reclaimed the past and re-established national bibliography appropriate to Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian history, language, and culture.

Key Words:

• Estonia
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• national bibliography
• bibliographic control