bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Biblioteca de Catalunya – National Library of Catalonia
Authors: Panyella Vinyet
Published: August 2016

Like all national libraries, the Biblioteca de Catalunya is being affected by change. Founded in 1907, it had a difficult time from the mid-1930s until constitutional government was restored, but received full recognition of its status and role as the national library of Catalonia in 1981; this was reinforced in 1993. It receives Catalan material on legal deposit, is responsible for the Catalan national bibliography and union catalogue, and acquires additional material by purchase, donation and exchange. Its collections, mainly of printed books and music, manuscripts and prints, number over 2 million items and include many rare and valuable documents. It also has an accepted leadership role among Catalan libraries. The changes afoot are mainly in the automation of acquisitions and cataloguing, where the library was a late starter but where much progress has already been made; in the progressive introduction of managerial methods into all procedures; and most conspicuously in a radical rebuilding programme which reflects the revised functions and redesigned procedures. The present medieval building is being reorganized internally to provide better reading and working areas, and previous additions to it are being removed and replaced with larger purpose-built storage areas. Some of the work is now completed, without any disruption to the library's operations, but the whole programme is not due to finish until 1996.
Changing for the Future – The Royal Library in Copenhagen in Transition
Authors: Rugaas Bendik
Published: August 2016

A project of comprehensive and systematic modernization of the Royal Library of Denmark was initiated in 1986, with the main aim of improving its accommodation and making its services more effective. The three working groups that were established produced a series of reports in the next three years, recommending inter alia that the Royal Library should continue to act as a humanities and social sciences library for the University of Copenhagen. Several innovations using new technology have been introduced since then, in particular the retrospective conversion of the card catalogue. The proposed building extensions have gradually won acceptance by the relevant ministries.
CD-ROM in Developing Countries: A UNESCO Perspective
Authors: Abid Abdelaziz , Pélissier Denise
Published: August 2016

UNESCO set up a Clearing House in 1992 to promote and disseminate the information it gathers and to create new information sources corresponding to the needs of Member States. A survey of needs showed a strong demand for CD-ROMs, and the success of a prototype, UNESCO Databases, encouraged it to prepare a new edition and plan two more CD-ROMs, Index Translationum and World Heritage. Another programme involves the CD-ROMs of full text as a means of helping less developed countries to obtain affordable economic access to literature. An agreement has been reached with ADONIS whereby free subscriptions to the ADONIS discs for 1991 and 1992 are given to ten selected institutions in Africa, the Arab states, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. A further initiative is the joint ICSU/UNESCO International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications, a cooperative network of donors and recipients. Training workshops are also being held in different parts of the world, and an inventory of CD-ROM in developing countries is being prepared.
The European National Libraries Cooperative Project on CD-ROM: Results, Experiences and Perspectives
Authors: Salomonsen Annika
Published: August 2016

In 1989 a consortium of the national libraries of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and the UK agreed to cooperate in investigating CD-ROMs as means a of distributing and using national bibliographic data. The project, which was divided into ten manageable sub-projects, was launched in January 1990. One major result is a draft specification of requirements for a common retrieval interface for bibliographic data, designed to match as closely as possible the needs of four user groups: acquisition librarians, cataloguers, reference librarians and end users. A second is the production of a pilot CD-ROM in UNIMARC, The Explorers, containing records from the national bibliographies of Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal. Other major products are MARC to UNIMARC conversion tables, and a multilingual interface. Valuable if sometimes painful experience was gained during the project.
Leaving the Reading Room: Some Personal Reflections from within the British Library
Authors: Phillips Andrew
Published: August 2016

The history of the British Museum Library, so much identified with its famous Reading Room, can help inform some of the present and future obligations of The British Library. An example of this is the development and impact of various manifestations of the British Library Catalogue. Knowledge of the collections, expertise in selecting material and in database interpretation will be of high importance within a marriage of old and new skills. The new British Library building in London will be the future focus for Humanities & Social Sciences collections and reading rooms. By bringing together in one place vast and renowned collections, the new building itself will be a contribution to the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of researchers' interests and needs. The new library building should be celebrated as a cause for pride and high expectations. Just as considerable personalities of the past have created and maintained The British Library and its predecessors, so the BL must always also be looking towards the researchers of the future.
Cooperation between Legal Deposit Libraries in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland
Authors: McGowan I. D.
Published: August 2016

