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The purpose of this paper is to explore issues related to the development of long‐term planning for the municipal/public libraries in Greece. In Greece, municipal libraries constitute the largest category of public libraries. Although over the last decade efforts have been made to enhance their services, municipal/public libraries appear to be still in search of a purpose and are at a crossroad.

An empirical qualitative research study was conducted in order to examine the efforts made so far to develop long‐term plans and to study the attitudes and views of Greek municipal libraries' heads concerning the development of long term plans. The empirical research was carried out early in the second half of 2007, utilizing a specifically developed questionnaire distributed to 194 municipal library representatives, 100 of which agreed to participate in the study.

A number of current issues facing Greek municipal libraries are studied along with an overview of the strategic plans already developed. The perceptions of 100 municipal library directors in regard to developing strategic plans are recorded and the results overall suggest the need for formal long‐term planning in the municipal/public libraries in Greece.

This paper contributes to the discussion on the development of long‐term planning aimed at municipal libraries in Greece. It is one of the very few studies providing empirical evidence based on the views of municipal/public library directors in Greece.

The aim of this paper is to discuss the challenges that the current economic crisis has posed for Greek public and municipal libraries.

This is a viewpoint paper discussing the past, present and future directions that Greek public and municipal libraries have adopted or should adopt in the context of the present economic crisis.

Greek public and municipal libraries ought to see the economic crisis as a challenge for development, improvement and the promotion of their presence and role in the community which they serve.

The paper discusses the factors affecting the past and present situation relating to public and municipal libraries in Greece and addresses the future challenges for promoting development and innovation.

The purpose of the paper is twofold: to provide an overview of the present situation at the Greek central public libraries and to identify strategic development areas in regard to education and training, social and economic development, e‐government, reading policy, cultural cohesion and identity.

A survey was conducted in January and February 2008 through extensive semi‐structured interviews with all the 29 Greek central public libraries.

The paper finds that a formal strategic plan is becoming necessary for the Greek central public libraries in order to understand themselves, redefine their policies and priorities, and further consider the needs and expectations of their users and of the society as a whole.

This paper contributes to the discussion on the development of strategic planning aimed at the central public libraries in Greece and may assist in providing evidence for strategic planning in a national and/or in an institutional level.

It is one of the very few studies in Greece providing empirical evidence for the strategic planning and management of the central public libraries.

This paper aims to describe marketing methods, techniques and activities used in Greek academic libraries and their staff perceptions regarding the importance of marketing applications. In addition, it identifies factors which hinder the uptake of marketing, and investigates the evaluation methods used.

There are 151 central and departmental academic libraries in Greece, yet there is limited published research concerning their marketing activities. Therefore, it was intended to discover the reasons behind the low/non-use of marketing in Greek academic libraries. A three-section questionnaire was designed as the main research tool and distributed to 151 libraries. Survey results are presented and analysed according to the structure of the questionnaire.

Whilst marketing techniques and methods are used in academic libraries worldwide, the spread of marketing in Greek academic libraries proved to be limited. Basic operational problems were identified as the main barrier to greater uptake. Nevertheless, the majority of Greek academic librarians realize the importance of marketing, but they still have a long way to go in terms of understanding and adopting marketing concepts in their provision of services.

A quantitative survey was employed to determine the current situation, and examine the attitudes and perceptions of librarians in Greek academic libraries. However, the rapidly changing information environment and the increased international interest in academic library marketing have necessitated further research.

The paper presents research on staff perceptions and attitudes, towards marketing activities in Greek academic libraries. However, there is limited published research on the topic. Additionally, it is the first attempt to discover the extent to which marketing is used in Greek libraries' services' provision. The research depicts marketing techniques and methods used in Greek academic libraries and compares its results with international practices.

The authors undertook a tour of Greek libraries in the Spring of 1990 in order to present a report to their sponsors (the British Council and the Greek Ministry of Education) on the possibilities for, and the problems associated with the application of information technology in Greek public libraries. The paper provides an overview of the general framework (administrative, legal and financial) within which the different library sectors operate in Greece. It also includes an introduction to the state of professional education and development. The problems which hamper the increased use of information technology are outlined and prospects for future developments are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to point out the utilization, integration and exploitation of the internet among libraries in Greece.

A survey consisting of 44 questions was distributed to librarians in Greece to collect the data for the study.

The study reveals that the internet is an essential and rigorous tool for librarians in Greece. It plays an important role for providing quality and quick reference services to users.

Limitations in this study are related to the small sample size, as well as to the number of variables studied.

The findings of the study would provide some interesting insights into measuring user satisfaction after the introduction of the internet and into conducting future studies with comparable results.

This is believed to be a unique paper featuring Greek libraries and internet. The information and communication technologies could have wider implications in all kinds of libraries.

Greek libraries have experienced a tremendous evolution towards modernization during the last few years. The lack of tradition in libraries and the existence of an educational system based on the single textbook did not favor until recently the development of libraries in Greece. However, the European Community action aimed at enabling European libraries to play an important role in the information market, and the Community Support Framework, through which libraries could be funded at the national level, allowed for a dynamic set of actions for Greek libraries. All types of libraries, academic, public and school are moving ahead – 500 school libraries were established in secondary schools alone. In the academic libraries, the horizontal action can be proud of the creation of a consortium called HEAL LINK that shares journal subscriptions and will also operate a Union Catalog of bibliographic records. Library‐related organizations such as the National Documentation Center and the National Book Center, offer additional support in this movement of progress. This paper describes these initiatives and others.

Libraries in Greece are mostly financed by public sources, with private funding covering only a very small proportion of their budget. The deteriorating, slowly growing economic environment in Greece places additional pressure on the already understaffed and underfinanced public libraries. This paper aims at demonstrating that the tough economic conditions may provide a setting for innovation and quality enhancement which may lead in turn to a corresponding growth in the library sector.

A qualitative analysis is conducted in order to identify the potential of a novel management response model as a pathway for library survival within the fierce economic crisis.

Specific suggestions are made for the management of public libraries, future policies and trends in the lines of learning/education/training services; social/economic development services; electronic government and citizen participation in public affairs services; cultural identity and social cohesion services; and social inclusion services.

It is ascertained that public libraries in Greece may have an opportunity for change and innovation as a result of the current economic situation. Furthermore, it is believed that active involvement, quality, innovation and self‐finance can serve as important tools for the development of public libraries and their positive contribution and productive role into the Greek socioeconomic environment.

This is the only available work providing an overall management approach for public libraries within a current economic crisis such as the one in Greece.

In an earlier paper we reported on the application of information technology in Greek libraries. In November 1990, the British Library Research and Development Department (BLR&DD) together with the University College of Wales funded a second visit to Greece by the first author. This visit coincided with the 6th Panhellenic congress of Greek librarians meeting in Athens where the theme of the congress was ‘New technology and Greek libraries’. This visit and our attendance at the congress enabled us to report briefly on progress in the application of information technology in Greek libraries. Since this paper is intended to update the earlier paper, we have striven to avoid repetition and it may be necessary to read the earlier paper before this one.