NLM’s library network: A force for outreach

This chapter considers the transformation of U.S. National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) national network of libraries into an effective force for spreading awareness of NLM’s resources, services, and tools and increasing their use. Several examples of network programs and projects are recounted to illustrate the influence of NLM’s longest serving Director, Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D. on the development and evolution of NLM’s library network.

The System of Versions of the Library Bibliographic Classification: Evolution and Modernisation

The Library Bibliographic Classification (LBC) is the national classification sistem of the Russian Federation. Its support is one of the priority areas of activity of the Russian State Library. The LBC is used in most libraries of the country, fully covering the most numerous groups — public and school libraries, all central libraries of the entities of the Russian Federation, libraries for children and youth, special libraries for the blind and visually impaired persons, libraries of higher educational institutions, libraries of the armed forces of the Russian Federation as well as part of the libraries of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), other systems and authorities.The work with the LBC involves its development as a system of versions and publications (maintaining the standard of the LBC schedules in machine-readable form; timely updating the content and structure of the LBC; preparation, publishing, and distribution of the Abridged, Medium and Complete LBC schedules in printed and machine-readable forms, immediate changes and corrections to the schedules). There is a need for methods to systematise documents on the basis of the LBC, provision of consulting work to the library network of the country (conducting training seminars, publishing recommendations and practical guide-books, conducting operational consulting, using available communication channels); maintaining the system of training and professional development of personnel, etc.Since the 2000s, all areas of scientific and practical activity on the management of the LBC have focused on the task of modernising the national classification system. The paper analyses the system of versions of the LBC which was implemented in the form of various versions of the classification schedules. The identifying features are the title and the year of publication. The main schedules are Complete, Medium, and Abridged schedules which are supplemented with Special ones. The article presents the historical evolution of the system of BC versions depending on the conditions of its functioning. The theoretical justification is given and the problems of practical implementation of the modernisation of the schedules are considered.

The Science Library’s providing information support of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The role and place of science libraries during the transfer to digital science information and online user services is examined. The authors argue that in these circumstances of transfer to digital communication and Internet-based services and facilities, the peer-reviewed journals still maintain their role as a key publication format and promptly deliver research findings to researchers and experts. Open access has not been widely adopted in fundamental sciences: the scholarly information awareness system has to be financed by the government. The network of academic and research libraries make the part of this system. Based on the experience of the centralized library network (CLN) of the Russian Academy of Sciences Library for Natural Sciences (RAS LNS), the possibilities of the vast academic library network are explored. The structure of full-text collection of CLN RAS LNS is analyzed. This collection core is made primarily of the National Electronic Subscription materials comprising the world most established academic journals. With the Internet, these resources can be delivered directly to researcher’s workplace via the two channels under the National Electronic Subscription program, i. e. via his/her organizational subscription or via the library providing services to his/her organization. Both channels should be integrated in the system where the core resources are provided directly to the organization, and individual components demanded by individual researcher – via the library network. This system of science information provision has been for several years efficiently functioning at CLN RAS LNS. The need for similar system for the outside of National Electronic Subscription program is substantiated.

Challenges that Affect the Utilization of KLISC’s Resources and Services at University of Nairobi

It is not feasible for a library to hold or acquire a full collection of information resources which may be required by its patrons. To deal with this issue, library cooperation was adopted, for instance, interlibrary loaning, document delivery and library network, formed to build the acquiring capacity of cooperating institutions to grow the accessibility of information resources and offer computerized services. In Kenya, there is KLISC which has carried out commendable activities to support research in Kenya. KLISC has done admirable exercises to support research in Kenya. These exercises incorporate collaborative acquisition of information resources, ICT training of information experts and the preparation of researchers to improve their abilities in retrieving information. Despite the activities and services that KLISC provide, its resources are yet to be appreciated by a majority of the users of the member institutions. Also, not all information providers and institutions of higher learning are members. Kenya has over 600 institutions but only 112 are KLISC members as of 2018 and the numbers keep reducing. The study therefore tried to identify the challenges that the KLISC members face that could be affecting utilization of the electronic resources, members pulling out and also discouraging other institutions from joining. The study found out that KLISC members experienced the following challenges; slow internet connectivity, information illiteracy, lack of searching skills, low awareness levels, slow downloading speed, unfriendly platforms, password requirements for some databases, poor ICT infrastructure, poor ICT skills for both users and staff, delays in releasing of funds by the management, and slow communication from the publishers. KLISC itself faces the following challenges: members do not efficiently communicate about their information needs, lack of sponsorship since INASP pulled out, delay by KLISC’s members to pay their annual subscription fee, and the management team is overwhelmed by work. The study therefore recommended the following: Institutions should invest more on ICT infrastructure, KLISC should come up with a way of ensuring relevancy, KLISC should stand on its own as an institution and acquire its own offices and employ staff who will just be working for KLISC, KLISC should create a mini-consortium to cater for research institutions and also other specialized fields in different institutions in Kenya, KLISC should come up with a way of dealing with individual defaulters in a way that does not affect the other members, the publishers should improve the interfaces of their databases to make them user friendly and easy to navigate, and the publishers should also ensure fast communications with the institutions.

