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Pamela André Michal Demeš Tomaz Bartol Aino Kuik Marcela Chrenekova Ilona Dobelniece Ivanka Demireva Ivo Hoch Ctibor Perlin Krystyna Kocznorowska Participants Time schedule Photo documentation < Back |
DEVELOPMENT OF THE FUNDAMENTAL LIBRARY OF THE LATVIAN UNIVERSITY
OF AGRICULTURE SINCE THE FIFTH U.S. / CENRTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN AGRICULTURAL
LIBRARY ROUNDTABLE
Ilona DOBELNIECE Director, Fundamental Library Latvian University of Agriculture 2 Liela St., Jelgava LV 3001 LATVIA Phone: 00371-30-25925 FAX: 00371-30-27238 e-mail : llufb@inka.cs.llu.lv ABSTRACT: The article deals with the activity and the main problems of the Fundamental Library of the Latvian University of Agriculture since the last U.S./Central and Eastern European Agricultural Library Roundtable in 1995. The time since the fifth Roundtable in Prague has passed quickly. I can say that thanks to the enthusiasm of our library staff the progress in the development of the Library is evident. Thanks to the financing obtained as a result of working out different projects, a new server, copying equipment, four computers have been purchased in our Library. The NOVELL network has been installed in our Library, we are developing an integrated library system ALISE, but the Library catalogue is not yet accessible on-line. The literature supply has been improved, too. Thanks to the cooperation with Lange & Springer we can order also the most necessary foreign monographs and subscribe to the main foreign journals of the branch. There is a possibility in our Library to use LATNET/INTERNET services. We use E-mail since 1994, but from the beginning of 1996 our Library has a possibility to use other INTRNET tools - WWW, FTP, GOPHER, TELNET. The activities in this field can be divided into two parts: 1) the use of INTERNET to ease librarians work and 2) providing INTERNET services for readers. Our Library uses INTERNET to work directly with information databases of publishing houses, to order foreign books from world publishing houses and in the correspondence with the publishing houses. E-mail is used for the exchange of information and data sending to other libraries, for example, in 1996 one thousand forty four bibliographic entries were sent to the Latvian Academic Library. Our Library is a National center of AGRIS system of the FAO. The prepared data on the Latvian agricultural publications are sent to the center in Vienna electronically using FTP. Librarians use E-mail widely in the Interlibrary Loan. We send E-mail requests to AGLINET libraries in the following countries: the USA, Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Great Britain, Canada. The library users have a possibility to search information using the LATNET/INTERNET network. Our readers use this possibility to be connected with universities and other educational institutions, information centers and libraries to search information not available on CD-ROM. Librarians render help in the information search to find the best way in order to obtain information more quickly and more exactly. This year we are planning to install ARIEL document transmission system. There is the necessary technical equipment in the Library for ARIEL to work successfully. The project for the development of document delivery has been worked out in our Library and financing has been received to purchase ARIEL, but problems can arise because electronic document delivery systems such as ARIEL require high level of INTERNET connections, but the quality of telecommunications is poor and we have only 19.2 Kbps leased line from Riga to Jelgava. Although we can receive electronic copies of articles by E-mail from Riga already now, still it is possible that, for example, from the National Agricultural Library of the USA it will be impossible. Due to the poor quality of telecomrnunications still a great problem is also the formation of the network of agricultural libraries in Latvia. To have an access to agricultural information users must go to our Library. Only ILL service is available to everybody, a possibility to use E-mail is only in some places Speaking about the cooperation of our Library with other Roundtable participant libraries, it needs to be strengthened. Cooperation between libraries all over the world is particularly important at this time when limited financial resources are available and the volume of scientific information is growing dramatically. Document delivery and the interlibrary loan are taking place best of all. Unfortunately, there is no possibility to extend publications exchange because very little literature is still being published in Latvia which foreign libraries could be interested in. The number of publications in foreign languages is very insignificant. For the present researchers do not consider our recommendations to write more in foreign languages. Our Library maintains publications exchange with only thirty one library abroad including four "Roundtable family" libraries. One of the main problems siill is the lack of possibilities for the development of the staff. Due to the lack of finances for such purpose there is no possibility for the library staff to get acquainted with the experience of foreign libraries. Only some staff members have attended short courses abroad, and some have taken part in the courses organized by foreign colleagues in Latvia, but there is a necessity for additional training. Librarians do not have enough professional skills to work with new information technologies. The SOROS foundation organizes different courses, but there are many librarians in Latvia who need qualificatinn raising, especially in the usage of new information technologies and mastering skills of INTERNET use. Therefore, not everybody has a possibility to take part in the courses. Participation in the courses is very important, but it would be still better if library staff members had a possibility to work dailv with colleagues in another library, to observe the readers service and other librarv processes. Nothing is more valuable than direct contacts with colleagues. The creation of such possibilities could be a great stimulus for the raising of staff member motivation because really enthusiasts work in our libraries, their salaries are very low. Librarians all over the world are facing similar problems in trying to meet the needs of their users. Working together will help us to solve the economic, technical and organizational problems. |
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