bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disaster Management in Archives, Libraries and Museums: An International Overview
Authors: Matthews Graham , Smith Yvonne , Knowles Gemma
Published: August 2016

The article considers disaster management in archives, libraries and museums from an international perspective and presents the findings of a research project which began shortly after the South-east Asia tsunami disaster. The project looked at disaster management practice in the UK cultural heritage sector and identified relevant practice in other countries and sectors. It aimed to inform strategists and managers in museums, libraries and archives, and make recommendations for the effective development of disaster management. The study found that there had been a large increase in information relating to disaster management in the cultural heritage sector in recent years, leading in some instances to information overload. However, cultural heritage organizations are attempting to address the issue with targeted activities and support, particularly relating to developing countries, where access to information resources on the Internet may not be easy. The project showed that coordination across sectors was essential, and people, their interaction and communication, remain vital to effective disaster management.
The British Library Centre for Conservation
Authors: Humphrey Vicki
Published: August 2016

The completion of the British Library Centre for Conservation (BLCC) is a milestone in the history of conservation at the Library. It not only means that all the Conservation staff working at the BL will be on the one site for the first time, it also takes Conservation, Collection Care and the Sound Archive Technical Section out of the backroom and into the public eye and provides a focal point for the key strategic messages about the Library's stewardship of the collections and for care of collections generally. The article describes how this is both a great opportunity and a significant challenge, and how the process of getting to the point of having a new building with a range of new programmes on offer has been an impressive example of team work.
Promoting Preservation Awareness in New Zealand: The Role of the National Preservation Office, Te Tari Tohu Taonga
Authors: Cuming Jocelyn
Published: August 2016

The National Library of New Zealand set up the National Preservation Office Te Tari Tohu Taonga as a response to the fact that there are hundreds of important collections dispersed throughout New Zealand, often in isolated rural areas, without any access to preservation advice. The National Preservation Office Te Tari Tohu Taonga was set up in a bicultural framework with two conservators appointed, one conservator being Māori. The Office has identified key issues to address, which include nationwide workshops to raise the level of preservation awareness that help to empower communities to be able to effectively care for their collections. The paper addresses these key areas, such as the building environment and digital preservation, as well as looking at a series of care and handling workshops for smaller institutions within a context of establishing effective collection management. Workshops have also focused on particularly at-risk material such as photographs and architectural records. Crucial to any training is fostering good relationships with the community, providing accurate and up-to-date information and always articulating the link between preservation and access. One of the important achievements for the Office has been the setting up of Preservation Management courses within university courses. The Office has worked across all cultural heritage sectors. Within Māori communities the emphasis is on working in collaboration with other conservators, taking into account all aspects of preservation, including the buildings. Outreach to cultural institutions also includes the specific preservation needs of Pacific Island Nations.
LIBER – Past, Present and Future
Authors: Fox Peter
Published: August 2016

LIBER, the Ligue des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherche/Association of European Research Libraries, is the major organization representing research libraries in Europe, with a membership of over 300 libraries in 38 countries. The article describes the evolution of LIBER from its foundation in 1971, when it was little more than an informal annual meeting of a small group of library directors, through the 1990s, when a permanent secretariat and an enhanced professional programme were introduced to complement the organization's successful Annual General Conference. In 2003 LIBER adopted a new strategic vision that would see an expansion of its activities and the development of a range of new services in support of its members. By 2006 four key areas of activity had been identified, and these form the core of LIBER's current work: scholarly communication, library services in a rapidly changing environment, library management, and services and facilities for members. Through these activities LIBER seeks to consolidate its role as leader, advocate and coordinator at the European and international level.
National Libraries and People with Disabilities
Authors: Koulikourdi Anna
Published: August 2016

The purpose of national libraries is to provide full access to the information society for everybody, including people with disabilities. This paper describes the role of national libraries in the provision of library services to the disabled. It investigates the current national library services for patrons with disabilities and their service quality through a mailed questionnaire to 49 national libraries worldwide. However, some libraries chose not to participate in this research for several intervening factors. The findings depict the lack of adequate library services and programmes for the disabled. Furthermore, this study attempts to identify the reasons that national libraries are not fully accessible and encourages their greater inclusion in the planning and delivery of their services.
History of the Hungarian National Library
Authors: Monok István
Published: August 2016

The library structure which still operates in Hungary today took shape in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The secular organizations of society at first organized their own collections together with the church libraries. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the rise of the urban bourgeoisie led to the establishment of numerous institutions not tied to the churches (clubs, educational societies, reading circles, and so on). The libraries of aristocrats (for example the library of Count József Teleki and his wife Kata Bethlen, the Festetics family, and the Ráday family) and scholars were the most important for the development of book collecting in Hungary.

