The publication of the journal Philobiblon - in English and in collaboration with Cluj University Press - was decided by "Lucian Blaga" Central University Library and "Babes-Bolyai" University in 1996. The goal was, first of all, to offer a transdisciplinary framework for international communications and manifestation for, but not limited to, academics and researchers of Cluj-Napoca, especially in various fields of social and human sciences. Secondly, the goal was to emphasize and effectively develop a multicultural regional and university framework by means of an international publication of studies and papers written by scholars and researchers, who otherwise teach and research in Romanian, Hungarian and German languages. Another objective was to consolidate, reinforce and acknowledge the position of the University Library as a place and forum for the dissemination and enhancement of scholarly research; and equally to transform it into an academic, scientific and cultural centre worthy of the scientific status of Cluj as a city in full process of development and international opening.

Circulated via the traditional and extended networks of the University Library international interlibrary exchange service, the periodical aimed from the beginning to diversify, individualize, and increase the efficiency of offers and various ways of acquisitions for books, periodicals, or databases, which otherwise would have been unavailable for the academic community of Cluj. However, the journal Philobiblon equally proves to be a profitably exchange object and a consistent forum to display our creation and research competence and results and at the same time to outline a highly favourable image of research activity conducted in Romania and at the University and University Library of Cluj. Therefore, in a short time - and despite financial editorial difficulties which permanently imposed changes in the regularity of publication -, the periodical has continuously succeeded in attracting prestigious contributors from abroad.

As a result of all the aforementioned reasons, the periodical was structured on four main permanent sections designed to make its editorial conception and intention functional.

The first was - and still is - entitled Culture, Books, Society and it has always been a thematic section containing studies from different domains of history, philosophy, sociology, psychology, literary history and theory, musicology, linguistics, journalism, etc.

The second section formerly entitled Librarianship: A Changing Profession in a Transitional Society, recently bearing the name HERMENEUTICA BIBLIOTHECARIA contains studies and analyses on librarianship and library and information science, which deal with library institutions, and the profession, traditions, mentalities, "heritage" and perspectives of librarians, the focus being on the analytical, critical, investigative and deliberative character of the contributions. It is therefore a particular section for librarians with researches and papers focusing on the perception, comprehension, as well as mentality - in the sense of culture and not "practicality" or "craftsmanship" - of the librarian's profession and library institutions, a natural feature of a scholarly and transdisciplinary journal, which is therefore CULTURAL in the original sense of the word. The presence of this section in a journal published by a university library is a particularity which distinguishes the Philobiblon from other such periodicals. It was primarily introduced into the periodical because such kinds of analyses are scarce in the Romanian literature of library and information science. Considering this, we decided that the articles written for the periodical should be included into Romanian language anthologies as regularly as possible, which should then be distributed mainly in Romania. The first anthology was published in 1998 (entitled Hermeneutica Bibliothecaria) and has received a considerable professional attention. The second and third volumes appeared in 2004 and 2007, respectively. The electronic version of the last two volumes was also launched in 2007.

The third permanent section of the periodical, dedicated to SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, contains articles which present, analyze and valorise the scientific, documentary, cultural, national, and international values of important historical collections, primarily those of the Lucian Blaga Central University Library, which - due to its past, and the size and value of its collections (approx. 4 million volumes) - is one of the most important Central European libraries.

The last section entitled MISCELLANEA offers varied information about different cultural, scientific, and professional library events and/or personalities, as well as regional, national and international publications.

Throughout all its sections, the Philobiblon engages in the natural and vivid field of consistent scientific and cultural communication, organized by the idea of European and international integration as well as by that of a scientific, trandisciplinary and complex dialogue. The journal is thus intended to be a way, a chance, and a forum of the encounter in an authentic communion.

This is the reason why this new Programme article of the periodical is a naturally and organically developed and extended version of the one published in the first volume of the Philobiblon in 1997.

November 2008

The Editors