Library networking
| Pages | 335-337 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045488 |
| Date | 01 April 1996 |
| Published date | 01 April 1996 |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Interview
Library networking
How do libraries network nowadays? What systems are used? What role do the
Internet and World Wide Web play in all this? Giving their answers from the per-
spectives of their own libraries this issue are Birgit Böhme and Paul S. Ulrich
(information Services, Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin/Berlin Central & Re-
gional Library, Germany, http://www.kultwbox.de/berIin/zlb/index-e.htni) (see
note on next page); Alexander Plemnek (Executive Director, Open Library Sys-
tems Centre, Fundamental Library of St Petersburg State Technical University,
Russia, http://www.unilib.neva.ru/); and Jennifer Treherne (Systems Librarian,
University of Surrey, UK,
http://www.surrey.ac.uk/Library/library.html).
What system(s) do you use to
interconnect
with
other libraries?
BB:
In the past we have been
rather limited in our connectivity to
other libraries. Since the end of the
1970s the America Memorial Library
has participated in the Serials Data-
base here in Germany. After the reuni-
fication the Berlin City Library also
participated in this Database and in the
Berlin-Brandenburg Verbund Katalog
(Berlin Brandenburg Union Cata-
logue).
AP:
We use
e-mail
(UUCP and
SMTP).
JT:
We use the Talis (BLCMP)
automated library system through Tal-
is Web to other sites; we also use our
CWIS and telnet sessions for online
searching, for example BIDS.
What
role does networking play in
your library's function?
BB:
Networking is becoming
more and more important for us. Al-
though we currently can only offer a
modem access to our OPAC, we see
the importance of providing this serv-
ice via the Web and hope that before
too long this will be possible.
Equally important will be provid-
ing other services for other libraries
and for our readers via networking, in
particular clearinghouse functions and
making specialised holdings and in-
formation accessible to a larger com-
munity than that which visits the li-
brary in person. In regard to the
immediate vicinity of the library, we
are beginning to examine ways in
which we can extend the experience
we have in the Central and Regional
Library to the other public libraries in
Berlin.
JT:
It gives essential support for
research and study, and for accessing
specialised in-house database collec-
tions such as the National Research
Centre for Dance (NRCD) and shared
resources, like the Articles in Hospi-
tality and Tourism (AHT)database.
Also networking of CDROMs,
e-mail,
EDI.
Networking
is
crucial to support for
learning and teaching within the cam-
pus,
and in a wider context to aid dis-
tance learning. We aim to make re-
sources available from the PC desktop
and this offers access to Bibliographic,
Reference and Abstracting services.
Staff use networks for interlibrary
loans,
and since implementing Talis
we have used online EDI ordering to
major suppliers. We now have the fa-
cility of automated acquisitions re-
ceipting and fund recording.
How is the Internet being used to
interconnect
with
other libraries?
AP:
It gives us access to the VIN-
ITI (All Russian Institute of Scientific
& Technical Information) database via
HTML, and lets us order full-text re-
ports inside Russia. It also gives access
to free library sites abroad
(CARLcorp., SPIEweb, etc.).
JT:
As above, through the In-
ternet using a Web browser such as
Netscape, through our own CWIS
pages and through Talis.
Does your library use the resources
of the World Wide
Web
and the
Internet?
BB:
We are still very much in the
beginning phases of implementing our
activities to include the Web. For the
past year and a half we have been per-
forming research requests for patrons
using various services available over
the Internet. In particular we have
made extensive use of FirstSearch,
mailing lists (in particular Stumpers)
and the various search machines avail-
able on the Internet. For internal use
we utilise
e-mail
and mailing lists as
well as external databases.
At the moment only isolated indi-
viduals are using the Web for their
work. We hope that by offering our
staff training on the use and applica-
tion of the Web for their work they will
begin to include the Web in their daily
work.
The Electronic Library, Vol. 14, No. 4, August 1996 335
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