The idea of establishing the Hungarian national library emerged together with the intention to set up the national scholarly society, an academy of sciences. The collection is based on the library of Count Ferenc Széchényi donated for the establishment of a national library. It was first called Széchényi National Library, and operated within the frame of the National Museum up to 1949. Under the direction of the far-sighted minister of culture József Eötvös the library was made an important part of cultural policy, and its function expanded. Besides acquiring and preserving Hungarian-related documents great emphasis was placed on their scholarly processing and on research work.

The National Széchényi Library became an independent institution in 1949 and occupied its present place in the Buda Castle Palace in 1985. The national library is an active member of the international library community, making great efforts to ensure its presence as an institution in international forums dealing with research on the history of books and libraries.
National Library Websites: How Do They Market the Library?
Authors: Cleeve Marigold , Stephens Derek
Published: August 2016

This article presents a comparative analysis of evidence of marketing initiatives as revealed by the websites of the national libraries of New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and the British Library in November 2007. The analysis is based on criteria set by the joint Boston Workshop of the IFLA Section on National Libraries with the Section on Management and Marketing in 2001. These criteria include an attractive and easily navigable website, library branding, mission and vision statements, marketing and development strategy, number of marketing staff, details of library's contents and points of access, target audiences, service improvements, customer surveys, active and visible public programmes, merchandising, media releases, partnerships with other organizations, active Friends' groups, and encouragement of sponsors and volunteers. Evidence from the websites indicates that all four national libraries appear to be involved in marketing to a considerable extent, and are using their websites to reinforce their marketing efforts.
What, How and Why: Accessing Incunabula at Senate House Library, University of London
Authors: Attar K.E.
Published: August 2016

This article is based on a project undertaken in 2008 to catalogue the incunabula (fifteenth-century printed books) at Senate House Library, University of London (previously known as the University of London Library). The project was unusual because it dealt with books which resembled manuscripts, and which have a long history of printed description which sometimes jars with modern online conventions for resource discovery. The article summarizes the desires which Anglo-American scholars have expressed for the content of descriptions of incunabula in the contexts of printed and union catalogues, and assesses the extent to which these are relevant to the online catalogues of specific libraries. It describes the challenges, including the tensions between scholarly printed incunabula literature and library conventions, and the approach taken at Senate House Library to resolve them. It further evaluates the timing for the project and assesses the project's results, which ranged from institutional to international in scope.
Comparing the Incomparable? Performance Measures for National Libraries
Authors: Poll Roswitha
Published: August 2016

The article describes the process of developing performance measures for national libraries, which culminated in the publication in April 2009 of the International Organization for Standardization Technical Report ISO 28118 Information and documentation – performance indicators for national libraries. An ISO working group began by defining the general mission and main tasks of national libraries. Most existing performance indicators, devised mainly for academic and public libraries, compared a library's input and output to the size of its primary user group. However, national libraries do not have such a defined user group – a fact that had to be reflected in the chosen indicators, which cover: building the national collection; making services accessible; offering reference services; building potentials for development; preserving the collection; and managing efficiently.
Increasing metadata usability for the New Zealand Cartoon Archive at the Alexander Turnbull Library
Authors: Johnston Melinda , Köntges Thomas
Published: August 2016

Twenty-first-century researchers are applying new methods of computational analysis, such as topic modelling, to data retrieved from library catalogues. Consequently, libraries should understand the way in which their metadata delivery decisions impact on the potential use of the collection. This article is an account of digital humanities research in the collection of the New Zealand Cartoon Archive at the Alexander Turnbull Library, using the Digital New Zealand application program interface to test the current metadata delivery system. The article is therefore essentially a case study with some suggestions that may have wider applicability. Greater transparency needs to occur in the nature and extent of the digital offering, the data offered needs to be checked for usability and it needs to be considered as one of many offerings made to researchers. We propose listening to researcher feedback, thereby extending the life cycle of digital data beyond monodirectional delivery. Furthermore, because many issues are not discovered until metadata is unlocked for reuse, we argue that it is beholden on libraries either to seek the feedback of researchers analysing their data or to road-test their own metadata’s structure and delivery.
Fifty years of Tanzania’s national/public library service
Authors: Mcharazo Alli AS , Olden Anthony
Published: August 2016

