IFLA Universal Dataflow and Telecommunications Core Programme

Archive - Historical Material

1993 Annual Report

Introduction

Professional Activities

1. IFLA and Electronic Communications

   Since completing the 1989/90 study of library applications for research networks, the UDT Core Programme has continued to monitor and report on activities in this area, particularly those related to the emergence of net.working tools designed to provide access to Internet information resources.

   In April 1993, the UDT Core programme prepared a proposal for IFLA HQ entitled "Electronic Communications through the Internet" that described how IFLA could use the Internet to improve communications with its membership. The proposal outlined the options available to IFLA HQ to obtain an Internet connection and provided guidance on the use of Internet resources.

   In conjunction with the Koninklijke Bibliothek (KB), IFLA HQ has been working to implement the measures proposed. A local area network has been set up in IFLA HQ which provides HQ staff with access to Internet mail and other resources. Efforts are also underway to make IFLA publications available on an electronic document server being developed by the KB.

2. Packet Radio Technology

   In 1992/1993, the UDT Core Programme conducted a study on the nature and current developments in packet radio technology. The study examined how libraries could use this technology to provide library services in areas which lack the telecommunications infrastructure present in much of North America and Europe. The study also included a review of the availability of packet radio networks in developing countries. The final report for this study was recently published as the Report #5 in the UDT Series on Data Communication Technologies and Standards for Libraries entitled Packet Radio: Applications for Libraries in Developing Countries.

3. IFLA Trends Meeting - April 2-4, 1993

   Leigh Swain participated in the IFLA Trends meeting held April 2-4, 1994 in The Hague, Netherlands, along with the other Core Programme Directors and members of the IFLA Professional Board. The participants reviewed trends in librarianship in order to determine strategic future directions for IFLA professional activities.

4. Workshops/Conferences

   The UDT Core Programme coordinated the guest lectures entitled "IFLA and Electronic Communications" during the 1993 Annual IFLA Conference in Barcelona, Spain. The series included an introduction to the Internet and its services by Leigh Swain (UDT Programme Director), a discussion of the various options available to libraries for using the Internet by Ed Valauskas (Information Technology Consultant) and a discussion of the work underway to provide IFLA Headquarters with a connection to the Internet by Michel Wesseling (Kononklijke Bibliothek). The series of lectures was well attended by conference attendees and the three associated papers will be published in IFLA Journal.

5. IFLA Robert Vosper Fellowship Programme

   1992/1993
   Craig Fairley of Toronto Canada studied "Electronic Data Interchange: Its Impact on Library Operations". Work on Mr. Fairley's project is complete and the final report which will focus on the issues facing libraries as they implement EDI is in the final editing stages.

6. Section on Document Delivery and Interlending

   The UDT Core Programme has been asked to participate in a project initiated by the IFLA Section on Document Delivery and Interlending to improve interlibrary loan communications and document delivery in Africa. The UDT Core Programme will contribute to the networking aspects of the study which focus on the use of the Internet to support interlibrary loan communications and delivery of the documents. Other components of the project includes organizing and financing training courses for library personnel in the designated regions of Africa.Participants in the project include the IFLA Universal Availability of Publications (UAP) Core Programme, the Advancement for Librarianship in the Third World (ALP) Core Programme and interested libraries from Denmark and Germany.

7. Other Activities

   The UDT Programme participated in the Specialist Meeting of The Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development - Technical Information Panel (AGARD-TIP), held October 6-7, 1993 in Ottawa, Canada. The theme for meeting, which included participants from NATO member countries, is the use of international high-speed networks for scientific and technical information. As part of the introductory session, Gary Cleveland delivered an overview of the topic of research networks with emphasis on their international availability. The UDT Programme's 1991 Study entitled Research Networks and Libraries: Applications and Issues for a Global Information Network provided the basis for Mr. Cleveland's presentation.

8. Visitors

   Leo Voogt, (IFLA Secretary General) visited the offices of the UDT Core Programme on Monday, July 26, 1993. Discussions included a review of the Core Programme operations, UDT publications, the Programme's 1994 Work Plan and UDT participation in the 1994 IFLA Conference in Cuba.

Publications

1. UDT Series on Data Communication Technologies and Standards for Libraries

   A total of five reports in this series have been published and the UDT Office continues to receive orders for these publications from libraries and institutions worldwide. The following lists the number of copies of each report sold in 1993 and the total sales for each report.

   Research Networks and Libraries: Application and Issues for Global Information Environment (Report #1) - 30 copies (Total sales - 192 copies).

   Electronic Document Delivery: Converging Standards and Technologies (Report #2) - 88 copies (Total sales - 189 copies).

   OSI for Libraries: From Standards to Services (Report #3) - 40 copies (Total sales - 100 copies)

   Electronic Data Interchange: An Overview of EDI Standards for Libraries (Report #4) - 49 copies (Total).

   Packet Radio: Applications for Libraries in Developing Countries. (Report #5) - Pre-publications sales - 5 copies (Report published in February 1994)

2. Promotion

   Order forms for reports in the UDT Series on Data Communication Technologies and Standards for Libraries appear regularly in UDT Newsletter and IFLA Journal. As well, review copies are sent to international journals in the field of information technology. Favorable reviews have appeared in Library Hi Tech News, Journal of Information Networking, Information Standards Quarterly and Canadian Journal of Information Science.

3. UDT Newsletter/Bulletin de l'UDT/Boletin Informativo UDT

   Three issues of the UDT newsletter were published in 1993. The Spring 1993 issue (#21) was the first issue also published in Spanish (Boletin Informativo UDT). The Spanish edition has generated considerable interest in both Europe and Latin America. Approximately 200 individuals or institutions have asked to receive the Spanish edition and we continue to receive requests. As well, details of a proposal to translate and distribute the UDT Newsletter in Russian are being worked out with interested colleagues in Russia.

Overview and Evaluation