In 1955, 54 years after the incorporation of the Central Library of the State into the Library of the Romanian Academy, the Central Library of the People's Republic of Romania was established. It was open to all Romanians over the age of 18. In 1990, various measures were introduced in an attempt to do away with the communist order, including changes in staff. The library's name was changed to the National Library of Romania. In 1995 the library was connected to the Internet, but only library staff had access. The library is still in a ‘temporary’ building occupied in 1957; collections continue to be moved around, and only one third is accessible. Following the December 2000 elections, it is hoped that there will now be additional funding for automation, collection development and staffing, and also finance to continue the construction of the new building for the library, which was started in 1987. However, so far the situation has become worse rather than better.
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