National cum public library services were set up in Tanzania and in a number of other African countries just before or shortly after independence. In addition to being the national public library service, the Tanzania Library Services Board (TLSB) is a legal deposit library and produces the national bibliography. Starting from virtually nothing, TLSB was operating purpose-built libraries in the main urban centres by the mid-1970s. It received much support from the Tanzanian government and from foreign donors up until then, but afterwards the financial situation became more difficult. However, 50 years after its introduction, TLSB operates 21 regional, 18 district, and one divisional library. It has approximately 400 staff. Like other national public library services in Africa, the main challenge has been to extend service to the rural areas where the majority of the population live. A newer challenge is to adapt a traditional service to the environment of young Tanzanians growing up with the mobile phone and the internet.
Functions, tasks and roles of national libraries in the 21st century
Authors: Stephens Andy
Published: August 2016

This article reports on work in progress within the Standing Committee of International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)’s National Libraries Section to develop up-to-date IFLA guidelines for national libraries to supersede the previous published United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) standard (Sylvestre, 1987). The article notes there is no standard or prescriptive definition for the concept of ‘national library’: national libraries exist in a multiplicity of forms determined not least by the size, cultural history and economic development of the country they serve. Nevertheless there has been much written on the functions of national libraries and the literature in this area is reviewed. Thus, the Standing Committee agreed that it would be inappropriate to seek to develop updated guidelines or standards for national libraries that would be prescriptive: rather, it was thought that the adoption of an empirical approach, providing a wide range of exemplars and case studies of actual national library practice, would provide the national library community with a useful development toolkit. An initial pilot study to collate exemplars/case studies from 12 participating national libraries was undertaken in spring 2015. The output of the pilot study tabulated in an annex to this article constitutes an indicative inventory of national library best practice case studies, and for this reason it was thought that its wider dissemination here would be of professional interest. Finally the article reports on the next steps currently being undertaken via an online survey to document comprehensively and at a high level of granularity the functions currently being undertaken by national libraries.
From compliance to curation
Authors: Burgess Lucie , Jefferies Neil , Rumsey Sally , Southall John , Tomkins David , Wilson James AJ
Published: August 2016

The University of Oxford’s institutional repository for data, Oxford University Research Archive (ORA)-Data, was launched in May 2015. This article describes a current-state assessment of ORA-Data in relation to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) policy framework on research data and offers some future directions in implementing a more systemic lifecycle approach to research data curation at the University of Oxford with reference to the Digital Curation Centre’s Curation Lifecycle Model. Insights into the attitudes and requirements of EPSRC-funded researchers at the university in relation to research data management, from a survey we conducted, are explored. Descriptive metadata and identifiers, preservation actions, access, use and reuse and community engagement are considered. ORA-Data is positioned within the wider context of Oxford’s research data management roadmap.
The literature of national libraries
Authors: Robinson Lyn
Published: August 2016

This article reports a study of the literature of national libraries, as evidenced by the content of three bibliographic databases – Library and Information Science Abstracts, Library and Information Science and Technology Abstracts and Web of Science – for 2014–2015. The results, which are neither comprehensive nor systematic, give an indication of the size of the literature, the sources, languages of publication, authorship pattern and content. The aim is to gain an overview of what is happening, currently, within publications from, and about, national libraries. The study suggests that the national library literature comprises about 100 items annually; the smallest body of literature for any of the main sectors of librarianship. This literature shows a Bradford scatter, with 94 journals and a few book and proceedings sources identified in this study. The main language of publication is English, although a variety of European languages are represented. National libraries worldwide are covered, with a focus on reports from Europe, North America and Australasia. Content is concentrated on general descriptions of libraries and their services, on collections and documents and on technology issues. Digital curation is a major part of 20% of the set. Issues of dataset curation per se have no almost presence in this set of national library literature.
The International MARC Network and National Libraries
Authors: Clement Hope E.A.
Published: August 2016

