The global information revolution is expanding, the distinction between the printed book, or the so called Gutenberg galaxy which has been ruling and advancing the world for nearly half a millennium, and the new digital world becomes more and more evident. The flow of electronic information is increasing like an avalanche. The global network information prevails already in the USA research libraries: 30% of acquisition resources are spent for it, 13% are used for buying CD-ROMs, 57% remain for obtaining the traditional books and other paper issues. This tendency – only to a lesser degree – is observable also in the East Europe and the Baltic.
At the same time the traditional libraries are developing, a testimony to it is the recent national library construction boom in Europe. The virtual library will never replace the traditional books and libraries. Though it is indisputable that the electronic information will change the library work beyond recognition. Access to the global networks will make each library hundred times richer in information. The local networks are also growing, the borderlines between the research, public and special libraries are fading. The regional, national and transnational consortia – that is the future of libraries all over the world.
Computerisation of libraries, digitalisation of cultural heritage, modern information technologies and carriers of electronic information influence considerably the library science terminology, too. Terms of information science, especially those of its subdivision – computer science, have become an integral part of the library terminology.
Within the ten years of Latvia independence the national terminology of library science and information science has been rapidly developing. However, internationalisation tendencies are expressed quite strongly. The English language has become the main intermediary language in Latvia, ousting the historically popular German one, gradually burying in oblivion the enforced Russian one...
In accordance with the national terminological school, before to introduce a new term in Latvian, the respective concept, its content and place in the branch and related fields notional system is analysed.
There are three possibilities in creating new Latvian terms:
1) to choose a word which is already used in the language;
2) to form a new word;
3) to take over the term from English, or more rarely, from another language.
The library science terminology in Latvia is being worked out by the respective branch specialists and linguists at the Sub-commission of library science and bibliography terminology; the information science terminology – at the Sub-commission of information science terminology. Both these sub-commissions work within the Terminology commission at the Latvian Academy of Sciences, which is responsible for the interdisciplinary term harmonisation and approval.
Lately an active terminological work in Latvia is practised also by the Translation and Terminology Centre.
UNESCO and the European Council has declared the year 2001 to be the year of European languages. We should not forget that there is one language common to all European (and world) nations – that of science. And this language is terminological.