|
|
|
| Papers
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 |
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE CENTRAL AGRICULTIIRAL LIBRARY IN POLAND
IN THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE 5th AND THE 6th U.S. / CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN
AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY ROUND TABLE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS.
Krysztyna KOCZNOROWSKA Central Agricultural Library Krakowskie Frzedmiescio 66 00-950 Warsaw POLAND Phone: 48-02-8269027 FAX: 48-02-8260157 e-mail : cebibrolatos@warman.com.pl Abstract Presentation of major achievements of the Central Agricultural Library including: completion of works on the new National Information System for the Agriculture and Food Economy Researches programming (NISAEFR); publishing of Food Technology and Food Industry Thesaurus and participation in International Agricultural and Industry Fair "POLAGRA" in Poznan. Issues concerning usage of the Internet in library works and the Central Agricultural Library cooperation with the libraries of the Round Table are also discussed. Among our future prospects are: purchasing of the integrated library system and continuation of the building redecoration. Believing that you still have in mind your visit in Poland at the 3rd Round Table Meeting in 1993, I would like to show some slides presenting our library in order to refresh your memory. [slide No. 1] The facade of our building situated, as may remember, near the Royal Castle and the Old Town. [slide No. 2] The main hall with the stuccoed pillars. [slide No. 3] the reading room full of, not only magazines and books, but also flowers as it should be in any agricultural library. That is what it used to be like because since 1995 we have been thoroughly redecorating the building. We started with central heating and water supply and sewage systems replacement. In 1996 we repaired the roof and began other technical installation replacements. We hope to have new telephone lines and electricity systems replaced as well as a security alarm system, fire system and computer network installed in the whole building by the end of April,1997. Then we are only left with woodwork replacement, toilets modernization and painting of internal and external parts of the building. We plan to complete all the works by 1999, and if everything goes well we will begin the year 2000 in our antique but modernized building. We do our best to avoid the situation when the repair works could affect normal library functioning. 1996, was the important year in the history of the Central Agricultural Library for two reasons. In January, we celebrated our 40th anniversary. In December, our former director, Jerzy Rasinski, who had been successfully managing our institution for the past 20 years, retired. These were the landmarks of 1996, as far as our achievements are concerned we managed to complete works on National Information System for the Agriculture and Food Economy Researches programming (NISAEFR) along with its prototypical version testing. Subject areas presented in NISAEFR include: agriculture, food industry and environmental protection in the aspect of agriculture and natural environment mutual interaction. Considering the possibility of having future access to NISAEFR database via the Internet, parts of the information, including a title of research program together with a name of an institution where it is conducted and an abstract, will be given in two language versions of searching characteristics: Polish and English. The database of NISAEFR is to function in several ways, among others to help in the coordination of sciences which is extremely important for the central administration as its main user. The library itself will be much more interested in the possibility of giving complete information about research workers, their institutions projects, results and where the effects of their research are being already applied. Another achievement of ours, was the completion of editorial works and publication of Food Technology and Food Industry Thesaurus, for the first time in Poland. The works on this dictionary, which is 1891 pages long, took us several years. It contains 18643 entries including descriptors and non-descriptors. Apart from food technology and food industry terminology, the dictionary holds a considerable number of entries concerning biotechnology, biochemistry, microbiology, enzymology, quality assessment and general issues (e.g. economic rates). The Thesaurus consists of systematic and alphabetical parts as well as a list of identifiers which includes genuine names of enzymatic specimen or laboratory devices. It can also be used as a terminological dictionary in the field it was originally designed for. The Polish market lacks in terminological dictionary and an up-to-date encyclopedia of food industry. We are truly satisfied with the large interest in our Thesaurus on the side of public. In 1996, the Central Agricultural Library, for the second time, took part in the International Agriculture and Food Industry Fair "POLAGRA" held annually in fall in Poznan. This Fair is one of the most important agricultural events in Europe. It deals with nearly every issue connected with agriculture and food industry, from various means of agricultural production to its final products. While participating in the Fair for the first time in 1995, we were not sure whether the Fair visitors would notice our stall. We had been anxious if our offer comprising of database, leaflets and publications would have kept up with competition: catchy wrappings, natural beauty of flowers, shapely looking fruit and vegetables which are more attractive per se. On the other hand we were convinced that the Fair was the perfect opportunity to introduce ourselves to a number of potential users of our library which they had not been familiar with before. To our delight, it turned out that our stall was one of the most popular among other Polish scientific institutes present at the Fair, both in I995, and 1996. We were the source of information for a wide range of the Fair participants starting with: agricultural schools pupil, students, scientists