Five libraries in the UK and the Republic of Ireland - the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales, the university libraries of Oxford and Cambridge, and Trinity College Dublin Library - can claim material from publishers through the Copyright Libraries' Agency, while deposit with The British Library, which maintains the Legal Deposit Office, is obligatory. In spite of problems caused by diverse sources of funding, there is much incentive and pressure to cooperate, and efforts have been made, particularly since 1988, to coordinate the activities of all six libraries. The Mellon Microfilming Project aims to film important scholarly collections in Britain and Ireland to agreed archival standards, and to improve access to the Register of Preservation Microfilms. A Working Group on Legal Deposit identified as areas for fruitful collaboration the coordination of acquisition of serials and of some types of monograph, and retention policies; some savings have already been made. A third exercise, a pilot project for shared cataloguing, aimed to maximize the utility to all libraries of the BL's National Bibliographic Service and minimize costs in the participating libraries; the Shared Cataloguing Programme itself started in September 1993.
The Biblioteca Nacional of Spain
Authors: Girón Alicia
Published: August 2016

The Biblioteca Nacional (BN), founded in 1712 as the Royal Library, became the national library in 1836 and has since then served as the nation's bibliographic repository and a public library for Madrid. It became an autonomous body in 1991. In a major reconstruction of the existing BN building, space occupied by other bodies is being recovered. Legal deposit, established in 1716, now includes audio and visual recordings; the BN has not however had the resources needed to ensure enforcement. The Autonomous Regions have legal deposit of all material published in them. A Reproduction and Conservation Unit has been created to conserve the valuable collections of manuscripts, incunabula and rare books. A new computer system has enabled the BN to undertake several important bibliographic tasks, but not yet to fulfil its role as apex of the Spanish library system. After many years of international isolation the library is playing a substantial role in IFLA and in cooperative activities with Latin American libraries. The challenge facing the BN today is to identify and articulate its role as it relates to public libraries in the Autonomous Regions and to university and special libraries.
Are National Information Plans Useful?
Authors: Oppenheim Charles
Published: August 2016

A national information policy can be defined as a series of decisions taken by a national government which are designed to encourage a better information infrastructure. Information policy issues can be grouped into four broad areas: legislative issues, information and the economy, information and organizations, and information and social issues. Some countries (e.g. Germany, France and Japan) have explicit information policies; others, including the USA and the UK, do not. Often (as in the UK) the policy is to have no formal policy, but to leave it to the marketplace. The CEC has provided a highway (Euronet) for individual countries to offer their databases, but has not succeeded in producing a policy of Europe-wide database development, with the result that Europe still suffers from a highly fragmented information industry with many competing databases. Interestingly, several countries without clearly stated information policies – UK, Netherlands, USA – have strong information industries. This raises the question whether such a policy is needed. China is interested in developing one; since it is in the early stages of its economic development, it may be able to learn from the West's mistakes. Once its information infrastructure is in place, China must be careful to avoid over-zealous and continued intervention in sectors where it is no longer necessary.
A Critical Appraisal of the Role of Global Networks in the Transformation of Higher Education
Authors: Heseltine Richard
Published: August 2016

Three recent reports in the UK have urged a more coordinated and proactive approach to the exploitation of networked information. Computer networks are not however in themselves agents of change but an enabling technology. It is necessary to be clear about the purposes to which the Internet can be put, in particular how it might relate to the changing world of higher education. The electronic or virtual library, coupled with the notion of access rather than holdings, is being presented as the solution to the problems of university libraries (finance, growing student numbers, and quality assessment). The key challenge is however not to develop an information superhighway but to transform higher education. In improving the information systems that support research, technology seems to have ready answers such as e-mail, bulletin boards and ability to exchange preprints; but there is the danger of increasing the gap between the information rich and information poor, and the future of the printed journal is questionable. Radical changes in the pattern of ownership and control of research output are needed to ensure that the publishing industry is paid only for what it does, becoming a service provider in a system of academic communication owned and controlled by the producers. Suggested roles for librarians as information navigators or gatherers seem dubious; but they may have a role in the development of resource discovery systems and access tools which will help lecturers to identify and make available appropriate learning materials, and perhaps also in training users to evaluate and select information resources more critically. National coordination and intervention are required to ensure that relevant high quality information services are actually available over the networks.
Conference of Directors of National Libraries: Forum for Discussion and Action
Authors: Scott Marianne
Published: August 2016

The Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL) was set up in 1974 to discuss policies and to carry out activities that could be performed most effectively by national libraries, on the understanding that its work would be coordinated with the IFLA Section of National Libraries. Major projects have been concerned with such issues as the role of national libraries; machine-readable record transfer; financial management practices in national libraries; legal deposit and electronic publishing; a voucher system for international lending; and twinning of national libraries. Among its achievements have been the holding of an international conference on preservation; the creation of working groups on managing the preservation of serial literature, and on international lending of alternative format materials such as talking books; and the establishment of a Task Force on Issues Relating to Bibliographic Records. CDNL responded to the fire at the Library of the Academy of Sciences in Leningrad in 1988, thus fulfilling one of its initial aims of simplifying cooperation among library directors. CDNL's membership stands at well over 100. Regional CDNLs have been formed in Southern Africa, Europe, Asia/Oceania and Latin America.
The British Library 1973–1994: An Outsider's View
Authors: Day Alan
Published: August 2016

Formed in 1973 from a number of diverse institutions and enterprises, some of them long established, and all contributing in some way to the national library service, the British Library has successfully achieved a corporate identity. Its reputation is based upon formidable achievements in all areas associated with the responsibilities of the national library, traditional and non-traditional – in the provision of current and historical research materials in all disciplines, in the bibliographic control of the nation's current printed output, in pioneering information services, in sponsoring research, and in becoming a major centre for the electronic capture, storage and transmission of documents to remote users. It has however in the last ten years been bedevilled by the endless delays in, and rising costs of, the construction of its badly needed St Pancras building for accommodating the London-based reference collections and services; these have given rise to public concern and to official scrutinies, while the move from the present reading rooms has itself been opposed by organized groups of users. Only part of the original plan will be realized. The library has issued a series of strategic planning documents setting out its plans and intentions, each one adapted to the circumstances at the time, and also commissioned a study which has challenged traditional assumptions concerning collecting and retention policies.
‘The Upset Balance’: The Dutch Academy Report on the Distortions in National Library Resources Caused by the Prioritization of Science
Authors: Richards Pamela Spence
Published: August 2016

After World War 2 defence considerations led to a great upsurge in the study of science and technology, a consequent emphasis on scientific literature, and a belief in the power of information technology to solve problems of information access. This led to a serious distortion in library collections, with disastrous consequences for provision in the humanities and social sciences. A report by the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences on the imbalance of literature provision in the research libraries of the Netherlands is the first clear articulation of a post-Cold War national library policy. While the establishment and growth of the network Pica has widened access, it has had no effect on the basic distortion in Dutch collections. National acquisition plans in several other countries having been dismissed as inappropriate in the Netherlands (as well as ineffective), the German Verteilungsplan is recommended as a model, with various adaptations. The system proposed would involve sixteen existing Dutch research libraries sharing the collection burden fairly equally; some libraries in Flanders would join in later. The Royal Library's role would be to take responsibility for recording, maintaining and preserving the Dutch cultural heritage in print, wherever located. Remote supply, electronic or otherwise, is not regarded as a substitute for direct access to large collections. It is suggested that knowledge production depends on the browsing function, which information technology works against, and calls for an end to prioritizing ‘access’ over ‘holdings’. The report, particularly its diagnosis of the present situation, has considerable relevance for other countries.
The Impact of the Australian Bibliographic Network on Australian Libraries
Authors: Ralli Tony
Published: August 2016

From its small beginnings in 1981 of six pilot users and the National Library of Australia (NLA), the Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN) has grown to be a truly national system, with 1,315 users at May 1995. The National Bibliographic Database has expanded to over 11 million records and 22 million holdings statements. It includes records from the USA, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam. It has come to be the single union list of holdings of Australian libraries, and the first point of reference for the majority of interlibrary loan transactions. The ABN is seen as both an NLA business and a cooperative undertaking of Australian libraries. Management consists of a Network Committee, which advises the Director General of NLA on all aspects of operation, and a Standards Committee, whose role is to make recommendations to NLA on cataloguing standards for the network. Annual Users' Meetings are held. Since 1987 NLA has been developing a database host for Australian libraries called OZLINE, in parallel with ABN. In 1990 it was decided to go for complete redevelopment using a text retrieval product and an industry standard Relational Database Management System. Following discussions with the National Library of New Zealand, which had indicated broadly similar requirements, it was agreed that the two libraries would jointly seek a system. The Australian service is to be known in future as WORLD 1.
The Production and Marketing of National Bibliographic Services in Europe
Authors: Vitiello Giuseppe
Published: August 2016

