9______________________
PANEL ON MEETING THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE
LIBRARY SERVICES AND INFORMATION TECH-NOLOGY CAPABILITIES IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
Elizabeth J. Kirk
Director, Project on Europe and the Countries of the Former Soviet Union
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Washington, DC 20005
ekirk@aaas.org
[Elizabeth Kirk]
Good afternoon. I am Elizabeth Kirk. I am the Project Director for the projects in Europe and countries in the FSU at AAAS. Our journal distribution project is one of about six different projects which we are working on within the main project. If you want to know more about these, see me later.
I want to do four things in my presentation today:
1. To outline the two journal distribution projects which we are working on.
2. To talk about the role of scientific and technical information the develop-ing countries are now getting from the West, and what is being done with it
3. To briefly report on the findings of the surveys and discuss what we con-ducted in January and February of 1994 on the capabilities of libraries in at least three of the FSU countries.
4. To discuss future areas, which we would like to discuss with our collea-gues in Russia and elsewhere.
Introduction
When one talks about new information technologies for libraries in the countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU), one must be aware that the current state of technologies and library systems are only recently capable of being assessed since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Based on surveys AAAS took of 16 Aca-demy of Sciences, public, university, and medical libraries in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine; visits to them in January and February of 1994, and feedback from other projects supporting FSU libraries, the findings are quite bleak, with a few exceptions, for the development of technically advanced libraries in the near future, although the capabilities exist for the upgrading of libraries in the longer term through the gradual introduction of advanced library techniques and technologies.
With the breakup of the Soviet Union also came the breakup of centralized library systems into 15 autonomous systems involving at least four bureaucra-cies: the autonomous Academy of Sciences libraries, the public libraries (which support business and industrial enterprises) under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, some of the medical libraries that are governed by the Ministry of Health, and the university libraries that are under the control of the Ministry of Education. The culture of secrecy and interbureaucratic rivalries often dissuade cooperation between different libraries so that it is difficult for each library to know about the other's holdings (or complete a union list of holdings) and to develop a viable interlibrary loan system across different types of libraries.
Library Capabilities
Each library seemed to have the same kind of procedures for logging in acquisi-tions, making them available to users, and providing limited document delivery services. There was usually a copying machine for the staff to copy requested materials or for users to use on a paid basis. In the Academy of Sciences libraries, specialized books and journals are sent to specific research institutes, whereas other libraries are more centralized.
Library Holdings-Automated DataBases
Many of the holdings of these libraries, sometimes dating back to imperial times, are recorded in card catalogues by huge library staffs. Development of automa-ted databases of library holdings is just beginning in a few libraries (especially the public and Academy libraries), with some of them using Western databases and retrieval systems (MARC) and others using more home-grown database software. In many cases, only the last few years of holdings have been catalo-gued on an automated system. Many libraries have at least some computer capabilities, but few have search capabilities that are available to general users.
CD-ROM Capabilities
More than half of the libraries had CD-ROM readers (from 120) and access to CD-ROM sources from Silver Platter, MEDLINE, Science Citation Index, and others, but now there are no funds to purchase updated disks. Many sources do not date past 1992. CDROM systems are stand-alone, and once citations are found, limited document delivery service is available other than trying to find the articles in library holdings or writing to Western colleagues. Outside of Moscow, Academy of Sciences libraries are most likely to have CD-ROM readers along with a few medical libraries.
Electronic Networking
Electronic networking is a problem because of the costs of dedicated telephone lines and long-distance phone calls, an antiquated telephone system, a lack of high-speed data communications, and interbureaucratic rivalries. A few libraries have e-mail capabilities, but it is indirect, expensive, and unreliable. Local area networks (LANs) between libraries and even within libraries are rare. One exception is the UNIBEL project in Belarus (Belarusian University Computer Network) which, when developed, would allow universities and educational and research institutes in Belarus to communicate with each other and other countries electronically (kritsky%ok.minsk.by@relay.ussr.eu.net).
Microfiche or Microfilm
Most libraries have old readers and material consisting of some foreign sources but a preponderance of old Soviet dissertations and domestic literature.
U.S. and other Efforts to Enhance FSU Library Capabilities
There are currently numerous activities to improve telecommunications and li-brary capabilities between U.S. and FSU facilities. The following projects men-tioned here are just a few of them.
