Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Library System
in India
N. Seshagiri
Prepared for:
United Nations Educational,
7, Place de Fontenoy
75700 Paris
Organization
(UNESCO)
PREFACE
Economic and social development in a knowledge based society is nodally
dependant upon information. Adequate, accurate and timely information requires
support from computer, communication and electronics aids of Information Technology
in addition to other modemization imperatives. The richest and the most economical
source of information being the library system, modemization of library services
of library
assumes considerable importance. India, though had a long history
movement, was slow in exploiting the Information Technology for the modemization
of the library system. However, the second half of 80s and the early 90s saw a dramatic
impact of computers and communication. The exponential induction of computerised
management of library operations, computer-based retrieval of bibliographic material,
computer networking, computer-aided reprography, FAX and E-Mail transmission,
Optical Disks, CDROMs and other such are already bringing about a change of mind set
among the librarians and information scientists in India.
The macro profile of modemization of library services in India is outlined by
tracing the history of library movement in various parts and forms in the country like the
growth of Public Libraries, University and Research Libraries, Special Libraries,
Government Libraries, etc. As India has one of the largest book publishing industries
in the world, its impact on the momentum of the library movement is shown to be
significant.
The history of library automation can be traced to the 60s beginning with the
initiatives of the Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC) at New
Delhi and Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC) at Bangalore. The
70s saw the beginning of automation of the libraries attached to the various Research and
Development Laboratories. A substantive impetus was provided in the 80s when the
National Information System for Science and Technology (NISSAT) under the Department of Science &Technology began introducing automation in sectoral libraries. The
latter part of the decade saw the growth of city-wise networking of libraries in Calcutta
and Delhi and Bibliographic Services over Wide Area Networks like NICNET, the
Computer-Communication Network of the National Informatics Centre (NIC). All such
efforts got a boost with the pioneering and catalytic role played by the Defence Science
and Documentation Centre (DESIDOC), the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR), the University Grants Commission Information Centres (UGC-IC), Bio Technology Information System (BTIS) and Information Library Network (INFLIBNET).
Survey and Analyses carried out by DRTC, NISSAT, INSDOC, NIC and others
provided the basis for understanding the macro profile of library services. The library
movement was typically characterized by a high degree of perception of the problems
afforded by the reports of numerous committees and policy studies brought out by the
Government, but a pronounced tardiness in the proper implementation of the recommendations and proposals.
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N. Seshagiri
New Delhi
30 April 1995
CONTENTS
Chapter
1. Macro Profile of Modemization of Library Services in India
2. Micro Profile of Libmry Modemization in India I. Sectoral Libraries
Page Number
1
20
43
55
71
86
104
114
127
Annexures
149
Directory of Acronyms
279
Bibliography
295
Chapter One
MACRO
PROFILE
OF MODERNIZATION
IN INDIA
OF LIBRARY
SERVICES
Movement in India
As early as 1944, the library movement in India was accelerated under the dynamic
leadership of Dr. S.R. Ranganathan who is regarded as the Father of Library Sciences
in India. His vision of an integrated library system is described in his book published that
year, entitled, Post War Reconstruction of Libraries in India. His main thrust was on
Public Libraries, both rural and urban. He advocated the formation of a primary library
at each typical demographic unit with a population of not less than 50,000. He conceived
the development of branches and delivery stations around these primary units so that
nobody needs to walk more than a mile to get his book supplied. He advocated the
setting up of a coordinating regional reference library to service the primary libraries in
the region. Upward in the hierarchy, he conceived the setting up of a Provincial Central
Library facilitating inter-library loan, reference library support and a Central Archive.
For the entire country, he recommended the setting up of a National Central Library at
Calcutta by converting the then existing Imperial Library so that by a statute, the library
will receive a copy of every Indian Publication. He conceived integration as follows:
The Library edifice of Post-war India should be so planned that the primary libraries are
attached to the regional centres, regional centres to the provincial central libraries, these
again to the National Central Libraries, these finally to the National Central Libraries of
other countries and international library centres.
Depending upon the initiatives taken by others and the kind of support and
patronage received from local governmental and non-governmental sources, his grandoise
vision was translated into practice to different degrees - from the setting up of the Indian
National Bibliography at the Central Reference Library of Calcutta which received
publications under the Delivery of Books Act (1954, 1956) to half-hearted efforts in
setting up district libraries. All the States and Union Territories have set up State Central
1
Libraries. Out of the 5OODistricts, more than 400 Districts have set up District Libraries.
Below the District, one-third of the Development Blocks numbering 2000 have set up
Block Libraries. Out of about 600,000 villages, around 50,000 have Village Libraries.
Nearly half the 3000 towns in India have Town Libraries. Not only the Central
Government, but also the State Governments like Tamil Nadu (1948), Andhra Pradesh
(1960), Kamataka (1965), Maharashtra (1967). West Bengal (1979), etc. have brought
out legislations for enabling the setting up of a network of public library services. The
Union Territory of Delhi established the Delhi Public Library in 1951 through the joint
efforts of the Government of India and UNESCO.
The library movement itself required a catalytic force. In 1972, this came about in
the form of the Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation.
The resource paucity is apparent from the statistics which shows that there areonly
70 million volumes of books catering to a literate population of 450 million, which works
out to an access of less than 20 percent. With lending service leading, the reference
service, extension activities and so on were lagging far behind. The vision of Dr.
Ranganathan got translated into action with the effort of a large number of dedicated
library scientists, though however, the colossal population growth compounded by
severe resource crunch of a developing nation, attenuated its impact. Full implementation had to await the coming of low cost modemization.
From Public Libraries, the library movement spread to University Libraries and
Special Libraries. In the beginning of 1995, about 300,000 teachers taught nearly 6
million students in 7000 colleges of about 200 universities. Both the 1948 and 1964
Education Commissions set up by the Government and other University Grants Commission (UGC) Committees emphasized the importance of university and college
libraries. This led to the growth of stock to the present level of 16 million at the rate of
one million per annum. In the past five years, due to increasing prices of books and
subscription to periodicals, a declining trend has now become apparent. Of these, 40,000
current volumes stock are in Science Libraries with 500 volumes added every year.
Scientific and Technological research and development led to the growth of about
1200 Special Libraries attached to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Defence Research & Development
Organization (DRDO), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) apart from various Central and State
Government agencies. A survey conducted by the Indian Council of Social Science
Research (ICSSR) has put the number of Social Science Institutions in the country to
about 600. Nearly 700 Government Libraries grew up as a special category. Government
2
also supported the setting up of three National Libraries - National Library at Calcutta,
National Science Library and National Library of Medicine in New Delhi. Some of the
major libraries have a stock of over 100,ooO volumes.
India is a major producer of books with more than 25,000 titles published every
year, which is an important contributor to the library movement in India.
1.2
History of Library
Automation
in India
In the 6Os, INSDOC and DRTC pioneered theuse of computers in Indian libraries
with the computer-aided production of Union List of Serials, Roaster of Scientific
Translators and Indian Science Abstracts by the former and a computer-based document
finding system by the latter.
In the 6Os,IBM and ICL set up computer manufacturing facilities in India because
of which libraries had a ready local source of computers to support their modemization
drive. In 1964, an IBM computer was used to bring out a Union Catalogue of Scientific
Serials by a collaborative effort of INSDOC and IIT Kanpur. Further, INSDOC got
developed a Roaster of Technical Translators in India on the IBM system of the Delhi
School of Economics. Another IBM system at the Delhi University Computer Centre
was utilized for bringing out special indexes for Indian Science Abstracts (ISA). The
first Circulation Control Automation was carried out in 1970 by the library of National
Aeronautical Laboratory at Bangalore on an ICL 1004 system. By 1971, about 10
libraries were using computers for procurement accounting, cataloguing, preparation of
library addition list and preparation of union catalogue of periodicals. The same year,
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) started Nuclear Science Information Service
by an arrangement with INIS. Also, in the same year, DRTC developed an indigenous
software called, DOCFINDER for locating documents.
Between 1971 and 1975 there was a slowing down of computerization efforts until
1976 when INSDOC in collaboration with IITMadras started a Selective Dissemination
of Information (SDI) of Chemical Information and DRTC developed a package for SD1
Services for Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) at Hyderabad.
International online information retrieval services began with the demonstration
of the access of the Frescati Library in Rome from the Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research (TIFR), Bombay in 1976.
Computerised SD1 services became popular after this. The Central Food
Technological Research Institute (CETRI) and the National Centre for Science Informa3
tion (NCSI) began giving SD1 services to researchers and academics in the areas of food
technology, physics, geology, mathematics, chemistry and life sciences. Similarly, the
Central Technical Information Centre (CTIC) began giving SD1 services for Engineers.
The more popular SD1 services at that time include CONDENSATS, INSPEC,
COMPENDEX, NTIS, MEDLARS, ISI, BIOSYS, EXCERPTA MEDICA, CANSDI,
NRC, TITUS for Textile industry, DERVENT for patents, etc.
Large scale promotion of computerisation came in the 80s with the Indian Library
Association (ILA), IASLIC and 4GlLA
organizing conferences, workshops and
training programmes in library automation.
When UNESCO made available CDS/ISIS Software free of charge through the
NISSAT programme, a number of libraries took to automation. These efforts got a boost
with DRTC developing an automatic thesaurus generation system, Physical Research
Laboratory (PRL) at Ahmedabad developing Computerized Periodical Management
System and Computerized Book Procurement system, and INSDOC developing a Union
Catalogue of Scientific Conference Proceedings. The Information, Planning and
Analysis Group (IPAG) of the Electronics Commission, New Delhi, developed a
Bibliographic Database for Books in their library. The National Informatics Centre
(NIC) developed an integrated online bibliographic database for library documents
using CDC Cyber 170/120 mainframe computer system. Further, NIC introduced over
its computer-communication network, NICNET, a terminal-based access to its library
database. NIC further developed a system for the National Medical Library for providing
medical retrieval services and a Key-word based retrieval of articles in the Constitution
of India for the Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs. All these developments
ensued between 1980 and 1985.
The next logical step in the evolution was the intemationalization of the efforts by
feeding from India information into the international databases like INIS by BARC for
Nuclear Sciences, AGRIS by ICAR for agricultural sciences, IFIS by CFIRI for food
sciences, DEVSIS by CENDIT for development sciences, INFOTERA by ENVIS of the
Ministry of Environment &Forests and ISDS by INSDOC for serials data. Reciprocally,
these institutions were able to access international databases for giving value added
information services to their users in India.
The UGC National Centre for Science Information (NCSI) at the Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore, serves 3
users in academic and research institutions in
computerized SD1 services for fore
Y n databases. Similarly, ICMR-NIC Bio-medical
Information Centre has been identified as the 18th centre of the National Library of
Medicine of Bethesda for online access of MEDLARS databases.
4
of the IAEA and the various international organizations contributed to the growth and
maintenance of the system with an annual input to the system of nearly 100,000 items
in the nuclear science and technology area. Not only the input, but also dissemination
has been decentralized in this system while processing, checking and merging of the
input data are centralized. The standardization discipline has been carefully inculcated
among nodal organizations in the member states. The standards evolved include
bibliographic description, machine readable data, thesaurus, indexing, abstracting,
country codes, corporate and other codes, transliteration, etc. India started contributing
to INIS input since 1970 with an annual average contribution of nearly 1000 items. This
contribution evolved from typed worksheets to paper tapes and then in magnetic tapes.
The INIS input tapes are prepared using the PRIME-450 computer at BARC while the
output tapes were processed on IRIS-80 computer installed at the Variable Energy
Cyclotron Centre (VECC) at Calcutta, using a software package called, MISTRAL. The
number of queries/retrieval requests serviced from the scientists and engineers of the
atomic energy family of organizations is about 1000 per annum.
The University system which has a heterogeneous user base, evolved its sector-al
information centres in a different way. The UGC initially established a sectoral
information centre at the SNDT Womens University Library and Information Centre in
1986 in the areas of Home Science, Library Science, Sociology and Education. The
database of Indian research material was created in English, Hindi, Gujarathi, and
Marathi languages. The computer&d database on HP-3000/42 computer was based on
MINISIS Software which was confined to the English language in the above fields. The
database not only covers general articles, but also books, conference proceedings and
theses. A Union list of periodicals in the areas subscribed by various organizations in
Indiais maintained. The UGC-SIC Information Centre at Maharaja Sayajirao University
(MS University) is one of the sectoral information centres set up in 1986 in economics,
political science, psychology and history. The UGC-SIC for Scientific Information
(NCSI) at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore provides similar services in the areas
of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and Geology. More than 3000 users are
serviced from five databases consisting of a million bibliographic citations annually.
The UGC has also initiated a Information Library Network Programme called,
INFLIBNET, which is progressively equipping the university libraries with computers
and software.
Perhaps a unique and highly successful example of sectoral based thrust of the
modemization of the library system is the National Information System for Science and
Technology (NISSAT) headquartered in New Delhi, initially established under the
Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India in 1977. It was later
transferred under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research @SIR) goveming the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). NISSAT was set up with
6
1.4
Profile of Library
Sciences in India
Three important studies have been conducted through Survey and Analyses of the
Library Science Institutions in India. These studies were carried out under the auspices
of INFLIBNET,
DRTC, and NISSAT. In view of the fundamental nature of these
surveys and analyses, which give a statistical and factual scenario of library sciences in
India, the main results and conclusions are presented here with only minor modifications
and annotations.
i)
INFLIBNET
The UGC set up a high level committee of library science and information
technology specialists for preparing a project report for the establishment of an
information and library network for the university system in India. This project called,
INFLIBNET, was originally planned for setting up a nation-wide university Library and
Information System Network. However, the availability of already well established
computer-communication networks like NICNET, INET and ERNET, as well as the
popularity of INTERNET rendered the network objective of INFLIBNET superfluous.
Consequently, INFLIBNBT concentrated on providing computers, software and training as well as setting up of standards for university libraries. Nevertheless, the project
report prepared by the committee unearthed valuable information on several aspects of
the library systems of universities and research & development institutions. The
following is a summary of thefindings:
Classification scheme in use: About 65 percent of the university libraries
follow Dewey Decimal Classification @DC) system, and 24 percent use
COLON Classification (CC) Scheme. The remaining use either UDC (Universal
Decimal Classification) scheme. On the other hand in research and development
institutions, preference is shown to the UDC Scheme with DDC closely
following and CC trailing far behind.
Catalogue code followed: Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules is adopted
by 40 percent of university libraries and nearly 50 percent R&D libraries,
followed by a classified catalogue code (CCC), by 23 percent of the University
Libraries and 20 percent of libraries in R&D institutions.
Subject Heading Systems: Nearly half the universities follow either locally
available subject heading systems or other specialised schemes, 33 percent use
Sears list and 9 percent use LC subject heading lists.
R&D
Library
Computerised Database
Access
5.64
5.12
Selective Dissemination
of Information
4.96
3.59
3.
4.40
4.75
4.
Referral Services
4.25
3.63
5.
Current Awareness
3.54
2.64
6.
Reprography services
3.32
4.36
7.
1.91
3.29
8.
Reference services
1.81
1.59
Services
1.
2.
It can be seen that computerized database access is given the least priority while
lending to internal users, reference services, etc., are given top priority. (This clearly
calls for modemization facilitators like INFLIBNET, NICNET, NISSAT and ERNET).
Automation priorities: If given modemization support by the Government, the
libraries rank the order of services that could be automated as follows:
Services
University
Library
R&D
Library
1.
Budgeting
6.88
6.57
2.
Bibliographic
4.42
4.00
3.
Reference Services
4.40
4.48
4.
Serials Control
4.27
4.00
5.
Cataloguing
3.81
4.19
6.
Acquisition
3.44
2.96
7.
Circulation
3.37
4.92
ii)
databases
Sl. No.
Journals from
Percentage of
No. of journals
Percentage of
No. of citations
1.
USA
60
68.5
2.
UK
10
20.5
3.
Japan
8.2
2.66
4.
Canada
2.7
1.80
5.
International
2.7
1.64
6.
Germany
1.8
0.80
(Source: DRTC Survey and Analysis by Prof. M.A. Gopinath, Head of the DRTC,
Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore).
The country-wise distribution of journals worked out by Prof. Gopinath is listed
below:
USA
48
Japan
22
UK
130
Hungary
22
Canada
90
Netherland 20
Germany
75
Poland
18
Australia
45
Italy
15
India
34
Czech
15
South Africa
26
France
15
Denmark
25
Others
266
11
He quotes that as USA is the largest publisher of journals in the field of library
science in the world, the citation density indicates that the journals density in USA is the
largest. This is followed by UK. Another reason pointed out is that the development in
Information Technology is in the area in which Indian library scientists have had the
influence.
iii)
To give an idea of the broad trends in the growth of library science databases and
services, two illustrative cases are taken from the Surveys and Analyses carried out by
NISSAT.
The coverage of journals in Indian Science Abstracts (ISA) increased from nearly
300 in 1983-84 to about 750 in 1988-89. ISA covers journals, articles, patents, standards.
Theses and conference proceedings. On an average about 1000 entries are recorded per
fortnight. The Indian Science Abstracts has grown from less than 25,000 in 1983-84 to
over 30,000 in 1988-89. It is seen that ISA activities has stagnated over years, though
information on the output on Science & Technology efforts could have complemented
and contributed to international databases. Thus, the analyses has brought into focus a
problem of modemization. ISA employs manual methods by type composing the output.
If a computer-based database is to be generated, the entire ISA collection of nearly half
a million records would have to be keyed in afresh or scanned by OCR, if the type-font
becomes acceptable for optical reading.
The Central Reference Library compiles the Indian National Bibliography (INB)
on the basis of publications received at the National Library at Calcutta under the
Delivery of Books (Public Libraries) Act 1954/56. The total number of publications
received under this Act has gone down from over 20,000 in 1975 to under 15,000 in 1985.
This is inspite of the trend of increase in the number of publications during this period.
This clearly indicates that even with an Act of the Parliament, its implementation would
require adequate incentives for the responding organizations and individuals. The INB
coverage is incomplete. For a major national activity of this magnitude, the computer
applications have not been implemented even though the existing computer communication networks could help not only to increase the publications received under the DB
Act, but also ensuring timeliness.
1.5
Evolution
of a Policy Frame-work
Imperial Library set up in Calcutta before independence, was renamed as the National
Library through the National Library of India Act, 1948. Closely following this in 1951,
the Government of India approached UNESCO to assist in the setting up of a large model
public library in Delhi. The following year, the Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC) was established. The Government set up a scheme for improvement of library services by giving financial assistance to the State Governments to set
up State Central Libraries and District Libraries. The Delivery of Books (Public
Libraries) Act of 1954 amended in 1956 to include Newspapers also, was intended to
make the National Library at Calcutta into a structure similar to the Library of Congress
of USA. However, these efforts did not succeed to the degree hoped for.
In 1958, the Government desired to give a prime place for Science & Technology
by bringing out the Scientific Policy Resolution. With respect to the library system, the
Resolution included the following provisions:
To encourage individual initiative for the acquisition and dissemination of
knowledge in an atmosphere of academic freedom ...... and in general, to secure
for the people of the country all the benefits that can accrue from the acquisition
and application of scientific knowledge. The Technology Policy Statement,
however, came only in early 1983, but made an explicit provision for creating a
Technology Information base towards availability of an efficient system of
collection and analysis of relevant technological information.
Subsequently in 1986, a National Policy on Education was announced advocating
among others, a nation-wide movement for improvement of existing libraries and
establishment of new libraries and providing modem library facilities in all educational
institutions.
A number of committees and panels were set up by the Government for the
promotion of the library movement. The more important ones are the following:
Advisory Committee for Libraries was set up by the Ministry of Education,
Government of India, in 1957, under the chairmanship of K.P. Sinha, to recommend
suitable measures for improvement of libraries in India. The Committee submitted its
report in 1958 with the following more salient recommendations:
1.
Every citizen of India should have free access to the library services.
2.
The library hierarchy will consist of the National Library, State Central
Libraries, District Libraries and Panchayat Libraries.
13
The National Central Library and National Book Deposit Centres shall
be set up by the Government of India.
4.
Every State Library will have a State Central Library and a State Lending
Library.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
A 25 year library plan should be worked out as a guide for short range plan
implementation.
In its efforts to implement the report of the Advisory Committee for Libraries, the
Ministry of Education of the Government of India circulated a Model Public Library Bill
in 1966. Parallelly a Working Group on Libraries set up by the Planning Commission
for the Fourth Five Year Plan also submitted a report on the same. However, National
Library of India (Amendment) Act was passed only in 1976.
14
3.
4.
To formulate proposals for the Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-90) in the
light of the above perspective indicating priorities, policies and financial
costs.
This Working Group is the first attempt to bring out modemization of library
services. The report submitted in July 1984 made the following recommendations
concerning modemization imperatives of applications of computers and computercommunications and other electronic means to the library system and services:
1.
2.
3.
During the 7th Plan period the goal should be to computerize most of the
majoriibraries. This should be carried out in a systematic manner so that
information exchange is possible. Certain standards with respect to
hardware and software have to be evolved.
4.
A Group has to be set up at the apex level to work out the Plan for
computerization. This Group should also work out standard specifications for hardware and software for implementation at various levels.
This Group should consist of computer specialists, library scientists and
educational experts. This Group should be made responsible for monitoring and evaluating the computerization in the libraries.
16
5.
6.
7.
A plan for interlinking the library systems should be worked out. It should
give a detailed plan of action for developing the library network.
8.
As the Working Group report was the first organized attempt in the country to
identify the problems and perspectives of modemization and many of the observations
and recommendations are valid even to this day, Part (B) of the Working Group Report
entitled, Informatics and Computer Applications substantially prepared under the
guidance of the author is reproduced in Annexure- 1.
The report was accepted by the Planning Commission and commended for
implementation by organizations having the necessary resources and motivation, with
the budget for the same distributed to various Ministries/Institutions in the Seventh Five
Year Plan. It is on this basis that the drive for modemization of library services using
NICNET was initiated by NIC. Similarly, the Planning Commission supported the
increase in the number of sectoral centres to be taken up by NISSAT. Also the exercise
of setting up of INFLIBNET by the University Grants Commission for University
Libraries was initiated. The INFLIBNET report entitled, Development of an Information and Library Network - Report of the Inter-Agency Working Group submitted its
comprehensive report in December 1988. The emphasis of this report was predominently
the modemization of the library system in the country utilizing innovations in computer
and computer-communications. The Executive Summary of this important report is
included as Annexure-2. Inspiteof the logical objectives and practical recommendations
of the INFLIBNET Working Group Report, there was extraordinary delay in processing
the recommendations for implementation. The delay was not only attributable to the
UGC and the Ministry of HRD, but also to the Planning Commission and the Ministry
of Finance for various known and unknown reasons. During 1989 and 1990, various
projects like NISSAT, NICNET, ERNET, INDONET and others continued the pace of
17
their own programme for giving computer network support to the university libraries
with the hope that INPLIBNET will come into being as proposed in the Working Group
Report. By 1991, a disillusionment started setting in with the inordinate delay. This
resulted in a number of earlier projects, principally the ERNET of the Department of
Electronics and NICNET of NIC under the Planning Commission began the implementation of their education and research network. The Education and Research Network
ERNET was originally set up by the author for giving research, development and
training support utilizing the infrastructure and specialist manpower of the various IITs,
Indian Institute of Science, National Centre for Software Technology (NCST), etc. with
a model network linking these organizations. When INFLIBNET failed to take off, the
ERNET project expanded the scope of their project to give network services to colleges
and universities on the pattern of JANET of UK. This initiative resulted in ERNET
making a beginning in INTERNET services. However, ERNET itself was handicapped
by the fact that they had to depend upon inter-city leased lines from the Department of
Telecommunications (DOT). At this stage, NIC which already had the largest govemment VSAT network outside of USA, decided to make available its vast computerised
bibliographic resources and networks to the university libraries. With no additional
investment, NIC was able to set up the Research and Education Network of NIC
(RENNIC) with the objective of giving NICNET and INTERNET linkages to all the
8000 colleges and R&D institutions. Between RENNIC and ERNET, the university
system began getting computer network services with international hook up facilities.
The process is expected to cover all the colleges and R&D institutions and all the public
libraries by the end of 1997.
1.6
UNESCOs
Catalysis
With the successful setting up of the first National Public Library in Delhi in 195 1,
the UNESCO has been giving catalytic support to the Government of India in general and
the library movement in particular through various means world-wide. UNESCO gave
a new thrust to the library sector during the 70s by promoting UN Information System
in Science and Technology (UNISIST), and National Information System (NATIS) and
implemented these through its General Information Programme (PGI). As early as 1974
and 1979, Inter-governmental Conferences were arranged by them which enthused a
number of library scientists in India to get them implemented in the country. UNESCO
disseminated new ideas and policy instruments through bulletins, manuals, hand-books,
standards, training material, conference proceedings, project documents, etc. They
distributed freely CDS/ISIS library package, MINISIS etc. for promoting library
modemization. Many of the UNESCO reports published in the 70s like, Information
Policy Objectives, Guidelines on Planning National Scientific and Technological
Information Systems, Planning National Information Structures for Documentation,
18
Libraries and Archives : Outline of a General Policy, 1975, Information Policy for
Development: National and International Responsibilities, 1976, Design and Planning
of National Information Systems, A paper for Government Planners, 1976, among
several others, had the salient effect of guiding policy makers at not only the Government
level, but also organizational level. Though the library movement in India did not avail
of the UNESCO catalysis during the 80s. as much as they did during the 7Os, 90s has
seen a resurgence of the interaction through collaborative efforts between UNESCO and
NISSAT on one hand and the UNESCO and NIC on the other. UNESCO also has taken
joint initiatives with many other organizations. As a guide for the future for those
organizations in India who want to benefit by the catalytic efforts of UNESCO, the
following are included as Annexures 3 to 6:
1.
2.
Excerpts from the Vienna Programme of Action on Science and Technology for Development 1979 and excerpts from the note by the SecretaryGeneral of the UN General Assembly on the Operational Plan for
Implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action.
3.
19
Chapter Two
MICRO
PROFILE
OF LIBRARY
MODERNIZATION
I. SECTORAL
IN INDIA
LIBRARIES
photo-copies of papers, articles, network-based sharing of full text CDROMs and online
resources. Development of Union Catalogues for the region in question becomes
essential in order to know who has what resources and thereby plan for complementary
acquisition of resources. Cooperative acquisition of serials and primary documents by
the participating libraries in the region would enhance the availability of rare and
occasional publications brought out within the country and abroad. Also, network-based
online full text retrieval of articles through terminals indifferent libraries can be arranged
through carefully negotiated site licensing arrangements with the publishers which will
minimise the total royalty payments. A numberofpublishers have shown interest in such
site licensing because of the propensity for increasing the demand by increasing
affordability.
