PANEL ON EDUCATION/TRAINING RELATED TO NIT AND GII

NEW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN SLOVAK LIBRARY SYSTEM AND EDUCATION OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION WORKERS

Jela Steinerova

Assistant Professor
Department of Library & Information Science
Comenius University
Bratislava, Slovak Republic
jsteiner@mail.loc.gov

Introduction

New information technologies are being widely used and adopted not only in developed countries, but also in many postcommunist countries including Central Europe. This tendency cannot be stopped, which brings about many new pro-blems, issues, and challenges that are typical for post communist countries. On the one hand, it is important for professionals to be aware of what is going on in the developed world in the area of library and information science, on the other hand, it is also good for professionals from developed countries to be informed about major problems and challenges concerning the application of information technologies in less developed regions. Following this assumption, this chapter gives a brief presentation of the most urgent problems concerning library and information work in Slovak Republic.

Library System and Information Infrastructure

Our library system has developed in the past decade from the so called unified system of libraries of the integrated library and information system (IKIS) to the national library and information system as part of the project of the Czech and Slovak Library and Information Network (CASLIN). The most important chan-ge, however, has started since the mid-1980s when the major effort for library automation evolved around the group forming a project of IKIS (together with similar projects of automation of Czech libraries). As a result, the unified format of bibliographic records for all libraries in Slovakia (and former Czechoslovakia) has been elaborated and adopted, which has culminated in the adoption of UNIMARC format for the exchange of data and cooperative cataloguing in a nationwide context. The central role in this process is played by Matica Sloven-ska-Slovak National Library (MS-SNK). There is a long tradition of electronic data processing in MS-SNK, as the Slovak National Bibliography has been automated since the early 1970s. The present challenge is the conversion of this large database into UNIMARC format as part of the CASLIN. The work on this conversion proceeds through the 1990s, and we expect the use of CASLIN in 1995 in the three major libraries of former Czechoslovakia (National Library in Prague, SNK-MS and University Library in Bratislava).

In this respect our needs for a national information infrastructure are connect-ed with networking technologies on a nationwide scale, and we have already received the support from abroad (from the Mellon Foundation). The next step, however, is networking all major libraries throughout the country (not only the first few major libraries) and introducting a real online cooperative library system, including cataloguing, interlibrary loan, and information search. Local area networks (LANs) in our libraries should be connected, and better telecom-munication lines for public use are required. We would also like to see more connections to Internet accessible to libraries (which as of the mid-1990s has not been integrated to our library system project development). The connections through Internet are accessible to few academic and government institutions, but the real public and democratic principle of access to information through the mediatory role of libraries in the country should be achieved in future.

Another necessity for the global information infrastructure is the training of professionals, library staff, and the public in using networking technologies. It is one condition that enables creative application of technologies in our country, because simple transfer of technologies is not enough for real access to the world's knowledge that is opening even to countries from the developing Central European region.

Last but not least, we need to preserve our national bibliographic production and printed material for the future (which is the main role of our national library), which is why one of our major concerns is the retrospective conversion of col-lections in libraries and future digitization of collections. It is a major challenge that will require very much work and funding, and we would certainly welcome any help from abroad.

The Most Significant Trends In the Use of New Information Technologies in Slovakia

The first trend in Slovakia is building online catalogues and integrated library automated systems in the majority of its libraries, including large academic libra-ries and smaller regional public libraries. The majority of libraries still use the retrieval system CDS/ISIS distributed by UNESCO to its libraries. Second, the use of information technologies is significant with respect to online information retrieval and access to larger databases. However, the prices are too high for libraries, which is why CD-ROM technologies are popular (although libraries still have problems with funding subscriptions). A third trend is the effort of building a nationwide integrated library and information system with unified records and technologies. The policy and project is clear, cooperative catalogu-ing works of a nationwide scope (MS-SNK distributes floppy disks for libraries coming from national bibliographic database), and we hope that it will soon work within the network CASLIN.