Main objectives of National Bibliographic Services (NBSs) have been to enable cost-effective cataloguing in libraries, to assist libraries in their selection and acquisition activities, and to aid information searching and document location and supply. Requirements for achieving these aims are authoritativeness, comprehensiveness, timeliness and standardization. National Bibliographic Agencies are the organizational units that usually provide NBSs within a country's library system. An examination of practice in Europe (in particular in Italy and the UK) shows that organizational structures and procedures may differ and follow national rules, so that working methods are not easily comparable. Various organizational units may be involved in the production process, the activities that are carried out and the means used to enhance performance. The ‘marketing mix’ – product, price, promotion and distribution – is integrated into the modern concept of NBSs. The application of information and communication technologies enables much more flexibility in frequency of issue, format of publication, and content (including tailor-made products), thus making it possible to provide more services for more types of user, including the book trade. Networked NBSs should make it possible to create a permanent link with the world of publishers for the benefit of the whole book world. In the turmoil of the immediate future, NBSs face both threats and opportunities; the latter include the provision of text as well as references, and access to external databases.
NATIS (National Information Systems): The Jamaican Experience
Authors: Mohamedali Ownali Nurdin
Published: August 2016

In December 1973 the Prime Minster of Jamaica appointed a National Council on Libraries, Archives and Document Services (NACOLADS) to advise the government on the development of an integrated network information system. It was thought that this could best be done by using UNESCO's NATIS concept. Several working parties were established, and among their recommendations were the creation of a series of networks as the basis of a national information system, the establishment of a National Library (achieved in 1979), new legislation for the National Archives and Records Center (passed in 1982), and copyright legislation, with provision for legal deposit. NACOLADS incorporated all the recommendations into a national information plan, published in 1978. A revised edition in 1986 included recommendations for redressing a number of shortcomings (e.g. the need for improved salaries and conditions of service). In 1990 NACOLADS was renamed NACOLAIS (National Council on Libraries, Archives and Information Systems), and given additional responsibility for the expansion of NATIS in Jamaica. A copyright law was eventually passed in 1993, but laws for a national information policy and legal deposit remain to be enacted. Some believe that the experience of NATIS in Jamaica can be used as a model for the establishment of national information systems in other small Third World countries.
Are Dutch Academic Libraries Keeping up with Research Material? The Coverage of Foreign Academic Publications in Dutch Libraries
Authors: Voorbij Henk J.
Published: August 2016

The National Library of the Netherlands inititated a research project that aimed to assess the coverage of the aggregate collection of Dutch libraries. Their collections of foreign publications of an academic nature in some 20 subjects were compared with the collections of several authoritative German libraries. A sample of recently published monographs and current periodicals in various subjects that were owned by the German library with special collection responsibility in each subject was searched in the shared cataloguing system developed by Pica. On average, the coverage was c.50% for recently published monographs as well as current periodicals. In the second stage, two subject specialists were asked to judge the relevance for academic research in the Netherlands of the missing titles in each subject. After excluding non-relevant titles, the coverage was still rather low, on average 70%. Some disciplines in the humanities score substantially lower. As a solution for shrinking collections, coordinated collection development, international library loan and information technology, important though they are, are inadequate in the short or medium term. To break the current impasse, additional financial measures are imperative
Implementing an Information Policy to Build a Future for Singapore
Authors: Hepworth Mark
Published: August 2016

Singapore has been taking various steps to develop its information resources since the publication of the Library 2000 report in 1994, which was preceded by the IT2000 plan in 1991. Libraries have been officially recognized as an integral part of the country's information infrastructure. A National Library Board was set up in 1996, to develop national and public library services and to spearhead collaboration with other government agencies in promoting access to information. A clearer distinction is being made between National Library services and public library services, both of which have been provided by the National Library. A National Reference and Information Service will include a National Reference Library, a Singapore Resource Library, and a Multimedia Information Centre. The public library system will be restructured to include five regional libraries, to serve the educational, informational, recreational and business needs of each region; 18 community libraries, catering primarily for the residents of Housing Development Board towns; and around 100 neighbourhood libraries, situated in HDB flats and currently aimed at children below the age of ten. Efforts are being made to coordinate national collection strategy, to orient services to markets and to create links with business and the community. The recognition of technology as a key enabler has led to several major initiatives. It is also recognized that technologically adept and information-oriented librarians are needed, and educational programmes to produce them are being developed, as well as short term recruitment and training activities. Research in library and information science is also encouraged. The Library 2000 initiative is part of a wider picture of fostering the cultural and intellectual capital of Singapore.
Retour à la Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Authors: Bélaval Philippe
Published: August 2016