The International MARC Network Committee of the Conference of Directors of National Libraries was established in 1975 to address issues of the international sharing and use of national bibliographic records and continues to advise the Conference and the IFLA-UBCIM Programme. Issues that it has covered include the exchange of MARC records on tape, directly on-line and most recently on CD-ROM, the maintenance and promotion of the UNIMARC format and the means of ensuring the MARC creator agencies a fair return on the high costs of record creation while allowing maximum use of records by bibliographic utilities, commercial database providers and individual libraries. Future issues to be addressed include the future of MARC formats and the relationship of the high costs of creation of bibliographic records to standards used.
Information Control: Open Systems Interconnection and Networking Strategies
Authors: McLean Neil
Published: August 2016

The convergence of communications technology and computer technology has resulted in the development of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model which permits communication between computers both within and between organizations. There are now national and international library initiatives concerned with developing applications for bibliographic searching and transfer of records and also interlending. In parallel with these initiatives it is important to re-evaluate the role of the library at an institutional level where open systems architecture and distributed processing are changing work practices. The key concept to be explored is the role of the library in the management of information services which will serve potential applications at the workstation level.
Conspectus in the United Kingdom
Authors: Matheson Ann
Published: August 2016

Conspectus started in the US where it is used as a means of distributing responsibilities by consensus within a group of research libraries. The main issues are the identification of Primary Collecting Responsibilities (PCRs) for subject areas and the identification of ‘endangered species.’ In the UK the British Library's programme and the Conspectus in Scotland programme have been completed and the National Library of Wales hopes to complete its own programme in 1989. Elsewhere in the UK the reaction to Conspectus has been generally cool. The British Library has created an online Conspectus search system which allows UK Conspectus information to be interrogated via a wide range of access points. Conspectus information may also have potential for identifying priorities for collaborative programmes for preservation and retrospective conversion. The Scottish group is now hoping to examine this area in some detail.
The Bibliothèque Nationale
Authors: Ladurie Emmanuel Le Roy
Published: August 2016

The Bibliothèque Nationale is one of the five most important libraries in the Western world and the only French-language one. In spite of some adverse publicity in the past year, complaints about the slow service, and a long strike by book delivery staff, progress has been made, with legal deposit completely automated, and direct access for readers to the shelfmarks of works published in the last 10 years on microcomputers in the catalogue hall. It is now possible to consider the problems of the future such as the challenge of size and growth, with the prospect of a large building project based on new technology announced by the President in 1988, and preservation of the collections, where a start has already been made in microfilming volumes at risk, and in deacidification. Comprehensiveness or selectivity is another issue; the range of collections includes prints, coins and medals, and a large collection of printed materials on the theatre. Finally, a whole network of libraries in France should be upgraded in order to relieve pressure on the BN, which can then become a re-routing centre.
Performance Measures for National Bibliographic Services
Authors: Bryant Philip
Published: August 2016

The Centre for Bibliographic Management is funded by the British Library Research and Development Department, but the details given and opinions expressed are entirely the responsibility of the author.

Performance can be measured in quantitative and qualitative terms. Quality of bibliographic service should be concerned with accuracy, consistency and timeliness. Functions and the criteria relating to them have to be determined in order to define effective targets; and regular monitoring is required. Adequacy of records is the criterion that poses most problems, as different users need different quality and level of detail; a major study of this was undertaken by the Centre for Bibliographic Management. Performance measurement is however usually desirable on a continuing basis; an example is the BNB MARC Currency Survey administered by the Centre for nine years.
Cooperative Library Automation and the Pica Experience
Authors: Bossers Anton
Published: August 2016

In 1969 a number of Dutch university libraries and the Royal Library decided to cooperate in the field of library automation by creating a consortium for a Project for Integrated Catalogue Automation (Pica). In 1978 an online shared cataloguing system came into operation. About five years later the Pica system began to be used to produce the Dutch National Bibliography and the Dutch Union Catalogue, and to process all the cataloguing activities for over 900 public libraries. The Pica Online Retrieval System (ORS) enables users to consult bibliographic databases and catalogue information from the central Pica database. These central systems, together with local systems such as the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), the Acquisitions System combined with Serials Control, and the Circulation Control System, now constitute a ‘total library system’.
Helsinki University Library — The National Library of Finland
Authors: Häkli Esko
Published: August 2016

Helsinki University Library, the national library of Finland, is often mentioned in writings on national libraries of the world as an exception. Although it is a university library, it is, however more a national library; it is a separate institution, independent from the other libraries of the university. It will in 1990 together with the university celebrate its 350th anniversary. Its status as national library will now for the first time be regulated by law, when the new university law in preparation is passed. The law will not change the library's organizational status.

