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THE DEVELOPING ROLE FOR USIS LIBRARIANS USING NEW INTERNET TECHNOLOGY

Quan Mai Binh

Information Resource Center
USIS Hanoi, US Embassy
USIS Hanoi Library
Hanoi, Vietnam
E-mail: qmbhano@usia.gov
Internet: usishanoi@hn.vnn.vn

Our USIS libraries around the world are in transition from the traditional public type of libraries where a self-selecting audience used the resources of a circulating collection into Information Resource Centers (IRCs). The mission of these IRCs is to serve post and mission-wide information needs in support of U.S. public diplomacy objectives through the promotion of effective information and outreach services to key audiences who influence policy and public opinion on issues central to US interests. The subject specialties are economics, education, international affairs, information technology, government, rule of law, US history, society and culture. The primary differences between the traditional model and the new, improved Information Resource Center focus on the audience, the collection, the facility, the staff, services, and technology.

The development of electronic networks frees the users from traveling to the IRC for information and permits the librarians to work with reference books and many online databases to search for the information needed by their audiences. A search with a match database can save a lot of time and energy. Everyone knows that there is free information in the Internet but how to find it is another story. Also it must be kept in mind that there is a lot of information not available on the Internet, so we must know when to stop searching it. Before you can use the information, however, you have to find it and for that you need what is called a search engine. A program called spiders or robots is used to help the search engine to find and record the information on the Internet. Some search engines are:

Different search engines have different help systems. The best way to use the search engine effectively is to print out the help and learn about the search engine before using it.

Although much of the information is free many of the users still need help from the librarian because they do not know how to search or how to find what they are looking for in the ever growing mass of information in the digital world. The role of the librarian in this case is to help the patrons select and use public access databases, explain database structures and search interfaces so that the right information can be provided to right patron at the right time.

The IRC is not merely a place where books and information are kept, but a place where there are professionals to help the public. Although the IRC is not open to the public, it wishes to assist all who require current information about the United States, particularly on issues of mutual concern to America and the host country. The IRC does not charge for its services. Moreover, it helps and trains users to use information resources by providing the relevant Internet addresses on specific topics (see appendix 2).

Through the Internet, the Center has access to several online databases in the U.S., including Lexis-Nexis, a database of legal and news resources, Legi-Slate which tracks legislation in the U.S. Congress, and STAT-USA, a resource of commercial data. For more details on the IRC databases (see appendix 1).

The librarians have to work closely with the users, conduct reference interviews by phone, mail, and email to understand their information needs and provide access to current information on bilateral issues. For example, there is a phone call asking about US foreign policy. This is a very broad topic, so we have to conduct an interview to clarify the request. For example, does he want general information or historical information or current information? Is he interested in policy statements or periodical articles or a list of books on that topic? Does he need it for his research or for a paper or a speech or for understanding? Should that information be focused on a particular country or in general? The more we understand the information needs of the person, the better the information service we can provide.

One of the tasks of the IRC librarians is reading articles from different sources such as magazines, newspapers, online databases, Internet sites, etc. and to choose some 30 appropriate articles according to the country plan themes, write abstracts and collect them in the Alert monthly service, and then send them to the key audiences. This is called outreach service. Outreach service allows the audiences to stay at home or the office and have all the articles of interest sent to them. Persons interested in having the full-text articles can call us or email us for them. Within a week or so, these papers will be available for their use. The following table shows the number of people requesting full-text Alert information during one month:

Let us talk about the impact of the changes in new Information Technology, on our career, our collection, services, skills and facilities.

Continuing education is a must in order to have a high level of computer and information literacy so we can keep moving forward. In the digital era, we have to make full use of online databases, explore them and offer them to our audiences. Actually, we cannot update our skills overnight, so we need training daily to improve our understanding of the new technology, our skills and our manner of work. Every staff member has to develop their job knowledge higher than their job description if they want to upgrade their salary and have a higher position. The more effective their work is, the better the job they can do and get. Change is requiring us to move ahead. Skills require time, effort, energy and daily practice. Understanding printed reference sources and online databases, becoming familiar with such database technology as search skills, search engines and the purpose of each database also requires hard work.

We must become more than literate about technology, much more than aware of the potential of technology, and develop much more than a passing familiarity with the features and applications of technologies. We must take the initiative to reeducate ourselves to be experts on the development and use of digital information technologies. We must be expert enough to see the links between emerging and current technologies and provide insight into the development of technical products. We must be the information navigators and information service providers.

Managing personal information needs, keeping in touch with audiences to update changes in their information needs -- that is to say, personal information management -- plays an important part in providing information. Researchers need information related to their jobs and interests. Once they change their job or their position we have to tailor the information to their needs. In our database, we can easily input their change of occupation, interest, address etc. With the DRS program, it is easy to pull down a list of all audience members interested in economic reform or education reform or global environment (see appendix 2).

