RICOPUR

RICOPUR PUERTO RICO'S ISLANDWIDE MULTITYPE AUTOMATED LIBRARY NETWORK

Dr. Consuelo Figueras

Graduate School of Library and Information Science
University of Puerto Rico,
Rio Piedras, P.R. 00931
Library Consultant
Department of Education
Hato Rey, P.R. 00928

Ismael Rivera

Automation Coordinator
General Library
University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus
Mayaguez, P.R. 00680

Keywords: Multitype Library Networks, Library Consortiums, Puerto Rico, LSCA Title III, Public Libraries, School Libraries, Academic Libraries

Abstract: This article presents the development of the Red de Informacion Cooperativa de Puerto Rico (RICOPUR), a consortium of the public and school libraries divisions of the Puerto Rico Department of Education with the General Library of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus. Problems and advantages of implementing this islandwide network are discussed.

1. INTRODUCTION

Cooperation among libraries in Puerto Rico is not a new topic of concern. By the end of the 70s and early 80s, due to the information explosion, reduced library funds, the increase in library material costs, the inadequate number of professional staff, and lack of bibliographic control, Puerto Rican librarians realized the importance of cooperative projects. Most libraries had the same holdings and were using their personnel to catalog the same materials around the Island. Aware of these problems, librarians began during this period cooperative projects in the areas of collection development, bibliographic control, cataloguing, interlibrary loans and indexing.

Two important interlibrary cooperation efforts were the projects implemented by the Department of Education during this period. The Public Library Service developed in 1979 the Interlibrary Cooperation Project under Title III of the Library Service and Construction Act (LSCA). This project had as its main purpose to promote interlibrary loan from special and academic libraries to public libraries. "During fiscal year 1982, 20 academic and special libraries participated in this program and a total volume of 1343 request were processed, of which 96% were filled" (Griffiths, Goshen & Harding, 1984, page 12).

The second project began to be implemented in 1984 by the School Library Program. This was a pilot project called Library Involvement for Education Network (LIFENET), involving 14 school libraries. This project had as its purpose to "upgrade equipment and cooperative links in the participating libraries during the first two phases, and to provide mobile educational media units in the third phase" (Griffiths, Goshen & Harding, 1984, page 11).

Library Automation and Networking in Puerto Rico

These and other projects were seen as the early steps that would allow the development of an islandwide computerized multitype library network to facilitate interlibrary cooperative projects, which was viewed as the best answer to the library needs mentioned above. The Sociedad de Bibliotecarios de Puerto Rico (Society of Puerto Rican Librarians), SBPR, "actively promoted multitype networking for a number of years, identifying a number of specific goals and objectives in an effort to initiate a Puerto Rican Library and Information Network (PRILINET)" (Griffiths, Goshen & Harding, 1984, page 11), among other projects.

However, it was not until 1984, that the Department of Education funded under Title III of LSCA a study by King Research in order to assess the feasibility of developing a computerized library network for all types of libraries in Puerto Rico. The study identified four problem that could affect the development of the network at that point (Griffiths, Goshen & Harding, 1984, page 1, 2):

• few libraries had automated their procedures and services.

• the bilingual nature of the library collections.

• lacked of trained staff in general, but particularly in library automation

• Library personnel who are trained in automation are furthermore fully occupied with other operations of their own libraries.

• need for an adequate islandwide telecommunication infrastructure on which to base the computerized network.

After 1984 several factors facilitated the automation and networking of library services in most large academic libraries and many college libraries in Puerto Rico: • library automation was considered by university and college administrators as a means to improve the effectiveness of library services and as a measure of academic standard

• the islandwide telecommunication and transportation infrastructure was greatly improved

• the development of the University of Puerto Rico Educational Network (UPRENET)

• more library professionals had the competencies to work with automated systems

• some libraries join online cataloguing services or use microcomputers based system (OCLC, Bibliofile, among others).

• the development of low cost computer hardware with increased storage capacity and speed, and low cost computer peripherals, such as terminals, printers, etc.

• the development of low cost fax machine and laser disk technology

• availability of a transportation vehicle at each of the Area Public Libraries.

In 1984 the General Library of the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez began to implement its integrated automated system based on the Data Research System (formerly ATLAS System). Being the first on the Island, workshops, seminars and trainings were offered to librarians from all academic institutions. During the following years other systems were implemented at other academic institutions. An exemplary project, still in function, is the automated network established among the Ana G. MÇndez Educational Foundation Institutions' Libraries. As its campuses are located in different municipalities, this is an islandwide network.

At present, other automated projects have been established. The University of Puerto Rico's libraries, with the exception of the Mayaguez campus library, implemented the NOTIS system. The Interamerican University implemented the Dobis Louven system. Other libraries have been using microcomputer systems.

As a result of the development of individual automated projects, multitype library network began to be considered as a real alternative. The automated databases developed could be used to identify holdings in other libraries and to borrow from these collections.

The most important event in this area was the growth of the University of Puerto Rico Educational Network (UPRENET). This has become the basic telecommunications infrastructure through which all University of Puerto Rico's campus communicate administrative, research, and bibliographic data, among others. It also provide access to other institutions in and outside the Island.

Development of the Red de Informacion Cooperativa de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Cooperative Information Network, RICOPUR)

By 1992, multitype library cooperation in Puerto Rico was still minimal. The Public Library Service Interlibrary Cooperation Project, which was the largest multitype library cooperation project on the Island, was not in function. Several factors contributed to its disappearance, one of the most important being the lack of an effective materials delivery system. Partially, as a result of this, the LSCA Title III funds granted to the Department for library multitype cooperation projects were not used for almost seven years. Thus, even with all the important advancements mentioned in the previous section, eight years after the King Research study, there was no computerized multitype library network in the Island.

