The parliamentary library and research service as an engine for democratic education and development: supporting a spectrum of democracy-enabling initiatives.

The political dilemma and the professional responsibility of parliamentary librarians as agents of democracy in modern societies are explored. Phased implementation of democracy-enabling initiatives by parliamentary libraries is counseled according to a democracy action plan. A socially responsible definition of such initiatives suited to the Latin American as well as to the East European and Western political environments is attempted, and seventeen types of democracy-enabling initiatives of parliamentary libraries and research services are discerned and described. The urgency of the present crisis requires innovative means and new approaches by parliamentary librarians in democracy education and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]