Within the region or within the subject domain/sector a coordinating centre can be
given the responsibility for coordinating all the above functions. Even within a sector if
there is a library of specialized R&D organization and a number of other organizations
with sub-sectoral specialization, the main coordinating centre can bring in cooperative
resource sharing and cooperative value added services by coordinating the main centre
and the sub-centres through the computer-communication network.
NISSAT, which pioneered the sectoral information movement in the country, has
valuable experience in organizing resource sharing of scientific and technical library
material. Some of the services that have evolved in the various NISSAT centres can be
summarized as follows:
Abstrucring Service: The Coordinating Centre can bring out sectoral abstracts for
the sector by covering the various documents available in the participating libraries
including sub-sector libraries.
Sector-al Information Digest: The coordinating centre can bring out a sectoral
digest in the specialized subject domain outlining or elaborating recent scientific
developments and trends collected from a number of technical journals, books and other
periodicals.
Current Awareness Service: Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI), and
retrospective current awareness services can be brought out by the centre by consulting
both national and international databases.
Bibliographical Services: The centre can prepare or cause to prepare bibliographies on specific topics in the specialized subject domain by coordinating the literature
available in various sectoral and sub-sectoral libraries in the country. The growing
21
INTERNET
Agriculture
Sector
cial publications.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR) has taken initiative in setting
up or supporting the setting up of appropriate information systems in the agricultural
sector. Set up in 1929, ICAR is the apex organization serving agricultural and animal
husbandry research and education in the country through 44 research institutes, 69 All
India Coordinated Research Projects, 8 Project Directorates, 19 National Research
Centres, 26 Agricultural Universities and Krishi Vigyan Kendras for lab to land transfer
of technology. In early 6Os, the Estimates Committee of Parliament recommended the
setting up of a Research Information Service at ICAR Headquarters. In 1967, ICAR
created at its headquarters, the research project file unit. The Ministry of Agriculture,
entrusted the responsibility of servicing the international information system for
agricultural sciences (AGRIS) of FAOof UN to this unit in 1975. Subsequently, the unit
was renamed as Agricultural Research Information Centre (ARIC) with the following
broad objectives:
1.
Central sources of research project information for systematic maintenance of records of research projects and reporting of research activities.
2.
3.
Planning, implementation, financial support, standardization and working out compatibility among agricultural research information systems.
4.
Generation, analysis, integration and diffusion of national and intemational agricultural research information.
5.
In pursuance of these objectives, over the years, ARIC has developed a number of
information systems which have yielded the following benefits:
1.
2.
Users are able to keep themselves informed about the new programmes
and projects.
3.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
It adopts FAOs AGRIQARIC categorization scheme which is a multilingual thesaurus for coding and indexing.
context.
About 50 research institutes and stations under the ICAR are connected to
NICNET through intra-city dial-up to the nearest NIC District Centres. A report recently
prepared for the World Bank advocates the setting up of a wider network connecting all
the R&D institutions, universities and extension centres in the agricultural research
sector. For this, it is proposed to utilize, through appropriate augmentation, existing
networks like NICNET and ERNET.
In the post-GATT era, the setting up of information systems for bio-diversity and
plant genetic resources has become urgent. This issue has taken a political dimension
throughout the world and developing countries like India are required to hasten to set up
a comprehensive information system so as to safeguard themselves against the loss of
commercial advantage through knowledge gaps.
In this context, the genetic resources manager needs information on the diverse
activities of the gene banks which include introduction, conservation, characterization,
evaluation and distribution of plant material. International concern on collection,
preservation and utilization of plant genetic resources has triggered the assignment of
high priority for such information systems. As the genetic resources are reservoirs which
can be of immense help to the growing population of India, only a fraction of these
resources have been utilized in the country with GATT Agreement giving patentability
rights of various aspects of genetic resources. A major international legal dimension has
24
been added.
Years of evolution under domestication and natural selection has resulted in a
high diversity in Agri-Horticultural crops with considerable variation in plant genetic
resources. The global genetic resources of about 34000 cultivated TAXA is confined to
12 primary centres of diversity. India is known to be one of the important gene centres
of the world with about 15,000 plant species occurring, of which 150 are of high
economic importance. Rich genetic diversity is available in case of many cereal crops,
legumes, vegetables, spices, oilseeds, fibre crops, fruits, medicinal plants and also in
grass and trees. The wild relatives of the 150 economically important species are facing
the danger of extinction. This brings in an urgency in collection, evaluation, conservation and documentation. Since 1976, the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources
(NBPGR) is supplying information on plant genetic resources in the country so that all
useful agri-horticultural plants are taken care of before much damage gets done. The
Bureau maintains about 40,000 collections of Agri-horticulture crops at its headquarters
including a number of crop based institutes of ICAR like the Indian Agricultural
Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. Among these, about 150,OOOcollections of wheat
at IARI, New Delhi, 1000 accessions of Potatoes etc. at Central Potato Research Institute
at Shimla, 14,000 plantation crops at Central Tuber Crops Research Institute at
Kasargode, 5000 accessions of different fruits and vegetable crops at the Indian Institute
of Horticultural Research, Bangalore, 6000 collections of Cotton species at the Central
Institute of Cotton Research, Nagpur, about 3600 clones of Saccharums at the Sugarcane
Breeding Institute at Coimbatore, about 86,000 accessions at the International Crop
Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) at Hyderabad and so on.
The germplasm line/seed sample is the basic unit of any genetic resource centre.
Information on places of germplasm collection, their ecological habits, the extent of
variability observed in the field along with other data, information on various evaluation
parameters, conservation details, quantity of seed stored, and its placement in the gene
bank, germination percentage, time parity of storage, etc. are important elements of the
database. In general, for supporting plant germplasm banks, the following information
is required:
1.
2.
3.
Bio-Technology
Sector
26
- Oncogenes, Reproduction
Physiology, Cell Transformation, Nucleic acid
and Protein sequences
- Immunology
..
- Enzyme Engineering,
Immobilised Bio-catalysts,
Microbial Fermentation and
Bioprocess Engineering
:
27
Chandigarh
2.
To store and retrieve information from databases created on computerized and from structured information generated by research and industrial institutions in the identified fields of biotechnology and continually
update the data bank and make available the information to user centres
and interested parties.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
A large number of user centres have been established with network access to the
databases created at the DIC. All these centres have been provided with FAX transmission facilities to enable receiving and sending specific information straight from the
source documents. A dial-up connection through modems connected to PADS of
NICNET has been provided for communication of messages between intelligent
terminals and remote locations. All the DICs have been linked to NICNET and through
NICNET to INTERNET. The BTIS specifically links all the libraries of the DICs and has
been the main source of modemization of these libraries. Computer and network based
services are given specifically arising from books, proceedings of conferences, trade
periodicals, market surveys, research project information, dissertations, abstracts and
28
Forestry Sector
Forestry Research in India dates back to 1879 af*theDehradun Forest School. The
Imperial Forest Research Institute (IFRI) later renamed as Forest Research Institute
(FRI) at Dehradun was established at the beginning of the century. After independence,
forestry research was decentralized and several State Agricultural Universities and
Science Universities took to education and research in forestry. In recent times, several
institutions were set up which showed interest in forestry research, e.g., Wild Life
Institute of India, Indian Institute of Forest Management, IPII, etc. The Survey of India,
Indian Institute of Remote Sensing and National Remote Sensing Agency supplied aerial
photographs and satellite imageries on forests. The FRI library has a very rich collection
of books and journals on forestry with current holding of about 130,000 books and 600
journals.
Documentation of forestry literature in India began as early as 1926 at Dehradun.
This was started by Silviculturist at FRI, Dr. Howard, who later became famous for the
Howard System of Classification. As there were deficiencies in this system, in 1954 the
Commonwealth Agricultural Bueaux of England published the Oxford Decimal (ODC)
system of classification which was finally adopted by FRI. The system was subsequently
revised by the International Union of Forestry Research Organisations. FRI, which is
the largest institution of its kind in Asia, also pioneered the use of computers in forest
research and library modemization. Extensive use of CDROM based bibliographic
databases as well as online search of international databases have been established. The
World Bank is assisting the setting up of a National Forest Library and Information
Centre (NLFIC) at FRI Dehradun to act as a Forest Documentation Centre for India. A
network link to FRI has been provided from NICNET with consequent facility for access
to INTERNET database.
2.5
Fisheries Sector
The sectoral Information System for fisheries has been set up at the Central Marine
Fisheries Research Institute with the Headquarters Library at &chin. The objectives of
the Institute are: development of fisheries in the Indian exclusive Economic zone as well
as promoting marticulture along the coastal zone through transfer of technology,
29
Sector
Drugs Research Institute (CDRI) at Lucknow. The Centre called, NICDAP, draws
support from a number of scientists and specialists in the area for giving value added
information services over the raw data culled out from various organizations. CDRI has
a well maintained and well stocked library and information unit. The library currently
has about 20,000 books and monographs and nearly 15,000 bound volumes of periodicals. It has a very good stock of secondary periodicals like Biological Abstracts,
Chemical Abstracts, Excerpta Medica, Index Medicus, Microbiology Abstracts, Science Citation Index, etc., in addition to several annual serials.
The establishment of NICDAP has given this library and association information
systems a national perspective to cater to the information needs of the industry,
academics and researchers. The objectives of NICDAP which are typical of most of the
NISSAT centres is outline below:
1.
2.
3.
To support and actively participate in research and development activities of the drugs and pharmaceuticals industry through current awareness
services by keeping them abreast of the valuable information emanating
from R&D activities carried out the world over.
4.
To make available reprographic, including micrographic, facilities photocopies, stencilling, duplicating and printing and microfiche preparation and duplication to its clientele.
5.
To satisfy the needs of its users, provide them with efficient technical
reference and referral services and to establish a system of feed-back.
6.
7.
8.
interest.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Chemistry
The internationally famous institute -National Chemical Laboratory at Pune became the host for the sectoral information centre of NISSAT in 1986 in the area of
Chemistry and Chemical Technology. NCLs library and documentation facilities are
regarded as one of the best in the field. It has a stock of more than 65,000 books and
monographs, 180,000 Indian Patents, about 12,000 foreign patents, more than 15,000
Indian and foreign standards, Indian Research Reports, and most of the theses submitted
in the area in the country, etc. The number of bound volumes of periodicals exceeds
50,000.
The centre offers reference services, CASED1 Services, technical information
services, patent information services and computerised information retrieval of national
and international databases in the area of chemistry and chemical technology apart from
modemized reprography services which annually supplies on an average 140,OOOcopies
to inhouse and outside users.
A number of new activities are in the pipeline. Information about current research
projects in various organizations and laboratories on Chemistry are correlated and made
available to users in computerreadable form. A union list of periodicals in chemistry and
chemical technology by coordinating various interest group libraries in the country, is
well under way. The computerization of library and information services address
cataloguing, circulation of documents, procurement of books, monographs and periodicals and preparation of union list of serials in chemistry and chemical technology. In
addition, information on patents, subjectwise current indexing and abstracting services
and ongoing research in chemistry and chemical technology are also being computerised. For online access to international databases, NCL is linked to NICNET through
33
Textile Industry
The
organized
for more
production
Sector
textile industry in India is crucial to its economy. It is the oldest and largest
industry. It is also a large source of agricultural employment, providing jobs
than 12 million people. It represents more than 20 percent of industrial
of India.
There are three categories of libraries in the textile sector. Libraries for the training
institutions, libraries in industrial organizations and libraries maintained by cooperative
research associations like Silk and Art Silk Mills Research Association (SASMIRA)
in Bombay and Ahmedabad Textile Industrys Research Association (ATIRA) at
Ahmedabad. SASMIRA library specializes in man-made textile industry in particular
and other allied subjects in general. Though basically catering to the requirements of the
research and teaching staff as well as students of SASMIRA, it also services the entire
Indian textile industry. Under the extension services it initiated a textile information
users group (TRIG) in Bombay. TIUG initially had the libraries of 7 textile organizations of Bombay as members, to promote appropriate use of textile information services.
ATIRA, which has a membership of more than 300 textile mills, deals with cotton
textile, chemicals and other auxiliaries, man-made fibre manufacture, processing houses
and members from decentralised sectors of the Indian textile industry. ATIRA library
and information centre is the oldest and the largest among the libraries of the fibre
research group. Perhaps it is the first sector-al centre in India. It currently has in its stock,
all Indian patent specifications and standard specifications in the field. It has over 1000
audio-visual films, records, pre-recorded cassettes, etc. The range of services include
enquiry servicing, consultation, reference service, loan service, inter-library loan
service, reprography service, documentation service, bibliographic service, preparation
and/or addition of union catalogues in the field, translation service, preparation and
updation of world textile abstract databases, among others.
In order to give a modemization slant, a National Information Centre for Textile
and Allied Subjects (NICTAS) was set up in 1986 under the MSSAT programme. The
main objective is to build up a computerized storage of information useful to Indian
textile scientists and technologists from all available sources in the world.
Special
efforts are made to collect information from within the country from numerous fields
related to textiles, With this, the following additional services are being progressively
introduced:
34
2.9
1.
Retrospective documentation services like master index of subject bibliographies and reviews, directory of research, etc.
2.
3.
4.
Preparation of surveys, state-of-the-art reports, scientific and technological forecasting and other types of techno-economic and special
management information services.
5.
Leather Industry
Sector
Targetted to reach by 2000 AD, the Indian Leather Industry is a major export
sector. To achieve this target, a major attempt at the modemization of the industry and
derivatively the modemization of the information sector is well under way. For
implementing the latter, the National Information Centre for Leather and Associated
Industries (MCLAI) was set up at the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) under
CSIR at Madras. The CLRI is a major technology transfer institution recognized
internationally and is assisting a number of developing countries in Asia, Africa and
Latin America with support from FAO, UNIDO, among others.
The information infrastructure at CLRI has evolved over more than 3 decades and
is now a unique information centre of its kind internationally. UNIDO extended
considerable assistance in the modemization process of MCLAI.
Information users are R&D personnel, policy makers, entrepreneurs, students, etc.
in the field of leather technology. The library resources at CLRI has offered 12,fKKl books
and as many back volumes of nearly 400 journals/periodicals. Centre also stocks
appropriate standards and patent specs to serve the industry and R&D community. The
centre brings out Current Leather Literature (CLL) as a monthly abstracting service
covering about 3ooO abstracts on an average every year. Trends in leather world and
manufacturers is an international monthly digest information covering policies, developments and events in the world of leather, footwear and leather goods ; Leather
Literature Analysis and Retrieval Services as a fortnightly service to scientists and
35
.
..__.
X,_..___.
---111-1
_.
.-.
...I
I_
IX
.--
..-_-
___
--.-
2.
3.
4.
Patent Abstracts - Bimonthly; covers food patents from all over the
world, about 200 per issue; classified with necessary indexes.
5.
emphasis on problem
7.
News Brief - monthly; provides current, general, non-technical information from newspapers and sections of periodicals; journalistic -titing.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Import-Export Databank
14.
15.
16.
17.
37
2.11
The Central Machine Tools Institute (CMTI) is a national centre for R&D in
machine tool technology, especially numerically controlled systems. The CMTI library
has liaison with 19 international organizations and research institutes abroad. Its current
holdings is 120,000 documents in this field. There is also a good stock of trade catalogues
collection on Metal working and allied fields. More than 200 trade directories have been
collected from all over the world for promoting machine tool trade and exports.
Recognizing the central role played by CMTI library, he National Information Centre
for Machine Tools and Production Engineering has been set up as one of the sectoral
information systems under the NISSAT programme. MCMAP brings out current
information awareness through two publications: (1) Metal Working Abstract and (2)
Metal Working Bulletin, devoted to the field of machine tools and production engineering. Equipped with a VAX series computer, a number of datbases have been developed
which extensively services industries, academic institutions, R&D institutions as well as
agencies and even individuals. NICMAP has access to international databases like
COMPENDEX through DIALOG network. The cost per query through DIALOG
network, which is around Rs. 1000, has acted as a deterrent for popularizing this facility.
The facility is weak on network access.
2.12 Social Sciences Sector
There are about 600 Social Science Libraries in India attached to the Institutions of
Research and Higher Learning numbering about 425, University Departments, Economic
and Banking establishments, Industrial establishments, Government Departments, etc.
They are run by different types of bodies like Government, Semi-government, autonomous and private. The stock held by an average social science library is about 25,000
volumes with the number of current periodicals received about 200.
The number of Government libraries is estimated to be about 600 with an average
stock of 50,000 volumes. They support planning, policy and decision making process in
the government. These libraries are active in documentation work, e.g. DOCPLAN by
the Planning Commission, DOCSTAT by the Central Statistical Organization, Foreign
Affairs Bulletin Document by the Ministry of External Affairs, Documentation in
Industry and Trade by the Ministry of Industrial Development.
In the field of Arts and Humanities, the more important libraries are: Sahitya
Academy, Sangeet Natak Academy, Lalit Kala Academy, National School of Drama,
FILM and Television Institute, National Museum, National Gallery of Modem Art ,
School of Buddhist Philosophy, Tibetan Works and Archives, National Library of
Calcutta, Central Library of Bombay, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, etc.
A large number of manuscript libraries exist with a rich collection of manuscripts.
38
Some examples of such libraries are - Aligarh Muslim University, National Library of
Calcutta, National Archives, Asiatic Society Library at Calcutta, Rampur Raza Library,
etc. The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) established a Social
Science Documentation Centre (SSDC) in 1970 for bibliographical control anddissemination of information in social science fields. Under its union catalogue programme, it
has brought out a union catalogue listing the holdings of nearly 600 libraries. Its
bibliographic activities include annotated bibliography on various social science subjects, retrospective indexing of social science periodicals, area study bibliographies of
social science research materials, etc. Abstracting journals in various social science
areas are also brought out. SSDC set up an inter-library resource Centre in Delhi. It
inputs information on Indian materials to International Committee for Social Science
Information and Documentation, International Bulletin of Bibliography on Education
and UNESCOs DARE system. The data archive unit of ICSSR collects, organizes and
maintains data in machine readable form and makes them available for research study.
It published a National Register of Social Sciences covering 7500 profiles and constantly
updates them. Recently, most of the institutes under ICSSR were linked to MCNET of
the National Informatics Centre giving them not only a nation-wide access but also
access to INTERNET. Subject-wise, these institutes are tabulated below:
Discipline-wise
Discipline
No. of
Institutes
Discipline
Anthropology
Management
Archaeology
Mass Communication
Demography
Political Science
Economics
13
Psychology
Education
Public Administration
Geography
Social Sciences
History/Indology
Comprehensive
Linguistics
Law
Sociology
39
.___
No. of
Institutes
The Initiative taken by ICSSR and NIC in networking the various Social Science
Research Institutes is leading to the establishment of Social Science Research Information Network (SSRINET) as a Close User Group of NICNET. The participating research
institutions are the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
40
18.
19.
20.
21.
23.
23.
24.
2.13 Cultural
Heritage Sector
In 1985, the Government of India set up a Department of Arts for promoting the
setting up of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) which is presently
serving as a major resource centre for Art. Through its multi-disciplinary programmes
it catalysed an integrated perception of the Indian tradition in art and culture. To support
the Study and Research in the field, the centre has plans to develop a unique reference
and research base of cultural source material in multimedia forms under one roof. It is
the nodal agency for all matters relating to the setting up of National Information System
and Data Bank (NISDB) on Art, Humanities & Cultural Heritage. IGNCA has been
authorised to issue instructions to all Departments of the Central Government for
obligatory filling of data and information on standard formats with IGNCA in the area
of arts, humanities and cultural heritage and also to advise the State Governments for
cooperation of their agencies in this respect.
Several descriptive mu1&lingual databases have been made operational in IGNCA:
Information on the catalogue of Indic manuscripts in different
repositories in the world, CATCAT
Information about Information, MANUS
Information about basic Indian concepts/terms and their occurrence in the old texts, KKTERM
41
42
Chapter Three
MICRO
PROFILE
OF LIBRARY
MODERNIZATION
II. UNIVERSITY
IN INDIA
LIBRARIES
In India, there are abut 7000 Colleges in about 200 Universities enrolling annually
more than 4 million students for Graduate, Post-graduate and research degrees and
300,000 teaching and research faculty.
The University libraries are the earliest to realize the importance of computer
support and modemization imperatives. The pressure for computerization arose out of
the increasing library work load to be handled by a small complement of library staff,
continuous pressure from students and research faculty for increased and improved
services as well as easier access to external databases. In addition, University/college
management was interested in the reduction of operating costs facilitated by a well
designed and well managed computerized library.
The university system initially was interested in computerization for housekeeping activities of the library as well as wider information search and retrieval.
Computerisation of house-keeping functions were initially motivated by a streamlining
of (a) Acquisition (b) Cataloguing, (c) Serials control and (d) Circulation control.
Acquisition and ordering systems cover the selection, ordering and accessioning
of items into the collection of the library using computers, as well as monitor the orders
which were not responded to by the book sellers to automatically produce of lists of
books on order, to keep track of expenditure and to produce accession lists on demand.
In order to save time in issue and discharge routines and avoiding bottlenecks, the
computerization of circulation control was resorted to. In Indian libraries, typically a
terminal is situated at the circulation counter with an operator entering directly the data
concerning the details of the book issued, name and code of the person borrowing it, date
of return on the basis of the period of loan etc. Automatic preparation of overdue lists
helps in better circulation of books and other items given on loan.
Computers are used to aid the production, maintenance and updating of catalogues. The CDS/ISIS package supplied free of cost by UNESCO is one of the most
popular software employed in the university system for this purpose.
In view of the relatively higher complexity, the serials control system is less used
43
._-..
_..-^_
__I
---,.-..--~
..-. _...-,.,_-_~
_^_- __~_..
-..--_
The University
of Hyderabad
Experiment:
requirements. From the student of one batch to the next, these individual packages were
continuously improved until it was adequate enough to be put in full scale commission
in the library for day-to-day service purposes. The computer hardware platform adopted
was IBM PC based on the INTEL Chip series.
At the outset knowledgeable faculty drew up a priority list for automation on the
basis of the following guidelines:
ii)
iii)
iv)
v>
vi)
To
To
To
To
To
To
enter data
update entered data
print a proof copy of data
produce catalogue cards on continuous
produce monthly list of additions
update data on to a master database
45
stationery
7.
8.
9.
The search system searches the data by author, keyword, accession number, class
number and browses from a given class number.
The system is functioning since April 1989 and about 15,000 publications have
been processed using the software. Reddyetal haveutilizedthe flow chart shown below:
While ordering periodicals, they discovered that the same periodicals list were
printed a number of times in a number of formats. The formatted entering of data
reconciled themselves. Periodical list in a variety of formats having different data
elements were produced to help periodical section in processing the periodicals
effectively and efficiently. The periodicals database gave the following outputs:
Total alphabetical list of periodicals, Department-wise alphabetical list ofperiodicals, School-wise alphabetical list of periodicals, vendor-wise alphabetical list of
periodicals, Air-mail periodicals data, Periodicals costing more than a given amount,
Periodicals with different rates of discount, Publisher-wise alphabetical list of periodicals and a combination of the above lists.
The input data include serial number, title, publisher code, vendor code, delivery
mode, price, discount, school code, department code, etc. This database helped in
46
sending the periodicals list to various departments for approvals with cost estimates
including escalation to send for the final approval of the sanctioning authority to place
the order with various vendors and to send the final list to individual departments to bring
out a consolidated alphabetical list for the use of the library along with the publisher
address and other information.
As the above two exercises proved highly successful, it was felt necessary to know
about the periodicals available in other libraries in Hyderabad for resource sharing.
Information was collected from 30 important libraries in Hyderabad on nearly 6000
individual periodical titles. The database so created benefits not only the library of the
University of Hyderabad but also all the 30 participating libraries. The software
developed could print alphabetical list of periodicals for a given library or for a group
of libraries.
Subsequently the areas of computerization and networking widened to include
SD1 services of the National Centre for Science Informtion, Bangalore and SNDT
Womens University, Bombay. CDROM databases were acquired in the areas of interest
to the University of Hyderabad. DIALOG services were subscribed to and access
remotely.
Throughout the library automation exercise, the university authorities provided
enthusiastic support. Encouraged by this, the exercise graduated from the after line
function toonline library functions withoutdistortingtheexistingdata.
Anonlinelibrary
database was created utilizing the LIBSYS software which consisted of the following:
Acquisition sub-system, Cataloguing subsystem, Serial subsystem, Public access sub
system, circulation subsystem. A particular advantage of LIBSYS was an integrated
multi-user environment so that a single database can be shared by all the terminals. The
next step is to implement LIBSYS or similar software on multi-user system with UNIX
operating environment.
In 1994, the Library of the University of Hyderabad was
connected to NICNET through the PAD situated at the NIC Southern Regional Centre
at Hyderabad.
3.2
IIT Kharagpur
Experiment.
47
IIT Kharagpur library represents a large inhouse library with a large local user
base. It has a collection of more than 300,000 items with books constituting 65 percent
and 4000 titles of periodicals accounting for 75,000 bound volumes. The library has
nearly 20,000 standard specs and theses. The yearly addition is 50,000 items with 1100
current periodicals subscribed. 3500 local users transact annually nearly 150,000 issues
and returns.
An Online Public Access CataIog (OPAC) was developed providing the following
options: Bibliographic searches Journals, Recent arrivals and Circulation status. The
online searches can be made on two databases: Books and non-books enabling catalogue
or index or key word based searches.
The Current Contents are made available on diskettes containing the Current
Weeks journal listing, organized in content page format. Each CC issue is grouped
according to scientific disciplines relevant to the institute. Within each discipline,
journals are also arranged alphabetically. A Local Area Network with nearly 100
terminals are connected to the Library/Institute computers with ethernet token ring
architecture developed and implemented by the Department of Communication of the
Institute in collaboration with the Library scientists and other concerned departments, as
shown in the figure given below:
CDROMs and online databases support the various research and academic
programmes of the institute. Apart from general secondary literature like INSPEC, and
Engineering Index on CDROM, there are several domain specific databases like active
library on corrosion with full text retrieval facility, etc. INTERNET access to the local
area network has been established through a VSAT of the NICNET installed in the
campus.