The decision in July 1988 to build a new library in Paris has been the starting point of a deep change in every field of activity for the French national library, which combines the old Bibliothèque nationale in the Rue de Richelieu with the Bibliothèque de France in Tolbiac in what is now known as the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF). The collections will be divided between two sites: the Rue de Richelieu building will retain the special collections, in improved storage conditions and with better access; while the printed and audiovisual collections are being transferred to the new building at Tolbiac between the end of 1996 and the end of 1998. 370,000 books will be acquired specially to fill gaps in previously neglected areas such as law, economics and science. A new OPAC, due for completion in 1998, will provide access to merged files of the BnF, including 4.5 million converted records from the old hand-written catalogue. Next to the research reading rooms, which are for registered users only, will be ten reading rooms open to the general public for a fee, which will have 380,000 books on open access. The OPAC will be accessible remotely, as will the seat and book reservation system. A new preservation centre has been built in Marne-la-Vallée, 20 km east of Paris; there is a special emphasis on deacidification. There are two digitization programmes, for 100,000 texts and 300,000 pictures; negotiation is taking place with copyright holders. Experimental access to several bibliographic databases and digitized collections is already proving successful. The new reference library in the new building opened in December 1996 and the research library will open in 1998.
Legal Deposit of Electronic Publications and Other Non-Print Material: An International Overview
Authors: Hoare Peter
Published: August 2016

In many countries, including the UK, proposals are currently being made for the extension of legal deposit to electronic and other non-print material. Some countries such as Switzerland and the Netherlands have no national legal deposit legislation, though voluntary deposit works well in the latter. Norway has the most advanced legislation, requiring the deposit of all lands of media. In few countries is any range of material actively handled, and a very few deal with online publications. There is scope for international coordination of proposals through such bodies as CDNL, CENL, IFLA and UNESCO. The aim of totally comprehensive collecting of all published material may be accepted as unrealistic, and some selectively is likely to be necessary. The current situation with regard to deposit of non-print material in 11 west European countries, Australia, Canada and the USA is recounted.
The Role of the Library Buildings Consultant in a National Library Project: A Personal Perspective
Authors: Thompson Godfrey
Published: August 2016

The role of a library buildings consultant is to interpret for the architect the operational needs of a library building. In some countries the concept is almost unknown, though in the USA such a consultant is part of the team in most library building projects, and in less developed countries the need is greater because experience of major library planning is rare. Ideally he should be involved from the start in the preparation of the brief, and then continue advising through all the stages of design up to construction, but this is uncommon. There are long periods when the consultant has no part to play. Wide library experience and considerable knowledge of planning and designing buildings are required, especially in such cases as hybrid national/university libraries or where the national archives are included in the building. Problems include possible clashes with the architect and political changes in the country. The consultant may be engaged to advise an architect who is entering a competition for a new library building. The infrequent creation of national libraries makes it likely that advice from foreign consultants will continue to be needed.
The Coverage by National Libraries of National Imprints: A Study in the Netherlands
Authors: Voorbij Henk , Douma Pieter
Published: August 2016

Many countries have deposit collections, which aim to be comprehensive for national imprints. It is desirable to find out how far they attain this aim. The deposit collection of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek in the Netherlands, unlike most countries, has no legal basis; publishers send voluntarily one copy of each publication. A study was conducted in 1995/1996 to assess its coverage, focusing on books with ISBNs, academic publications (dissertations etc.), grey literature and periodicals. For each of these categories, samples were taken from sources that offered a complete or the most comprehensive overview of Dutch imprints. Titles that did not meet the selection criteria of the library and titles that had not actually been published were removed from the samples, and the remaining titles were sought in the catalogue of the deposit collection to determine whether they were held, on order, or neither. The findings of the study indicate that coverage is not only good but has improved since the previous study in 1983. They also suggest that a legal basis for deposit is not a necessary condition for high coverage, although such a basis is currently being sought in the Netherlands. In the future, improvements in coverage can be made by applying some of the sources used for the study to daily practice. Other countries planning to embark upon a similar project may be able to use the experience gained.
The National and University Library in Zagreb: New Building, Old Problems
Authors: Aparac Tatjana
Published: August 2016