The National Library of Medicine (hsieh@nlm.nih.gov) has completed an effort to provide medical research libraries with computers, e-mail, and access to MEDLINE. They have also twinned these libraries with U.S. university medical libraries in order to foster cooperation between them. The NLM is also funding the Central Asian part of the AAAS Journal Distribution Project.
The Library of Congress (eaj@seq1.loc.gov) has also initiated support for libraries to support their respective parliaments. In Russia, for example, this includes training for staff, computers, the TINLIB Integrated Library System, CD ROM towers, and dial-up internet capabilities. It is also planning to link these libraries electronically with offices in both houses of the Russian parliament.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as part of the National Science Internet (NSI) (villasen@nsipo.arc.nasa.gov), is working (with the National Science Foundation, the International Science Foundation, and others) to develop a high-speed, fiber-optic cable network link in Moscow to link various academy and university institutes and departments. Although intended for scientific research centers, libraries are hoping to hook into this network. ISF is currently supporting an electronic networking program, based in Kiev, which is predominantly training-oriented (slava@prs.isf.kiev.ua).
The International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) (irex@info.irex.org) has worked to create a library/archive computer communication network to ex-change information via e-mail between a dozen libraries and archives in Moscow and St. Petersburg and American libraries. They have also sponsored workshops to increase and disseminate information about libraries in the Russian Far East and Siberia.
The University of Alaska-Fairbanks (ffphm@aurora.alasks.edu) is working on the development of an Arctic Science database (Polar Pac) with three libraries in the Russian Far East, including document delivery services and assistance in converting Russian databases into the USMARC standard for use by U.S. libraries.
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is helping to sponsor a series of conferences in Crimea (Ukraine) and elsewhere to discuss CD-ROM, electronic networking, and other technologies available to libraries (root@gpntb.msk.su).
The Science and Technical Information Network (STN) in Karlsruhe, Ger-many is also helping to provide document delivery of Western literature through the use of fax and mail deliveries.
Observations and Suggestions
Observations
After several discussions with participants in these and other projects, there seem to be several roadblocks to overcome in order to set up modern library services:
1. Antiquated phone lines and switches: Some systems bypass these through the use of satellites, but this is an expensive alternative at this point. The pro-blem is especially acute outside of major cities. The phone lines cannot accom-modate high-speed data transfer.
2. High costs associated with e-mail services, long-distance phone calls, document delivery services: For some time, libraries will not have the currency to either purchase hard-copy journals or pay for Western document delivery ser-vices. Some commercial companies are announcing lower, noncommercial rates, but any extensive use of even e-mail will be costly.
3. Lack of appropriate software or compatible software standards and data-base formats: In addition to a lack of high-speed computers and processors, soft-ware capable of handling fast transfer of files is also often lacking. Incompati-bilities exist among systems because they have been purchased and installed by many vendors to meet specific user needs.
4. Adequately trained personnel: Often the library staff is not particularly motivated to learn modern techniques because there is no incentive to do so. If new people are brought in and trained, they often leave shortly thereafter for higher paying jobs to use their newly acquired skills. Many times the training is short and inadequate so that if some major or minor software or hardware pro-blem occurs, the computer will sit idle.
5. Bureaucratic politics: Working through the bureaucracy is very slow, and, because funding for libraries is dependent on specific ministries and institutions, they are at the mercy of higher bureaucratic goals.
6. Possessiveness - Many times, new systems are locked in the office of the director, deputy director, or some other library official and are not widely used. It is viewed as a status symbol.
Suggestions
1. Antiquated phone lines and switches: A study should be made of alterna-tive ways to move data electronically, including microwave, fiber-optic, and wireless technologies. Some efforts have already been made in this area among scientific institutions, but not for libraries that are widely dispersed.
2. High costs associated with e-mail services, long-distance phone calls, document delivery services: Some inexpensive intermediate means should be examined to provide access to Western literature by FSU libraries and Western access to FSU literature that is relatively inexpensive but still protects copyright and other publication regulations. This can include subsidies, exchange agree-ments, graduated costs for services, and other incentives that would improve the capabilities of libraries to sustain holdings and services.
3. Lack of appropriate software or compatible software standards and data-base formats: Efforts should be explored to create an integrated architecture of compatible systems with some recommendations for specific standards. This requires coordination between libraries and users.
4. Adequately trained personnel: Efforts must be made to bring together librarians with computer service experts to keep trained personnel and systems operating routinely. This would, over time, change the environment in which the librarians operate. Incentives, either with commercial companies, university computer centers, or others, might be developed to assure a supply of trained support staff.