3.3.
Library
Network Experiment
In 1985, the Parliament approved the setting up of the IndiraGandhi National Open
University to enable higher education to comewithin the reach of a large body of the
population through the open university system. The multimedia approach is the tool
adopted for the delivery of instructions.
A three-tier library system with central library at the Headquarters, 16 Regional
Centre libraries and 220 Study centre libraries are getting integrated through advancements in information technology. With a growing need for quick retrieval and better
services for the students, the automation of the library at each of the three tiers has been
planned from the very beginning.
House-keeping at the central library has been
48
Dept./Centres
from
EE
32 Lines
..
..
TDI
TS
GG Terminol room
32 Lines
l
t
ECE LIB
Dept./Centres
from
CHE
32 Lines
e
EE
CE
ME
Karnataka
State University
Library
Network - A Proposal
The Kamataka State has six universities: Bangalore University, Gulburga University, Karnatakauniversity,
Kuvempu University at Shimoga, Mangalore University and
University of Mysore which have been set up at various times between 1916 and 1987.
These Universities are imparting education in virtually all areas of knowledge. A
proposal has been made for networking of University libraries in the State of Karnataka.
According to D.B. Patil of the Department of Library and Information Services,
Mangalore University, resource sharing of colleges in universities through participation
of Kamataka State University Libraries Network (KAULIBNET) would require adhering to certain universal guidelines and standards, some of which are described below:
1.
.
All participating libraries may acquire and equip with the necessary
infrastructure - staff, mechanical appliances, etc., which are essential to
meet the resource sharing obligations smoothly and efficiently.
3.
4.
5.
It is essential to formulate a policy indicating the objectives of networking and to provide guidelines for taking right decisions in future.
6.
The networking of libraries in the State shall form part of a national level
networking.
7.
All university libraries may provide a separate section to look after the
resource sharing.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Since the union catalogue of periodicals is the main basic tool for
resource sharing, the required facilities may be provided to update the
union catalogue in quick succession and to distribute all university
libraries for reference and record.
12.
51
\
3.5
Network
Objective
Functions
Acquisition function
(a)
(b)
Objectives
1
2.
Functions
(a)
(b)
Goal 3
Functions
1.
2.
Reference function
(a) Inter-reference services
(b) Subject bibliograhical services
(c) Abstracting and indexing services
3.
Goal 4:
Objectives
1.
To design appropriate staff development programmes such as inservice training, continuing education.
2.
According to the proposal for Gujarat State Technical Library Network made by
Jayshree Joshi, for the 9 Engineering colleges and 27 polytechnics in the State, the broad
structure of the State network, called, Technet, is given in the diagram below:
53
-_~-_
_-I-,
TECHNET
Dapartment of Technical Edua&m
1 ?kiiiEiCENTRE
4
Saumrhttu
Kutch
nit
4
Engineering
1
Pd/)echnic
Equipment
,--~2e.i
: A Ptopowd
Pkm, by Jay&roe
Jo&,
pp.24@249,
and,
Chapter Four
MICRO
PROFILE
OF LIBRARY
IILINTRACITY
MODERNIZATION
LIBRARY
IN INDIA
NETWORKS
With the increasing realization that inter-library resource sharing can be efficiently worked out within a geographically narrow area under conditions prevailing in
India, the concept of intracity library networks have gained ground. From the pioneering
role of CALIBNET for networking the various libraries in the City of Calcutta to the
successful story of DELNET which has linked the libraries of Delhi, a new concept was
conceived, experimented, implemented and consolidated.
The case study of Inn-a-city Library Network in India can be a good role model for
similar intra-city library networks in other developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin
America. In view of this wider possibility, a detailed description of CALIBNET and
DELNET is given below followed by an outline of similar experiments nucleated or
being set up in Bombay, Madras, Pune, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Mangalore.
4.1
resource sharing.
The explosive growth of published literature with annual turn over of more than
500,000 books, 100,000 periodicals, hundreds of thousands of patents, tens of thousands
of standards and a large number of unpublished reports and documents, no single library
in India can afford to store all these in one place. User demand is however, increasing
exponentially. Atleast within a metropolitan city, it is possible to connect all the
computerized libraries through a Metropolitan Area Network. The coming of full text
journals and the concept of site licensing are expected to simplify this process of intracity networking. Shared acquisition and shared cataloguing are the first to be experimented. Worthy precedences like the Online Computer Library Centre (OCLC),
Machine Readable Catalogue (MARC) Project and the Library of Congress shared
cataloguing project have demonstrated the methodology of resource sharing and the
advantages resulting therefrom. The OCLC membership has exceeded 5000 libraries in
Canada, USA, Ireland, France, Denmark, UK, Australia, Saudi Arabia, etc.
Within the same city, it would be possible to avoid duplication of subscription to
various journals and beat the retrograde effect of increasing cost of journal subscription.
This can be shown statistically through available study reports. INSDOC has developed
12 volumes of original union catalogue of scientific serials and the National Union
Catalogue of Scientific Journals in India database with the holding data of about 35,000
scientific serials available in 800 libraries. Less than 20,000 Science & Technology
serials currently received in India as a whole from foreign countries is very small
compared to the 50,000 science & technology serials published globally.
State-wise break-up of the serials published by INSDOC is given in Table
Table :
Ranking
Subject
1.
:I
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
:416:
17.
:;*
20:
21.
Total
No. of
Titles
Medical Science
5014
Engineering
4643
Agriculture and
Animal Husbandry
3808
Biological Sciences
1835
Geology, Geophysics,
Geochemistry
1894
Chemical Engineering
Chemical Technology
1707
Mathematics, Astronomy
1346
Science & Technology
in General
1749
Meteorology, Hydrology,
Climatology
1310
Management
995
Chemistry
1082
Library, Information
Science & Computer Science 755
Manufacturers, different
types of industries
983
Physics
838
784
~l%Y
Botany
702
Architecture & Building
Industry
474
Psychology
263
Geography
272
Military Science
137
Photography
127
Others
450
Current
titles
16.07
14.88
3083
2679
16.86
14.65
12.20
5.88
2190
1190
11.97
6.51
6.07
1042
5.47
4.31
936
863
5.12
4.71
5.60
855
4.67
4.20
3.19
3.46
657
631
630
3.59
3.45
3.44
2.48
550
3.00
3.15
2.68
2.51
2.25
549
541
464
384
1.51
0.84
0.87
0.43
0.40
273
201
161
98
66
i!iEl
0:53
0.36
1.44
234
1.28
;-ii
2:53
2.10
1.49
The NUCSI study reveals that inflow of foreign serials is mainly from USA, UK,
Australia and other English speaking countries. Seventy percent of the inflow is in
English language as compared to 50 percent globally. This shows that India is missing
out worthwhile serials in Japanese, Chinese and other non-English languages. Irma-city
networking can effect group economy and utilise savings in remedying such situations.
INSDOC made a survey of 12 foreign scientific abstracting and indexing journals
procured by Indian libraries. The results outlined in Table. show that an amount of Rs.
35 million is planned for subscribing to 12 journals only by 770 libraries including 220
university libraries. This is equivalent to a unit cost perjoumal of Rs. 0.48 million. This
clearly shows wasteful expenditure due to avoidable duplication of subscriptions.
Table
Name of the
A & I Journals
Approximate
Unit cost
No. of copies
UL
1. Chemical Abstracts
Total cost
( Rs. )
OL
1,50,000
40
72
1,68,00,000
2. Biological Abstracts
50,000
41
82
60,50,000
3. Current Contents
28,500
22
138
4560,000
4. Mathematical Reviews
45,000
30
23
23,85,000
27,000
29
45
19,98,000
6. Electrical and
Electronics Abstracts
25,000
44
13,00,000
7. Engineering Index
27,000
42
11,61,000
1,02,000
8,16,000
5,700
34
38
2,79,3OO
2,700
52
1,40,000
5,ooo
11
65,000
1,500
18
15
49,500
4,74,600
229
546
3,56,03,800
Abstracts
Total
57
.^
_~-____---
-.
..-.
.---.--
Some of the problems encountered in resource sharing have been attributed to the
following:
1.
2.
Sophisticated computer-communication
resource sharing.
3.
Copyright regulations and reaction of the publishers whose sales may get
reduced, may attenuate the resource sharing process.
4.
5.
The rationale for intra-city library network have been identified as follows:
-
In thecontext of the above, the pros and cons of intracity library network is detailed
below:
4.2
CALIBNET
- The Pioneer
The initiative for setting up of CALIBNET at Calcutta was that of NISSAT of the
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research @SIR) of the Government of India..
The CMCLimited was entrusted with the responsibility of implementing the CALIBNET
network with a coordination committee under a former Vice Chancellor of the Calcutta
University providing the necessary guidance. The CMC Limited is guided in the
development of the application software MAITRAYEE by a standardization committee
under the chairmanship of Prof. P.K. Mahapatra. The objectives of CALIBNET were
identified as follows:
58
59
-.,
-^..-..-.e,--
~-
_._,
--I--.-.I.
_..
._
-.s.-_____l___
1-1
----.-.--_
facility and document access across libraries are being worked out through electronic
mail.
The NSC creates and maintains union catalogues, union list of serials, central
authority records, etc. It will also assist in centralised services for online search wherever
such is found by community to be collectively arranged. Training is a major responsibility for spreading the awareness concerning library automation.
The indigenously developed MAITRAYEE software has the following features:
Integrated environment, pluggable features, open system with UNIMARC, Automatic
Access Point Generation with browsing for even user defined access points, automatic
card generation with card formatting, multiuser queuing with inbuilt priority check for
well defined reservation management, OLTP features for front desk operations, PAC,
Inter-library loan between participating institutions, file transfer, remote log-in and
electronic mail.
CALIBNET
Phase-I:
1.
2.
3.
Multiport support to PC/ATs located at various libraries through Asynchronous Communication (ACS) and TCP/IP software.
4.
5.
6.
Phase-II:
1.
2.
60
3.
4.
DELNET
- A Success Story
In January 1989, the India International Centre New Delhi organized a discussion
on the networking of Delhi Libraries. A committee constituted to study the feasibility
recommended with DELNET should be established for resource sharing. In 1992,
DELNET was established as a Society under the Societies Registration Act of Delhi with
the following aims and objectives (reproduced from the Memorandum of Association of
the Society).
The main objects of DELNET are:
1.
To promote sharing of resources among the libraries in Delhi by developing a network of libraries by collecting, storing and disseminating
information and by offering computerised services to the users.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
b)
General Body
Membership
There will be the following categories of membership:
a>
Honorary Members:
b)
Founder members:
Founder Members will be those individuals who have signed the memorandum of
the society and paid the admission and life membership fee of Rs. 200.00
cl
Institutional Members:
----
..-- --I
d)
Phase III will include networking of the remaining and additional libraries.
DELNET will select an institution as a central host provided it
a)
b)
c)
Achievements of DELJVET
Cooperation among libraries in Delhi has been found to be exemplary. The
DELNET project has already started saving on expenditure through resource sharing,
comparable in size to the annual project budget. The success has been due to careful
human engineering and equally careful choice of technologies under the leadership of
Mr. H.K. Kaul, Project Director of DELNET. Discussions in various forums were held
to understand the circumstances, the strategies and policy instruments which resulted in
DELNET becoming highly successful and CALIBNET beset with major problems.
While some of the problems of CALIBNET are attributable to communication and other
handicaps endemic to Calcutta city, the success of DELNET is attributable to a number
of positive strategies and policies which are best described in the words of its Project
Director as follows:
The achievements of DELNET during the last three years could be listed as
follows:
The feasibility study report was completed and evaluated. Thirty five
1.
libraries were included in the survey for the purpose of the report. The efforts are being
made to implement it in various phases. 0 phase was added to it in order to establish
E-mail.
2.
data
2.
Input/output format
3.
Bibliographic
4.
5.
Thesaurus
6.
Authority files
7.
8.
Forms of headings
9.
Identification
10.
11.
a)
66
b)
c>
The Committee decided that to begin with the libraries with more than
20,ooO books in stock should be considered for membership of
DELNET, but for the use of E-mail all libraries that were having a PC/
AT or an XT in the libraries and direct telephone lines or zero dialing
facilities would form the outer ring on DELNET libraries.
2.
_.--..._
Highway.
3.
4.
NIC to provide the expected funds for the creation of the Union catalogues
for all the 70 libraries utilizing the TBCI-ILIB over the BASIS Plus platform.
5.
NIC to provide BASIS Plus and TECHLIB software to all the major libraries
in Delhi with DELNET Central Office taking the role of a trainer.
6.
4.4
BOMBAY
Library
Network
(BONET)
- A Proposal
With the success of DELNET, the Library and Information scientists in other cities
are pooling their resources to set up intracity networks forresource sharing. BONET was
set up in November 1992 with the initial sponsorship of NISSAT. It aims at promoting
cooperation between libraries in Bombay with focus on inter-library activities rather
than on computerizing individual libraries. BONET will however, offer training related
to the library computerization and speed up computerization of Bombay Libraries.
Within a few years, BONET is expected to become fund-wise self-sufficient with
participating libraries having to pay a subscription after an initial grant from NISSAT.
E-mail among BONET members has already been set up using ERNET linkage with the
BONET members paying a subscription charge.
4.5
BANNET
- Bangalore Library
Bangalore is regarded as the Silicon Valley of India. It has the largest number of
Hightech Industries in any city in India and numerous libraries in Hightech areas. DRTC
has taken initiative in nucleating BANNET linking all the colleges of the Bangalore
University, Research & Development Institutions and Industries. DRTC has requested
for the support of NIC and connection to NICNET. This is under consideration.
4.6
MAILNET
- Mangalore
Library
Network - A Proposal
A proposal has been made for the setting up of a Library Network in Mangalore,
the port city of Karnataka on the Arabian Sea. The propensity for the growth of library
network in this city is that the literacy level in Mangalore city is more than 80 percent
69
-
-..
^----~)_.
-l__-__^
--.--___
II_.
--_
as compared to the literacy level of 53.46 percent in the Dakshin Kannada District
housing the Mangalore city and 38.46 percent in the State of Kamataka as a whole. The
city is fast moving towards 100 percent literacy. There are 25 educational institutions
in Mangalore and its neighbourhood including University Colleges and professional
colleges.
4.7
Other Intracity
Networks
A number of other cities are following in the wake of success of DELNET, namely,
Pune in the State of Maharashtra, Madras in Tamil Nadu ,Union Territory of Chandigarh,
etc.
70
Chapter Five
NATIONAL
LEVEL
VALUE
ADDED FACILITATORS
The pre-eminent role of Science and Technology in the economic and social
development of the country has precipitated an exponential demand for access to
information. Apart from Information generated within the country, the process of
liberalization of the economy has necessitated increasing access from externally
generated information.
To enable this, the library movement in India is receiving considerable impetus
and catalytic support from several national level facilitators who are growing the
modemization infrastructure utilizing the tools of Information Technology like computers, electronic reprographic equipment and computer networks like LANs, MANS and
WANs. Further, general communication gateways for E-mail, File Transfer, Database
access, INTERNET and World Wide Web access, etc., are being augmented by the
Department ofTelecommunications (DOT) andvidesh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL).
The major value added facilitators at the national level are:
NISSAT under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
INSDOC under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
ERNET under the Department of Electronics
INFLIBNET
The National Information System for Science & Technology (NISSAT) programme was set up under the Department of Science and Technology in 1977 which later
came under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research @SIR) from 1982.
NISSAT is a unique example of a successful sectoral information promotion in the areas
of science and technology. The sectoral informatics movement set in motion by NISSAT
its impact felt even over the main library mdemization
movement. The original
objectives of NISSAT are:
71
---_.-_-.
--.I-
No.
Subject Area
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
ments supply for member States. NISSAT is supporting INSDOC in the development
of a National Citation Index. An important contribution of NISSAT is the organization
of short term courses to improve upon updated skills of information and library
professionals on a continuing basis which will bring in a self-sustaining momentum for
the library modemization drive. For this, NISSAT depends on DRTC, INSDOC,
University of Pune, Indian Library Association, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU)
at Shillong, INFOTEK at Madras, NISTADS at New Delhi, NCL at Pune, CLRI Madras,
CDRI at Lucknow etc.
NISSAT has initiated action on the generation of UNIMARC an implementation
manual for Common Communication Format by UNESCO for machine readable
bibliographic records.
NISSAT Advisory Committee also functions as a national advisory committee for
UNISIST and the National Advisory Group for ASTINFO.
The activities under
ASTINFO of UNESCO are outlined below:
1.
The Regional nodes as well as the national node of APINMAP have been
located at Publication and Information Directorate, New Delhi. For
preparation of a database on medicinal and aromatic plants, a HP 3000
system has been provided by ASTINFO. To coordinate the flow of inputs
from various research laboratories in the country, a national committee
has been constituted.
2.
3.
4.
Considerable progress has been made on the project for the development
of bibliographic information system at National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. A micro computer has been delivered, two years subscription
to the ASFA database on CDROM including rental of CDROM reader
has been taken and NIO staff trained.
5.
5.2
6.
7.
8.
As part of the international programme on Chemical Information Network (ChIN), NCL Pune would prepare a chemical reactions database.
In this context a study team from India visited various facilities in
Europe.
9.
NISSAT is coordinating the ASTINFO document supply service promoted and supported by UNESCO, ASTINFO and National Library of
Australia.
-------
-MI*
. ..-
II)...I^-
.-.
..------
---.
4. To supply photocopies/translations
laboratories or individual workers.
of articles required by
ERNET - Introducing
Internet to India
supported by UNDP and the Government of India. The project developed knowhow on
various aspects of computer-communication network technology as well as trained a
large number of communication and informatics specialists in the emerging areas of
computer-communication
networking. To facilitate Education and Research in Networking, the project set up a model network connecting the eight participating organizations. Over the years, the training and research emphasis got de-emphasized and the
network-based services to the academic and research organizations got emphasized.
Under this new dispensation ERNET introduced INTERNET to India. The latter
development and plans in this direction are succinctly brought out in a brochure by the
Department of Electronics, entitled, Networking of Networks - Project ERNET. In an
effort to present the new accomplishments and plans of ERNET, a substantive reproduction from this brochure is given in the rest of this section.
The ERNET architecture and implementation strategy follows an evolutionary
path to enable progressive and rapid building up of capability, expertise and confidence
for graceful migration from proprietary or non-standard solutions to those based on
international standards. Multi-vendor computing environment is supported with an
INTERNET working architecture with a variety of underlying sub-networks, viz.,
campus Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Network (WAN) and Packet Radio
based Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). Global applications include electronic mail,
file transfer, remote log-in, database access, conferencing, Archie, Gopher, WAIS and
News.
As an enabling technology for academic and research community in the country,
ERNET endeavours to provide a vehicle for strengthening collaborative efforts among
geographically dispersed institutions, groups and individuals. It should thus help to
strengthen linkages between academia, R&D groups and industry.
The project started in November 1986, and the first phase was scheduled upto
November 1992. UNDP has provided critical support through international experts,
training at reputed institutions abroad and development tools. In phase Il of ERNET
during the Eighth Plan, the immediate objectives are:
To progressively set up a nation-wide network for academic and research
community starting with eight participating premier institutions.
To undertake Design, Development and Advanced Research in emerging
concepts of Computer Networking and related technologies.
To carry out Continuing Education, Training and Consultancy Pro78
INFLIBNET
Standardization
80
Database services
Document supply service (FAX and Non-FAX)
Collection Development
Communication based services, viz., Referral, E-Mail, Bulletin Board,
Audio/Video/Computer
Conferencing, etc.
They have also found a niche in the development of standardization for various
library operations and services and establishing norms for cooperation with networks
like NICNET and sectoral programmes like NISSAT.
5.5
NICNET
The National Informatics Centre is a premier organization in the field of Information Technology (IT) in India. It provides state-of-the-art solutions to the information
management and decision support requirements of the Government and the Corporate
sector. NIC has set up a satellite-based nation-wide computer-communication network,
called, NICNET, with over 750 VSAT nodes connecting the national capital, the State
capitals and district headquarters to one another.
The IT services provided by NIC range from conducting feasibility studies for
computerization; designing, developing and implementing computer-based information
systems; to undertaking large turnkey projects, including setting up of networks and
imparting training to personnel in user organizations. NIC has developed extensive
expertise in integrating IT-based systems with the working of user organizations. The
services provided by NIC include development of Application Software Packages,
Systems Software, Database Systems, Distributed Databases, Bibliographic Services,
LAN, MAN and WAN Networking, Electronic Mail, EDI, Access to International
Databases, Computer Aided Design, Geographic Information Systems, Modelling,
Expert Systems, Telematics Software, Office Automation, Document Management
Systems, Turnkey Projects and Training.
NICNET was designed and implemented by NIC using state-of-the-art satellite
based computer-communication technology. Keeping in view the wide geographic
spread of the country, ranging from islands in the Indian ocean to the Himalayan ranges,
the design of NICNET, which is one of the largest VSAT networks of its kind in the
world, ensures highly cost effective and reliable implementation.
81
NICNET has now been operational for over 6 years and has become an integral part
of a large number of Government and Corporate sector organizations, providing
information exchange services. NICNET services include File Transfer, Electronic
Mail, Remote Database Access, Data Broadcast and EDI.
NIC has emerged as an agent of change in the user organizations by providing
extensive training facilities to train and re-train a large number of people from these
organizations. The training methodology of NIC includes the use of state-of-the-art
training tools such as Computer Based Tutors (CBTs) and Multimedia Systems.
NICs programme for assisting modemization of library systems is basically
carried out under three initiatives:
1.
2.
Public libraries through the support given by NIC to the Ministry of Human
Resource Development, Department of Culture, etc.
3.
Libraries in Universities/Colleges/Research
and Education Network of NIC (RENNIC).
Over the years, the academic and research community in the country desired to
share information on a global platform in a cost effective way. This was realized by NIC
through RENNIC.
NICNET offers network services to Research, Education and Medical Institutions
as well as librarians at their doorsteps through RENNIC with the following objectives
.
services.
Services
E-mail :
It enables a user to send messages electronically to individuals or group of
individuals and also accept and store messages from other users over computer networks
.
News Services :
National and International news services is a daily updated source of news
83
__-_I.
VP--...
-__
Internet access
Remote Login
Gateway to SMTP/UUCP
Directory Services
C-WEB :
C-WEB (Centre for World Wide Web Service over NICNET) becomes the first
Web server in the Country to navigate through Internet for exchanging multimedia
documents between computer users internationally. The WWW Gateway to INTERNET
provides a powerful browsing and searching facility for a seamless world-wide digital
web of information.
RENNIC Connectivity:
Access to NICNET for the national and INTERNET E-mail will be provided
from any of the nearest Satellite Earthstations of NIC (numbering 750) spread
over 500 cities and towns in the country. Connectivity will be provided on dialup basis. High cost of data circuits over STD or inter-city dial-up is not required.
Access to NICNET for other Internet services will be provided from any of the
major state capitals and important commercial towns .
85
-. I. II_
--.-
._l-.--..l
___--
Chapter Six
MANAGING
THE TECHNOLOGICAL
THE INDIAN EXPERIENCE
CHANGE
6.1
2.
Retrospective Conversion
3.
Online Catalogues
4.
End-user-friendly
5.
Online Circulation
6.
Tradition
search
Versus Modernization
Imperatives
Services
Reprography services
Traditionally microfilm and microfische storage of material has been resorted to
for realizing efficiency of storage space. These are being replaced by OCR and Compact
Disk Read Only Memory (CDROM). The impact of such efficient modem methods over
the traditional ones has already been felt throughout the Indian library system.
Impact of Information Technology over the traditional practices
1.
2.
4.
5.
With the increase of the projected life of CDROMs from ten years at the beginning
to hundred years according to contemporary estimates of systems available in the
market, library archiving has become electronic and optical. This has the salient effect
of saving a lot of space in the libraries.
The Indian experience has shown that during the transition from traditional
methods to modemized methods, a number of problems are encountered like inadequacy
in planning of transition, inability to mobilize the required funds for the transition,
inability to make the proper choice of computer hardware and software, and lastly,
because of lack of training in IT, social and personal bias against the introduction of the
transition. One of the biggest problems encountered during the initial stage of the
transition is retrospective conversion of card catalogue into machine readable form.
Specialised scanners/OCR systems are now available for machine reading of catalogues.
According to Prem Singh, (Ref. Library Science, Volume 28, No. 4, December
1991) the social and personal resistance to the transition can be overcome by the
following tested approaches:
1.
Management should be specific about the change. Vagueness and ambiguity can cause worry and unrest.
2.
Management should explain the reasons for change in detail and remove
the doubts from the minds of the workforce. Workforce should be given
full opportunity to air their objections.
3.
4.
5.
The habit patterns of the groups should not be disregarded. Any attack on
their habit patterns would generate resistance to change.
6.
89
.---
_.,-I
.l_l__l
6a2.
7.
8.
Management should be aware of the ripe timing for the change. It is much
easier to influence people favourably before introducing the change than
after.
Retrospective
Conversion
2.
3.
4.
5.
91
I-.- -_-. .
__..__
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Completion of missing information and descriptors for bound per&cals and inputting them into PCs.
8.
9.
10.
11.
(b)
92
14.
The library professional staff will have to oversee the performance of the
outside agency. It is necessary that a full record level is achieved and the
project is completed within a deadline. The reliability of data so achieved
will enhance the importance of the database created.
a>
b)
Libraries should be encouraged and stimulated to retrospective conversion of catalogues through cooperation and other means.
cl
d)
e>
Online Catalogs
borrowed or missing, etc. Traditionally such files are available only to the library support
staff and not to the users. Automated library systems have brought this information
system into the hands of the reader. Systems can integrate an acquisition and serials
check in with a public catalogue and circulation carried out on the same computer or
through a local area network. If features like acquisitions, check in, public catalogue and
circulation are available from the same terminal, the user gets much more information
about the librarys resources. With online catalogs, diverse indexes can be brought
together in one place under one unified system using the mere displays, commands, etc.
so that a search in one database can be carried out into P search on another database.
Some university libraries are loading indexes to periodical articles into or along
side their online catalogues using BRS software or BASIS Plus software. For example,
using the BRS several years of MEDLINE has been loaded. Also INSPECcan be loaded
along with applied sciences and technology indexes. There is a rationale behind these
efforts. Any library that has mounted an online catalogue will soon confront the request
to include records for general articles as well as books and patent specifications. By
including these indexes in the online catalogue, a library can provide unlimited searching
for a fixed cost. Careful selection of what is to be mounted locally is to be exercised by
the library.
