Serious staff shortages — 70 employees instead of 400
The post of assistant director for the library has been filled by Aikaterini Kordouli, following a unanimous decision by the supervisory committee. Over the last two years no appointment had been made. Kordouli has been familiar with the library’s problems for many years; since 1986 she has been an editor in the manuscripts department. «Upgrading our services for the users is our main concern,» she said, «but this requires all the previous necessary steps to have been taken. There is a shortage of staff, about 70 overall.» In 2000 the library required 400 personnel to function normally. Nevertheless, with effort and sacrifice, the enormous treasure has started to become available to many people through the website (www.nlg.gr): digitized collections, presentations of important manuscripts and other documents in international exhibitions, copies of which have been made available in Greek language centers abroad. A great deal has yet to be done. The National Library stands up poorly to its European counterparts as regards provision of services and maintenance of its collections. The City of Athens passed a decision last November to tend to the garden but spring is already here and the small pocket of greenery in the center of Athens continues to be neglected.