The Most Identifiable Difficulties in Library and Information-Related Activities

There is a large number of difficulties that are connected not only with technolo-gies for library and information work, but also with the broader context of library and information work and its status in the country's development. The following is a list of some of them:

Our library system is still in a transition period from a rather centralized, hierar-chical system to a more flexible and efficient structure. However, we would like to preserve positive features of the previous centralization on the new level of cooperation, standardization, and unification as a necessary condition for the new role of libraries in a democratic society. Apart from funding and finding alter-native resources for library and information work, one of the most urgent items in library and information work is the improvement of networking technologies and computer skills on a nationwide scale (including Internet training). Another issue, however, is connected with adherence to international standards and recommendations (especially UNIMARC, ISBD, ISO standards), including the urgent need for the reconstruction of cataloguing rules (the problem of exchang-ing records with the rest of the world is connected with the different philosophy of records development; we do not use the AACR II). This should be solved on a nationwide scale in cooperation with the Czech Republic, especially for the func-tioning of the CASLIN. The third urgent agenda item is finding new ways of funding library and information activities connected with the role of libraries for public and democratic access to electronic information, including retrospective conversion and digitization of our collections.

Challenges and Issues Connected With International Work

International relationships in our library and information work have been im-proved since 1989 almost at all levels of contacts, including library education, individual travels of professionals, common projects, and interlibrary institutional contacts. The most problematic issue is again the funding of individual and institutional contacts with foreign libraries and library associations or educational organizations. We have been able to receive many grants at the university level from several foundations in the United States as well as help from the European Community (especially at the university level). Many libraries received help in the form of computers and books and other information sources for their work. However, the most important challenge is to keep the professionals specialized in library and information work with expertise in foreign languages within the profession. Many of them leave library and information work for other jobs on the information market.

International exchange of documents plays a more important role for our libraries at the present because of problems with acquiring foreign documents (which are expensive). Many of our libraries have problems even with interna-tional postage and they have to select carefully the materials for international exchange. Similar problems are evolving with legislature connected with customs declaration and costs for information sources between the Czech and Slovak Republics.

It is very important for our libraries to maintain good links and contacts with international professional organizations (travel costs for conferences are usually the major obstacle). Links with national libraries throughout the world should support the process of democratic access to information even in our part of the world. We still need more detailed information on library and information work abroad in order to make use of foreign experience in handling similar problems facing our libraries. With respect to international work we need better awareness of international standards and recommendations and their application to the knowledge thesaurus of library professionals.

Library professionals in Slovakia are aware of the importance of personal contacts with foreign library and information systems. However, we still need more practical methodologies on the use of foreign expertise for more effective ways of library and information work in our changing society.

THE Educational System of Library and Information Workers in Slovakia at the Department of Library and Information Science

The department of Library and Information Science offers its Master's degree program and doctoral program to approximately 200 students in several forms. Apart from this, the department teaches 500 students of one form at the Faculty of Arts covering courses on information technology skills. A recent change of curricula brought about a new approach to library and information education. Apart from the core curriculum that comprises the core courses of social commu-nication, collection development, services, information retrieval, automation, history of libraries, information and document analysis, knowledge organization, bibliography, introduction to library and information science, introduction to information retrieval, design of information and library systems, and information policy, we have developed several specializations with mandatory subjects. Our specializations include information analysis, information management, informa-tion technologies and library automation, public libraries, and historical library collections (the structure of orientations is flexible). According to their specia-lizations, students can choose from several courses a certain amount of required credits. Apart from courses comprised in the core curriculum, new information technologies are represented by courses on hypertext systems, database systems, expert systems, knowledge organization and representation, and desktop publi-shing systems. Thus, we have developed the modular principle of our curricu-lum, which is a major change in our education in the 1990s.

Together with more flexibility and freedom for students' individual planning we are trying to emphasize their independent work and responsibility for their knowledge development. This change will take a long time, as the previous structures of education were rigid and uniform. However, the major change toward more flexibility and freedom also appears in the university and faculty organization, that is, more flexibility to faculties and departments in finding alternative sources of funding and in their own development. The new university law has been designed in order to get rid of the rigid structures of the past, although it has not been adopted yet. The transition from a previous system of evaluation to the new credit system has been completed at some of our faculties. At the Faculty of Arts, it will probably be used in the new academic year.

As for the organization of studies, we would like to promote the role of the Slovak Librarians Association and the Association of Slovak Libraries (two major library associations in our country) library education (e.g., system of accreditation and evaluation of curricula). The activities of these associations, however, are suffering from a lack of finance for their traditional work, including conferences, professional advice, work of special professional committees, and publication activities. The library law (on library system in Slovakia) drafted by members of Slovak Librarians Association has been waiting for quite a long time to be discussed and passed by Parliament.