Keeping in touch with their colleagues to benefit from their experience, taking different courses on IT through the Internet and taking advantage of IT conferences are ways to improve information technology skills. I would like to provide some Internet search sites for Internet distance training courses:

One example of cost sharing and energy sharing is that some posts scan and edit interesting articles and then deliver them to all posts through the email by sending them to listserv so we do not need to duplicate the job. One email can reach all the people on the list. Electronic delivery of information brings a new breadth to our service.

In our downsized environment, we can no longer afford to meet all the information needs of the general public, and now restrict our services to a clientele whose interests are concerned with the bilateral relationship between the United States and the host country. The "access, not ownership" approach to collection development is true in most USIS libraries. Where formerly we had large print collections with extensive material on American fiction, literature and literary criticism, the IRC's emphasis is on the information, rather than the materials. Also, the content focuses on current policy issues. The physical facilities and the size of the staff are smaller, but the staff is much more technologically competent and are proactive in sending information to the members of our audience. The staff concentrate their efforts on sending authoritative information about U.S. policy, legislation, and social and commercial issues that give a fuller U.S. context on these issues to local decision-makers and opinion leaders.

Because our USIS collections are now focused and limited, we are interested in identifying local American Studies collections with whom we can form relationships of mutual support. We want to know about libraries that will be willing to assist our clients in obtaining information in areas that we may no longer service. In turn, we will donate materials as we can and work with libraries on programs of mutual interest.

There is no choice about whether or not our future will be electronic; it will be. We are not expecting to see the patrons in and out of the IRC all the time. There is no doubt that the rapid development of technology and telecommunications are requiring fundamental changes in the management of collections, physical facilities, services, and in the skills required by the librarians. Our jobs have become more complex and more demanding. Our audiences are requiring and expecting more and more from us. Training for change in adapting to the job requirements in the digital library is what I have discussed in this paper.

GaleNet is an one-stop shopping database for Gale Research products available on the World Wide Web. These products include:

• Encyclopedia of Associations: Detailed descriptions of some 140,000 international and U.S. national, regional, state and local membership organizations in all fields.

• Contemporary Authors: A biobibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields.

• Gale Business Resources: Some 30 print volumes of Gale's business reference works. Contains listings for some 200,000 U.S. companies, extensive essays for industrial categories, industry statistics, market share reports, and company rankings.

• Gale Database of Publications and Broadcast Media: Descriptive and contact information for more than 65,600 newspapers, periodicals, newsletters, directories, television and radio stations, and cable television companies in the United States and Canada.

• Gale Directory of Databases: Separate listings for some 3,600 database producers and 2,000 vendors and distributors provide full contact information and lists of databases offered. The most complete product guide to the electronic database industry worldwide.

• Biography and Genealogy Master Index: A comprehensive index to more than 10 million biographical sketches in more than 1,000 current and retrospective biographical dictionaries, covering both contemporary and historical figures throughout the world.

• STATUSA (Department of Commerce) The Economics and Statistics Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce, supports this online information resource. It contains crucial and timely business and economic information produced by U.S. Government agencies. This mostly text version of STATUSA is accessible through the World Wide Web. It consists of National Trade Data Bank (YVTDB); Economic Bulletin Board (EBB); Global Business Procurement Opportunities (GLOBUS); Bureau of Economic

• GPO ACCESS: The U.S. Government Printing Office announced free use of its GPO Access online service beginning December 1, 1995. All Internet and dial-in users can receive electronically, at no charge, the Congressional Record, Federal Register, Congressional bills, and other important government documents on the same day of publication. The number of databases offered online via GPO Access is more than two dozen, and they can be accessed via the Internet at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su-docs.

• LEGISLATE - Legislate's online information retrieval service provides full text current, comprehensive information about U.S. government legislation, U.S. Congressional proceedings, full texts of bills and resolutions, transcripts of White House and other press briefings, interviews and official speeches. It also provides access to the daily edition of the Washington Post.

• LEXIS/NEXIS provides online full text legal, news and business information fromover 3,200 legal and business publications.

• CD-ROM DATABASES - THE GENERAL PERIODICALS ON DISC (GPO) contains abstracts and full text images of 978 magazines from 1986 to the present, including a broad range of titles from art and entertainment to business and public policy. The database enables users to search for, locate, and review relevant citations and abstracts, and then retrieve, view, and print high quality page images.

Department of State Economic and Trade Policy http://www.state.gov/www/issues/economic/

Legal Information Institute (Cornell University): Trade http://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/trade.html