The Administrative Library

The Administrative Library is the central library and documentation centre for civil servants within the Danish central government.

Users
The Library is obligated to serve central government civil servants.

Furthermore, we serve employees in other public institutions as well as private institutions and firms.

The public including university students may also use the Library and its facilities but have to borrow books and periodicals for use outside the library through their local public library or university library.

History
The library was founded in 1924 as the Library for the Ministries of Labour and Social Affairs. In 1979 the Library was divided into two independent libraries by which The Administrative Library became part of The Ministry of Finance. The Library now became the central library and documentation centre for civil servants in the Danish central administration. In 1995 the Library was transferred to The Ministry of Research.

Collections
The main subjects for the Library are those of public administration, law, economy, statistics, information technology, management and various aspects of the development of society. Geographically we cover literature on Danish, other Scandinavian and European conditions. Literature concerning the European Union too is purchased as a result of an increasing demand in information on and information published by the European Union.

Besides books and periodicals for lending, we dispose of a law collection for use at the Library. The main contents are Danish bills, regulations and laws as well as EU bills, regulations and laws.

The collections consist of books, reports, periodicals, periodical articles, CD-ROMs and a small collection of newspapers.

The stock of books and periodicals amounts to approximately 160.000 volumes.

The bookshelves can be freely accessed.

The loan period expires after 1 month for books, and 2 weeks for periodicals and series.

Services
The Library offers literature for use outside the library; information searching within the library collections; information searching in external databases; documentation service (primarily within the law collection), loans from other libraries and photocopies.

At the Library you have free access to the MiniBib database, various CD-ROMs and various external databases including Internet access.

Our users will visit the Library or they phone, write, e-mail or fax their wishes to us. Users can also order literature through MiniBib.

Once a day the Library attendant delivers ordered literature to the central government users. Users in other public institutions can have their material sent to them but users in private institutions and firms will have to collect their material at the Library.

Information technology is an integrated part of all Library routines - when it comes to serving our users as well as within the administrative work.

Online library system MiniBib
MiniBib was established in 1982 and now includes mor than 30 co-operating libraries. See - a short description.

Co-operation with other libraries
The Library participates in the Danish and international interlending library system. We contribute to the Danish National Library database DanBib with all titles in languages other than Danish.

Approximately once a year we organise a one-day seminar for libraries within the central administration and other small libraries.

Legal deposit arrangement
The Library is obligated to collect all publications issued by the Danish State. This is organised through a legal deposit arrangement. Links to electronic editions will bee established shortly.

Courses
3-4 times a year the Library arranges training courses in legal information searching. The participants are central government civil servants. We teach the participants how to find their way within Danish and EU law, regulations and bills.

Staff
The Library employs 10 staff members. Those are 1 Library Director, 5 librarians, 1 assistant and 1 attendant. 2 system managers are employed by the MiniBib system.

Publications issued by the Library
"Prima Vista" is our accession list issued 4 times a year. It contains information on new books, reports, periodicals and CD-ROMs.

"Hvad er det nu de hedder?" (What is the name? Names of Danish ministries and institutions in other languages than Danish) has been in its third edition. Whereas the first and second editions were print editions, the third edition is an online publication and can be accessed via our homepage.