Major Challenges in THE Education of Library and Information Workers at the University Level

In the future development of the contents of our curricula we would like to em-phasize the synthesizing role of information technologies in society. We would like to model new functions of library and information institutions in the future from documents to knowledge. The information environment is rapidly changing not only its futurologistic meaning, but also its practical day-to-day work. We can see that more and more new areas are entering into the traditional library and information work, for example, new companies, banking, business information, consultation information firms, new publishing houses and editorial work, and so on. As for technologies, we would like to enrich our courses by picture imaging, hypermedia, and multimedia technologies up to the concept of virtual (digital) library.

As for information policy, we started to emphasize the course on Information Resources Management in order to prepare students for the new information industry market. Information technologies should be integrated into almost every course, which is not yet true for all of our courses. We should also develop spe-cial training of the Internet and integrate it to our information retrieval courses.

Our more traditional courses will be probably oriented toward another profes-sional synthesis, - synthesis of collection development and reference work, which has for a long time been too much separated in theory and in practice. Our libra-ries need to rediscover the importance of reference services in the line of training the real professional knowledge navigators. We should stress the upmost impor-tance of this highly professional work and build new qualitative criteria for its organization and evaluation.

In finding new ways of library work and access to information it is important to define the core of the library and information work. In light of cognitive and physical paradigm in information retrieval, it is probably knowledge organization and utilization that form the core expertise of information professionals. We are facing many questions connected with the use of information technologies, and we should be prepared to offer some opportunities on how to handle several unclear factors that influence the development of libraries in a changing informa-tion environment. That is why we are trying to involve new issues of knowledge organization and utilization in the development of our curricula. We are faced with questions such as: What information will be needed in changing conditions for the quality of life? How will traditional library and information services be changed? Where should we find the resources for the intense development of information services? What is the role of information workers and librarians in digital libraries environment?

Some of our concerns therefore include issues of interpretation, structuring and presenting information and knowledge (information consolidation), know-ledge transformation with the quality of change, and new concepts and methodo-logies of library and information services development. In theory we should react properly to new paradigms in science generally and in information science particularly, including the paradigm of information query, improvement of know-ledge representing tools, and paradigm of information utilization concept.

The needs of practice point to several major tendencies that should be reflec-ted in our educational concept. So far we have identified the following tenden-cies:

Conclusive Remarks

Although our basic equipment needs with new information technologies are still far from an ideal status, we are trying to think in terms of a national information infrastructure as part of the global information infrastructure. We know that the evolution of information-processing systems also causes the revolution of tradi-tional library and information work. Evaluation of the potential for new informa-tion technologies is really very important for the development of new library and information services. The majority of our professionals reflects the new balance that is likely to appear in future, - the new balance among varied information media. It is connected with the development of knowledge representation - from linear, textual sources to delinearized knowledge. A new information environ-ment will include libraries as one of the most important knowledge navigating institutions only if libraries recognize this potential of new information technolo-gies for their work. Their role in public access to information will be enhanced. We would like to make significant changes in library and information services to public, and we hope we will find resources to preserve the democratic role of libraries in our society. We would like to integrate our national information infrastructure into the global information infrastructure, while trying to preserve the tradition of our libraries at the new level of information access development. The importance of education for the new role of libraries and librarians is one of our major concerns. Professional workers in the future should be able to manage new methods of knowledge analysis and organization with respect to modeling users needs, interpretation and evaluation of knowledge. New information technologies represent the magic tool for achieving this goal.
 

8_____________________

PANEL ON EDUCATION/TRAINING RELATED TO NIT AND GII

Q & A FOR THE PANEL
 
 

Chaired by:

Ching-chih Chen

Professor & Associate Dean
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Simmons College, Boston, MA 02115, USA
cchen@vmsvax.simmons.edu

[Ching-chih Chen]

I would like to now open up the discussion for just general comments in terms of education and training.

[Woody Horton]

This is really just a footnote to what has just been said. Prof. Anthony Debons is now actively pursuing funding through NATO to support an institute for late next year which is squarely aimed at cultural barriers to knowledge utilization, not just in a grand, knowledge transfer sense, but in a more personal, individual decision-making and problem-solving sense. And his institute may be something of interest to some of the people in this room.