Soon after mounting the online catalogue, requests pour in for the inclusion of
indexes to journal articles and even full text journals of articles instead ofjust the citation.
A careful national policy as well as a local policy has to be evolved to contain and
regulate the rising spiral of expectations to ensure that the quality of service does not
suffer in the process of meeting the rising expectations. In this regard, the experience
gained in some of the developed countries can be transferred to the developing countries
through the good offices of international organizations like UNESCO.
With intra-city networking like DELNET and CALIBNET becoming popular in
India, online catalogue exercise will be forced to create connections to other computer
systems within the city. With this, the demand would also arise for a supplementary
demand for connecting micro computer servers with CDROM databases to the online
catalogue. It may, however, be necessary to be cautious to see that while periodical
indexes that will receive limited use into the online catalogue may not justify the expense
of storing online. It might be appropriate to acquire this database on CDROMs and
consult the CDROM server through the online catalogue.
An important advantage of online catalogue is that it can be consulted remotely
through Metropolitan Area Network and Wide Area Networks. Users with terminals can
consult the online catalogue from their offices or even homes using a dial-up line. Even
95
-
d...
.-.
.._
if online catalogue contains full reference of a general collection, remote access allows
the user to check citation and search collection without leaving his office or home and
without going to the library building. Eventually any combination with a document
delivery system, remote access would make online catalogue quite powerful and cost
effective.
There are some futuristic ideas at the drawing board stage which deserve more
attention. A 386/486 PC can be programmed to capture information from an online
catalogue, store information locally and manipulate that information to produce bibliography thereby customizing a personal bibliographic system. A well designed
knowledge workstation can make connections among related pieces of information
retrieved from the online catalogue using hyper-techniques.
6.4
End-user-friendly
Searching
Closely connected to online catalogue is the developments that are taking place in
end-user-friendly searching. It would be a great advantage if the end-user can directly
access an online bibliographic database. NIC is getting numerous requests from
specialized medical organizations who have linked to NICNET for MEDLARS and
other medical database access. Such specialised procedures of MEDLARS are being
carried out by end-users themselves after NIC specialists have trained them in search
methods. Online catalogue, online databases and online search services and development in optical information technologies have made end-user-friendly searching not
only possible but also desirable.
A conviction is growing that there is a need for enhanced and coordinated access
to rapidly growing collections, particularly in areas customarily lacking bibliographic
control such as periodicals. The following four methods of providing increased access
are being explored:
Loading periodical citation databases into local online catalogs
Providing end-user searching services or training programmes
Utilizing optical disk databases
Bringing databases inhouse for inhouse processing.
The studies sponsored by the Council on Library Resources (CLR) regarding enduser-friendly searching of online catalogues have found the following:
%
-...
-. .-..--
Promotion and training of library users with online catalogues and online
bibliographic databases.
Increase in the work load of library staff and restrictions on the expansion
of the library manpower.
Development of research and commercial front-end and gateway software packages which enable online searching by untrained users.
End-user-searching activities are found to fall into two categories:
6.5
1.
2.
Online Circulation
System
Over the years, two forms of access of information have developed - Online
Database Access using Metropolitan Area Networks and Wide Area Networks and
Optical Disk Databases Access using Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CDROM)
units.
Online Database Access
Network has optimized the information resources distributed over different parts
of the world. Wide Area Networks (WAN) are increasingly utilized for services
99
meeting the requirement of audio, visual, still picture, text and graphics information, the
WAN should provide switching connection through standard interface across national
borders. A number of networks provide ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
capability. In India, at present only NICNET National Info Highway is capable of
multimedia communication.
Table below gives a quantitative idea of the data volumes and transmission time
necessary to access multimedia databases:
Table:
Data Volume
2 Hrs.
2 Min.
14,400 MB
63 I-b.
31 Hrs.
2,400 MB
10 Hrs.
5 I-h.
Video (1 Set)
240 MB
63 Min.
31 Min
3 Min
2 Set
Still Image
160MB
42 Min
21 Min
84 Set
<5 Sec.
Graphic
24 MB
6 Min
3Min
cl2 Set
<l Set
Graphic
8MB
2 Min
1 Min
<lo set
cl Set
Sound
8MB
2 Min
1 Min
<lo set
cl set
Sound
16 KB
cl Set
<l Set
<l Set
<l Set
Text
64KB
<l Set
<lSec
<l Set
cl Set
Text
16 KB
cl Set
<lSec
cl Set
<I Set
2 ISDN
128 KBPS
30 ISDN
2 MBPS
140 MBPS
Video (1 Min)
Video (10 See)
18 Set
ISDN
64 KBPS
101
..-^^lll---.~-
-_
--..--I_
-.
103
.- .,.._-
Chapter Seven
SOFTWARE,
RESEARCH
AND TRAINING
Software
In many of the libraries, the library scientists have collaborated with software
engineers for developing customized software. Indian libraries are at present using
indigenously developed software or standard packages distributed by UNESCO and
IRDC.
Several commercial library software packages are available though they are
somewhat expensive. The commercial packages developed in India which are used in a
number of libraries are: LIBSYS, SANJAY, MAITRAYEE,
etc. The latter two
developed over CDS/ISIS Package freely distributed by UNESCO. Other commercial
software imported include, INFOTEK, WILYSIS, TULIP, TECHLIB Plus on BASIS
Plus, etc. The software packages which are more popular with libraries in India are:
LIBSYS, MINISIS, CDS/ISIS, IV + V Package, and TECHLIB. Of these, LIBSYS has
already been described earlier. A brief description of the other four are given below:
MINISIS Software Package:
Basically working on HP 3000 series platform, MINlSIS can be used to produce
library catalogues, different types of indexes, annotated bibliographies, etc. and have the
following features:
It allows efficient retrieval of information
It allows concurrent use of software by many users with an interactive
terminal oriented design
End-user-friendly
104
formats, etc.
multi-character
for dialogue
105
TECHLIB Plus
TECHLIB Plus is built on BASIS Plus which is a Document DBMS and Text
Retrieval System. It is designed to streamline and facilitate all the day-to-day operations
of a fully automated library. It provides access, circulation, serials management,
acquisition processing, catalogue maintenance and MARC cataloguing or user can
access images and information stored in BASIS plus databases. TECHLIB Plus can
provide direct access to information in Current Contents. It is a fully flexible tool set
accommodating continual growth in document collections as well as computing environment.
With a large internal demand within NIC and the availability of experienced
software research and development team, it has been possible to negotiate for the bulk
purchase of BASIS Plus and TECHLIB Plus Packages from ID1 Inc. of USA, at a small
fraction of the market price. NIC cost of the TECHLIB Plus over BASIS Plus is less than
2000 dollars per copy. 800 copies of BASIS Plus and 200 copies of TECHLIB Plus have
already been acquired some of which are being installed in important libraries which are
connected or are being connected to NICNET and NICNET Info Highway. Value
addition through modules developed at NIC will be made to the TECHLIB to continuously increase the power of the package as well as inter-networking over NICNET with
high efficiency and flexibility. A description of the TECHLIB Plus over BASIS Plus is
given in Annexure-8.
For multimedia INTERNET access, a World Wide Web Server Software having
hypermedia navigation feature has been built up over BASIS Plus software. Whichever
library is configured as an FIP to NICNET Info Highway can access the Worldwide Web
Server at the nearest Highway node. A brief description of the World Wide Web
(WWW) Server over BASIS Plus is also given Annexure-8.
All the above software will keep in view the major recommendations and findings
of the INFLIBNET Task Force. These special features outlined in the Inter-Agency
Working Group Report on INFLIBNET dated December 1988 are given in Annexure9.
A thorough-going analysis of the software requirements at the national level,
regional level as well as in University/College Libraries, R&D Institution Libraries,
Sectoral Information Centres, Public Libraries, District Libraries, etc., described in the
Inter-Agency Report are also substantially reproduced in Annexure-9.
106
7.2
Library
Though research in Library Science in India started immediately after independence, not until the 80s that an organized research on a widespread basis got under way.
Notwithstanding this, individual contributions to research in library sciences even
before independence had received international acclaim. A case in point is the pioneering
work of Dr. S.R. Ranganathan whose theories and approaches have contributed to the
growth of library science globally. Though the momentum created by Dr. Ranganathan
was sustained by individual scientists like Dr. Neelameghan and others, large scale
contributions came only in the wake of UGCs policies prescribing higher qualifications
including Doctorates for eligibility for promotion in the Schools, Colleges and University libraries. A meticulous compilation and analysis of research work in library science
in India, especially Ph.D. programmes, was made by R.S.R. Varalakshmi, Department
of Library and Information Sciences of Andhrauniversity, Vizhakhapatanam. We give
below the summary of her analysis and findings (as presented in Library Science,
Volume 31, No.2, June 1994) . All the tables given here are substantially based on or
derived from that paper.
Upto the end of 1992, 175 Ph.D. Degrees have been awarded in this area. The
Year-wise distribution is given in Table-l. In a majority of Doctoral programmes
describing methods such as historical case study methods have been mostly employed.
The evaluative methods have been used for determining relative importance of a library
or library processes. Content analysis/bibliometric studies have been used to describe
in an objective and quantitative way the characteristics of messages conveyed in a
medium of communication. Exploratory studies utilized survey research and techniques.
Table-l:
175)
Year
No. of Ph.Ds
Year
No. of Ph.Ds
1950
1981
1954
1982
1957
1983
1963
1984
18
1966
1985
20
1972
1986
1973
1987
1977
1989
17
1978
1990
14
1979
1991
15
1980
1992
33
and
is given in Table-2:
Organizational Content
No. of Ph.Ds
Academic Libraries
Percentage
21.11%
8+9
15%
12+5
9.44%
109
-_. -.---
._--._ .
-~.-
7.3
Training
Since the 8Os,training of library personnel has been arranged by INSDOC, DRTC,
ILA, IASLIC and Library Science Departments of Universities through short term
courses, refresher courses, workshops and seminars. In these, modemization aspects
have also been covered. Though the short term courses arranged by INSDOC and DRTC
were of high quality, quantitatively they fell far short of the minimum required level to
make a sustaining impact on the library movement. Through their efforts have been
guided by a sincere motivation to spread modemization tools with an abiding commitment to the profession, they were not supported to the requisite extent through
appropriate funding as well as national policy framework for Library and Information
Science (LIS) Education.
The 1957 and 1961 committees set up by UGC under the chairmanship of Dr. S.R.
Ranaganathan, gave a broad outline of the policy framework for LIS Education. In 1965,
UGC published the report of this committee entitled, Library Science in Indian
Universities. This was redrafted in December 1979.
The Executive Council of the Indian Association for Technical Libraries and
Information Systems (IATLIS) drafted a national policy for LIS in 1982 covering the
need for a national policy, levels of training and agencies that should handle, bibliographic organization and control in LIS, policy for research and training and monitoring,
evaluation and standardization. Numerous resolutions pertaining to the LIS Education
were passed.
Subsequently the RRRLF policy document addressed the problem of LIS education as follows: To cope with new development in LIS a suitable strategy for manpower
development has to be devised. A uniform pattern and standard of library training and
education should be followed in all parts of the country....... Continuing education or
in-service training facilities should be recognized as essential part of manpower
development programme in library and information sector
In its draft policy, the Indian Library Association advocated the establishment of
a National Council for Education and Research in Library and Information Science on
the pattern of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). The
CONPOLIS Committee of 1985/1986 under the chairmanship of Professor D.P.
Chattopadhyaya suggested eight guidelines for LIS education as follows:
In view of the rapidly expanding library and information services and the
fast changing character of library and information science, the develop110
The Government of India should recognize the need for the creation of
an All India Library Service and implement the plan when feasible. The
creation of such a service will strengthen the national network of library
and information systems.
111
The CONPOLIS recommendations were not fully accepted by the Library Science
community. The central sectional committee on Library and Information Science of ILA
entrusted Dr. P.S.G. Kumar of the Department of Library and Information Science of
Nagpur University to prepare a Working Document. This report of 84 pages is perhaps
the most detailed coverage of the problems and suggestions regarding LIS education in
India. As with the policies concerning the main library movement, no final policy profile
emerged with the approval of the Government to this date. This is one of the most
important reasons why not only the momentum of the library movement could not be
sustained to the appropriate degree of quantity and quality, but also its derivative policy
frame work for LIS education, could not get the necessary approvals.
Working without a policy guideline, funding and support by the Government were
always made on adhoc basis or on the basis of a case-to-case examination of individual
requests. Inspite of this, apart from DRTC and INSDOC, both NISSAT and NIC took
up the matter of training of as many library professionals as possible in modem tools of
computer-based and network-based bibliographic methods.
NISSAT organized a number of training programmes and workshops for manpower development in Information Technology to fulfil the requirements of library
scientists. They identified a number of national, sectoral and regional centres for
conducting training courses and workshops especially for computer application in
bibliographic information handling. NISSAT also conducted a survey on the attitudes
of library professionals towards such reorientation and retraining and came out with the
following startling findings:
Though the library professionals are aware of the programmes, they are
unable to attend due to the fact that they were not permitted by their
authorities.
Most of the college libraries have not installed computer due to lack of
finance; hence the authorities may be reluctant to depute their staff for
programmes of information technology.
The awareness of such programmes was found to be less among the
professionals and the foliowing reasons attributed to the following:
(4
(b)
(c)
Most of the professionals are preoccupied with their daily responsibilities and duties and they do not give much importance to such programmes.
4.
1.
2.
3.
113
-.. .-..- .
-.___
Chapter Eight
INTERNATIONAL
Indias Participation
in International
Database Development
ties, especially those promoted by the United Nations Organizations. The role played
by India is significant in the development of databasesUNISIST/ASTINFO,INFOTERA/
UNEP, INIS/IEA APINMAP/UNESCO,
TIPSAJNDP and FSTA. In all these cases,
India gets international compilation free in exchange for the input provided by the
country.
The Development Information Network on South Asia (DEVINSA) was established in 1975 with the financial support of IDRC as a database of economic and social
development information in South Asia.. The Indian National Centre for this is the
Jawaharlal Nehru University, which has developed a database of about 100,000 records
and published two bibliographic volumes.
The Development Science Information System (DEVSIS) is a cooperative information system on development literature for the use of policy makers, planners,
researchers, financiers, etc. This database is being used in India by the Centre for
Development of Instructional Technology (CENDIT), New Delhi. CENDITcontributes
about 500-600 entries from India annually to the database.
The Population Information Network (POPIN) was set up by the United
Population Division with the objectives of identifying and improving the
population information among member countries. The National Documentation
of NIHFW has been building a comprehensive information base making use of
Nations
flow of
Centre
POPIN.
tions, NISSAT
programmes.
The Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFIRI) is the national focal
point for the International Food Information Services (IFIS) established in 1968 in UK.
This is one of the highly successful cooperative ventures of an Indian Institution in
international database venture, namely, compilation of Food Science and Technology
Abstracts (FSTA) database since 1977. CFTRI scans 50 Indian periodicals and transmits
400 items to the database annually.
IDRC established a Sorghum and Millets Information Centre (SMIC) as part of
international Crop Research Institute for the Semi-AridTropics (ICRISAT),Hyderabad.
It was established to collect, collate and disseminate information on sorghum and
millets.
The International Standards Information Network (ISONET), Geneva, was established in 1980 to create an international database on standards, technical regulations,
patents and related matters.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has been a member of ISONET from its
inception.
The International Serials Data Systems (ISDS) was established by UNISIST in
197 1 to maintain and develop an international register of serials, define and promote the
use of International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), facilitate retrieval of scientific and
technical information from its data bank and make information
available to all
participating countries, organisations and individuals. INSDOC is the national focal
point for ISSN.
The Inter-Governmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) established the International Oceanographic Data Exchange (IODE) to create comprehensive databases on
oceanographic and related subjects. The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) at
Goa is the national focal point for IODE.
8.2
Illustrative
Ventures
116
MEDLARS
AGRIS
INTIB
Of these, network based cooperation with INTIB is in the planning stage. It is described
here in view of its long term interest to India especially in the Post-GATT environment,
The material regarding INTIB presented is from a UNIDO Report.
1. MEDLARS
Medical Literature analysis Retrieval System of the National Library of Medicine
(NLM), Bethesda, USA comprises of a family of 28 biomedical databases which are
international in source and content. NLMs collection ofjoumals represents the worlds
most original and substantive literature taken from countries and written in 30 languages.
The information contained in these 28 databases not only includes clinical aspects,
but also, aspects such as public health, medical research, education and practice without
(MEDLARS Online)
MEDLARS
118
etc. indicating relevancy of the information provided, the time lag in receiving this
information, etc.
User Awareness ProgrammedTraining
Programmes
User Awareness programmes are being conducted across the country to create an
awareness among the medical community about the existing MEDLARS Services at
NIC. These programmes have evoked a very good response from all over India. Medical
students and professionals from even the remotest part oi the country are also utilizing
the MEDLARS service provided by the centre.
Several training programmes are conducted every year by the Centre in the
fundamentals of MEDLARS Searching for doctors and medical librarians/information
professionals. Participants are trained in searching methodologies to access the
MEDLARS database at NIC using the BRS/SEARCH package. In addition they are
trained in accessing CD-ROM databases.
Union Catalogue
A database of the Catalogue of Biomedical Periodicals Subscribed to by Indian
libraries has been created on the NECs 1000 system at NIC. The objective of this
database is to provide a document support facility to the existing bibliography.
2.
AGRIS
2.
3.
a>
b)
As a result of this participation ARIC has brought out the Indian National
Agricultural Bibliography (INAB) in four volumes. It covers the period between 1975
and 1984 comprising 30,000 references.
The monthly increment of the AGRIS database is about 10,000 references, all
submitted by the participating centres. In return, each participating centre has access to
the various output products. AGRIS began its operation in 1975 and the total AGRIS
database contains about 1.5 million references.
From its beginning in 1975, AGRIS has been fully computerized. Nevertheless,
AGRIS has been designed to give equal service to developed and developing countries.
This has been achieved by allowing a wide range of input media- from magnetic tapes
to data on input sheets. During the first ten years of AGRIS about ten per cent of the data
was received in the form of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) sheets. Input centres
typed input data on plain white paper and these sheets were read in Vienna by the OCR
reader. This input medium was especially designed for developing countries. In the
meantime OCR has been replaced by microcomputers and input on floppy disks.
Nowadays most developing countries send input in this form.
The requirements of developing countries have also been considered carefully
with reference to the use of the output products. The printed version of Agrindex is
121
--_-
_-___
available on subscription with AGRIS participating centres receiving two free copies (
a kind of author copies). During the first 12 years of AGRIS English version only was
published. Since 1987 French and Spanish versions are available as well. The main
difference in the various language versions is in the subject indexes, which are derived
from the descriptions in the respective language.
During the past years FA0 (through AGRIS, CARIS and the field projects) has
helped to set up documentation centres in the participating countries and to train the
responsible people in AGRIS methodology. Actually, quite a number of agricultural
libraries in developing countries are organized according to the AGRIS subject
categories. Owing to AGRIS, many participating centres have gained experience on
how to set up a documentation centre, how to catalogue documents and how to retrieve
document references from a large database. AGRIS has helped to develop the necessary
infrastructure with reference to computer utilization in the centres. Many centres
developed their own national documentation systems based on AGRIS methodology,
thus making input to AGRIS and to the local documentation and information system in
one operation. This is done in developed countries, such as Federal Republic of Germany
(FRG), as well as developing countries such as the Caribbean countries. Some centres
process the AGRIS magnetic tape for making a large retrospective database (for
example, FRG, USA), others use it for SD1 purposes (for example, India).
The indexing tool for AGRIS is AGROVOC, a multi-lingual thesaurus for
agricultural terminology. English, French and Spanish versions are maintained byFA0.
AGRIS centres may submit their input indexed in oneof the three languages. The output
tape, however, contains the descriptors for all references in all the three languages.
Generation of AGRIS Input
The computer processing at an AGRIS participating centre ranges from large
systems with all kinds of error checks including the generation of a local database to the
simple storing of raw data on a floppy disk. Both methods are justified, depending on
the amount of data. A centre sending 200 or more references each month will need other
methods of local processing than a centre with 20 or 30 input references. This data can
be organized by manual proof-reading only.
Therefore, small centres usually send their input nowadays on floppy disks which
were created by a simple text editor or word processing software or by database
generation software. The most frequently used software within AGRIS is Micro CDS/
ISIS,asoftwarepackageformicrocomputersdeveloped
byandavailablefromUNESC0.
Ear this package AGRIS has defined the database parameters (the field definition tables
122
and its correspondence to the AGRIS tags). Checking programs for this systemaxebeing
developed, so that data entered under Micro CDS/ISIS will be verified with reference to
their syntax.
Use of AGRIS Output Products
Participating centres may receive, upon request, the AGRIS output tape and output
on floppy disk. The format of the AGRIS output tape is based on IS0 2709 standard, but
due to the complicated structure (bibliographic levels, descriptors and abstracts in
several languages), no standard program will handle AGRIS tapes. Output on floppy
disk can only be used for a limited set of data, but its format is generalized (line format
for word processing systems or Micro CDS/ISIS) and ready for further processing.
About 30 participating centres receive the monthly AGRIS tapes. They are used
for implementing a complete online database (for example, FRG and USA), for
producing national bibliographies (for example, South East Asia), for monthly SD1
processing, or for batch processing of the complete database (for example, Chile). The
list is not complete.
AGRIS Online Project
In cooperation with INIS, online tests were carried out from 1975 onwards. After
a careful study of existing retrieval of software, the decision was taken to work with IBM/
STAIRS. Since INIS and AGRIS users are only partly in-house, the idea of making the
database available for outside users was born. The necessary equipment was installed
and tested for dial-up telephone users. Also the in-house software was modified to allow
for TTY-compatible terminals, i.e. non-IBM terminals. One country after the other was
connected, mostly European countries because of the geographical proximity. Retrieval
courses were held and manuals for retrieval were developed. In order to allow nonEuropean countries access to the Vienna databases, connection to international telecommunication networks were established, the most important being TYMNETof USA. For
many years a great number of users around the world had access to AGRIS via
TYMNET, and even today the TYMNET users represent a significant part in the
database usage. Today the IAEA computer is a host to TYMNET, ESANET, the
Austrian DATEX-P, the telex network in addition to ordinary telephone connections.
At present, users in nearly all part of the world may have access to the AGRIS
database and perform their retrieval personally and immediately. Upon special request,
test passwords have been given to users to AGRIS centres in developing countries for
a trial period, so that the database costs are limited. The telecommunication costs,
123
however, had to be paid, sometimes even in hard currency. Therefore, APU provides
developing countries with up to about 20 queries per year free of charge. In recent years
about 10 retroactive queries per year and about 600 SD1 profiles per month are being
executed by APU as a service for developing countries.
AGRIS On CD-ROM
CD-ROM technology is thought to provide an excellent solution for retrieval for
centres which do not have easy access to an online database (financial or technical
restrictions). AGRIS is now available in CD-ROM disk form.
3.
INTIB
126
Chapter Nine
LESSONS FROM THE INDIAN EXPERIENCE
COOPERATION
AND POINTERS
FOR
From the Indian experience described in the preceding eight chapters, we can
derive a number of useful lessons which can guide the process of library modemization
in other developing countries. These lessons can also act as pointers for beneficial multiagency cooperation. In the context of transfer of experience, a number of training
resources and expertise exist in India which can be availed of by multilateral donor
organizations like UNESCO. During the nucleating stage of such a cooperation, an
illustrative set of pilot projects derived from the Indian experience can be taken up for
implementation for which a conceptual outline is given here.
9.1
The more important lessons that can be derived from the Indian experience are
given below chapterwise:
Chapter I
The highly successful sectoral movement of library modemization through the
1.
efforts of NlSSAT and DESIDOC emphasize the importance of the sectoral approach. The
sectors chosen by any country can be, according to the priority of economic sectors which
contribute substantially to the GDP or social and economic development priorities.
The barter arrangement worked out between the national project g-roups and
2.
international database managers in which national input to international databases are
provided by the national focal point in exchange, without cost, for free access to the
international database, has worked well virtually in every case. A typical successful
approach worthy of emulation is the multi-agency cooperation between the Central Food
Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) at Mysore and the International Food
Information Services (IFIS) in the publication of Food Science and Technology
Abstracts (FSTA) involving a number of other subject-domain specialist organizations
in India.
INFLIBNET Survey and Analysis shows that in India computerized database
3.
access is given the least priority while lending to internal users, reference services, etc.
are given top priority. This eventually involved modemization facilitators like
INFLIBNET, NICNET and ERNET. This under scores the importance of setting up
127
Survey points
Acquisition Control
Cataloguing
Serials Control
Circulation Control
Reference Services
Bibliographic database reference service
Budgetting
in that order. This statistics can be kept in view when other developing countries
implement their modemization process.
4. The DRTC Survey and Analysis shows that citations are the maximum for
journals emanating from USA (68.5 percent), followed by UK after which it trails to
insignificant percentage for other countries. This points out that in English speaking
countries, special arrangements with publishers of journals of USA and UK should be
made for site licensing with carefully negotiated collective bargaining.
5. The NISSAT Survey and Analysis shows that even with the promulgation
of Delivery of Books (Public Libraries) Act, the designated library at Calcutta receives
less than 40 percent of the books published in the country. This points out that even an
Act of Parliament is not sufficient unless adequate incentives are given for responding
organizations and individuals to deposit books and documents published by them. The
evolution of a policy frame-work in India has gone through a tortuous route spanning
more than two decades. Inspite of several Committees and Working Groups set up by the
Government, there is no explicit policy framework for library movement in India, let
alone the library modemization. The lesson drawn from this is that the Government of
a developing country should give high priority to the creation of a policy framework as
early as possible.
6. UNESCO catalysis of the library movement in India was clearly a major
contributing factor for the growth and modemization of Indian libraries. UNESCO
should step up its library modernization support to the developing countries so as to
repeat the beneficial impact felt in the 5Os, the 60s and the 70s in India.
Chapter 2
7.
same subject domain, to address the major problem of information concerning their
sector. Value added information service becomes meaningful only if value addition is
done by the sectoral specialists. Through the NISSATprogramme, India has gained rich
experience in successfully growing a number of sectoral library and information systems
imbedded in organizations specializing in those sectors. A nodal organization for
coordination has to be identified as the first for proper coordination.