In 1992, a Special Assistant on Library Matters was hired to revitalize the library programs under the Department of Education, in coordination with its Directors of the Public and School Library Program. One of her objectives was to reinitiate the multitype libraries cooperation project, this time based on an automated network infrastructure. A five year plan was developed for this project and a professional librarian was hired to coordinate it. Since public libraries had not been automated, the first step performed was to built the technological capacity of the libraries that would participate in the network. Several automated systems were evaluated. The evaluation was based on the systems' capacity to automate the individual libraries and to provide the basis for a multitype library network.

Due to the limited funds available, the lack of professional librarians in public libraries, and the high cost of the system evaluated, the Department decided not to built its own automation infrastructure. As a viable alternative, the Department chose to join in consortium to an organization which had an established automated system. The organization chosen was the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus General Library (MCGL).

The benefits of establishing the consortium with the MCGL were:

• the Department of Education was not required to buy the automated software nor the computer hardware. The Department had to pay only to upgrade the software license

• the MCGL automated system had been successfully in use for almost ten years

• the system can be set up without reprogramming by academic or public libraries

• the MCGL automated system could be easily accessed from any part of the Island through UPRENET

• the MCGL has the administrative infrastructure, the knowledge and the personnel to establish a multitype automated library network

• the MCGL had an automation coordinator, with vast experience in this area, who was going to be in charge of the development of the network.

In December 1993, the Red de Informacion Cooperativa de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Cooperative Information Network, RICOPUR) was established. The initial members of RICOPUR are the MCGL, the Public Library Service Division and the School Library Program of the Department of Education. A Governing Board was established to coordinate and administer the network. Each member has two representatives on the Board.

RICOPUR will have as its objectives to facilitate cooperation projects among member libraries. In the next three years, RICOPUR, will be working in:

a. Developing a Spanish MARC bibliographic database (in MARC format) with authority records. For the past year MCGL has been working building such database for the Department, using its English Language database, Bibliofile and OCLC. When records are found, they are translated to Spanish (e.g., physical descriptions, notes and name and subject entries). Global search and replace capabilities of the system are used to translate subject headings terms (e.g. History for Historia), names (e.g., George Washington for Jorge Washington) and standardized notes (e.g., Includes index for Incluye indice) and physical descriptions terms (e.g., col. ill. for il. col.). Spanish authority records are created based on Lista de Encabezamientos de Materia para Bibliotecas (2nd ed., 1985) and LCSH.

b. establishing the telecommunication infrastructure of the network, connecting via UPRENET sixteen Area Public Libraries and seven school libraries.

c. Barcoding of the public and school library collections. While only 16 public libraries will be connected to the telecommunication network, for interlibrary loan purposes, all resources at the 64 public libraries will be barcoded. For the next three years, only seven school libraries will be part of the network.

d. Establishing an effective and efficient delivery system around the Island and developing interlibrary loan agreements with other academic, special and school libraries.

e. Training the professional and non-professional staff in the use of computers, applications programs, DRA System and MARC cataloging.

f. Develop an online union lists of serials.

g. Promoting the participation of additional members.

h. Establishing collection development agreements among public and school libraries in order to promote the effective use of library budgets.

Among the problems encountered in the implementation of RICOPUR has been the highly bureaucratic procedures followed by the Government of Puerto Rico agencies; the high cost of telecommunications; lack of basic knowledge in library automation among public library employees; the duplicity of library materials due the centralization of acquisitions procedures; lack of a procedures manual for the cataloging of resources. The economic support of the network is primarily based on external and limited funds, that can affect the future development of the network.

As participant of RICOPUR, the Department of Education's Public Library Service, in spite of its low book budget, will be able to purchase a larger variety of titles and fewer copies of each title. Also, materials donated directly to each public library, which are rarely processed at present, can be catalogued and classified. MCGL users will be able to access non academic resources, which at present are highly in demand, but not acquired, such as paperbacks and books and general interest topics. Also, users will have access to Puerto Rican books available at the different public libraries. Participating school libraries will provide their students, school personnel and the surrounding schools with up to date materials, which are difficult to find at the local level.

All members of RICOPUR that will be using the DRA system technical services module will benefit of its capability to process high volume of resources. Reduction in Spanish original cataloguing is expected, as the database growths. By 1995, RICOPUR is expected to be functioning, as a minimum, at sixteen Area Public Libraries; seven school libraries, one at each educational region; and two academic libraries. The participant libraries will perform online cooperative cataloguing and interlibrary loans. They also will have automated circulation and online catalogues. The members will also have access to an online union list of serials and a community information referral database. All of these will provide users with improved access to information resources, in an effective and efficient way, whether they are located in or outside the Island. In addition, participant libraries are expected to improve the use of human and fiscal resources.

REFERENCES

Griffiths, Jose-Marie, Carolyn Goshen and Lesley Harding. Multitype Library Consortium to Computerize Library Services in Puerto Rico : Feasibility Study. Final Report. Rockville, Maryland : King Research, 1984.

Lista de encabezamiento de materia para bibliotecas. 2da. ed. Bogota Colombia : Instituto Colombiano para el Fomento de la Educacion Superior, 1985.

Vigo-Cepeda, Luisa, et al. "Estudio para el establecimiento de una red de informacion interbibliotecaria en Puerto Rico : sometida a la 17ma Conferencia Anual de la S.B.P.R. como Documento de Trabajo, num. 2, revisada a 14 de junio de 1978," in Boletin, Sociedad de Bibliotecarios de Puerto Rico, 1(2):7-16, 1979.