5. Bureaucratic politics: Although interactions across bureaucratic lines is often done among the ranks on an interpersonal level, more formal recognition is needed to expedite cooperation. Efforts should be made to create interbureau-cratic task forces so that libraries work synergistically rather than in opposition to one another. Although it is beyond the scope of any Western institution to change FSU bureaucratic structures, conferences, seminars, workshops and other fora that involved representatives from relevant ministries and institutes might help to foster such cooperation. Large library conferences, like those being held in Crimea, are also helpful to stimulate discussions and cooperation among libraries.
6. Possessiveness: Enough computers, LANs, and networking utilities must be made available to assure wide access to these capabilities. This requires the development of constituencies of users and trained staff who will use such systems frequently to obtain their information.
APPENDIX A
1. AAAS Project to Distribute Scientific Journals in the Former Soviet Union
In February 1993, AAAS received $275,000 from the John. D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to purchase and distribute science and engineering journals to the former Soviet Union (FSU).
This project grew out of a feasibility study launched by AAAS in early 1992 to assess the need for scientific journals in the FSU, identify journal subscriptions that had lapsed due to the hard currency shortage, and determine what it would cost to reinstate those subscriptions. Results of the study indicated that the num-ber of subscriptions to scientific journals in the FSU had dropped significantly since 1990, and that it would be problematic and quite costly for any one funding organization to reinstate the thousands of subscriptions that had lapsed. Conse-quently, AAAS devised an alternative approach to purchase and distribute 12 copies of a representative selection of journals to major libraries in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.
Most all of the 16 publishing societies that subsequently agreed to participate in the project are AAAS affiliates; AAAS is also a participant. Five societies offered to donate 12 copies of their journal(s) over a 2-year period, whereas the other societies are providing subscriptions to most or all of their journals at cost. Societies either have committed calendar 1993 and 1994 journals to the project or two years' worth of journal issues dating from the point at which AAAS began to receive the journals, around June 1993. Hence, some subscriptions will run through mid-1995. This 2-year project involving 138 titles amounts to over 17,000 journal copies being distributed each of the two years to Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.
Some 20 public, science and technology, academy of sciences, university, and medical libraries in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, and Kyyiv receive quarterly shipments of the journals. Of these libraries, eight are located in Moscow, four in St. Petersburg, four in Ukraine, and four in Minsk. For every quarterly shipment 12 copies of each journal are earmarked for three libraries in each city relative to the journal's discipline. Matrix International Logistics, Inc., a U.S.-based shipping and courier service that has established a delivery network in the FSU, handles the receipt, inventory, shipping, and direct delivery of journals to each library.
AAAS chose libraries rather than centers of scientific research as journal recipients for a number of reasons. First, libraries offer accessibility to the maxi-mum number of researchers, rather than to individual scientists alone. Also, concentrating on this smaller number of institutions, rather than on numerous individual research institutes, enables AAAS to more effectively track journal receipt and usage. Finally, the network of foreign acquisition librarians already in place in major cities is a natural channel through which the availability of the journals can be announced to the scientific community.
In addition to visiting with staff at 18 of the 20 libraries in early 1994 to monitor the progress of the project, AAAS staff collect periodic reports from the libraries to confirm receipt of the journals, patterns in usage, and any circum-stances that would warrant adjustments in the project. Toward the close of the 2-year project, AAAS will evaluate the impact of its contribution toward resolving the shortage of scientific literature in the FSU and determine whether and how the organization will continue to play a role in the provision of scientific infor-mation to the former Soviet Union. For additional information please contact:
Dr. Elizabeth J. Kirk, Director, EFSU Project, AAAS, 1333 H St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005
(tel: 202-326-6493; fax: 202-289-4958)
ekirk@aaas.org
2. RECIPIENT LIBRARIES
Belarus
Belarus National Library
Belarus State University Library
Library of the Belarusian Academy of Sciences
Minsk State Medical Institute Library
Ukraine
Kiev State Medical Institute Library
Scientific Library of Kiev State University Ukraine State Scientific
Medical Library State Public Library of Ukraine
Library of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences
Russia (Moscow)
Library of the Institute for Scientific Information on the Social Sciences
of the
Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS)
Library of Natural Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Scientific Library, Moscow State University
National Public Library for Science and Technology
Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy Library
State Central Scientific Medical Library Russian State Library
Russia (St. Petersburg)
Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences Russian National Library
St. Petersburg Medical Institute Library St. Petersburg State University
Library
Q & A_________________
DISCUSSIONS ON KIRK AND LEVEY
[Richard Quandt]
Thank you very much. We are going to open up for questions and comments to both speakers. Let me add to the question of "brain drain," I think that that is an immense problem throughout the Eastern European region. A distinguished professor in Poland makes about an equivalent of US$400 a month, and even though there is a price differential in terms of purchasing power and so forth, for a family of four to survive more or less decently, one needs more than that. This creates a great temptation for a professional to go to a private sector, such as a bank, and thus he or she can make about 10 times more. So, it is a problem which has not been solved yet.