8. Though the library modemization through the sectoral approach is desirable, going in for sectoral networks for each of the sector can be a very costly proposition.
The desirable thing to do would be to set up a National Network like NICNET and
configure all the sectoral information systems as close user groups (CUG) of participating institutions. In more extensive areas like Agriculture, instead of close user groups,
it is desirable to set up virtual private networks in the national communication network.
9. When a sectoral information system is successfully implemented in the
country, at the earliest, the efforts should be intemationalized by linking to international
networks like INTERNET. An outstanding example of this is the NICDAP Project for
Drugs and Pharmaceuticals. In view of the considerable strides made in developing a
modemized library and information system, the World Health Organization (WHO) has
chosen NICDAP as their collaborating centre on drugs information for servicing 11
The Centre supplies information on the
South and South-East Asian countries.
availability of raw materials required for formulation of essential drugs, their price
details, technology details, governing patent laws, registration of drugs, etc. Within one
and a half decade, NICDAP became an important drug information centre with
worldwide recognition. This unique successful project is work-emulating by other
developing countries as a model for sectoral modemization.
Chapter 3
10. The University libraries realized the importance of computer support and
modemization imperatives. The pressure for computerization arose out of the increasing
library work load to be handled by a small complement of library staff, continuous
pressure from students and research faculty for increased and improved services as well
as easier access to external databases. In addition, the University/college management
was interested in the reduction of operating costs facilitated by a well designed and well
managed computerized library. These motivating reasons have to be positively catered
to.
11. The UNESCO supplied CDS/ISIS Software Packagefree of cost by authorizing NISSAT Project management to distribute the package to any library interested in
129
---
--
modemizing
distribution
by NISSAT
developing
purchase of
Chapter 4
14. Intracity library networks have a good rationale for inter-library resource
sharing with the communication problem within manageable limits. The successful
example of DELNET for Libraries of Delhi, should be emulated in major cities of
developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
15. The INSDOC study shows that there is tremendous duplication of subscriptions in Indian libraries. It is estimated that a unit cost per journal encountered in India
is a staggering Rs. 0.48 million on a national basis due to avoidable duplication of
subscriptions. It is desirable to negotiate with publishers for site licensing on a city-wise
basis or State-wise basis or if possible, on a national basis.
16. While examining the suitability of a city for intracity library network it is
desirable to carry out a detailed feasibility study of the telecommunication infrastructure
of the city. As shown in the CALIBNET exercise in Calcutta, a poor telecommunication
infrastructure may make the project unviable either cost-wise or convenience-wise.
17. The eight reasons for the success of DELNET outlined by the Project
Director of DELNET and the six additional features suggested, may be carefully
examined during the design of a new intracity library network in any developing country
so as to derive maximum benefit by the DELNET experience.
130
Chapter-S
18. Value added facilitators at the national level like NICNET, NISSAT,
INFLIBNET, INSDOC, ERNET, etc., are an essential ingredient of the totally integrated
library modemization programme in the country. What is the minimal number and type
of value added facilitators that are required to make a library modemization movement
very dynamic, has to be carefully studied by each country before a national library policy
is formulated. Setting up of one or more facilitators, even with relatively large
investments, may have to be given priority. A national project like NISSAT has to be set
up by each country desiring to modemize their library system.
19. The ERNET which brought in INTERNET-consciousness in India found it
difficult to expand the service-base at low cost because of the over-dependence on intercity leased telephone lines for communication during the initial stage of the project.
When even a low budget VSAT network was brought in, the situation improved.
20. The INFLIBNET, though well conceived by an Inter-Agency Working
Group, became a clear case of lethality due to delay and wrong a-priori priorities during
the implementation stage. The delay in giving approvals maimed the project to such an
extent that the potential users lost interest and made alternative arrangements. Consequently, INFLIBNET Project had to abandon the computer-communication networking
part and confine to standardization and provision of computer hardware and software to
libraries. Such pitfalls have to be avoided in developing countries by deciding on a
modernization programme and implementing it without delay.
2 1. The Research and Education Network of NIC (RENNIC) over NICNET, has
several advantages for the Universities and R&D organizations. Under the barter
arrangement, the concerned library is required only to contribute a public domain
database of use to other academic and research institutions and put it on the same
network. In return, they get free or extremely low tariff based E-Mail Services and
database access services. The only required capital investment would be a Personal
Computer, a Modem and a part deployment of a telephone for making the dial-up
connection to NICNET. This low cost approach to national and international E-mail
hook up may be emulated in other developing countries who have set up or are likely to
set up a network like NICNET.
Chapter 6
22. Tradition Versus Modemization Imperatives which impeded the library
campaign through awareness training to library scientists and library staff. The fear of
the unknown can be overcome by introducing free retraining and hands-on training as
part of such courses.
23. The eight well tested approaches to overcome the social and personal
be kept in
and -may
resistance to the transition in libraries described on pages view by the designers of the transition to modemization in developing countries.
24. The conversion of the bibliographic retrosppctive records in a conventional
library from manual to machine readable form during the transition to modemization is
found to be the most time consuming part of the transition. The different types of methods
adopted in libraries for this are discussed in the chapter may be followed in situations
similar to what is assumed therein. Typically, two models, the INFXIBNBT Model and
the DELNET model, are given which have proven records of carrying out retrospective
conversion with low cost. These methods are worth emulating. A country going in for
modemization should constantly keep in touch with the latest journals to measure and
understand the relative viability of online and CDROM in the context of a particular
library or a particular province or the particular country. A beginner may derive more
advantage by going in for larger investments in CDROM databases than to go in for
online. However, in the long run, an optimal mix of the two has to be worked out for each
country.
Chapter 7
25. The choice of the library software platform as well as the library application
software tool-set have to be carefully standardized from the beginning itself. Any change
mid-way may prove to be costly and laborious while going in for modemization. The
best possible software available in the market has to be purchased, preferably in bulk or
for site licensing on a national basis so as to get the maximum reduction in per copy cost.
The NIC experience has shown that a careful negotiation can bring down the prices to
even as low as a tenth of the retail market price.
26. Research in library science has to be given high priority because the rate of
change of modemization concept is very high. Unless certain local R&D competence
is established in such a knowledge-based industry, the cost differentials could be very
high if one buys turn-key software instead of local integration of bought-out subsystems.
Chapter 8
27. In the area of library modemization, horizontal transfer of experience in a
132
Cooperation
The Indian experience also points to a few infrastructure and service oriented
strategies for multi-agency cooperation in Library modemization. Though there are a
number of such pointers described in the preceding eight chapters, we outline below five
of the more representative ones.
9.2.1
Resource Sharing:
Consultations through E-mail and keeping abreast of news from one country to
another through Electronic Bulletin Board service is a major facility for multi-agency
international cooperation. If .both the countries have wide internal connections and
network accesses and if the two Governments agree to have unmanned E-mail transactions beneficial interactions between libraries can develop including inter-library loans
133
of electronic documents stored in either or both the countries. Latest acquisitions, current
contents, etc. can be serviced from a country like India which has more investment in its
library systems to a country like Nepal or Bhutan or Maldives. The same modality can
also be employed for multi-agency cooperation within the country.
92.3
Access to UN Databases
If a country has a Gateway Packet Switch for its external gateway, then retrieval
of UN documents can be facilitated as follows:
The United Nations at its offices in New York and Geneva hosts about 1000
conferences every year producing more than one million pages of original documents
and distributes 0.4 billion pages of these documents. To cope with this voluminous
documentation, UN is switching over to Electronic Document Handling system. The
pilot project for this was started in 1988 and completed by the end of 1989. For
dissemination of information, a document server with optical disk drives networked
through the French IS0 N-based Numeris was installed along with a gateway to the
North American IS0 N-based Accunet. The proposed world-wide UN document
dissemination system is depicted in Fig. 1 and 2 (courtesy: P. Piguet, Publishing Service,
United Nations, Geneva).
By 1995/96, it would be possible for member countries to access the voluminous
UN Conference documentation through key-words. We can create Value-added subdatabases from these as relevant to the country, e.g., S&T, Education and Culture.
UNESCO may assist the country to take up this matter with the Publishing Service
Department of United Nations at Geneva on behalf of the countries who have GPSS
gateways so that they can access the UN documentation database as well as UN
Bibliographic Information System (UNBIS) through Numeris and Accunet.
9.2.4
INTERNET
for Multi-Agency
Cooperation
134
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9.3
Training
for Library
Modernization
process can
Conceptual
An illustrative set of pilot projects are described below which are derived from the
experience in India. There are Indian specialists who have gone through this experience
136
who would be available for guiding their counterparts in other countries who are in the
initial stage of modemization. It is to be noted that this set of pilot projects is purely
representative and not exhaustive.
9.4.1 Typical Library Automation
at Initiating
level
In the report of the Inter-Agency Working Group on INFLIBNET, the steps for
automating certain essential library services in Universities/R&D Institutions have been
outlined in the form of flow-charts. These automation exercises refer to what may be
called, a Zero Level of automation, i.e., the level at which modemization gets initiated
in a conventional Library. The flow charts given in the report for (a) Cataloguing
Services, (b) Catalogues/Database Search, (c) BookProcessing/Preparation, (d)Processing inter-library loan requests, (e) documents delivery through FAX and (f) a collection
development, are given in Annexure-10.
9.4.2 International
Packet Switched Data networks constitute the backbone around which networks
of computers interact. They are as versatile for applications like electronic mail as they
are for information retrieval from remote databases. GPSS is versatile, reliable and cost
effective to a high degree. It is the ideal gateway for international data communication.
For purposes of connecting a country to international networks including to INTERNET,
GPSS is the most fundamental ingredient that must be built as a means for strengthening
the countrys own infrastructure. Once the country sets up its GPSS in conformity with
the standards every means for international data communication envisaged in the
country can be realised automatically.
GPSS can be accessed through dedicated lines using four wire circuits operating
at speeds between 1200 and 9600 bps with a reasonable reliability. The connection
between the GPSS unit at the Department of Telecom/P&T/PIT and the Library which
is the focal point in the country can be through dedicated lines connected by two
modems.
It is worth mentioning that message communication through GPSS is nearly 10
to 15 times cheaper than telex or FAX communication, apart from giving direct access
to computers for information retrieval.
GPSS is based on a dedicated computer switching system. The packet switching
technology underlying it useserror detection andretransmission techniquesto minimise
transmission errors and achieves high network efficiency by utilising the system
137
of GPSS who want less frequent querying of the databases.Leasedline access can be
availed of by the focal points and larger organisations. A remote PAD can be located in
the main library.
138
Tcrminalc
Fig. I
Port<
: Gateway
Packet
Switching
Systems
(GPSS)
The typical cost of online retrieval of information are given for some representative systems.
System
US $ for
one hour
connect
time
US $ for
one document
online
DIALOG
BRS
ORBIT
QUESTEL
60- 100
40 - 60
50 - 70
50 - 65
0.2 - 0.4
0.25 - 0.35
0.15 - 0.30
0.20 - 0.35
The tariff for international communication for GPSS access varies from country
to country. Typical range of costs are as follows (in US $):
Connection Charge
Traffic charge
:
:
$0.1
$0.005 per segment
of 64 characters
Transmission of 9000 characters at 1200 bps will take about one minute and cost
between one and two US dollars. Transmission of the same message via telex would cost
US $15 and 30. Therefore, communication via GPSS can be substantially cheaper for
online access type of applications.
The coordination of UNESCO can be beneficial in realising a higher possibility of
success to negotiate with ITU for obtaining the same tariff concession as is given to
international press.
Similar negotiations with major database vendors for bulk subscription through
the good offices of UNESCO may help to standardize and minim& the cost of
information retrieval as follows:
One hour connect time on information system: US $40
One document online on information system : US $0.15
Such concessional rates may well be impossible to get by individual countries, but
through the coordination of UNESCO there is a higher probability of realizing this in due
course.
140
It is estimated that more than 10000 databases around the world are available
online if a country gets a GPSS system installed. These databases can be accessed
directly or through certain umbrella service facilities like EASYNET, DIALOG, BRS,
etc.
To access an online system from a computer terminal, a telephone call has to be
made to the online system through datacom lines at the domestic and international levels.
GPSS facilitates a low cost, high speed and reliable access to online systems which can
link up to international transit data networks like BITNET or TYMNET. Depending
upon the location of the user organisation, the following alternative is available for
connecting to GPSS:
If a country does not have a public data network at the domestic level, then
as an interim measure, the country itself may have to set up local PADS in various
important libraries. From these locations, the PAD can be reached through a local
PAD itself may be connected to GPSS by a leased circuit. Users
telephone call. The
from other locations may be required to reach one of these local PADS nearest to them
through a subscriber trunk dialing call.
*/
9.4.3 INTERNET
Connectivity
..-
network on the Internet has its own administrative body, its own policies and its own
procedures and rules. There is no central, overseeing authority for the whole of the
Internet. However, important policy decisions come from the National Science
Foundation (NSF), administrator of the National ScienceFoundation Network (NSFNET).
Innovations that upgrade the technical quality of the Internet are cooperatively
carried out under the auspices of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB), which is a part
of the structure of the Internet Society (ISOC). There are a number of task forces, area
groups and working groups under IAB which tackle problems and develop solutions.
It is often necessary to distinguish the Internet networks from other networks
accessible to the Internet via electronic mail for searching a database, transferring a file
or using a remote application, such a demarcation is of considerable use. Internet
computers or host accommodate a set of protocols specifically designed to allow
resource sharing across networks. A network site is considered Internet site if it has an
IP connectivity, which is tested by pinging the host. Ping is a programme that uses
a required feature of the Internet Control Message Protocol to elicit a response from a
specified host or gateway. If a host is pinged and it responds, then it is on Internet.
Another common test is to see if a host will open a Telnet connection. The Internet,
however, does not include networks that use TCP/IP protocols , but do not have a
connection to the Internet that allows IP connectivity, sites that are accessible only via
E-mail, networks built on Suite or protocols other than TCP/IP if all they provide is
limited access such as e-mail to and from the intemet.
BITNET, which is a major Wide Area Network and allows only E-mail interaction
with Internet is therefore, not considered part of the Internet.
In the past, Internet access was limited to a site connecting its big mainframe
computer or its local area networks to the backbone of the Internet or alternatively he
could have a dial up account for electronic mail access. Now there are some more
developments in Internet access, called, MX Access and Dial-up IP.
MX ((Mail Exchange) record is a special type of record in the Domain Names
System (DNS) which is the basis for keeping track of the names and address of all the
computers on the Internet. It is possible to have a fully qualified Internet Domain Name
even if the site is not an Internet site. This is done by listing MX record for a site in the
DNS. The advantages of using MX records that users on the Internet can send mail in one
standard format even to sites not directly connected to the Internet This type of Internet
accesssupports only electronic mail.
142
Dial up IP networking refers to several types of access. The most basic one refers
to using a modem to connect a terminal to a host, thus affording that terminal dial up
access to the host. A terminal in this case can be just a dumb terminal or a more
sophisticated computer emulating a terminal. This type of dial up access is referred to
as dial up e-mail access, because it is one method users have traditionally used for such
access. Dial up IP applications are built on the Serial Line IP (SLIP) are the point to point
protocol (PPP). This protocol allows machines to interact using TCP/IP protocols, but
offer a standard dial up phone line instead of a permanent network medium such as
ethernet. More than 500,000 hosts are added to the INTERNET each year.
If it is required to connect a site to the Internet, the following steps recommended
by Marine etal (in SRI Internet Information Series published by PTR Prentice Hall), is
required to be taken:
Obtain a Unique IP Network Number
All library sites wishing to connect to the Internet must obtain an official IP
network number. It is also strongly recommended that everyone implementing an IP
network obtain a unique network number as well, even if they will not immediately
connect to the INTERNET. By obtaining an official IP network number when first
setting up a TCP/IP network, a library site is assured for having unique addresses, and
is spared the expensive necessity of reconfiguring their address space to a new, unique
number if they later join the Internet. Many libraries that do not at first envision joining
the Internet do indeed connect eventually. A unique network number is necessary for
every network connected to the Internet in order to avoid very unpleasant routing
problems.
The central IP registration service provider is the DDN Network Information
Centre (DDN NIC) located at Network Solutions, Inc., in Chantilly, Virginia. This
central registration site has the authority to choose delegate registries which have the
responsibility of performing registration for certain regions. For example, the RIPE
Network Coordination Centre coordinates IP network number registrations for Europe,
and has the authority to further delegate that responsibility for its region. If one does not
know whether there is a registration authority in ones area, one has to contact the DDN
NIC; they can refer to the correct authority.
A registration authority assigns only the network portion of the address. The
responsibility of assigning host addresses falls to the requesting organization.
In order to obtain a unique IP network number for ones library, one will need to
143
...
provide the registration authority with some information about ones network and who
will be acting as Point of Contact for it. Once one returns this information, they will
process the application and assign a unique address. One has to contact DDN Network
Information Centre to get the most current application for an IP network number.
Establish a Domain
Establishing a domain means adding an entry for the library site into the
distributed database the Internet use for name to address resolution. What that means is
that other hosts on the network will be able to send traffic to you if they know your host
name, and users can specify your host name easily because it will follow the logical
pattern of the Domain Name System (DNS).
If you are going to establish a domain under the top-level domain COM, NET,
ML ORG. EDU, or GOV, or if you wish to have a top-level country domain delegated
to you, contact the DDN NIC.
The DDN NIC will ask you to fill out a form that requests information about the
names of your domain, the names and addresses of at least two hosts that will act as name
servers.
Points of Contact for administrative and technical matters.
A name server refers to a host that acts as a repository for a portion of the domain
database. A name server runs software that allows it to answer queries for DSN data. On
the Internet, the most commonly used name server software is BIND, which stands for
Berkeley Internet Name Domain Software. The BIND software was written for UNIX
systems, but is now available for other platforms.
If you are not able to maintain your own name servers, you must gain the
cooperation of two other sites on the Internet willing to provide name service for you.
There is no central public name service clearing house, so you will have to negotiate
such an arrangement yourself. Some network service providers will provide name
service for a fee. Some network service providers also coordinate the establishment of
your domain with the DDN NIC for you.
If you are going to establish a domain under any op-level domain other than COM,
MIL, GOV, EDU, NET, or ORG, you must coordinate with the administrator of the toplevel domain under which you wish to join. Sites in countries other than the U.S. join
under top-level domains that correspond to the name of their country.
144
Install a Router
You will need a machine to act as a gateway between your local network and the
Internet. The terms gateway and router are often heard for these machines. There
are many companies that manufacture Internet routers. Your service provider may
provide a router or tell you which router to buy. The router vendor and the service
provider will give you support when initially configuring your gateway. In many cases,
the service provider will actually own the gateway, and may take care of all the details
of acquiring and installing one for you. The cost of doing so will, of course, be passed
on to you as part of their service.
Rather than buying a special system to act as the gateway between your network
and the Internet, you may be able to use a host already on your network as a router. The
system must have two or more network interfaces. Each interface would be connected .
to one of the networks between which packets will be exchanged. You will need to check
with your vendor to see if the network software on your system can provide this type of
functionality. If it can, you will then need to configure your systems so that it knows how
packets should be routed.
Obtain Proper Software
If you are connecting a TCP/IP network to the Internet, you are already running
compatible protocols and will need only to add routing protocols necessary as described
above.
If you are connecting a network that is based on protocols other than TCP/IP, you
will need to make sure that your gateway can understand the TCP/IP-based traffic
receives from the Internet, and is able to convert it to a form understandable by the rest
of the hosts on your network. Your service provider, gateway vendor, or LAN vendor
can probably guide you.
Order Circuits
Most sites connecting to the Internet in the U.S. connect via dedicated lines leased
from a phone company. Sites in various countries often connect in other ways, such as
via satellites, fiberoptic cables, or microwave dishes.
You can lease lines of different speeds; the faster lines are more expensive. You
may also need to estimate the amount of traffic you will be sending at peak times so that
you may make sure you order lines that able to handle your expected capacity. Again,
-
--.--..
145
your service provider will guide you in knowing what to ask for with the telephone
company. In fact, some service providers will arrange this for you for a fee.
Resource discovery services now help users locate and retrieve information.
These services contain tools for browsing, searching and organizing information
distributed throughout the Internet. Browsing tools let users navigate the information
space to find the specific data they need. Indexing search tools automatically locate
relevant data on the basis of user interest. Independent of the approach used, resources
discovery services can also help users organ& new found information so that they can
refer to it without having to repeat the entire discovery process.
9.4.4.Setting up of a CDROM Network at NIC
The case study of CDROM networking at NIC has been described in a paper
presented by N. Kapila at the International Conference on Database Production and
Distribution held under the auspices of INFOTEX 1993, published by Tata McGrawHill Publishing Company Limited, and edited by Dr. N. Seshagiri, Dr. Ravichandra Rao
and N.V. Satyanarayana, pages 406-413. Further, a 500 CD mountable Jukebox is
linked to NICNET through CDNET.
This exercise has given a system integration and software development knowhow
to specialists at NIC. This experience can be utilized for assisting libraries in other
developing countries through the good offices of multi-lateral agencies like UNESCO.
146
ANNEXURES
Annexure-1
Excerpts from the Report of the Planning Commission Working
Modernization of Libraries, July 1984
Part B: Informatics
and Computer
Group on
Applications
1. Background
1.1 Information
as a Resource:
in Planning:
Science and technology are not simply to be applied to development - they are an
essential part of development. They are inextricably bound up with the social, economic
and political parameters of development. A correct policy decision is a vital factor for
the successful development of society, economy, science and technology. Furthermore,
a right policy decision stems from the analysis of relevant information. For this reason
information is the main basis for policy decision and the process of policy decision is the
process of transforming information into action. Thus the ability to analyse relevant
information is needed by every country to keep pace with the trends of modem
technology and to maintain an advantageous competitive position in the international
field. for this, several new information techniques and concepts have been evolved over
the years. One such concept is informatics.
1.3 Informatics
Informatics is the processes, methods and laws related to the recording, analytical/
synthetical processing,storage, retrieval and dissemination of information but not the
1)
2)
31
4)
2.0 Information
Infrastructure
2.1 Introduction
: Indian Scene
The National capabilities for making knowledge and information accessible, for
the transfer of knowledge and information and therefore for putting knowledge to work
are often referred to as a countrys information infrastructure. Major component of
infrastructure are the libraries and information centres.
2.2 Purpose :
(a)
(cl
(d)
Cd
2.3 Information
Services:
Some services are provided on request or expressed need, others in anticipation of the
needs of users. some services may be specifically directed to a user, others may be
provided as a common service. A list of the services which can be rendered by libraries/
information centres is given below:
A
Reference Service
1.
2.
3.
4.
B.
Current Titles
Research in Progress
Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI)
Newspaper Clipping
151
----
-_l__ll_.-
..
--I.
c.
Information
9. Abstracting Service
9.1 Abstracts of Technical Papers
9.2 Patent Abstracts
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Extracts
Data Service
State-of-Art Report/trend Report Service
Critical compilations and reviews
Technical Enquiry Services/Special Services to Management
Management Digest
Information Services for R&D Planning
D. Supporting Services
17.
18.
19.
20.
Liaison Services
Translation Service
Reprographic Service
Editorial and Publishing
(9
(ii)
services
This calls for the need to provide training of users in traditional as well as modem
techniques for information retrieval.
The aim of modernisation of Library and Information services is: readers should
have access to a comprehensive bibliographic system that allows them to identify and
locate material and to obtain it at a reasonable cost without delay. The application of
computer and telecommunications technology is rightly considered as a means to
achieve this aim.
3.0
Computer
Applications
3.1
Areas of Applications:
in Libraries
The application of computer in libraries can be grouped into two main groups:
(i)
(ii)
House-keeping routines,
Information retrieval operations:
activities is very much noticeable in certain parts of the world - USA , UK, etc. For
example, in acquisition operation, Blackwell Bookline enable libraries to link into
Blackwell computer system and interrogate the extensive file about the million
bibliographic records and generate an order.
The circulation control system is another important house-keeping operation
which is very amenable to computerisation. In late 60s and early 70s batch processing
was done for circulation purpose. Now, we have systems such as Automatic Library
system, Plessey, etc. which provide sophisticated on-line circulation control.
Computerisation of house-keeping routines have been in existence during the last
twodecades. however, integrated systems capable of handling different subsystems such
as acquisition, cataloging, circulation control etc. are now increasingly developed and
used. In the extent of sophistication of such systems during the last few years can be best
described by OCLC as an example.
This database contain the same type of bibliographic and statistical information
that librarians and information scientists previously accessed with the aim of printed
directories, listing, indexes and bibliographies. The computer based information retrieval
is more convenient and provides more flexibility and comprehensive retrieval than a
manual system.
3.2 Indian scenario:
Several organisations have been experimenting with the use of computers in
handling information. Some of the organisations which have been involved in these
activities are:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
New Delhi.
of Bibliographic
Process Highlights
since 1964
EVENT
Year
1964
1968-69
1970
ii)
Author and Subject Indices for Indian Science Abstracts (ISA) using
IBM 360/44 at Delhi University computer Centre.
ii)
iii)
1976 CHEM/SDI information retrieval system jointly operated by INSDOC, New Delhi
155
.-----
....-.. .I_
----...
data base)
1976
1977
DRTC developed a package of ICL 1901 computer system for SD1 service
for BHEL, Hyderabad.
1978
1980
1980
1981
1981
1983
1984
Medical Library for providing medical information and also a retrieval System based on
the Constitution of India was developed for Ministry of Law, Justice and Company
Affairs.
3.3 ON-Line Bibliographic
Data Bases
A typical database can be accessed by typing search request into a terminal which
is linked to a remote computer. The end product of a brief interactive session with the
computer is a list of references to the published literature. Today maze than 100
databases, covering most of the disciplines, are available to users. While many of these
databases are already available in hard copy (paper abstracts or indexes), it is recognized
that on-line information retrieval is markedly superior to manual searching even of the
same sources.
Advantages of on-line databases searching are given below:
(i)
(ii) On-line searching offers greater flexibility than manual systems, since
natural language supplied by a user as well as controlled language taken from various
thesaurus can be used as access terms to find reference. Another advantage is that single
and multiple word terms, or even truncated terms, can be fed into the computer. The
procedure is further enriched with the use of boolean logic. Two or more words can be
linked together with AND or OR operator, as in a Venn diagram. The computer picks out
specific references which satisfy the search strategy.
