Kadri v domoznanski dejavnosti – pregled stanja

Purpose: The article presents the number and educational structure of local studies librarians as two significant indicators of progress and development in this field, which has been increasingly gaining importance for the last few decades. Based on the collected data, the aim of the research is to determine which changes have occurred in the employment of local studies staff, and which new challenges are encountered at their work. Methodology/Approach: Prior research and analyses of the organization of local studies departments and the staff, including local studies collections and their use, have been inspected. In 2014, a research was conducted including 58 public libraries and the University of Maribor Library, providing information on the number and formal education of local studies librarians, as well as the on the amount of their time devoted to the field of local studies. Results: The comparison of the data has shown that the number of professional staff members in the field of local studies has been increased since the 1990s, as well as the number of libraries in which the local studies collection is organized within an independent department. Unfortunately, the number of full-time employees has not increased proportionally, but has stagnated and even declined in its share among all employed professional staff members. Today, larger libraries – generally central regional libraries – pay the most attention to the local studies departments. Furthermore, the Local History Department at the University of Maribor Library employs solely full-time experienced professionals. Due to understaffing, smaller libraries usually do not have full-time employed staff, and the activity is performed by professional staff members from other departments to a much lesser extent. Usefulness of the research and restrictions: So far, all analyses have outlined the problem of obtaining relevant data about the extent of local studies collections and the staff performing this activity. This is due to different practices of libraries and the lack of accurate data, thus the information provided by libraries is frequently only an estimate. Despite these limitations, the overview can serve as a solid basis for drafting a proposal for amendments in the regulatory framework related to local studies. Keywords: public libraries, local studies activity, development prospects, Slovenia