[Robert Hayes]
I would argue that the brain drain which you are talking about may be ultimately good. Namely, here you have a set of skills in information transfer, and moving them into an embryonic private sector may very well be the most valuable move that can possibly be made. To have the kind of skills in information access brought into entrepreneurial companies, or brought into companies with top investment, seems to be a very positive thing. But, what we need to do is not worry about the brain drain of people moving from universities to the private sector, but to worry about whether we have a new flow of new people to do the kinds of things that need to be done.
[Richard Quandt]
Thank you very much. It is a very interesting point of view.
[Elizabeth Kirk]
I agree with you. When Dave Penniman was reviewing my paper, he suggested that there has to be a kind of incentive created among the business community, the educational community, and the other communities to keep trained informa-tion specialists on library staff for a while, because it would be beneficial for the business community in the long run.
[Lisbeth Levey]
In terms of the brain drain, when you take into consideration the University of Zimbabwe, for example, the medical library has the funding to put in a CD-ROM network. There is a user demand for a network because they are doing 300 MEDLINE searches a month now, but they don't have a systems operator. So they decided to have five stand-alone stations because there is no one who can maintain the network. Every time they have a trained librarian, the person leaves for the private sector. So there has to be some incentive. To just say the brain drain may be a good thing is not going to solve the problem.
[Marjorie Hlava]
I have a couple of comments. First of all, it is really hard to get documents added to the databases. This is a two-way street in terms of the coverage of resources from any place to include things that are published in Nigeria, etc., into a data-base. It is not a straightforward problem for them either. So, if you can encoura-ge your counterpart to send their documents to the database producers, my guess is that they probably will be included. In fact, I know they will. So, just a sug-gestion. Another thing is in relation to Russia: we are sponsoring a computa-tional linguistics team because they have a machine translation system and multilanguage translation interface, so that this interface will allow an English-speaking user to search in a Cyrillic database, or vice versa. I think that the scientific community worldwide speaks or reads three languages -- Chinese, English, and Cyrillic -- all the others are really secondary languages in terms of cooperative knowledge. The walls have come down but the current copus of knowledge is in these three languages.
[Richard Quandt]
You are lucky that there is no Frenchmen here.
[Richard Hsieh]
I would like to comment on the brain drain. Perhaps there are two groups of countries facing the brain drain problem. One group has a strong scientific base in the past, and because of war, political, and other disasters, scientists choose to stay abroad to continue their careers. Although these countries are affected by the brain drain problem, the problem will not last long, nor will the problem be a devastating one. The other groups of countries never have much of a scientific base, and thus the brain drain problem in these countries is described very well by Ms. Levey.
[Lisbeth Levey]
We are beginning to work with a number of African institutions in trying to get more African coverage in databases. The Public Affairs Information Service has indicated a great interest in getting more social sciences coverage of African materials in its database. And we are working with a consortia of African social sciences organizations to do just that. We are also working with the African publishing community; we are co-organizing a workshop in Zimbabwe in 1995 to look at the issue of increasing African coverage in international databases. We expect to have some major database producers at that workshop.
[Neal Kaske]
Just a question. To me, brain drain means people leaving one country for another. Do you use the term in this way here?
[Richard Quandt]
No. It is more recently interpreted as either move to another country or to ano-ther occupation.
[Elizabeth Kirk]
I just want to clarify one point regarding different kinds of databases. There are databases of bibliographic materials, but there are also databases of data collected by researchers of government agencies which could be made accessible. For example, in Russia, there is a vast amount of data which are not organized in any form that can be easily transferable. Again, how can we use these data is another question.
[Richard Quandt]
Thank you very much. We shall hold all other questions to the end of the ses-sion. Our next speaker is Wendy White of the National Research Council.