Specially advantageous for multi-disciplinary research problems, which
(iii)
bring together several subjects; here a scientist need not be familiar with the fields to
affect a successful search.
(iv) Contain up-to-date information and obtains a customized print out of the
search results for future consultation.
An on-line bibliographic data base was developed by National Informatics
Centre(NIC) in 1980. This system is described in the following paragraphs.
3.4 System on electronics
3.4.1
Library
Computerisation
Project
--
on-line bibliographic data base for documents in the library created on CYBER 170/730
computer system. CYBER 170/730 is a general purpose main frame computing system
with interactive terminal facilities. A feasibility/requirements study was made to
identify the features required in the computer based library system to be designed. The
Data Base approach was adopted for implementing the system because of the distinct
advantages of data Base Management System (DBMS).
Objectives
3.4.2
0)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv>
(v>
(vi>
Features of
the system
The system has been designed around the NIC library activities. As of 1984, there
are about 7,000 document references in the data base. The document types are books,
collected works, multivolume publications, standards, reports, journals, journal articles.
All operations like data loading, retrieval, reports generation and modification are
performed on-line using terminals connected to CYBER System. Retrieval and data
updation is done in an interactive mode. The data base can also be accessed through any
computer (like HP- 1000, LSI/2, etc.) connected to CYBER System and operating within
NICNET (NIC Computer Network).
3.4.3
(i)
(ii)
3.4.4
(iii)
(iv>
(VI
(vi)
Performance
of the System:
The Library Data Base has been successfully established and the data base is
available to users as an interactive on-line information retrieval system. A manual User
Primeron BISETBibliographicInformation
SystemforElectro-Technologyisprepared,
for convenience of users.
3.4.5
Newspaper Current
Awareness Service:
Besides the establishment of computer based data base, library has introduced a
computerised current awareness service for Newspaper items of importance on electronics
and computers. For this purpose, the news items are collected from about 20 Daily
newspapers and reindexed with a special classification code devised for the news items
only. A weekly service Current News Update is brought out and the news item data,
May 1982 onwards is available for on-line retrieval.
It is evident that on-line information retrieval will be indispensable to productive
research. Librarians must seek to understand and adopt this new technology.
159
4.0 Library
and Information
Networks
Common objectives;
b)
160
c)
d)
e>
161
.--
l-l.--____.
. ^___
_-_.
and Information
Network
(9
(ii)
(iii)
(iv>
(VI
(vi>
(vii)
(viii)
(ix>
6)
64
(xii)
(xiii)
(xiv)
In order to achieve these things certain basic functions have to be carried out by
the network. Some of this could be to
a)
b)
4.3.2
Information
4.3.3
b)
Assess how far existing services can meet these needs with-out
significant extension and modifications
c>
Development steps
(ii)
(iii)
163
_,.. ,,I_._^.,.. ._I^__.
..ewy-_I _.
.__
.---..- -
4.3.4
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)
Implementation
aspects
The library network has to be evolved over the years. Certain steps have already
been initiated by NISSAT and NIC in this regard. Further steps have to be initiated in
evolving cataloguing techniques, operational procedures and standards for efficient
communication between various libraries in the network. For cohesive development &
speedy implementation a single agency shoudbe identified t.ocoordinate these activities.
This agency should solicit advise from the participating libararies and experts to evolve
a master plan for the network. The implementation should emphasize the top down
164
Connection to International
Services
The database is the principle product or commodity with which the data-base
industry is concerned. Like all economic commodity this industry has also the principal
components of producer, distri butor, and consumer. A database producer is an Organisation
that compiles information and makes it available - in the computer-readable form. There
are a number of ways in which a producer can make its data base available on-line. In
the distribution line are the vendors or operators, also called hosts or host computers.
They are organizations that provide database services to end-users or to intermediaries
165
such as library information centres and brokers. There are, of course, vendors who
produce information and also distribute it electronically (e.g:CYBERNET).
A typical
magnetic
disk
storage
devices
and
vendor operation involves a computer,
telecommunication equipment. They are the major hardware component. In addition,
there are databases, obtained from different producers, a staff of specialists in areas such
as database design, computer programming, etc, training, customer support and
accounting/billing. It is estimated that there are now about 200 vendor organizations,
mostly located in North America and Western Europe. the most prominent names being
DIALOG (in USA), IP Sharp (in Canada), DIMDI (in FRG) and CISI (in France).
The essential link between the vendors or operators and the users is provided by
organizations known as carriers. Carriers are public and private organizations that
provide telecommunication network services.
In the USA, carriers such as TYMNET and TELENET dominate the data-base
transportation market, while in Western Europe national and regional networks, such as
TRANSPAC, EURONET and the European Space Agency, are the main carriers.
As intermediary users, brokers, also called information retailers or custom
information services are becoming popular. They are public or private organizations that
offer information services for a fee. Individuals and small organizations that require
information but are not in a position to invest in a terminal, training and other costly input
for using database directly prefer to use the services of brokers. In India, at least two
firms, namely Constellate Consultants (Delhi) and Informatics India Pvt. Ltd. (Bangalore)
are functioning as brokers to some extent.
The database users can be of two types: (1) in-house intermediaries: such as
librarians and information scientists, planners, administrators, and (2) real end-users:
such as scientists, economists and financial analysts.
Having considered the operation and mode of access to on-line services, the
question arises at what cost such access is available. In general, it can be seen, that the
ultimate costs to the users will be in direct proportion to the amount of investment made
in the creation of databases in terms of acquisition of source documents, indexing/
abstracting, data input; operation of services by vendors, including hardware and
software costs; the charges of the carrier organizations for providireg telecommunication
link and so on. However, to give a more realistic estimate, four major costs are usually
considered from the point of view of users. They are: (1) charges for the use of databases
On-line, (2) terminal and equipment costs, (3) telecommunication cost, and (4) costs for
user aids.
166
Pricing policies for use charges vary considerably according to the type of supplier
and the type of database. Charges are also made on various accounts, such as subscription
fees (varying from a few hundred dollars to over $15,000 per year), mothly minimum,
connect time (ranging from $25 to $300 per hour), Computer resource unit (charges
for the use of the CPU and the amount of input/output required to read and write disks
and interact with the users terminal), information resource units (on the basis of actual
information used), disk storage, on-line and off-line printing, and start-up fees (for
setting up of the account, initial training and mat&I).
Users of on-line database services have to maintain terminal equipment, such as
a teletype terminal and, normally, a modem. A printer is necessary if the terminal is a
Costs for this equipment range from$ 4000 to 10,000. New
video display type.
technologies are bringing these prices down to $800 to $ 1,500.
Some of the time-sharing companies include telecommunication costs in their
Most other online services charge users separately for
hourly connect fees.
telecommunication costs. Within USA, these costs are approximately $5 per connect
International telecommunication rates differ considerably for different
hour.
countries. They vary from $20 to $40 per hour of connection.
Some on-line services and database producers provide free user aids, such as
searching manuals and other guides. But more frequently, there are charges for these
materials. In addition, there may be charge for training sessions which can range from
$25 to ! 150.
The on-line database are part of the information market that is rapidly growing.
However, very few of the developing countries are taking advantage of these services.
In India, in view of the advances that we have made in the areas of telecommunications
and the experiences that we have gained in working with computers and the availability
of trained personnel in such work, the time has come to work towards getting access to
some of the international networks and bring the benefits of the on-line databases to our
scientists, engineers, economists, administrators and others. Apart from strengthening
our technological capabilities we have to give proper attention to the organisational
aspect of using the on-line services. In fact, within the country, we have to bring about
a domestic network of facilities. This will be more so in our case because individual
organizations will not be able to participate of their own in the access to on-line services.
Each organization in specific subject will be doing so as a national agency for the benefit
167
New Information
Technologies
168
Type of activity
Conventional
activity
Electronic message
system (EMS)
Telephone
Telephone:
- voice store and forward
- sophisticated digital
exchanges with numerous
advanced features (camp-on,
group hunting, call redirect, etc.)
Telex
Telegram
Internal mail
Telex, Teletex
Teletex fascimile
communicating
word processors, computer-based
electronic mail
PO mail
Communicating
wordprocessors, computer-based
electronic mail, view data
system &teletex systems.
Meetings
Teleconferencing
Shorthand
Longhand
VPh
- cut and paste
Word processing
Text-manipulation
- error correction
fluid
- total retype
~ Carbon copies
Word processing
Word processing
Photocap), disk
Spirit duplication
Photocopy
169
-----
Photocopy
Intelligent copier,
image scanner/image
printer.
Typesetting
services
In-house photo
composition
Computer Output
Microfil (COM)
170
6.1
Facsimile:
Video Conferencing
This refers to systems which allow two or more people in geographically distant
locations to conduct a meeting while both seeing and hearing each other. Two types
of video-conferencing can be achieved: continuous picture which requires high speed
transmission lines, and slow scan which provides an updated picture every 10 to 20
seconds and which consequently requires much lower speedof transmission lines. The
latter system is paricularly suitable for document and chart display.
6.3
Electronic
such as video terminals, floppy disks and matrix printers. These new systemscan enable
outgoing messages which can be automatically stored for retrieval later. The new
generation of telex systems will not only allow for a good quality printout but also result
in improved transmission speeds which will cut data communication costs.
In India, it will be upto organizations such as Hindustan Teleprinters Ltd. (HTL)
to replace the present electro-mechanical teleprinters with electronic devices suited for
high speed data transmissions. Then only existing telex network be integrated with
local are; networks to make electronic mail a reality in India.
6.4
Videotext/teletext Systems
There is much confusion over the various terms in the videotext field. Basically,
Videotext is the generic term covering the use of a television set to display information.
Videotext describes these systems which transmit data using telephone lines.
Teletext describes those systems which transmit data using public TV broadcast
system.
In UK the term viewdata is often used to mean videotext. As videotext is the
internationally accepted name let us use this one. Videotext combines modified
television sets, (called digital TVs) the telephone network, and computer systems to
provide an information transaction and message service. Use of mass public
communication services, particularly telephone and television, to access computer
based information databases is spreading the availability of computer power well
beyond the realms of technical expert.
6.4.1 Benefits of videotextfor some potential public service applications are given as
under:
Information
Main source
Videotext benefits
Closing times/prices
of public facilities
(school, libraries
Phone-in
Accessibility,
convenience
Weather
Newspaper/Radio/ TV
Timeliness
Libraries
Card catalogues
Convenience, efficiency,
aqess at home
Service to handicapped
Personal help
Independence, flexibility
Government/Administrative
Phone-in-guides
Accessibility
Consumer advice
Magazines
Updatability, size of
database.
Road conditions
Phone-in, radio
Timeliness
Health/first aid
Brochures, books
Accessibility
Agriculture
at home
Magazine,
Information Centres
Timeliness, access
Community
Bill boards,
Newspapers
Accessibility
reference purposes. The system was run in collaboration with several local public
libraries acrossthe UK.
174
Videotex/Teletext
electronic mail.
Word Processors
Word processors are versatile text processors that allow documents to be created,
edited and transmitted. Word processors are combination of VDUs often with separate
keyboards and sometimes with their own microcomputer, linked to a minicomputer and
disc storage system. They are used for composition of text which may either be output
later as printed letters etc., or stored in a large database.
Modem wordprocessor almost invariably have visual displays and are either
stand-alone units or cluster systems, now quite often with a communication capability.
Communications
may be with main-frame computers, terminals,
teletexts,
photocomposers, optical character recognition readers, intelligent copiers or other
communicating word processors. Some word processing systems are evolving into
integrated information system seeking to meet total word processing, data processing,
printing and communication needs.
Use of word processing system for library and information services will definitely
be economical in terms of time which is otherwise required for drafting, typing, editing
and proof-checking, mailing of documents of all types.
6.6
Intelligent Terminals
Intelligent
services work.
Copier
While word processor can print letters, memoranda and short documents directly
at recipients work station, large offices will need faster printers for long documents
and multiple copies.
We will have copiers with microprocessors and memory unit, multiple-font
character generator and an interface with communication network. These will in
addition to copying, accept digital data, using an internal character generator and laser
imaging systems. The type font, spacing and format of the printed output would be
selected by instructions in the incoming data or by the copier operator. These intelligent
copiers may also incorporate facsimile scanners that use bandwidth compression
techniques to reduce transmission time.
Most facsimile devices today scan an entire page and transmit each light and dark
element. This is an inefficient and costly approach. The intelligent copier would store
the data in bits and transmit only the changes between light and dark areas. Further
improvement will be stored in the characteristics of the data. Some systems are already
in the market.
6.8
Micrographics
In the office of the future, Micrographics will permit filing, storage and retrieval
of large amount of information. Micro graphic systems range from simple step and
repeat cameras and viewers to sophisticated centres that include cameras, computer
output microfiche(com), and processorforcrossreferring archival storagesupplemented
by intelligent viewing systems. Further these can be linked to intelligent copiers and
terminals system connecting to executives.
6.9
Video Discs
176
The earlier video disc systems employed a mechanical principle to record and
playback, similar to that employed in the familiar gramophone record. However, the
much higher speeds of operation necessary to achieve the required information transfer
rate for video signals cause problems of wear and in recent years activity in video disc
systems has been increasingly focussed on non mechanical systems. The resurgence
of interest in applied optics has extended to include many areas hitherto considered the
exclusive preserve of electronics and it is perhaps not surprising that a considerable
proportion of the video disc system currently under development are based on optical
recording and/or playback principles.
We can broadly classify video discs into two main categories
- Television compatible video discs,
- Computer compatible video discs (often called as optical discs)
Video disc systems available in the market are mostly read only system,
employing pre-recorded video discs. However, in a situation, where information has to
be updated (such as transaction control, circulation information), a video disc system
with which the user can write as well as read is essential. For some applications
an erase facility may be desirable. Already R&D efforts towards the production of
read/write/erase systems, i.e. systems in which the same recording material can be
reused repeatedly as with the magnetic tape, is in full swing. These systems will fall
under the category of Digital Optical Recording.
Features of video discs that make it potentially attractive medium for information
storage and retrieval are
*
*
*
The greater part of the library collection in the average library consists of printed
publications, produced in multiple runs using conventional printing processes. The read
only type of disc would appear to be quite suitable for storage of many types of
materials in this category especially reference materials.
Some projects are concerned with the use of video discs in information storage
and retrieval. Although the application of video discs in information storage and
177
System:-
is much more to a computer assisted document storage and retrieval system than the
storage module. Many documents already exist in microfilm format and to convert a
large document file to optical disc compatible digital signals will be time consuming
and expensive. Further, depending on the data compression ratio achieved, a digital
optical disc will be able to store between 10,000 and say 50,000 high-resolution
documents reside, so that for a very large document store jukebox type disc changer will
be required.
Common elements of the system are the system controller, video switching unit
and high resolution display terminal, so that cost differences of total systems are not
likely to be large. In conclusion, it can be said that, when they become available, optical
disc systems are likely to complement digitised microform systems in the document
storage and retrieval field, with each having particular attributes for particular
situations.
7.0
7.1
Networks in India
The UNESCO Regional Seminar on Informatics in south and Central Asia held
in New Delhi in 1977, preparatory to the 1978 conference on Strategies and Policies
(SPIN) suggested interalia, the setting up of a Regional informatics network for South
and Central Asia.
As a follow up of the SPIN Conference, the UNESCO set up an advisory group
on Informatics which recommended among other things, coordination of the
requirement and experience of particular countries in the various regions. The advisory
group also recommended that owing to different levels of development in Informatics
from region to region special attention should be given to a regional approach to
programme, design and implementation based on social, cultural, linguistic and
economic identities within the different levels of development. A regional follow up
ensued by holding a UNESCO regional meeting of Computer Centre Directors in South
and Central Asia in the last quarter of 1977 at Kathmandu. The proposal for setting up
a regional informatics network was discussed in considerable detail and unanimously
resolved to establish such a regional network. A working paper prepared by UNESCO
regional office in New Delhi regarding the frame-work and broad guidelines for the
modality and informatics in such a network was considered. This mainly served as a
preliminary input for preparation of a detailed feasibility report. This feasibility report
was extensively discussed during the New Delhi meeting in the first half of 1983. The
UNESCO also appointed a consultant to prepare the feasibility report for setting up
of RINSCA network.
Main objectives
Cooperation for mutual benefit of the countries in the region calls for increasing
interaction in economic, technological and social development Increased interaction
and participation in this network. They have also identified the focal point of their
respective country from where information exchange could take place. This will
180
(9
(ii)
(iii)
(9
(VI
(vi)
(a)
Atleast one focal point in each country of the region to take complete
nodal responsibility for the country for contribution to the network
as well as to act as a clearing house for information derived from the
network;
(b)
cc>
(4
(0
During the meeting held in the fist quarter of 1983 at New Delhi it was resolved
that member-countries of this region will cooperate in developing the RINSCA System.
Some of the service providing financial support and technical advice to identify
organizations for the reorientation of information resources to match with the evolving
standards of the network, as well as to improve their information handling capability and
costing of the services to perform regional functions through negotiated arrangements
between the secretariat of the networ-k and the institutions concerned, through the
coordination of the national focal organization.
7.12
NICNET
INDONET
Worldwide networks like Telenet in USA and Transpac in France have been in
existence for quite some time. These are basically datatransmission networks.
The
primary objective of the project INDONET on the other hand is to provide a computer
basednetwork, which is accessible from the remote areasof the country so astodeliver
the benefits of information processing technology to a wider cross-sectionof usersin
183
---
..-.--1-- . - _-^-
the country.
The other long term objectives are:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
agencies.
Project Proposal
8.1
Computer
(9
(ii)
Bibliographic
on-line search
(iii)
Circulation control
(iv)
(VI
Book acquisition
(vi)
(vii)
These applications may not require high processing power but the computer
configuration should be such that it could provide a reliable and efficient.service to the
user community.
Computer
Configuration
For a small library having less than 10,000 books collection and about 100
periodicals the main computer application would be maintenance of catalogues and
controlling
the collection. The configuration that may be required would be a
minicomputer with a mass storage of about 20 MB, a line printer, a floppy drive and
2 to 3 interactive terminals. These terminals will be mainly required for up-dating the
files and providing retrieval service to the user. As alternative to the mini-computer
186
one couldl conceive of providing the same facilities through interactive terminals from
one of the computing system available in that locality. This solution pre-supposes the
availability of a computing facility within the locality of the library.
In addition to
this computing facility, a copying equipment is essential for providing hard copies
to the users. The cost of such a computer system will work out to be around Rs.6 lakhs.
During the Seventh Plan atleast 20% of the small libraries should be computerised.
For the medium size library, the total collection will be around 30,000 and will
have a larger user population. The collection and cataloguing will be more voluminous
compared to the small library. The software that would be required to control and
manage these volumes will be more or less the same except for the size it has to handle.
Looking into these requirements a computer with 40 MB of mass storage, a medium
speed line printer, one tape drive and about 5 to 10 terminals will be required to provide
an efficient service to the users. The medium size library should also have a good
reprographic service with copying equipment and medium speed microfilm reader/
printer for providing reprographic service to the user community. The cost of these
equipment will work out to be of the order of Rs.10 to 12 lakhs per item. During the
Seventh Plan 30% of these libraries should be computerised.
For a large library with a collection of more than 40,000, the management and
control application will be more complicated and would definitely require the
computerised system for providing an efficient service. All library management and
control applicationswould need to be computerised in a large library.
Further, the
library will also have to provide service based mechanised bibliographic data from
international agencies. Looking into these requirements a large library would require
a computer with around 100 MB of storage, a medium speed line printer, two tape
drives, a floppy disk and about 20 interactive terminals. The interactive terminals
should be located at all user areas including the various sections of the library for
providing interactive service to all the users. The system and the configuration should
be chosen to provide a fast response and also to enable retrospective search in certain
applications. In addition to these, the large library should have a very good reprography
section with all modem reprography equipments including fast copying equipment,
micro film reader/printer.
It should also contain an Audio-visual equipment for
providing self training tools. As the printed material is becoming expensive the trend
would be in future for providing certain printed material in the video cassette form.
Looking at these future methods of literary transaction, it would be ideal to set up these
facilities in the large library to inculcate video mode training to the user community.
The cost of computerised system for a large library would workout to be of the
187
order of about Rs.25 lakhs per centre. During the Seventh Plan atleast 50% of the large
libraries should be computerised, if the libraries are to play a vital role in the
socioeconomic development of the country.
Interlinking
of library system
The small libraries cater to only a specific user community in only specific areas.
But at the same time, it may have to provide information in other areas by obtaining it
from other libraries. Depending on the type of requirements it may be necessary to
interlink the library systems to exchange information. Without going into the pros
and cons of such linkage, it is essential to have a plan action for setting up such linkage.
Any such linkage should be economical and practicable. With this view, it is proposed
to link a small library to a medium size library and medium to large one. All large
libraries should be interlinked. This will provide a greater flexibility for inter change
of information in the fastest way. This will also enable small libraries to concentrate
their collection in specific area. Through such connections, one could also conceive
to provide bibliographic services based on information collected from international
agencies. This type of approach will get maximum returns for the investment proposed.
Such networks can be enhanced subsequently to provide video test service.
Investment
Profile
There are around 1200 small libraries, 600 medium and 300 large libraries.
During the seventh plan, it is proposed to computerise 20% of small, 40% of medium
and 50% of the large libraries. The total investment will be of the order of about Rs.75
crores during the seventh plan. This investment will also enable to establish some
element of networking between the various systems.
In addition to the hardware investment proposed, investments have to be made for
development of software and training of the relevant manpower. The library science
courses have to be strengthened further with computer application course. Some
nodal agencies have to be identified for standardizing procedures and mechanism
before implementing any such scheme.
9.0
Recommendations
1)
188
2)
3)
4)
A Group has to be set up at the apex level to work out the plan for
computerisation.
The group should also work
out standard
specifications for hardware and software for implementationat various
levels. This group should consist of computer specialists, library
scientists and educational experts. The group should be made
responsible for monitoring and evaluating the computerisation in
libraries.
5)
6)
7)
189
-^--
I_----..
--
Annexure-2
Establishment
Introduction
This document sets out a project proposal for the establishment and development
of an information and library network, in short called as inflibnet, in the country during
the eighth five year plan (1990- 1995) period.
INFLIBNET is a computer - communication network of libraries
and bibliographical information centres.
It is a major national effort to improve capability in information transfer
and access, that provide support to scholarship, learning, research and
academic pursuits.
Institutions of higher learning covering all disciplines, R&D institutions
and national organisations like CSIR, ICAR, DRDO, ICMR, ICSSR,
ICHR, AICTE, DAE, DOT, DOE, IGNCA, etc., participate in the
INFLIBNET.
What is INFLIBNET
INFLlBNET is a cooperative network and will contribute to
pooling, sharing and optimisation of resources, facilities and
services of libraries and information centres in the university
system as well as in the R&D complexes
It is a major programme towards modernisation of libraries
and information centres in the country, with application of
computer and communication technologies.
INFLIBNET is a multiple function/service network. It will
offer catalogue based services, database services, document
supply services, collection development and communication
basedservices.
190
Why INFLIBNET
Approximately a total sum of Rs. 1500 million/annum is spent
towards books and journals by all the libraries concerned with
higher education.
Still a researcher/faculty in any institution is handicapped
due to paucity of resources and services offered by his library.
It is neither possible nor feasible to fund all the libraries in
the country so as to be self-sufficient in meeting fully the
needsof their users.
Instead, if users are enabled to have access to holdings of
each other library, the total national resources could be used
optimally by everyone. This will also ensure that the libraries
avoid, to a great extent, duplication in procuring costly
books/journals and aim at developing more unique collection.
-
End users will be served mainly at local level such as college, department,
university and R&D institution. About 400 nodes are planned initially
for this purpose.
191
Application
Software Requirement
While emphasising upon software compatibility as a major factor in
the computerisation programme of the inflibnet, prospects and potentials
for developing application softwares for different types of services and
for different nodes have been discussed in this report.
A strategy for developing application software packages for the overall
192
at individual
.-
: National Centre
: Regional Centre
: Sectoral Information Centre including UGC
Information Centres
UL
: University Library
CL/uDL : Library of College/Department of University
CDL
: Centralized Department (University) Library
R&DC : Research & Development Centre Library
Y
: Yes
NC
RC
SIC
193
e_l^_--.. ___--_ll
INFLIBNET
Services/Functions
NC
RC
SIC
UL
CL/UDL
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
CDL
R&DC
Services
Cataloguing
Catalogue Production
Catalogue Search
Collection Development
Book Processing
Inter-Library Loan
Document Deliver
Referral
Electronic Mail
Bulletin Board
Bibliographic Database
Search
Database of Projects,
Specialists, Institutions
Union Catalogue
Retrospective Bibliographic
Databases Search
Selection Dissemination
of Information
Current Awareness Service
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Functions
Library Automation
Circulation
Management
Standardisation
Library Automationall subsystems
Administration
Training
Y
Y
Y
194
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
System/Service
Development Support
Technical Services
Consulting
Communication
Switching
Maintenance
Marketing
Publicity
Hardware
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
YY
Y
Y
Y
Y
Sysem Requirement
It is essential that all the participating
a suitable computer system. *
have
_.
--.11
^._.
-.
___.
___--
Retrospective
Conversion of Records
For catalogue based activities like shared cataloging and union catalogue,
about 9 million unique catalogue records of retrospective collections of
179 university libraries have to be converted/unified into a common
catalogue database by a prescribed standard practice.
A part of the work will be attempted by matching the catalogue records
with those available from down-loaded imported tapes/catalogues
as LC-MARC, OCLC and WLN of USA.
A plan of action to complete the work in a period of two years with
students assistance has been drawn.
A mechanism has been suggested for inputing and processing data in a
machine readable form.
The ultimate aim is that the university libraries will
catalogue in a machine readable form.
have a unified
Personal Requirements
The INFLIENET will be provided with an adequate complement of
professionally qualified personnel to man the network and to provide
information services to the users.
The personnel requirement for units, levels and network as a whole has
been projected.
Towards staff development, more particularly in the context of introducing
computer and communication technologies, long term and short term
as well as regular and continuing education training programmes, to
be carried out at national and regional centres, have been planned.
Management
Mechanism
The management mechanism of INFLIBNET
provides for its
establishment as a registered society with the office located in New
Delhi.
196
Activities
Before the INFLIBNET is implemented there is a need to prepare
detailed guidelines in vital areas like network communication software,
library automation, development of union catalogue,retrospectivedata
conversion and database services.