[Ching-chih Chen]

Thank you very much, Woody. With the reference to Tony Debons, he is at the University of Pittsburgh.

[Marjorie Hlava]

I suspect that we have a bit of verbal warfare going on in our conversation, and if you think of taking the agriculture economy and the adoption of revolution in the U.S. and the transfer to the information economy, I suspect that some countries are skipping the industrial revolution. And, so, I want to read a quote from Branscomb who wrote a book called, Who Owns Information, because it has something to do with what information has value: "Information economy is based on the premise that information has economic value and requires an information market place in which such value can be exchanged to thrive. However, this economic reality runs contrast to popular historic notion that information is free." If you look at Bob, I have to say that ALA typifies the stereotype of the notion that information is free and ought to be freely available, meaning no cost to everyone. Information industry, on the other hand, saying that sure, information ought to be freely available, but there ought to be a cost attached to it. We have to consider that in our debate about teaching people information brokerage, for example, you can't make a good living giving things away.

[Herbert Achleitner]

Access to information is a serious problem. First of all, books and journals are very expensive. For example, I found a standard introductory economics text-book costing (translated from English) $120.00; clearly beyond the average person's ability to pay. Secondly, the concept of public libraries is not well developed. This is partly due to scarce resources, but also because there is little interest among the elites to develop educational opportunities for the citizenry. Interestingly enough, in Paraguay I encountered several subscription libraries, but they had limited access.

[Ching-chih Chen]

Also, what was raised by someone earlier is that if information is free, in some countries, that information is probably no good or not accurate. That is an entire-ly different issue.

[David Penniman]

The fact is that information is never free, even in our country. It is a question of who pays for it.

[Ching-chih Chen]

It is true that, although on the surface, information offered by many of our libra-ries including our national libraries seems to be free, but it is paid by our tax money via the government.

[Lisbeth Levey]

I want to go back to the whole issue of regional training because I think that it is very important. First of all, our experience with SISA (School for Information Studies in Africa) graduates is that they are really first rate and superb. Second-ly, when we are talking about long-term sustainability, granted that international money is going to dry up, many of the students at those regional centers are being paid for by their own institutions, whether they are banks or private sector organizations; and thirdly, although I am not sure about the ARCIS (African Regional Center for Information Studies) situation, SISA is now consulting for the national and local levels of government and private sector organizations. This will be a sustainable activity.

[Neal Kaske]

I just remembered reading on a ListServ not too long ago that "you Americans keep getting these wrong. Information costs, but access is free." The writer was from England.

[Ching-chih Chen]

Thank you.

[Jela Steinerova]

I would like to add something on the regional activities in Slovakia. We have organized a conference for many faculty in Eastern European countries at Bras-tislava, and we are trying to find a new model on teaching library and informa-tion science in this region. We tried to integrate the notion of information mana-gement to our traditional library science curriculum.

[Ching-chih Chen]

I might add that this model which you just talked about was presented by Profs. Stefan Kimlicka and Sona Makulova at NIT '92 in Hong Kong.

[A. Neelameghan]

It was mentioned that when the international assistance has been withdrawn, there is a possibility that the whole program for regional schools may collapse. It could happen, but has not happened in the Philippines because the university absorbed the whole program and has become the regular activity of the univer-sity. So, whatever funding or support is available to the regular departments of the university is also available for the school. That is one good example. Now, at Addis Ababa, we are trying the consortium idea, and also eventually the nationals will take over. And at the moment, for the next two or three years, it will still be that some external teachers will be funded by external sources. Now, all the capital, equipment, etc. are in place. The staff will be replaced by the nationals. So, if properly managed, things can be different.

[Mariano Maura]

Bob, do we have an effective formula to explain to our decision makers the return on investment in developing information systems?

[Robert Hayes]

I think the answer is no. We are dealing with so many intangibles. I did do a study though showing the correlation between the investment of information and the relative productivity among industries. It shows something like a 5:1 or 10:1 return for a dollar. It turns out that if you even go to more detailed industries, a relative investment in published information, like print for example, correlates with the profitability of the industry. I would be happy to provide those referen-ces to you. I don't have it in my mind.