Helsinki University Library takes care of most of the national library tasks in Finland. The registration of material for the national bibliography has since 1979 been based on a scheme of shared cataloguing. The library will in 1990 adopt a new integrated automation system (VTLS), which will be installed also in all other university libraries. For the Retrospective National Bibliography 1488–1827 the library has received a donation of 5 million Finnish marks (about £750,000) from a Finnish banking company.

As a result of the government's employment policy the library is decentralizing its activities. In December 1989 a unit for conversion of catalogues was set up in the town of Kotka. A centre for conservation and microfilming will start in the middle of 1990 in Mikkeli, and the main part of the present preservation activities in Helsinki will move there.
Developing a New National Library in Norway
Authors: Rugaas Bendik
Published: August 2016

The increased range and number of information carriers are changing thinking about legal deposit and causing some countries to look at their legislation. In Norway, national library functions, which have hitherto been carried out by the University of Oslo Library, are being transferred to a separate national library. A branch has been set up in the northern town of Mo i Rana with the initial functions of acting as a repository, microfilming, storage of journals and newspapers, conversion of card catalogues, and networking; others to be added later may include the storage of archival copies of legal deposit material, registration and distribution of printed legal deposit, exchange of publications, and conservation and preservation. Some functions may remain in Oslo, including the national bibliographic centre and receipt of non-book legal deposit. Discussions are still taking place on some issues. New legal deposit legislation, to come into force in 1990, covers all publicly available media of recorded knowledge. A government committee, which is looking at the whole area of libraries and information science in Norway, will help to establish where the National Library fits into the national picture.
Do We Need National Libraries, and if So What Sort?: An Assessment in the Light of and Analysis of National Library and Information Needs
Authors: Line Maurice B.
Published: August 2016

It should not be assumed that every country needs a national library or that existing national libraries should be developed along certain established lines. Rather, an analysis should first be made of library and information needs that should be met at national level, and of alternative ways of meeting them, both singly and in combination. The variety of alternatives is considerable; only some of them involve national libraries, while others involve other libraries and bodies, including commercial organizations. The choice is affected by various factors, notably the size and stage of development of a country, and should be guided by several principles, but the deciding criterion should be relative cost-effectiveness. No single function absolutely demands a national library, though in many cases it will constitute the best solution.
The Royal Library — National Library of Sweden
Authors: Antonsson Birgit
Published: August 2016

In 1661 the Royal Library became the first deposit library in Sweden — the basis for its role as national library. Its function as national library was strengthened when, on the dissolution of the DFI (Delegation for Scientific & Technical Information), it took over a majority of its tasks, including full responsibility for the computerized library information system LIBRIS. To cope with these new responsibilities the library has established a National Office for Library Planning & Coordination (BIBSAM), which communicates directly with the National Librarian. A proposal for a coordinated effort to convert the Swedish National Bibliography and the Swedish Union Catalogue has received the backing of research libraries; and a joint project has been set up with a variety of institutions to deal with conservation problems. Plans for the reconstruction and extension of the old 1878 building situated in Humlegården in central Stockholm have been approved, and a grant of 225 million SEK awarded.
Disaster Control Planning: A National Concern?
Authors: McIntyre John E.
Published: August 2016

Disasters of various kinds can and do strike libraries, fire and water being the worst enemies. The Florence disaster and the recognition that prevention and rapid response can do a good deal to minimize damage have led to increased interest in disaster control planning at a local level. In Scotland, the National Library, having completed its own Disaster Control Plan in 1983, funded a project for the compilation of a national disaster plan. As a result, a planning manual was produced in 1985, providing advice to Scottish institutions on disaster prevention and reaction, and the basic structure of a plan. The British Library and the National Library of Wales are among other national libraries that have taken steps to increase awareness. National initiatives are important, since not all requirements of expertise and equipment can be met at local level. National action should include the establishment of standards for buildings and storage systems designed with the aim of preventing disasters and reducing damage, and the provision of support and help in an immediate post-disaster situation.
National Information Policies and Networks in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Sudan
Authors: Wesley Cecile
Published: August 2016

The main functions of the National Documentation Centre of Morocco include supervision and coordination of the different components of the information network, through a decentralized system of regional and specialized sectoral networks. Its role is backed up by legislation, and it has financial and administrative autonomy.