With the help of expert task groups constituted for the purpose, the above
mentioned guidelines are proposed to be worked out.
These technical details will constitute the guidelines for implementing
the INFLIBNET at all levels.
Implementation
Mechanism
Activities leading to the fulfilment of the targets will be carried out in
four years and in two phases of two years each, starting from aprill990
i.e., the first year of the eighth five year plan.
are:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
CENTRES.
as network participants
(v)
(vi)
Cost Implications
The cost incidence of the Project relats to
(9
(ii)
Support to 170 university 500 college libraries for library automation and
200 R&D institutions for participation in the INFLIBNET.
(iii)
(iv> Communication linkages with about 40 sectoral and national level centres.
(VI
(vi)
Society
The total cost of implementing the iINFLIBNET in the first four years
comes to Rs.1506 million, comprising Rs. 1030.08 million for nonrecurring and Rs. 476.76 million for recurring. The major heads of
expenditure are: communication system (Rs.293.9 million), provision of
computer system (Rs.464.0 Million), infrastructure (Rs. 178.0 million,
data capturing (Rs. 44.2 million ), building (Rs. 17.8 million )
personnel (Rs. 196.6 million), maintenance (Rs. 180.9 million) and
document collection, contingencies, etc., (Rs. 13 1.35 million).
In the I-phase (April 1990 - March 1992) a sum of Rs. 551.64 million and in
198
Recommendations
Some main recommendations which are directed towards taking administrative
and executive actions are listed in the report.
Conclusion
The progress to be aimed at in implementing the INFLIBNET the first
four years will set the pace for transforming the library scenario of the
country towards modernisation, involving application of computer and
communication technologies.
In the management of library and information system in the country
at macro level, INFLIBNET, when fully established, will be a costbenefit action programme.
Annexure - 3
Excerpts from the Report of the Inter Governmental Conference on Strategies and
Policies for Informatics (SPIN), Torremolinos, Spain, August/September 1978.
Subsequent to the Regional Seminar in New Delhi and similar seminars in other
regions, an Inter-governmental Conference on Strategies and Policies for Informatics
Jointly organised by UNESCO and IBI took place in Torremolinos, Malaga (Spain) from
28th August to 6th September 1978. Among the set of recommendations made in the
SPIN Conference, the following 24 recommendations have a direct or indirect bearing
on the setting up of a Regional Informatics Network for Asia and The Pacific (RINAP).
The Torremolinos
Recommendations
1)
2)
3)
a>
b)
c>
d)
200
4)
5)
6)
UNESCO should examine the necessary ways and means of organising and
achieving trans-national transfer of information taking into account all necessary
conditions given to these issues within the particular countries and by international
forum.
7)
8)
9)
Provide international standard documents, as the needs may arise on such issues
as contractual and acquisition al terms codes of marketing conduct, etc., binding
on both parties while the contract subsists.
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
Within the frame-work of UNESCO and Advisory Group of Experts to study and
201
16)
17)
18)
UhESCO, and other international organisations promote the signing of multinational cooperation agreements between countries belonging to regions with a
similar culture, language and level of technological development, in order to
encourage the growth of indigenous technology and the adaptation to the region
of technology from abroad.
1%
That such organizations lead their support and collaboration to the countries of
each region, particularly the developing countries in order to:
(a>
(b)
(cl
202
0-0
Cd
Fit the content of technical cooperation into the national and regional and
regional plans concerning informatics.
20)
21)
22)
23)
203
Annexxure
-4
for
system
information
204
46. Developing countries should share among themselves information and experience
in the most relevant fields, such as agriculture, health, communications, industrisalisation
and the like. They should establish cooperative arrangements and technical and managerial
skills for sharing this information.
58. Information systems and networks to be established at sub-regional, regional, and
international levels should ensure close linkages with the national information systems
to provide all support for strengthening the national science and technology information
capacity, inc!uding systems to facilitate access to technology information contained in
patent documents, through training, institution building and inter governmental
cooperation in classifying, publishing and exchanging such documents.
64. International organisations should act as a tool for systematic exchange of
information on experiences of different countries in all field s pertaining to the
application of science and technology for development. In this connection, continuing
consideration should be given to the establishment of a global and international
information network, within the United Nations system, where emphasis will be placed
on priority needs of the developing countries. An outline of such a network is contained
in Section II.
Establishment
network
70. The scientific and technological international information network should include
the following features:
(4
(b)
(c>
In each country there should exist one national focal point for its different
subnetworks while at the same time there should be, at the world level,
under the auspices of the United National, a global centre focal point;
Cd)
Each national focal point have the information on information for its
country; the global central focal point should have the same for the world;
(e)
(9
The global central focal point and individual country focal points should
be managed by qualified personnel capable of easily, promptly and
clearly understanding the requests for information and of directing the
requests to the appropriate source;
@I
on-information to
obtain the needed
from their national
directly or through
71. National information systems and networks should aim to ensure access to and
facilitate utilisation of national and international sources of information on science and
technology in order to stimulate endogenous development and national capacity for
innovation and to support the assessment, transfer and adaptation of technology. This
requires, inter alia:
(a)
(b)
cc>
Cd)
09
That care should be taken that all countries should have access to the
206
._....-
information
systems
96. There is a need for strengthening the existing and developing new information
centres and networks in developing countries. These activities could be effectively
pursued within the organs, organisations and bodies of the United Nations system. The
establishment of a global network of scientific and technological information should be
carried out as specified in paragraphs 70 to 75 above.
207
97. The organs, organisations and bodies of the United Nations system should
improve the existing information services and provide measures to coordinate their
effective utilisation in the field of science and technology.
98. The organs, organisations and bodies of the United Nations system should further
develop and coordinate their scientific and technological publication services in order
to make available the most important world publications in the various scientific and
technological and technology, in all the official languages of the United Nations.
208
Annexure - 5
Excerpts from the Note by the Secretary General to the UN General Assembly on
the operational plan for the implementation of thevienna Programmeof Action on
Science & Technology for Development.
VI. Scientific and Technological
Information
information
for national
285. Sophisticated information system and services are of no value unless they are
recognised and used by the potential customers. There are many conditions for the
effective use of an information system or service, but the following two are essential: the
system or service must provide information that is adequate and adapted to the users
requirements; and users should be motivated to use the information systemor service and
should have the skill to do so.
286. Most of the existing systems and services are not utilised because it is not known
that they exist and because sometimes the information is not packaged in a form that
lends itself to easy use on the part of the user. Information is often over-produced but
under-utilised. In that respect, the training and education of users and suppliers of
information is fundamental. The economy and efficiency of information systems
determines how extensively the systems are used. They are tow main aspects of the
education and training of users. First of all, the potential user must be aware of the role
and value of the information in his or her field of interest, and secondly, he or she must
have sufficient knowledge of how to use information.
287. In order to improve the use made of information, it expected that national training
programmes will be initiated or strengthened by Governments or that various national
institutions will set up training programmes in developing countries at the elementary,
secondary, university levels forpotential users, such asdevelopment planners,programme
administrators, rural workers etc. The programmes should be organised in close
cooperation with relevant international organisations. The United Nations system
should, on request, assist the preparation of guidelines for user training, the development
of syllabi, the publication of training packages, and the preparation of teachers and
educational personnel (in,ir)
209
policy
(b) Promotion of scientific and technological information among
makers, the scientific and engineering community and among the public at large.
288. The Vienna Programme of Action asks for extensive promotional activity of
scientific and technological information in developing countries. Promotional activity
should be organiseed at the national level, taking into account local needs and local
conditions. Accordingly, promotion is expected to be addressed to all groups of users,
and especially to policy makers, planners and managers who may not be sufficiently
aware of the role of information in their respective fields or of the benefits which
scientific and technical information can provide the national economy. It should also be
addressed to all those who are involved in development programmes at the grass-roots
level, such as extension workers, mass media personnel, advisors and teachers, in order
to familisarise users with information and its sources of supply.
289. The promotional activity for the scientific and engineering community consists of
training of new information technologies and new information media. Persons with a
scientific and engineering background should be increasingly utilised for operating
information and advisory services. Special long term promotional activities largest age
group in developing countries.
290. The activity will be internationally supported through:
(4
Case studies on the role and use of information in different regions (ii),
(b)
4. Information
210
(b)
Cc)
(4
(4
(0
298. An essential pre-requisite for the effective operation of the proposed network for
the exchange of scientific and technological information is the establishment of a variety
of institutions, facilities and services responsible for policy making, technological
information services, documentation centres, libraries, universities and the end users of
information. Thus, there is need at the national level for such functions as identification
of end users and their needs; information policy formulation and implementation;
training and advice; information resources and source identification; information
delivery and extension services; referral services; translation and printing.
299. In developing countries there are three major categories of end users:
(a)
cc>
The network structures at the national level should be adequate to cater to the needs of
that spectrum of end users.
300. At the international level the most readily available information services, systems
and programmes have been those established by the organisations of the United Nations
system. They can be grouped as follows:
(a) Referral systems and services;
(b) Clearing houses;
(c) Bibliographical
information systems;
213
llll_-.--.-
._
302. As a first step towards the implementation of the recommendations of the Vienna
Programme of Action for the creation of a global information network, the following
actions are proposed:
(a)
(b)
cc>
. Cd)
214
ANNEXURE
Structure and Functions of the Intergovernmental
of UNESCO
Informatics
Programme
-6
(IIP)
(Dot. No.SC-90)/
CONF. 210/3)
Intergovernmental Informatics Programme(IIP) was launched by UNESCO in
1,982 with the following objectives and terms of reference.
1.1
Fields of action
plans;
215
national development
services,
Objectives
activities
216
At the same time as it decided on objectives, the programme and priorities, the
Committee defined criteria for project selection as resources would clearly not enable all
requests to be met. These criteria are marked chiefly by a concern to seek systematically
to bring together the institutions of several countries either for the actual implementation
of the project or to share the results and experience gained.
In this way, and having regard to the methods of selection adopted for other, similar
programmes, the Committee adopted five criteria:
correspondence between the project and HPs priorities;
the regional or associative character of the project;
prospects for disseminating the results of the project for the benefit of other
countries or institutions;
technical feasibility;
financial feasibility.
1.6
At the same time as it laid down the criteria for selection, the Committee provided
the Bureau with guidelines for their application, in particular:
development
and consolidation
and not of
priorities of action for the programme and the fields to which they should relate;
the resources needed to implement the programme adopted and ways of securing
them;
ways and means of implementing the programme.
2.2 Priorities
HPs action has also stimulated regional co-operation. The idea of joint and
complementary activities and co-operative projects is slowly but surely gaining ground.
All countries, particularly the developing ones, are realizing that in the complex, costly
and fast-changing field of informatics, only by grouping together will they be able to
reap the expected benefits. It is for this reason that there have been increasing exchanges
of experience through IIP associative projectives. These co-operative activities have
been instrumental in the development of the idea of exchanges of scientific and
technological in the development of the idea of exchanges of scientific and technological
information through networks, either already existing or to be set up. While the networks
are initially used as an electronic mail service, data bases are gradually being developed
that will swell the flows of information exchanges and cause the networks to assume their
true dimension.
22.2 Training
The Congress on Education and Informatics, held in April 1989, highlighted the
existence in all countries of a political will to use informatics and the associated
technologies as levers of development, particularly in the education system. Each
country has, as its means have allowed, developed a strategy for the use of infoxmatics
in education, extending as the case may be from primary to secondary or with precedence
being given to secondary, technical and higher or only to higher education. However, in
all countries, the authorities are well aware of the need to engage without delay in three-
219
2.3
The resources need for the implementation of IIP and the achievement of its
purposes
These resources are of three kinds :
intellectual;
human ;
material, and especially financial.
2.3.1 Intellectual
handicap for the programme in so far as it is not possible, owing to the reduced staff, to
take advantage of all the intellectual resources just mentioned. Appeals and representations
have been made, particularly by the Chairman of IIP to the Director, for UNESCO to
make available to the Committee, in accordance with its Statutes, the human resources
needed for it to achieve its purposes. This problem will certainly find a solution. The
UNESCO authorities are aware of it and are resolved to give substantial assistance to IIP
by increasing its secretariat.
III? is also in need of project officers in the field, who would be able to help Member
States and participate in the implementation of projects. This could be done through
associate experts or consultants made available to IIP by Member States under their
responsibility.
2.3.3 Material andfinancial
resources
The question of financial resources is certainly the most important one. This is the
weak point of IIP and considerably hampers its action. It was seen in the financial review
how small IIPs resources are in comparison with demand. Despite strict selection of the
projects to be funded, the average degree of satisfaction for requests is no more than 33
percent, while remarkable efforts are being made by countries as the multiplier
coefficient is nearly 10. There are two requirements for an improvement in the situation:
the number of projects to be funded needs to be increased through greater
flexibility in selection;
a far higher average rate of satisfaction needs to be achieved.
Analysis of IIPs resources reveals :
a dangerous levelling off of voluntary contributions, particularly in view of the
fact that when IIP was launched its main resources was the voluntary contributions
of Member states. Only 16 Member states have contributed, or barely 10 per cent
of UNESCO Member states. There are consequently 140 Members States that
need to be persuaded to contribute to IIP,
a slightly increased UNESCO participation in the funding of projects, but it
should be noted that the funds are taken out of the regular programme. No special
effort has been made to increase the total resources earmarked for informatics by
UNESCO, but on the contrary, indeed, the regular programme budget has
dropped by 30 per cent in the past five years following the withdrawal of three
223
with the spirit and objectives of IIP. the industrialized countries can therefore help and
participate in IIP while retaining somedegreeof freedom of choice and ktion. This is
224
especially important in that equipment is often purchased from firms in the donor
countries, representing a return of part of the funds invested in the programme. It is to
be hoped that there will be an increase in funds-in-trust donations such as to provide IIP
with resources of the order of $2 or $3 million.
Other sources of financing or participation have been explored or should be
(c)
International organizations
Computer manufacturers
225
*11*-
--,*,.
.....
.I_.
.-
(e)
While looking for as many sources of financing as possible, we should at the same
time be considering possible sources of savings. The Bureau discussed this matter at its
third session. As IIPs administrative expenditure has already been reduced to a bare
minimum, only the cost of interpretation can be reduced. The Committee could envisage
reducing the working languages of the Committee to the two languages that are the
working languages of UNESCO, namely English and French. this would make for
savings in money and in translation time and would reduce the volume of documentation.
This proposal by the Bureau, in line which the directives of the Director-General for all
Unescos activities, requires Rule 13 of the Rules of Procedure to be amended accordingly,
in compliance with the provisions of Rule 30 of those Rules.
The Bureau also expressed the wish that the administrative costs deducted by
UNESCO from funds-in-trust donations should be fully paid back into the IIP funds-intrust donations to cover administrative costs is the expenditure incurred by UNESCO for
the implementation of projects, As the work is carried out by the IIP secretariat, it would
be logical for the sums deducted to come back to IIP for the financing of projects. The
Committee might wish to make a recommendation to this effect.
2.4
specify and expand the role of the focal point and secureits active involvement in
all stages in the implementation of IIP projects. The focal point should be an active
interface between the country, its specialized informatics institutions, its needs and
potential and IIP;
forge essential links among focal points in each region so that regional cooperation in informatics can develop and flourish.
At present, 73 Member States have designated a focal point. Appeals have been
made to Member States that have not yet done so by the secretariat, members of the
Bureau and UNESCOs Regional Offices. The campaign is in progress and it is hoped
that the secretariat will hear of new focal points before or during the Committees
meeting. Focal points should be designated with due regard for the role assigned to them
in the life of IIP. They are required to be technical bodies with computer facilities and
expertise at their disposal.
In each country, the focal point is responsible for organizing activities around IIP.
It centralizes all information relating to IIP to specialized institutions and decisionmaking bodies. It maintains liaison with national institutions, particularly during the
preparation of projects to be undertaken under IIP, playing an advisory role to ensure
that projects fit in as well as possible with the spirit and priorities of IIP. It may play a
federative role by facilitating contacts among national institutions and calling on them
to collaborate on the same project rather than add to the number of projects and spread
their resources too thin. IIP projects should whenever possible, be routed through the
focal point, which can give an informed technical opinion regarding their content. This
mechanism represented by the focal points is designed to ensure the effectiveness of IIP
at the national level in respect of project implementation, follow-up and evaluation.
Once they have assumed their responsibilities in this way, the focal points will be able
to pay a more important role in mobilizing the intellectual and material resources that can
be expected to contribute to the effectiveness of HP.
The focal points should also be instrumental in promoting co-operation among
countries in the region by organizing meetings of scientists for the preparation of projects
of common interest, and of decision-makers for a co-opertive approach to strategies for
the development of informatics. It will thus become possible to develop regional
software banks (for education in particular), specific data bases concerning several
countries in the region and research activities in the various fields covered by IIP.
Pending the establishment of physical networks to facilitate exchanges, journals, studies
and works could be exchanged by the focal points. Viewed in this way, the role of the
focal point is extremely important for the country and for IIP. This is why it is desirable
221
that the focal point should be located in one of the aspects of IIP and would facilitate its
action is so far as the institution may already have infrastructures at its disposal for the
organization of activities, experiments, meetings, etc. Representatives of political and
financial decision-makers and the main users (industry, universities, education) should
be associated with the focal point. The focal points will then form the strongest links in
the international chain of co-operation in informatics, which is the primary objective of
IIP.
2.4.2 Enhancing the regional character ofprojects through the pooling of resources.
Reference has been made throughout this document to the vital importance of
regional co-operation in informatics. All the industrialized countries have grouped
together for co-operative programmes of research and innovation, such as ESPRIT and
EUREKA. the European countries co-operate actively regarding informatics applied to
education and measures were proposed a the MINEDEIRPOE IV meeting of European
ministers of education to strengthen that co-operation.
Thanks to theefforts of UNESCO and IIP, through congresses, seminars workshops
and organized projects, decision-makers are almost certainly aware of what is involved.
No one disputes the place of informatics in development and every one wants to see it
introduced into education at all levels. It was with this in view that, under the Priority:
Africa Programme, the IIP secretariat prepared the INFORMAFRICA
project to
facilitate the introduction of informatics into the education system in Africa. This project
will receive initial financing from extra budgetary funds, but its implementation will call
for a more substantial budget. It is a model regional project in so far as all the countries
in the African continent will be affected. Only through a regional or subregional
approach will it be possible, within a limited period of time, to carry out this ambitious
albeit realistic project. It is important that the beneficiary countries should contribute
financially (if need be, in local currency) and intellectually to the project by pooling their
resources, sharing tasks and working alone the same lines. This is the only way of making
rapid headway, saving time and money and paving the way for co-operation which
should extend beyond informatics. Such a project may well receive financial assistance
from UNDP and especially from funds-in-trust donations from Member States of
UNESCO that cannot fail to feel concerned about Africa.
The example of INFORMAFRICA must not remain an isolated one. This is the
direction in which IIP should develop, as has already been stressed by the Committee,
through projects of a certain magnitude attracting the active involvement of beneficiary
states, donor States, UNESCO and IIP.
228
It is important that the developing countries should also design projects of the
EUREKA type for themselves, even though they cannot be on the same scale or benefit
from the same resources.
Although one of the criteria for the selection of projects is their regional or
associative character, it would perhaps be advisable to define what this means in order
to make the idea more real and more attractive.
As in other programme, it might be desirable to specify the minimum number of
countries concerned so that a project can be regarded as regional or associative, while
allowing the Bureau of judge for itself, particularly in the case of heavily populated
countries that themselves represent the equivalent of a region. At least three countries
should be associated with a project through their institutions. This will be a spur to cooperation. Furthermore, they should not thus be associated with a project in name only
or barely more. Each country must effectively contribute to the project and benefit from
the results. Project implementation can begin after tasks have been allocated to the
various partners or to one or more countries with the participation of operators in the
different countries involved.
In so far as developing countries might be able to make voluntary contributions in
local currency, the costs of operators for the project might be covered in each of the
countries. The project could thus be implemented without excessive expenditure in hard
currencies. Equipment, hardware and software, and expertise could be financed under
HP.
2.5
2.5.1 Structure:
sector
and information
As part of the reforms being carried out with a view to the implementation of the
new Medium-Term Plan, a Communication and Information Sector has been set up. This
new sector is organized around:
the communication programmes, including IPDC;
the General Information Programme;
the Intergovernmental Informatics Programme, which came under the Natural
Sciences Sector.
Aware of the convergence of communication,
information
and informatics
229
-.--
--
--..^
._.
--*--..-
technologies, the Director-General has therefore decided to bring them together within
the same sector so as to help ensure that the approaches adopted in each case converge
and that their respective contributions are marked by synergy.
The main prupose of the new suuctures will be:
to strengthen UNESCOs mission of intellectual co-operation;
to enable operational activities to benefit from the latest developments in
research and from technological progress;
toensure broader mutual information and facilitate convergence between
the three intergovernmental programmes(IPDC, PGI and IrP)
2.5.2 Responsibilities
In this new sector, the unit responsible for informatics is thus required to assume
two clearly defined responsibilities.
Within the sector:
serve as the IIP Secretariat and, in association with the Committee and the
Bureau, carry out the programme adopted by IIP authorities, in
compliances with their guidelines;
implement activities under UNESCOsregularprogramme
in the field of
informatics in accordance with the policy and guidelines set by the
General Conference;
participate in the preparation and implementation
of joint or
complementary activities involving the three intergovernmental
programmes.
within the intersectoral framework;
co-ordinate all the informatics activities conducted by the Organization.
Informatics and IIP are thus gradually assuming their rightful place within
UNESCO and the new sector of which they constitute the technical mainspring and the
centre of gravity. In entrusting to the unit in chargeof the infromatics programme and
230
IIP responsibility for co-ordinating all the activities undertaken by the Organization in
the informatics field, the Director-General is aiming at unification in respect of reflection
and decentralization in respect of action, towards other sectors and towards the Regional
Offices. The measures currently being envisaged give IIP autonomous decision-making
and managerial authority, as they do the other intergovernmental programmes which,
while remaining UNESCO programmes, will thereby benefit from greater flexibility in
the performance of their activities, under the entire responsibility of their organs and
while of course remaining accountable to the General Conference.
231
._-I-
-I-.
-...-___
Annexure-7
Facilities available at NIC for promoting
library modernization
232
Architecture
Access Technique
It is based on the Spread Spectrum Multiple Access (SSMA) and Code Division
Multiple Access (CDMA) technology operating in the C-band. Spread Spectrum is the
means of transmission in which the signal occupies bandwidth in excess of the minimum
necessary to send the information. The band-based spread is accomplished by means of
a code which is independent of the data, and with synchronised reception in which, the
code of the receiver is used for the data de-spreading and subsequent data recovery. This
helps to minimise interferences from and to other satellites and terrestrial sources. The
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) allows efficient multiple access of the large
network with low duty cycle terminals. No satellite power is allocated except during
actual transmission. In the NICNET environment, CDMA has significant advantages
over Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) for sharing a satellite channel among a
largenumberoftransaction terrninals.Asaresult,veryimpressivethroughputperformance
has been obtained through NICNET.
233
Provides datagrams, permanent and switched virtual circuits for operation of the
network.
Provides protocol interfaces to accept and deliver data from multiple- user hostcomputer data links.
Multiplexes data from several host sources into variable (limited to a maximum
Packet size) length data packets for output as a 153.6 Kbps TDM data stream.
Receives 1200 bps (C-200) or 9600 bps (C-250) data from multiple micro earth
stations via Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). It separates these data streams for
further processing.
Provides spread-spectrum encoding of the outbound and decoding of the inbound
data stream.
Provides modulation of a radio frequency (RF) carrier with the outbound data
stream, and demodulation of the inbound data stream.
Micro Earth Station NSAT
The C-200 micro earth station transmits at 1200 bps (C- 201) or at 9600 bps (C250). It consists of two basic modules - the antenna and the controller. The antenna
module is easily mounted on a roof top or on the ground. The controller is placed on a
desk or shelf near the users computer terminal equipment. The controller is connected
to the antenna with upto 100 meters of twin coaxial cables. The users terminal
234
Features of NICNET
Flexible Network Structure
Terminals can be connected to the system directly or via telephonelines/dedicated
lines . Remote terminals which can be connected via packet multiplexor or packet
assembler/ dis- assemblers (PADS) through satellite circuits.
Broad Terminal Integration
Packet terminals, non-packet terminals and host computers of different speeds can
be integrated.
Compatibility
The system can interface with the external communication system according to
CCIIT recommendations.
Network Access
The system can facilitate access to the communication network, either through
leased lines or dedicated lines or switched telephone networks or satellite circuits.
Line Utilization
Each packet terminal can communicate with a number of other terminals over one
physical line.
Error-Free Transmission
The system can check the data for error, step by step, as it transmits.
235
.__l__ll_
.-..--
_-___-.-._.
_.
-.
.._
..-_
~-_.--..__--
.._-
-___
the same RF portion of the MES but has a separateset of digital equipment. The data
broadcast network will initially support 32 data magazines. This can be extended
subsequently to support up to 64 data magazines. All data broadcast magazines will be
initially up linked from the Delhi Master Earth Station. The data broadcast control centre
will maintain complete details of all the magazines and also of the receivers of these
magazines. It has facilities to disconnect those receivers which do not specify or meet
the operational conditions set by the data providers. The data broadcast receivers will
have a receive only terminal which can be easily mounted on a roof top or window. It
has the capability to receive four magazines simultaneously. This can be subsequently
diasy chained for providing additional magazines. The user can use this equipment just
like any other electronic consumable item. It operates at normalenvironmentalconditions.
The Info Highway will provide complete connectivity with very high reliability to
all its customers. The customers could be linked through the low speed VSAT network
or through PSTN of the Department of Telecommunications. At each of the remote
station as well as at the hub, facilities will be created for providing WAN transit gateway
for LAN users.
.
With NICNET Info Highway acting as a computer communication carrier, virtual
private networks can be carved out over the NICNET and placed at the exclusive
disposal of the user. Such virtual private networks have several advantages. Firstly, users
would not have to make large investments in creating network facilities. Secondly, they
would need a minimum skilled technical staff to operate their network. The capacity of
such a network can be altered and the network itself can be reconfigured as per users
demand. The users also gain access to some of the public network systems. More
importantly, users benifit from the network economies of scale and scope. In addition to
normal value added services, NICNETInfo Highway alsooffersED1, ImageTransmission,
ISDN , Multimedia, Teleconferencing and Directory Services.
