The paper deals with the history, operation and organization of the Library and Information Association of New Zealand (LIANZA). It shows the general characteristics and development of the Association and its role in the social, cultural and economic life of New Zealand.
The definition of bibliometrics as quantitative analysis of publications is followed by a brief outline of the history of the journal Organizacija znanja (Organisation of Knowledge; continuation of Cobiss obvestila). In addition to that, the following quantitative characteristics of this publication are analysed: authors, topics, citations. The conclusion focuses on the future development of Organizacija znanja.
The paper highlights the importance of the role libraries and librarians play in contemporary information society. Since the status of librarianship is underrated, the library legislation can provide ways of improving the image of libraries. Moreover, it is crucial for the legislation to ensure public funding of libraries. Professional issues should be dealt with by library associations, which is the case in the countries with highly developed library services. In the countries, however, where library culture is at a low level, the legislation also deals with this segment.