Egypt's National Documentation and Information Centre is affiliated to the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology. However, the Egyptian National Scientific and Technical Information Network is an autonomous body. Two of its main functions are to organize the Egyptian scientific and technical literature by developing and maintaining national and sectoral databases, and to facilitate access to recorded knowledge in electronic as well as traditional forms whether in Egypt or abroad.

In Tunisia in 1977 the National Committee for Documentation proposed a national information system based on thirteen sectors. Seven of these are now in existence, of which the National Documentation Centre, the Agricultural Documentation Centre and the National University Centre for Scientific and Technical Documentation are the three main ones. These have however been allowed to grow independently of one another, as integration is only planned for in the second phase.

The National Documentation Centre of Sudan started as a unit in the National Council for Research, whose needs and interests it reflects. Coordination of libraries, documentation centres and other information services is assigned to the National Committee for Information, but this has not yet taken off; thus libraries and documentation centres are isolated and their growth is haphazard.
The National Library of New Zealand
Authors: Scott Peter
Published: August 2016

The National Library of New Zealand is a principal participant in the New Zealand library system. Its role is to ensure equitable access to information and recorded knowledge and to collect, preserve and make available documentary heritage of New Zealand. Its major functions are co-operative arrangements with other libraries, library agency activities, bibliographic work and the heritage preservation and research functions performed by the Alexander Turn-bull Library. In recent years government emphasis on accountability, funding restrictions, a move towards less centralized government activity and a more user-oriented approach have changed the National Library. A newly opened building has allowed the library to develop its community focus and this, along with a deepening sense of national history and identity, has increased the demands on all services. Current areas of development include services to the Maori people, support services for school library development, contract arrangements to assist local public library development, New Zealand database provision, information brokering and library consultancy, and national collection building. The National Library's future depends on responding to user needs appropriately, as a facilitator of library service development.
The National Library of Australia: Present State and Future Directions
Authors: Horton Warren
Published: August 2016

The conclusion of the 1988 Ministerial Review of the National Library of Australia (NLA) together with the Australian Libraries Summit meeting of the same year resulted in a repositioning of the library in its relations to government and the Australian library community. There has been a deliberate attempt to raise the profile of the library and knowledge of its role in information delivery. Three key issues over the next few years will be the development of the collections, the use made of them and how decisions are reached on service priorities as staff numbers decline. The Summit meeting had unanimously adopted the concept of a Distributed National Collection for Australia, and in its support of this the NLA has fostered the development of an Australian Conspectus, is funding the Australian National Bibliographic Database (which underpins the Australian Bibliographic Network established in 1981), and has adjusted its own collection development policy. The library is also committed to a total review in 1991 of the Australian bibliographic system, in association with other large Australian libraries; and a major consultancy has been addressing issues related to the document delivery role of the NLA. The library has a strong interest in widening its already active library support programme to appropriate Asian and Pacific countries, and in leading a much wider Australian involvement in international library activities across the board.
National Library and Information Research Planning and Policy with Special Reference to the United Kingdom
Authors: Meadows Jack
Published: August 2016

Attempts to plan an overall strategy for library and information research face a whole series of problems, beginning with the most fundamental question of all – what is library and information research? Of equal importance for discussing the topic is the failure of developed countries to implement a properly planned national information policy. Without such a policy, is it even possible to find a generally acceptable rationale for a national research programme for library and information studies? Developments in research planning in the UK over the past decade are used as a basis for examining questions of this kind. The British Library Research and Development Department provides an example of how a well-established funding body can give some coherence at the level of national planning of research even though library and information policies are fragmented. The future of such policies is problematic; there will certainly be forward planning for particular topics, but it is highly uncertain as to whether such partial policies will be coordinated or sprout up separately, perhaps even in competition with one another. Currently, the balance between the forces favouring coordination and those favouring continued fragmentation seems somewhat weighted towards the latter.
The National Library of Chile
Authors: Schadlich Ursula
Published: August 2016