International
Connectivity
NICNET has been connected to the International Networks, through the Gateway
Packet Switching System (GPSS) of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. at Bombay. Through
this linkage, the network accesses several X.25 networks in the world. In particular it has
been accessing the MEDLARS database located at the National Library of Medicine,
Bethesda, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. It also provides its users with international mail
facility and the large number of public domain software available on UUNBT.
To cater to many intenational needs NICNET has acquired another high-speed
237
--...
-.-
I-
connection. It is connected to transit gateway of SPRINT at New York with the same
speed. This data link is in addition to the already existing gateway connection to GPSS.
These new additional line will increase the reliability and response time for NICNET
users when they access international datanetworks. With the present gateway connections,
NICNET users have access to almost any data network in the world. At present these
connections are interfaced using X.25 protocols. NIC is converting them to X.75 soon
which will place NICNET uniquely in the world data networks map.
NICNET
Services
NICNET, which presently has more than 650 Micro Earth Stations in operation,
serving the Central Government and State Governments and other organisations,
provides the following services :Interactive Access
Remote Database Access
File Transfer Facility
Electronic Mail Facility
Emergency Message Communication Facility
International Remote Access
International Mail Facility
Electronic Data Interchange
INTERNET
International
Access
Mail Facility
(NICMAIL
400)
The recent introduction of NICMAIL 400 services over the satellite-basedcomputercommunication network, NICNET, of the National Informatics Centre, now provides
NICNET users fast and reliable electronic mail service conforming to X.400
recommendations of CCITT. With NICMAIL 400, users can now exchange mails
through any other national or international network providing X.400 mail services.
238
NICMAIL 400 supports integrated facility to transfer ED1 messages. FAX gateway
is provided for non-X.4OOusers who have FAX facility. Different platforms host Remote
User Agent Software to enable users to access NICMAIL 400 which is available round
the clock.
NICMAIL
Features of NICNET
400 include
239
I-
-...--_._. Ix--..
-lll_l-
..._-
over NICNET
of Data Broadcasting
240
Components of RO-VSAT
It has a small dish antenna, typically 60 cm in diameter. The small size of the
antenna makes it window or even desktop mountable, wherever there is a clear view up
into the southern sky, at an angle of 45 degrees.
A LNB (Low Noise Block Converter) of the TVRO type, that receives the satellite
signals and down-converts them.
An IDU (Indoor Unit) box weighing 3 kgs, which is placed within 60 metres of
the LNB and antenna. This demodulates the signal, corrects errors in the incoming data,
separates (demultiplexes) the various data streams and forwards each to an RS 232 port
for output. Each IDU has l-4 ports which can be configured to receive any particular
stream and can work at 50 bps to 64 kbps. At the receiving end, the User typically
connects a PC with application-specific database and display software.
Subscribers Management
The Information Provider has full control over who can receive the data stream.
Using the NetworkManagement System, NIC will enable only those receivers specifically
authoxized by the Information Provider. Individual receiving stations can be enabled for
up to any four data streams which can also be separately disabled on instructions from
the Information Provider.
Services
USENET is the Bulletin Board Service of Internet. Electronic BBSs are very
effective ways to share information. The messages in USENET are organ&d into
thousands of topical groups or Newsgroups which cover specific areas of interest.
USENET is read and contributed to, on a daily basis, by millions of people. There are
several ways one can be a USENET user, for example, a user can read lots, ask
242
3.
The telnet protocol allows an Internet user to login to a remote host from the local
host. Once connected and logged into the remote host, the user can enter data, run
programs, or do any other operation just as if he were logged in directly to the remote
host. While running telnet, the program effectively makes the local computer invisible
during the session on the remote computer.
4.
The file transfer protocol makes it possible to move a file from one computer to
another, even if each computer has a different operating system and file storage formats.
The files may be data, programs, text - anything that can be stored on line. Users are
required to login to each computer, thus ensuring that they have the right to take and put
files on those computers.
5.
Over 1,CKKlnew hosts join Internet each month. While this creates a global
information sea of awesome proportions, it also makes it difficult to find anything
specific on Internet. There are several powerful Internet searching utilities. These
information tracking projects are meant to develop easy methods of discovering,
locating and retrieving information available freely on Internet. Each of these tools
takes a different approach to Internet navigation.
.
Gopher: Gopher can burrow through Internet to find the data one is after.
It is amenu-driven systemattheclientandfacilitatesobtaininginfonnation
in an orderly, logical manner through menus.
World Wide Web (WWW) : It is the most advanced browsing and searching
system deployed on the Internet based on the hypertext paradigm. WWW allows one to
explore a seemingly unlimited world wide digital WEB of human knowledge.
Powerful freewares like Mosaic and Cello provide an interactive graphical user interface
to the WEB. The Web can make other Internet tools much easier to use and it is poised
to become one of the Internet greats.
The establishment of the most advanced WWW server in the world through BASIS
Web server at C-WEB (Centre for World Wide Web Service over NICNET), the first of
its kind in the country, adds a new dimension to Internet Services over NICNET.
Internet Connectivity
(a)
through NICNET
The simplest way to get Internet e-mail link is through UUCP connectivity to any
of the NICNET nodes on dial-up. The mail only connections are links that enables
you to send and receive electronic mail and Bulletin Board Services.
Shell account - dial up terminal connection
With the dial-up terminal connection one links to an Internet node of NICNET as
a terminal on the NICNET computer and set up a shell account which uses a UNIX
command line. The Internet access software (telnet,ftp and so on) is run on the NICNET
node.
(b)
(c)
A variant of TCP/IP designed for telephone lines is called Serial Line Interface
Protocol (SLIP) or the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). With one of these, a high speed (
9600 baud or preferably 14,400 baud ) Modem connection to an Internet site of NICNET
node, one can have a link that makes ones computer a full Internet participant.
MEDLARS
through NICNET
The National Informatics Centre (NE), New Delhi has been designated as the
Indian MEDLARS Centre (lMC). MEDLARS servicesareprovided by NIC through its
nationwide satellite basedcomputer communication network, NICNET. This network
.
244
is accessible from all 500 district headquarters of NIC. NICNET also provides linkages
to international networks, using which IMC has been directly linked to the National
Library of Medicine and can access all the MEDLARS databases.
One of the most important databases of MEDLARS is MEDLINE which covers
articles from over 3500 journals from 70 countries in the field of general medicine
including nursing, dentistry and preclinical sciences.
MEDLINE data from 1986 onwards is available on a minicomputer at NIC,
NewDelhi. A menu driven bibliographic retrieval software, BRWEARCH
is used to
search this database. This database is directly accessible to NICNET users. MEDLINE
data prior to this as well as information from all other MEDLARS databases is available
on requrest from IMC.
Services offered by IMC
Biomedical Information from all MEDLARS
databases.
245
Training
Facilities
Training programmes are regularly conducted for the duration of three to five days
at NIC, New Delhi and selected medical centres in India.
The course contents comprise
Searching the MEDLINE
the jo~umals,
from:
National Library of Medcine,
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, Maryland, 20894, USA.
246
Annexure-8
Library
When the Inter-agency working group on Information and Library Network setup
by the UGC, of which the author/consultant was a member, designed INFLIBNET,
careful attention was given to enumerate in detail the requirements of the library
Software Platform and Library Application Software packages and development. In
view of the thorough going excercise carried out, we reproduce below their
recommendations.
Desirable features of a Library Software platform recommended by the Report of
the INFLIBNET Inter-Aency Working Group. (Source: Inter-Agency Working Group
Report on INFLJBNET, dated December 1988)
1.
It is desirable that the package be an intergated one, to support a) library
automation and b) database construction and information retrieval. Should support a
phased implementation, according to particular library priorities.
2.
3
Should be adaptable to varying local library requirements(eq.
acquisition procedures).
4
Should be compatible with relevant Indian and. international
standards.
circulation,
bibliographic
5
Should be supported with clearly written, well illustrated manuals -(user/
programmer/system manager levels), online helps/ tutorials. The package usage should
be transferred to the user through adequate user training programmes at different stages.
6
Should be user friendly - i.e.predominantly menu-driven.However, support for
different user levels (novice/expert) is desirable. User modification of menu and
messages should be possible.
For libraries with a collection size of more than 25,CKKlvolumes, the package
7
should be multi-user, for simultaneous read, add and modify, through two or more
terminals.
247
The response time, i.e. the time elapsed between user selection of a menu option/
8
issuing a command and the system response should be preferably less than 5 seconds,but
should not exceed 8- 10 seconds. Response time should be independent of database size.
Should handle bibliographic dataconsistingof textual, variable field, subfield and
9
record lengths. Should be possible to specify identifiers and indicators for fields and
subfields. Should not impose any limits for logical field and logical record lengths.
10 Should support data security through passwords at system, subsystem, file, record
and field levels for read, write and update functions.
11 Should have adequate data backup/recovery facilities due topower,disk, processor
failure.
12 Should provide higher-level language interface to the database for the user to
write any special routines to manipulate the database.
13 Database set-up facilities. The user should be able to definel)the data elements
comprising a logical record and their attributes, and 2) the searchable data elements/
subfields.
14 User should be able to create one or more
modification.
15
16
248
Indexing (inversion)
-
18
facilities
of a field/sub-
21
22
23
APPLICATION
SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
THE NETWORK
RC
SIC
LEVELS IN
UL/R&DC
CUIIJ-DL
- Catalogue entry
- Retrospective conversion
- Database of projects,
specialists, institutions
- Downloading
NC
AT VARIOUS
Data Prenaration
- Uploading
- Authority files
- Data exchange
Y
-
- Catalogue production
250
Searchinaetieval
- Union catalogue
- Local catalogue
- Database of projects,
specialists, institutions
- International databases Retrospective
- International databases
current
- Authority files
L-
Services
- Selective Dissemination
of Information
- Current awareness
- Inter-library loan
Y
Y
- Collection development
- Shared cataloguing
- Electronic mail
- Bulletin board
- File transfer
251
- Document delivery
(Through FAX)
Y
Y
- Tele-conferencing
- Tele-facsimile
- Acquisition
- Circulation
- Serials control
- Cataloguing
- Budget control
Librarv Automation
Training
- Tutorials for cataloguing,
searching, library automation,
network access, etc.
Text Processing
- Report generation
- Text editing
- Desk-top publishing
Jnterfaces
- for CD-ROM
Y
252
Y
Y
Note:
y : Yes
NC : National Centre
RC : Regional Centre
SIC : Sectoral Information Centre
UL :University Library
R&DC : Research & Development Centre Library
CL/UDL : Library of College/Department of University.
National Centre
The- main functions of the National Centre are network switching, training and
administration. There will be no library -related bibliographic databases at the National
Centre.
Network management
This software will handle the functions of network, switching, analysis of the
traffic and generation of related statistics. This handles only the communication part
and is not related to the actual access of databases.
The Network Management System is the main network controlling system. It
communicates with the network software at the Regional Centres. This software
performs the functions of switching.At the same time, it computes the various statistics
regarding the network traffic.
The analysis of data carried out here pertains to the inter - regional centre, traffic
which goes through the National Centre.The Regional Centres would be performing
similar analysis of the traffic within the region. The results of that analysis are reported
to the National Centre. The nationwide network traffic analysis which is done, should
incorporate this reported analysis of the Regional Centres as well.
Training Packages
To enforce uniformity and standardisation across the network, it is essential to
create a central training facility, preferably at the National Centre, to train existing/ new
staff in the participating libraries. Some of the training packages that will be required are:
terminal usage (electronic mail, bulletin board, file transfer, etc.)
online tutorials/simulation
hardware/software
configuration,
telefacsimile
data preparation
retrospective conversion
network usage, etc. (eg. accessing other nodes in the network)
Text processing and report generation software systems like DTP (Desk-toppublishing), for publishing training documents, standards and guidelines for network
usage.
MIS (personnel, payroll,.financial,
etc.).
Regional Centres
The software requirements at the Regional Centres are:
Union catalogue software
Software for searching and updating other regional centre catalogues
Software for searching bibliographic databases in sectoral information centres
Database of projects/institutions/specialists
Data exchange software for downloading (bibliographic, catalogue, projects,
institutions, specialists)
Catalogue pro$tction(cards,com,
254
and unloading.
(creation/search/maintenance).
Local library automation (see Section 5.2, item 7 for features required).
Data exchange software.
Offline data preparation and database updation software.
Software for creation, search and maintenance of authority files for subject, names, etc.
Catalogue production (magnetic tape, floppy, print).
Software for inter-library loan.
CollegdDepartmental
Libraries
256
Administration/Planning
- Personnel
- Accounting/budgeting
- Scheduling/planning
- Word processing
- Report generation
Reference/Information Services
computer aided instructions, user education, library instruction.
bibliography/index preparation by searching local, university,
regional, sectoral catalogues/bibliographic databases.
Acquisition
Collection of suggestions from users and staff.
Checking for duplicates with the library, catalogue, books under
processing and books on-order file.
257
Cataloguing
Inputting complete details of new documents (bibliographic and indexing
elements).
Maintain the database of master file of bibliographic records and index
files. Carry out functions like add, delete and modify.
Generate various lists like bibliographies (by author, subjects etc.), list of
additions, indexes (KWIC type).
Provide searching of the database by various access points.
Generate book form or card form of the selected records.
258
Serials Control
-
6. Circulation
-
259
Annexure-9
NIC Value Added BASIS Plus & TECHLIB
Plus
Initial standardization at the local level has been mainly around the CDS/ISIS
anbd LIBSYS packages. Currently, NICs large purchase clout has reduced the price per
copy of BASIS Plus based TECHLIB from the market retain price of Rs. 180,000 ($
6000) to Rs. 58,000 ($1800) thereby giving a highly sophsitcated software at very low
price to the Indian Libraries connected to NICNET. MC is working with ID1 of USA2
for value addition over this software through R&D at MC for meeting the specialized
requirements of the Indian Universities. IN view of this new beneficial development, a
brief outline of BASIS Plus and TECHLIB Plus is given below based on an MC
brochure..
1.
BASISPLUS
Product
Features
supports many data types, including integer, real, double precision, packed decimal,
261
Data Encryption
Data Types
Retrieval Capabilities
262
BASISplus has the ability to handle documents with varying structures including
conventional (Condensed alphanumeric), Continuous (Long text) and Sectioned (Book
model). The product can handle compound documents containing text, images,
graphics, wordprocessing and spreadsheets. The content based retrieval techniques
allow :
* Term , Stem, phrase and range searching
* Boolean Logic
* Efficient result sets
* Case Sensitivity
* Plural Control
* Soundex
* Help functions
1.9.2
words as belonging
BASISPLUS
2.1 BASISPLUS
Modules
Kernel or Database Manager (DM)
(FQM)
264
document management.
5 TECHLIBPLUS
Product Overview
access catalog
More experienced
degree of research
number, abstract,
searching
- Up-to-the-second
item status
search fields
in other databases
and image handling capabilities
and Maintenauce
the Cataloging/Maintenance
module, staff can retrieve, add, update, and
With
delete catalog records in the database using fill-in-the-blank screens.Library staff can
perform the various functions such as:
Management
The MARC interface loads data from bibliographic utilities, such as OCLC and
RLIN, that use standard MARC record formats. Library staff can perform the various
functions such as:
- Load and store MARC
data
due dates
266
55 Serials
The Serials module lets staff manage periodicals that are received in the library.
Library staff can perform the various functions such as:
- Use a single screen for processing
- Check-in single and special issue items
- Use batch check-in
- Predict issue availability
- Create custom routing
- Generate automatic claims
- Generate slips, lists, statistics, and reports
5.6 Acquisitions
Order and receiving processing is automated with
Library staff can perform the various functions such as:
the Acquisitions
module.
Application
Opportunities
267
,----_-
__...
.___^_..l_
ix-
-.. .-.-..-.
___
Legal Depositions
Technical Reports Automation
Product Specifications
Regulatory Compliance
Policy & Procedure Automation
Litigation Support & Law Reference
Newspaper/Magazine full text database
Correspondence tracking
Records Automation
Proposal Management
Financial Accounting
Customer Service Automation
Maintenance Procedure Automation
Technical Documentation
Library Automation
Multimedia Applications
Business Decision
Land records
Credit Management
Safety Data Analysis
Bibliographic Database
Portfolio Management
Electronic Publishing
Patent Information System
Health Management Systems
Real Time System
Crime Records
OLTP Applications
Parliament Questions/Answers
Pharmaceutical Applications
8. System requirements
i) BASISPLUS Server
a. Hardware platform
b. Operating System
c. Main Memory
: Minimum 16 MB RAM.
268
d. Disk Space
e. Media
: 150 MB Cartridge
ii)BASISPLUS
Client
a. Hardware platform
b. Windows
: MSWINDOWS
c. Main Memory
: Minimum 4 MB RAM,
8 MB preferred
d. Disk Space
: 16 MB -20 MB.
: TCP/IP - PC-NFS
3.1 or above.
tool set
Some highlights of BASIS Plus features in the areas of searching, displaying and
data management are described below:
Searching
The amount of information available on the INTERNET is staggering, and it is
growing by leaps and bounds. With such a large amount of data, it is necessary to have
sophsiticated tools that make searching for information for efficient and accurate.
Although WWW and Gopher have searching capabilities, they are in practice primitive
compared to the BASIS Plus FIND command which offers the following:
Phrase searching - searches for a specified list of terns
Proximity searching - searches for a list of terms within a particular
portion of text such as a sentence, paragraph or section
269
and Validation:
For information providers, BASIS Plus consolidates all data in an easily located
repository as opposed to having the data scattered all over the system. In addition, BASIS
Plus manages this data to preserve its integrity during updates. One can be sure that the
information retrieved from the database is always valid.
Making URLs Easier and More Powerful
When defining a hypertext link, one must know the address of the file to which one
wants the link to point. BASIS WEBserver eliminates this requirement by allowing to
specify an URL that contains a BASIS plus FIND command to retrieve the document.
One no longer have to be bothered with remembering the addesses of files or updating
the URLs when the files are moved. As information is loaded and updated into BASIS
Plus databases, these URLs sustain living links that will always return up&ate
information.
In addition, with a FIND command for an URL, the link can point to numerous
relevant documents. In fact, the link taps into the power of the BASIS plus engine to
retrieve all the pertinent documents on a subject. Thus, it is not necessary to know a
specific relevant file, let alone an address, to create hypertext links. Since these URLs
can be queries to BASIS WEB servers at other sites, the wealth of information becomes
more manageable and easier to access.
270
Transferring
When one accesses a document via a standard WEB server, it transfers an entire
copy of the document to the desktop computer. This canbe undesirable when the
document is very large. The BASIS WEBserver resolves this problem by transferring
only the document piece currently displayed.
BASIS Plus Access via WEB Browsers
For existing BASIS Plus sites, the BASIS WEB server provides the opportunity
to use any of the many available WEB browsers as the interface for their BASIS plus
databases. In other words, one can use a single, familiar interface for all the information
gathering on the INTERNET - including the information in BASIS Plus databases.
Because WEB Browsers support numerous platforms they may great tools for corporate
wide information services. As the WEB continues to grow in popularity, more and better
WEB browsers will be developed.
271
--
-,..-.
_. .--_._-
Annexure-
FlowChartsof AutomotionStepsRecmded
10
by he INFUBNET
Inter-Agency
WqrkingGroup
of an Informationat-dlibrary Netwod)
( Source:Reportof theInter-Agency
WorkingGroup Development
Start
New
Document
Information
Books, Serials, NBM
cl
Search local
Catalogue
( Interactive
)
bvnload
RC
a
cdEi%ue
i
Catalogue
document
using
standard
format
updot
local
Catalogue
QFOWld
SW
*0
QFCUnd
Skp
Utlrati&d
nqu**
Smp
0s*
OF CATALOGUE/DATAfMSE SEARCH
273
Y
c
0
1
APaputoboObainad.
OF COUECtlON
DNnoPMENT
DIRECTORY
OF
ACRONYMS
DIRECTORY
OF ACRONYMS
A&I
AALDI
AASSREC
ACS
ADNET
Ahmedabad Network
ADONIS
AGRIS
Agricultural
AGROVOC
AIOCD
APINESS
ARIC
Agricultural
ASTINFO
ATIRS
BANNET
BHEL
BIS
BONET
BRS
Bibliographical
BTIS
Bio-Technology
279
C-WEB
CAD/CAM
CALIBNET
CBT
cc
Current Contents
cc
Colon Classification
ccc
ccrI-T
CDC
CDL
CDMA
CDRI
CDROM
CDS
CENDIT
CFIRI
CGIN
CHIN
I CIL
ah6
CLRI
CMFRI
CMTIKMTRI
CNLS
CONPOLIS
CONS
CSIR
CTIC
CUG
DAE
DBT
DCA
DDC
DDN-NIC
DELNET
DESIDOC
DEVINSA
DEVSIS
DIALOG
DIC
281
DLA
DM
Database Manager
DNS
DOCFINDER
DOD
DOE
DOT
Department of Telecommunications
DPS
DRDO
DRTC
DSIR
DST
DTE
ECIL
ED1
EMS
ENVIS
ERNET
. ESA
FA0
282
FAX
Facsimile
FID
FQM
FRI
FSTA
GATT
GB
Gigabyte
GIIS
GILA
GPSS
GRIP
HMT
HYLIBNET
IAB
IAEA
IARI
IASLIC
IBM
ICAR
283
ICL
ICLISR
ICMR
ICRISAT
ICSSR
IDMA
IDU
Indoor Unit
IFIS
IFLA
IFRI
IGNCA
IGNOU
IIM
IIP
11s
IIT
ILA
INB
. INDONET
INET
284
INFLIBNET
INIS
INSAT
Indian Satellite
INSDOC
INSPEC
INTERNET
An International Network
INTIB
IOC
IODE
IP
Internet Protocol
IPAG
IRPTC
IRTC
ISA
ISDN
ISDS
ISIS
IS0
ISOC
Internet Society
ISONET
285
ISSN
IT
Information Technology
ITI
ITU
International Telecommunication
IV&V
JOCLAI
KAULIBNET
KBPS
L&IS
LAN
LIC
LNB
MAILNET
MAN
MARC
MB
Megabyte
MBPS
MCA
MECON
MEDLINE
MEDLARS
Online
286
Union
MHRD
MSDOS
MX
Mail Exchange
NADCLSI
NAL
NASDOC
NATIS
NBPGR
NC
National Centre
NCC
NCERT
NCL
NCSI
NCST
NEHU
NIC
NICFOS
NICHEM
NICLAI
NICMAP
287
-._
..----_-.-
.__I.d_-
-.___-
NICNET
NIC Network
NICTAS
. NIMHANS
NIO
NISDB
NISIET
NISSAT
NISTADS
NLB
NLFIC
NLM
NRSA
NSC
NSF
NSFNET
NSF Network
NSL
NTIS
NUCSI
OCLE
288
OCR
ODC
OLTP
OPAC
OPPI
OS1
PAD
PGI
POPIN
PPP
PRL
PSE
PSTN
PUNENET
Pune Network
RC
Regional Centre
RCC
RENNIC
RINSCA
RO-VSAT
RRRLF
289
SAARC
SAC
SAIL
SASMIRA
SC1
SD1
SENDOC
SGML
Standard General&d
SIC
SIRNET
SLIP
SMIC
SPIN
SSDC
SSMA
STD
STIS
TAC
TCP/IP
TDMA
Markup Language
290
TERI
TIB
TIFR
TIUG
TYMNET
UDC
UGC
UGC- IC
UGC/SIC
UL
University Library
UNBIS
UN Bibliographic
UNDP
UNEP
UNDO
UNIFY
UNIMARC
UNISIST
UUCP
VECC
VINITI
Information System
VSAT
VSL
VSNL
WAN
WHO
WILL
WIPO
Yes
292
ANNOTATED
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ON
THE INDIAN LIBRARY MOVEMENT
& MODERNIZATION
I.
The evolution of a National Policy, though has not led to a de-jure framework, has
however, given a de-facto set of guidelines. For a proper comprehension of the status,
the reader is referred to the following reports:
1.
of Libraries in
2.
3.
4.
5.
Planning Commission, Government of India, New Delhi, Report of the Working Group on Modemization of Library Services
and Informatics, July 1984 (Chairman: N. Seshagiri; Member
Secretary: Prof. P.B. Mangla)
6.
7.
S.R. Ranganathan and A. Neelameghan, Public Library System, published by Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library
Science, Bangalore, 1972.
8.
B.P. Barua, Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation - Objectives and Implementation, in Souvenir Published by Bengal
Library Association, IASLIC, Calcutta, 1988.
295
-~-
_ .IIvp-
_..---
9.
II.
PROCEEDINGS
ON OR DEALING
WITH
Only a few books have been published which touch upon modemizaion
Libraries in India. The more representative ones are the following:
10.
S.P. Agarwal, Development of Library Services in India, Concept Publ., New Delhi, 1989.
11.
12.
R. Subbaiah, Agricultural
Publ., New Delhi, 1988.
13.
14.
15.
Libraryship
296
in India, Metropolitan
of
16.
Three major conferences were held in India dealing with various issues concerning
modemization. Many of the papers in these proceedings deal with the specific problems
of modemization of libraries in India.
17.
18.
19.
S.S. Murthy, et.al. (eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on the theme, Bibliographic Databases and Networks,
held under the auspices of DESIDOC 8~.AGLIS, New Delhi,
Febr. 22-25,1989, and published by Tata McGraw Hill Publ. Co.
Ltd., New Delhi, 1990 (Papers by A. Lahiri, etal., pp. 1-41 to l.66, and V.M. Podshibyakin, pp. 2-41 to 2-50, are referred in the
main text.
20.
III.
22.
23.
WITH PAPERS ON
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
298
30.
31.
32.
M.V. Palaniyandy & I.K. Ravichandra Rao, Vol. 29, No. 4, pp.
183-189, Dec. 1992
33.
34.
A Jambhekar&N.
There are few newsletters and bulletins issued from Organizations and Associations which give a broad perspective of modemization, especially achievements, plans
and projects. Four of the more important ones are listed below:
IV.
35.
36.
37.
38.
Meta-Information
39.
40.
UGC, Development of an Information and Library Network Report of the Inter Agency Working Group, publshed by UGC,
New Delhi, Dec. 1988 (Chairman: Prof. Yash Pal). (This report
of the Inter Agency Committee of which the author was a member
is repeatedly referred and quoted in the main text).
41.
300