The National and University Library in Zagreb serves both as the National Library of Croatia and the central library of the University of Zagreb. Its foundations were the library of the Jesuit Collegium, dating back at least as far as 1610; other important collections were added. The library was not officially opened to the public until 1819, when it contained some 10,000 items. In the 1830s it was renamed the National Academic Library and became entitled to legal deposit, and when the University of Zagreb opened in 1874 it was the logical basis for the future university library and acquired its first professional Librarian. A new building was opened in 1913. Decentralization of the university's collections began to occur in the 1920s, with the consequence that the NUL is today somewhat isolated from the university. When Croatia joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918, the library had to be reorganized according to new laws. Little attempt has been made to separate the library's two functions, and when plans were made at the beginning of the 1970s for a new building, it was designed as a combined library. The building was officially opened in 1995. Many problems remain to be solved, including inadequate finances and staff, automation, management, organization as a dual-function library, and the library's national role. The recently established Croatian LIS Institute, which is housed in the building, is expected to study these problems.
Public Libraries, Real Space and Social Change: Some Old and Some New Coincidences
Authors: Haywood Trevor
Published: August 2016

Public libraries grew out of a 19th century liberal tradition that favoured the enlightenment of the people. This is now threatened by changes in political and social priorities and the subordination of an ‘idealist’ society, which gives priority to a world of values, to a ‘sensate’ society, which locates its values in what can be experienced by the senses. As a result of this, of the wiring of society and of increasing pressures on time, the social importance and moral status of the public library have suffered, and human connectivity has suffered with it: people retreat to their homes and ‘drop out and log on’. Technology has both liberated us and brought new forms of enslavement. Public libraries, as perhaps the last great public space, could yet become agents for transforming a private and selfish technology into a public and benevolent one.
The Science, Industry and Business Library of the New York Public Library: A High-Technology Research Centre for High-Volume Public Use
Authors: McDonough Kristin
Published: August 2016

In 1996, its centenary year, the New York Public Library opened its Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) in a former department store in mid-town Manhattan, occupying 160,000 square feet of usable floor space. The building, which has received six awards, is designed to be both attractive and highly functional. The $100 million project was funded by a combination of private and government funds. The concept is of a specialized high technology research centre with unparallelled older and current print collections (1.2 million books and serials) and access to electronic resources, which also incorporates a 50,000-item circulating library of popular print, audiovisual and multimedia materials. All of the resources are available to the public at no charge. Much of the collection is on open access. There are several professionally staffed information service points. The provision of extensive training sessions is proving to be an outstanding success, more than 20,000 people having registered since SIBL opened. A three-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has enabled SIBL to train information professionals in the three crucial areas of technological competence, customer service and professional development.
The Destruction of a Nation's Literary Heritage: Libraries in Bosnia and Hercegovina, with Special Reference to the National and University Library
Authors: Peic Sava
Published: August 2016

Bosnian libraries have varied origins, but many have suffered in the country's turbulent history and religious conflicts. The National and University Library (which was given that name in 1972) was founded in 1945, on the basis of existing collections. In 1952 it began functioning as the country's main research library and the library of the University of Sarajevo (established in 1949), and built up rich and important collections. Together with numerous other libraries, it was devastated in the recent war as a deliberate act, and 90% of its stock was destroyed. The salvaged 10% is poorly housed and largely inaccessible, but the library still functions with its remaining 60 staff (of the 100 plus it had in 1992). The main aim is now to build a modern library combining information technology with traditional services. International support is helping to restore the library, but much more money is needed to provide suitable buildings, establish worldwide links with other libraries, build up collections and train staff.
Legislation for National Library Services in Developing Countries
Authors: Lor Peter
Published: August 2016

An effective national library needs adequate resources and appropriate powers and status, which ideally should be enshrined in national legislation. Crucial elements are the national library's relationship with the state, its authority, and its autonomy. If these are well-founded the library's funding and accountability, its ability to carry through national and international cooperative work, and its freedom to determine priorities and allocate resources flexibly are all safeguarded. In developing countries, national libraries often discharge their responsibilities through a national library service (NLS), via a network of branch and affiliated libraries. The main sections of a typical NLS statute are the definition of terms relating to information materials, their format, reproduction and dissemination; the designation of the institution (if new) as the NLS; the aims of the NLS, neither too restrictive nor unrealistically broad, but taking a long-term view; a statement of functions which indicates in outline the tasks and activities of the NLS in pursuing its aims; the status and powers of the NLS; its governance, including the parent ministry and governing board; its personnel structures and policies, especially the vital issue of its director; collections and other assets; services; and finally financing, organization, and regulations. All this presupposes consultation on national policy and strategy within a political process which will require some compromises. Clear and explicit drafting following fundamental reflection on the nature and purpose of an NLS is therefore essential.
La Bibliothèque Nationale du Québec
Authors: Sauvageau Philippe
Published: August 2016