In 1812 the creation of a public library was proposed for the encouragement of education and national culture. This was eventually to become the National Library of Chile. Its first Director, Manuel de Salas, was the author of the legal deposit law. For the first 100 years the library held the dual character of central collection library and public library. Gradually its public library functions were transferred to other bodies, under the administrative and technical control of the National Coordination of Public Libraries, which reports to the Director of the National Library. As it grew in importance and volume over the years, the library moved three times. The present building, begun in 1913, was completed in 1963, with some additional alterations in 1980 and 1981. The creation of the Office of Libraries, Archives and Museums in 1929 made possible an integrated policy for conserving, safeguarding and disseminating the national cultural heritage. The application of computer systems to bibliographic processes – notably the NOTIS system – has led to national network of bibliographic information (RENIB) that now includes academic and public libraries, the Library of Congress of Chile, and other documentation centres.
The Scottish Science Library: A New National Resource for Scotland
Authors: Bunch Antonia J.
Published: August 2016

The Scottish Science Library (SSL), part of the National Library of Scotland (NLS), was opened in 1989. The NLS, the largest library in Scotland, is one of the legal deposit libraries in the UK and had a large scientific collection that was underused. Together with the foreign periodicals collection of the Royal Society of Edinburgh this formed the basis for a new service. Housed in a new building, the SSL provides scientific and technical information services to Scottish industry as well as to academics and the general public. It also incorporates the Scottish Business Information Service.
Retrospective Cataloguing: Some Afterthoughts
Authors: Ratcliffe Frederick W.
Published: August 2016

At the International Conference on Retrospective Cataloguing in Europe: 15th to 19th Century Printed Materials, held in Munich in 1990, it became obvious that the conversion of catalogues of research collections to machine-readable form has a high priority in most European countries. However, the limited specialist use of automated short-title catalogues, the creation of which incurs considerable costs, should be weighed more carefully against the massive unsatisfied demand for post-1970 and current materials. The advantages that the automated catalogue brings to the user are not in question, but a catalogue in many volumes, like the guard-book catalogue in Cambridge University Library, can provide a range of access points that is unlikely ever to be equalled – a view evidently supported by some senior users. In smaller libraries retrospective conversion is more desirable and more easily achievable. But it is important for all librarians to understand why they are converting their catalogues, to place conversion in the order of priorities and to question if it is what the majority of users want.
Strategic Planning in National Libraries
Authors: Donlon Patricia , Line Maurice
Published: August 2016

Rapid change, reduced funding, ‘value for money’, a need to justify and re-examine functions, market orientation, and revenue generation are factors affecting most libraries today. Strategic planning tackles them as a whole. National libraries, as well as exhibiting much more variety than other types of library, differ from them in that they are more directly subject to government, have no clearly defined clientele, and have international as well as national responsibilities and therefore cannot act alone. These factors make planning more difficult but no less necessary. Audiences for a strategic plan are the government, other libraries, and the staff, who should be thoroughly involved in the process of planning, since much of the benefit is in developing strategic management attitudes and skills throughout the library. Business and marketing plans can form useful appendices. Annual operational plans are necessary to ensure that action follows. The help of an external ‘facilitator’ is often desirable. The experience of the National Library of Ireland, which has recently published a strategic plan, is used to illustrate the process.
India's National Library: Current Programmes and Future Plans
Authors: Dasgupta Kalpana
Published: August 2016

India's National Library traces its origins to the Calcutta Public Library, which was opened in 1836 and amalgamated with the Imperial Library in 1903. It receives all material published in India. Its four main groups of activity are Collection Building and Collection Organization, Readers' Service, Conservation of Library Materials, and Administration. These activities are carried out by numerous divisions, of which the subject and language divisions function like individual small libraries, responsible for acquisition, processing and specialized reference services. Some stock is available for loan. There is a small Children's Library. The Conservation Wing has Preservation, Laboratory and Reprography Divisions. An extensive automation programme has started fairly recently; first applications will be for acquisitions and cataloguing. Future projects include the production of a National Union Catalogue, the collection of better statistics of Indian book production, and the acquisition of microforms to fill important lacunae in the collection. Plans for a new six-storey building have been approved.
The Reorganization of National Library Functions in Denmark
Authors: Larsen Svend
Published: August 2016