and ending with agricultural producers, food manufacturers and food tradesmen. To our satisfaction, due to our National information System for the Agricultural Sciences and Food Economy Database we were able to give information required by nearly everyone who asked for it. A direct contact and the opportunity to talk to the people interested in the subject proved that we were good at what we did and that our- efforts paid off. Last year we also took part in "POLAGRA". Let me show you two slides. [slide No. 4] shows what our stall during the Fair was like. [slide No. 5] proves how popular it was among the Fair participants. Now, sharing this Fair experience with you, we are certain that this is the best way of the library promotion and gaining new library users During last Fair we were often asked about the possibility of contacting us via the Internet. The Central Agricultural Library joined the Internet at the end of 1994, through the switching line. We plan to replace the switching line with the dedicated line in order to have our databases available in the Internet 24 hours per day, as well as our catalogues in future. As far as the Internet is concerned, we started using it with e-mail via which we receive part of orders for xerox-copies of source materials, and send scientifically described records to AGRIS -FAO database. Since more and more institutions cooperating with our library in creating National Information System for the Agricultural Sciences and Food Economy database have access to the Internet, soon a diskette will be replaced by e-mail in our mutual contacts. We use the Internet to search our home and foreign libraries' catalogues. Apart from that, we also subscribe 6. discussion lists which we use as a source of information for our modern Agriculture magazine and in critical works which are regularly prepared for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Economy. The Polish list of AIBIBL helps us to improve our library services and the AGRIS lists aid in works on input sheets for AGRIS. In 1997, we plan to design and publish our page in the World Wide Web. Now, I would like to say a few words about the Central Agricultural Library cooperation with other agricultural libraries participating in the Round Table Sessions. Our input in this cooperation is limited to sending the xerox-copies of items from our library, as well as our monthly magazine Modern Agriculture. Science. Advisory. Practice. The library in Minsk, Belorussia, is the one which sends us the most orders for material xerox-copies. Last year we sent there 232 xerox-copies. Since 1996, we have been receiving all the orders from Minsk via e-mail. Apart from it, we have executed orders for xerox-copies from Lithuania and Beltsville. We also conduct a traditional library materials exchange with some of the Round Table participants. Slide No. 6 presents the quantity of library material exchange among the Central Agricultural Library and the libraries of the Round Table, between 1995-1996. I would like to add that in 1995, Belarus Agricultural Library helped us to complement the missing copies of the Russian magazines that we subscribe. Among problems we are facing now are, first of all completion of the building redecoration and its financial difficulties. The situation of institutions financed by the state is the same all over the world. Another problem we have to cope with is purchase of the integrated library system. Very soon we will meet the fundamental requirement, which is the fact that we will have the logic network installed in our building. Besides, since 1994, all the books in the library have been classified by informational searching languages, such as Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number and AGROVOC descriptors, and introduced to a computer via micro-ISIS. Having all this done we will be able to purchase the system and make OPAC available in the network. We have not selected any automated library system, yet. There are 2 options, we either purchase one of the foreign systems which has proven useful in many libraries all over the world, or we will choose one of the Polish systems, on the condition that in future data conversion will be possible. Each of these options has its own advantages, but the financial factor will be the decisive one. We will buy what we will be able to afford. Approaching the end of my speech, I would like to say a few words about our contacts with the Special Care School in Warsaw, the main aim of which is to prepare disabled children for life. Since 1992, we have been organizing trips to our library for them. We take them round the library, show the reading room [slide No. 7] where they look through our albums with great interest. Then, we treat the children with some sweets, drinks and we also play with them. We have organized a few exhibitions of children's drawing concerning their visit to our library. [slide No. 8] Here we can see a group of children with their drawings From their teachers we know that children enjoy a lot the visits to the library. For us it is the opportunity to learn how to consciously accept mentally challenged people without needless pity. |
| Figures showing the quantity of library material exchange among the
Central
Agricultural Library and the libraries of the Round Table between 1995 - 1996: |
| The library's name and country of origin | 1995 | 1996 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| copies sent | copies received | copies sent | copies received | |
| Belarus Agricultural Library,
Belorussia |
||||
| Central Agricultural and Forestry Library, Institute of Agricultural
and Food Information,
Czech Republic |
||||
| National Agricultural Library and Documentation Center,
Hungary |
||||
| Fundamental Library Latvian University of Agriculture,
Latvia |
||||
| Library of the University of Agricultural Library,
Romania |
||||
| Central Scientific Agricultural Library,
Russia |
||||
| Institute of Scientific and Technical Information for Agriculture,
Slovakia |
||||
| Central Biotechnical Library, University of Ljubliana,
Slovenia |
||||
| Republic Scientific Agricultural Library,
Ukraine |
||||
| National Agricultural Library,
USA |