Roles of Local Information Professionals of the Thai Provincial University Libraries

This paper aims to investigate the roles of information professionals in local information departments. These roles were identified by interviewing the members of the Local Information Working Group of the Provincial University Library Network (PULINET) in Thailand. This study applied qualitative research methods, including the 23 interviews of the Local Information Working Group members and a qualitative observation. The need for investigation of the roles as perceived by local information professionals was prompted by the placement of local information departments in the provincial university libraries, which is different from the Western countries where similar work is carried out in public libraries. The activity theory was applied to understand the roles of these professionals as emerging within their community through the division of labor, norms as expressed in responsibilities, and actions as expressed in functions of local information professionals. The study has revealed eight professional roles including manager, curator, service provider, promoter, researcher, collaborator, learner, and educator that overlap with the roles identified in the library research of other countries. The study included a specific group of respondents – the members of a working group of the Thai provincial university library network. This group consists of the representatives of all Thai provincial university libraries and is producing the recommendations and standards for local information work, works with competence development and develops common local information resources. Thus, the results of interviews with its members are both limited to this group, but also can be generalized to a wider professional community of provincial university librarians.

Establishing and developing the system of libraries of the USSR Academy of Sciences regional branches: the 1930s-1945

The article is devoted to organizing the work of the USSR Academy of Sciences (AS) libraries in the 1930s, while creating a network of scientific branches and bases of AS in the country regions. The main goal of the created library system was to provide scientists working far from Moscow and Leningrad with scientific publications according with the specialization of newly created scientific institutions. The article attempts to recall how the expansion of the system of academic libraries in the USSR has started, and provides real data on their work. The authors overview the academic organizations created on the periphery, describes the processes of acquisitions and methodological management of libraries of branches and bases of the USSR Academy of Sciences.The principles of formation of science library network proved to be effective and the system of academic libraries expanded successfully for decades. The factual base of the article were the documents found in the archives of the Library of Natural Sciences RAS, in the Moscow and St. Petersburg Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in some regional archives and materials available on the Internet sites. The authors used a general scientific methodology, applying source study, archaeographic and analytical-synthetic methods of working with archival documents.The article is devoted to organizing the work of the USSR Academy of Sciences (AS) libraries in the 1930s, while creating a network of scientific branches and bases of AS in the country regions. The main goal of the created library system was to provide scientists working far from Moscow and Leningrad with scientific publications according with the specialization of newly created scientific institutions. The article attempts to recall how the expansion of the system of academic libraries in the USSR has started, and provides real data on their work. The authors overview the academic organizations created on the periphery, describes the processes of acquisitions and methodological management of libraries of branches and bases of the USSR Academy of Sciences.The principles of formation of science library network proved to be effective and the system of academic libraries expanded successfully for decades. The factual base of the article were the documents found in the archives of the Library of Natural Sciences RAS, in the Moscow and St. Petersburg Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in some regional archives and materials available on the Internet sites. The authors used a general scientific methodology, applying source study, archaeographic and analytical-synthetic methods of working with archival documents.

SLSP and swisscovery – a Swiss success story on how to create a multilingual, national library network

With the ’go live’ of swisscovery, Swiss libraries have taken a big step into the future. Combining the migration of six local data sets with the creation of a national network and the independent library service provider SLSP (Swiss Library Service Platform) within a single project was a bold goal that was reached on 7 December 2020. Looking back on the three years of implementation (2018–2020), which followed the conception phase of 2015–2017, we identify and discuss the key success factors, hurdles that were faced, and challenges still to be met. While some of these elements are found on the technical level, others refer to business and management aspects. Indeed, such projects are always a combination of technological, economical, and human factors.

FORMATION OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY MODEL IN THE CONDITIONS OF UNITED TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES OF THE SOUTH OF UKRAINE

Purpose of the article. The analysis of the specificities of formation of the public library model in the conditions of creation of the united territorial communities (UTC) of the South of Ukraine. The methodology of the research is based on the complex of general methods (analysis, synthesis, generalization, and modeling) and approaches (system, socio-communicative, modernization). The scientific novelty of the work is to conducta comprehensive study of the possibility of choosing libraries of Odesa, Kherson, and Mykolayiv a certain profile and their own path of development in the formation of UTC as centers of legal and regional information in the form of centers of public initiatives, socio-communication platforms, multimedia mobile libraries or multicultural centers. Conclusions. Suggestions that are based on the comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed models of reforming the library network are made regarding the development of the optimal model of functioning of public libraries in the South of Ukraine, which provides for the following important elements. Firstly, automation, that is based on the development and implementation of the newest information technologies, which, in turn, activates the material and technical base modernization, organization structure, and the library staff training; providing new services or products. Secondly, renovating the activity and staff management methods. Thirdly, providing stable financing to UTC possibilities, applying marketing and advertising technologies of library activity popularization according to the UTC functioning. Next, saving the valuable stuff resource and technologies in library staff’ work. Then, organizing the UTC public library work as the informative intelligent center, cultural and leisure space, that is discovered on the Chornomorska library example. Finally, the introduction of non-stationary library services on the basis of the Law of Ukraine«On territorial communities’ cooperation». Key words: public libraries, the South of Ukraine, united territorial communities (UTC), modernization,model, profiling.

Building Internationally Literate Communities

How can we as librarians bring children and books from a variety of cultures and backgrounds together to create a more internationally literate community? This workshop addresses that question with a discussion of what it means to be internationally literate as well as internationally-minded, followed by an outline of some evaluation criteria useful in selecting international children's literature. Examples will be offered of what a school library network can do to promote wider reading of literature from around the world. All supporting materials, including booklists, for this workshop can be found online (after 30/09/10) at Kids Global Read website.