Denmark has seen a major reorganization of national library functions in the last few years. A National Library Authority has been set up to exercise overall planning and coordination. Specifically national functions are performed by two libraries, the Royal Library in Copenhagen (which also acts as a university library for the University of Copenhagen in the humanities and social sciences), and the State and University Library in Aarhus, but several subject specialist libraries also play national collecting and document supply roles. A modernization project took place in the Royal Library in the latter half of the 1980s, with a view to clarifying its functions and of improving its performance; many of the proposals have already been acted upon. Recent developments include a change in the body responsible for the national bibliography, a review of preservation needs, a start on retrospective conversion, and the construction by the National Library Authority of a budget model (now partly adopted) to achieve fairer allocation of funds among libraries.
Preserving Our Audiovisual Heritage: A National and International Challenge
Authors: Pinion Catherine F.
Published: August 2016

Audiovisuals materials have made an enormous impact on all societies, and are primary evidence in their own right, yet they are denied a place in most national library collections. The case for extending legal deposit to these materials is strong, though good results can sometimes be obtained from voluntary deposit. Before deciding on the best method of establishing a national collection (or collections) it is advisable to see how effective coverage will be and what use will be made of the resulting collections. Whereas access to print-based materials can be by interlibrary loan, photocopy etc., for audiovisual materials the original may be the only copy available, and there may be long waiting lists to use equipment to access them. However, recent innovations such as the TIMS/DADS project are making remote access technically feasible. Several international bodies are encouraging research into selection criteria for different formats, training needs, legal issues etc. Unesco has funded work on the production of an international audiovisual directory and an international glossary of authorivusal archive terms. An International Round Table on Audiovisual Records, comprising the main relevant bodies, was formed in 1981.
The Libraries and Information Market Programmes of the Commission of the European Communities
Authors: Van Halm Johan
Published: August 2016

As Europe becomes a global force, it needs to compete with other trade blocs in the numerous players, of which libraries are one. This has been acknowledged by the CEC's Library Action Programme, initiated in 1985, which covered the creation of machine-readable bibliographies and retroconversion of library catalogues, interconnection of automated systems, innovative library services using new information technology, the development of commercial products etc, for libraries, and exchange of knowledge and experience. The national libraries project has made most progress. In 1991 a further Libraries Programme began, with similar objectives; from many proposals, 14 have been retained. The IMPACT 1 programme (1988) was concerned with the information services market – multimedia databases, networking for shared access to information, electronic document delivery, and development of the market for optical disc products. This programme, which has so far not met with much success, is being followed by IMPACT 2 (approved 1991), which aims on a reduced budget to create a favourable climate for the information services market: improving the understanding of the market, overcoming legal and administrative barriers, increasing the user-friendliness of services, and support for strategic information initiatives. There are a number of specific steps that could be taken to make progress towards the objectives, which would justify a large budget. Moreover, the limited funds should be used to foster pan-European information services, notably in business, finance and law. Related CEC programmes (including ESPRIT and EUREKA) are not well coordinated, and there are several weaknesses, from bureaucracy to a lack of measurement of results. Overall aims of CEC information programmes include developing a European information policy, fostering the information industry as a growth sector, and encouraging existing suppliers to extend their products into global ones. There are good market opportunities, but many challenges to be faced.
Libraries Apart: National Libraries in South Africa's Homelands
Authors: Lor Peter J.
Published: August 2016

During the late 1970s and early 1980s national libraries or national library services were established in South Africa's ten homelands as a by-product of the apartheid policy. These libraries are characterized by a fairly uniform legal and organizational structure known as the ‘Vink-Frylinck model’. An evaluation of what the national libraries have achieved, based on annual reports and published statistics, indicates that most have made only modest progress. This can be attributed to a lack of qualified staff, money and space and, more fundamentally, to certain weaknesses in the Vink-Frylinck model. At root the problems must be attributed to the homelands policy which, in the case of the homeland libraries, had the effect of isolating them in a depressing cycle of inadequacy and lack of recognition while insulating the maily White librarians in mainstream South Africa from the realities of rural African librarianship.