Created in 1967, the Bibliothèque nationale de Québec exists to collect, conserve and disseminate the published documentary output of the province, foreign documents about Quebec and works written by authors from Quebec. All forms of document - including maps, music, posters, art reproductions, software and microforms - are collected, by legal deposit, purchase or exchange. As well as the national bibliography, the BnQ publishes a wide range of bibliographic lists and indexes, and various works on the conservation of collections. It allocates ISBNs to Canadian francophone authors, participates in the Canadian CIP programme, and maintains numerous links with other national libraries and international francophone libraries. Recent developments include an integrated bibliographic computer system based on the UTLAS server in Toronto and the software suite Best Seller; the creation of a Web site for promoting and allowing access to its services; and the expansion of the library's physical resources through major building and refurbishment work, allowing significant increases in both conservation and dissemination activities.
Safe Deposit: A UK Publishing View
Authors: Davies John
Published: August 2016

The evolutionary struggle between the printed page, CD-ROM, online services and the Internet as media for publishing has huge implications for the national archive. Authors, publishers and the libraries that have current responsibility for the UK national legal deposit collection all have a consuming interest in the outcome of the government's Consultation Paper on legal deposit. Publishers want the least onerous extension of the law to new and particularly to electronic formats, which some see as an opportunity to reduce the statutory six copies for deposit. The copyright libraries see their status possibly being affected, whilst universities see a new and important role for themselves in electronic archiving. The government has stipulated a solution at minimum cost to the industries involved, and if the publishing industry successfully lobbies for a reduction in the number of deposit copies, the national libraries will probably have the strongest case for retaining their privileges. Similar tensions arise over access to information content and its use in electronic form, especially transmission and reproduction, tensions that are already present in the British Library's service provision and its alleged impact on publishers' sales. The concept of ‘fair dealing’ will clearly have to be redefined. These and other important issues are now being aired, perhaps with more goodwill and trust than 20 years ago, between the British Library, some leading publishers, and the Publishers Association. Extension of the national archive to electronic and multimedia works will be a huge project requiring significant new funding. Indications for the future are greater selectivity, a reduction in the number of copies required, and a more streamlined administrative process. A comprehensive archive is unlikely to be achieved other than by statutory means.
Towards a National Strategy for Archiving Digital Materials
Authors: Feeney Mary
Published: August 2016

In response to international concerns about digital preservation, in the UK the Joint Information Services Committee of the Higher Education Funding Councils (JISC), the British Library and the National Preservation Office (NPO) together established a programme of research studies on digital archiving. The NPO set up a Digital Archiving Working Group to guide the programme. Two of the studies explored the needs and perspectives of the many different stakeholders involved, focusing on the electronic publishing community and the academic research community. One study examined the life-cycle of digital resources and developed a policy framework to assist in encouraging best practice. Other studies looked at the preservation methods currently available and attempted to develop a cost model. The final study addressed the issue of data rescue - recovering digital material from damage, disaster, or obsolescent software or hardware. The research programme is now being taken forward at a practical level, and a recent conference identified 29 recommendations which will feed into a plan of action for the next three years.
The Bodleian Library: Maintaining Excellence into the New Millennium
Authors: Carr Reg
Published: August 2016

The Bodleian Library opened its doors in 1602, though its origins go back 150 years earlier. The building, which has been renovated several times over the centuries, is now undergoing a major restoration work. It sees its future as a ‘hybrid’ library, combining ink-on-paper and electronic materials to give a greatly enhanced service. The catalogue has been converted to machine-readable form, and a union catalogue of libraries in the university as a whole is in progress. A wide range of holdings, including important manuscripts and rare books has been digitized. In 1997 a new Director of University Library Services (a post combined with that of Bodley's Librarian) was appointed, and a new Libraries Committee was established, with a view to creating an integrated system that unites in a single library service the 22 libraries that are funded by it. As part of the process of change, the Bodleian Library itself is being restructured, and means have been sought to make the best use of subject-specialized staff in the system. In such ways the Bodleian is preparing to maintain its excellence over the next 400 years.
The London Library
Authors: Bell Alan
Published: August 2016

