Future information infrastructure as a base for the knowledge society ‐ a comparison of librarianship in East and West

Abstract

The cultural determination of information behaviour is deeply influencing the way information is looked for, used and handled. Therefore, libraries in Central and Eastern Europe show, to a certain extent, the same characteristics due to the centralist information environment of the previous socialist rule. However, the deeply rooted belief in education and knowledge which was the pursued idea, regardless of frequent misuse by the Communist government may, in comparison to Western countries, ease the way into a knowledge society. The newly created information infrastructure in all European countries due to the technological development which will change libraries, for example in Germany, could be useless, or maybe even dangerous, without being embedded in a solid base of learning and knowledge.