Double DutchPart II: AGI (Actuele Groningen Informatie)
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040471 |
| Pages | 33-35 |
| Date | 01 January 1992 |
| Published date | 01 January 1992 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Double Dutch
Part II: AGI (Actuele
Groningen Informatie)
One
of
several videotex-based community
informa-
tion systems
in
Holland,
AGI has been operating
successfully
for
the past three years and
is
grad-
ually expanding
its
services
to
the
public and
pri-
vate
sectors.
A
wide range
of
information
is
stored
and
is
available nationwide through the Dutch
na-
tional videotex
system.
Access
to
the online
li-
brary catalogue has been made available through
videotex terminals
in
branch libraries
and
there are
plans to
greatly extend the accessibility
of
the
cata-
logue.
Introduction
Just as the Almelo project (IPA) was dying
due to lack of funds a new initiative in the
northern province of Groningen
was
begin-
ning to stir into life. The financial backing
of AGI (the Dutch library world is at least
as riddled with acronyms as its UK counter-
part) appears rather more sound than was
that of IPA, however, and the project is
thriving at present.
A videotex-based system, AGI was officially
launched by the Dutch Prime Minister, Mr
Lubbers, on
30
January 1989 after two years
of behind-the-scenes development. Fund-
ing
was,
and still
is,
provided by the Prov-
ince of Groningen and the project is hosted
by the Provinciale Bibliotheek Centrale
(PBC),
the Library HQ, in the city of Gron-
ingen. It is a not-for-profit venture al-
though some income is generated from char-
ges levied against commercial organisations
wishing to use the system.
The AGI project was initially planned to
last for five
years.
Developments leading to
the system being offered via teletext may re-
sult in the project becoming commercially-
based ie a profit-making company at the
end of those five years.
Since its inception AGI has spawned a 'son
of AGI', in the southern region of
Fries-
land, known as FRITS (Friese Informatie
Tele-Systeem).
Similar systems exist in other regions of
Holland.
Library services in the Province
of Groningen
Situated in the north of the country, the
Province has 560,000 inhabitants; the popu-
lation density
is
low, at least by Dutch stand-
ards.
The PBC is responsible for the maintenance
of 50 public libraries throughout the prov-
ince.
40% of the population are registered
users of the library
service,
the highest pro-
portion in Holland. Around 4.5 million
items are issued per annum with the help of
an aging CLSI housekeeping system. All
branch libraries are linked into the system
which in turn
is
linked into a national net-
work of university and public libraries.
Many new services have been developed in
recent years against a background of deregu-
lation of libraries and it was within this
framework of expansion and new initiatives
that the AGI project came into being.
The AGI database
The subjects covered by the database range
from business information to leisure, from
politics to finances to social information.
Over 300 organisations undertake to supply
information to AGI.
VINE
86 (March 1992)
- 33
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