Founded by Thomas Carlyle in 1841 and located in the centre of London, The London Library now holds a million volumes, mainly in the humanities, and has 8,400 subscribing members. It occupies a special place in metropolitan cultural life but also serves a wider constituency throughout the UK. Its late Victorian buildings have been extended several times but the site is now full. An active acquisitions policy covers the main European languages as well as English-language publications, and on average 7,000 volumes are added each year. Subscription income is supported by a substantial investment portfolio, which partly subsidizes the membership. All accessions since 1984 are in an automated catalogue which is now being extended to books in the library's historic catalogues. A preservation policy is being developed and much discreet modernization is taking place in this venerable institution.
Planning the Library of Congress's Bicentennial Commemoration in 2000
Authors: Cole John Y.
Published: August 2016

The Library of Congress celebrates its bicentenary in 2000. It was decided to make the centenary of the Jefferson Building in 1997 the highlight of the centennial celebration (its anniversary had already been marked by several events). It was decided that the basic purpose would be to strengthen and if possible expand the library's relationships with its main constituencies. Certain major projects were brought under the bicentennial umbrella, e.g. the digitization of several million unique items from the collections. Other projects include Local Legacies (which involves asking each member of Congress to find or create documentation for at least one significant event or tradition relating to their state); Gifts to the Nation, which offers donors the chance of making contributions to the collections; ‘I Hear America Singing’, a three-year series of concerts etc.; and Favorite Poem, which will create an archive of recordings of citizens saying their favourite poems. A symposium ‘National Libraries of the World: Interpreting the Past, Reshaping the Future’ is planned for October 2000.
The Social Reach
Authors: Ramenzoni Verónica C. , Liszkowski Ulf
Published: August 2016

Linguistic communication builds on prelinguistic communicative gestures, but the ontogenetic origins and complexities of these prelinguistic gestures are not well known. The current study tested whether 8-month-olds, who do not yet point communicatively, use instrumental actions for communicative purposes. In two experiments, infants reached for objects when another person was present and when no one else was present; the distance to the objects was varied. When alone, the infants reached for objects within their action boundaries and refrained from reaching for objects out of their action boundaries; thus, they knew about their individual action efficiency. However, when a parent (Experiment 1) or a less familiar person (Experiment 2) sat next to them, the infants selectively increased their reaching for out-of-reach objects. The findings reveal that before they communicate explicitly through pointing gestures, infants use instrumental actions with the apparent expectation that a partner will adopt and complete their goals.
Varve microfacies and varve preservation record of climate change and human impact for the last 6000 years at Lake Tiefer See (NE Germany)
Authors: Dräger Nadine , Theuerkauf Martin , Szeroczyńska Krystyna , Wulf Sabine , Tjallingii Rik , Plessen Birgit , Kienel Ulrike , Brauer Achim
Published: August 2016

The Holocene sediment record of Lake Tiefer See exhibits striking alternations between well-varved and non-varved intervals. Here, we present a high-resolution multi-proxy record for the past ~6000 years and discuss possible causes for the observed sediment variability. This approach comprises microfacies, geochemical and microfossil analyses and a multiple dating concept including varve counting, tephrochronology and radiocarbon dating. Four periods of predominantly well-varved sediment were identified at 6000–3950, 3100–2850 and 2100–750 cal. a BP and AD 1924–present. Except of sub-recent varve formation, these periods are considered to reflect reduced lake circulation and consequently, stronger anoxic bottom water conditions. In contrast, intercalated intervals of poor varve preservation or even extensively mixed non-varved sediments indicate strengthened lake circulation. Sub-recent varve formation since AD 1924 is, in addition to natural forcing, influenced by enhanced lake productivity due to modern anthropogenic eutrophication. The general increase in periods of intensified lake circulation in Lake Tiefer See since ~4000 cal. a BP presumably is caused by gradual changes in the northern hemisphere orbital forcing, leading to cooler and windier conditions in Central Europe. Superimposed decadal- to centennial-scale variability of the lake circulation regime is likely the result of additional human-induced changes of the catchment vegetation. The coincidence of major non-varved periods at Lake Tiefer See and intervals of bioturbated sediments in the Baltic Sea implies a broader regional significance of our findings.