The Current State and Prospects of Online Systems in Russian Libraries

March, 1995

A new era in automation of Russian libraries that began in the 1990s has manifested itself inintensive introduction of personal computers and LANs into library practice. In the era of largemainframe computers of the IBM/360/370 type and their analogs, only major libraries couldautomate their technologies as they alone had enough money for these expensive and powerfulcomputers, while their vast collections and processing flows could ensure more or less effectiveoperation of the mainframes.

IBM/360/370-compatible mainframes were installed in several Russian libraries:

1. The Russian National Public Library for Science and Technology. It had over one mln.bibliographic and address-reference machine-readable records run on a two-computer mainframe complex, an IBM/370 - compatible computer, that was a joint product of several COMECON countries. The most part of the mainframe storage was occupied by the databasesof the Union Catalog of Sci-Tech Publications acquired by the FSU libraries.
2. The Russian Academy of Sciences Natural Sciences Library. It had two mainframes storingthousands of bibliographic records on domestic and foreign publications, over forty thousandreference records on library users, and several hundred thousand records on ILL requests.
3. The State Public Library for Science and Technology of the Russian Academy of SciencesSiberian Branch. It had large information amounts generated by major Russian STI centres, likethe All-Russian Institute of Sci-Tech Information (abstracts), All-Russian Sci-Tech InformationCentre (R&D reports and dissertations), and "Poisk" Research and Production Association(patents). This library had several mainframes belonging to the Multi-user Computer Centre ofthe Russian Academy of Sciences Siberian Branch and used mainly for information services,instead of library automation.

Mainframes were also used by several other libraries, such as the Central Scientific Library ofAgriculture, the All-Russian Technological Patent Library, and many university libraries whichrented them in the university computer centres.

While a few tasks of library automation and, to a greater extent, information tasks were solveddue to the application of mainframes, online technologies were very much under-developed.There existed a V21 (300 baud) switched access by means of a teleprocessing processor, butdata exchange and access to foreign databases were provided sporadically and to a differentdegree of success via VNIIPAS (The Union Scientific and Research Institute for the Problems ofAutomated Systems) that worked as a mediator (and, unfortunately, as a "bottle-neck" for thetasks of external teleaccess).

The situation has changed drastically over the last three years. Many IBM PC-compatiblecomputers have been imported, and a competition with them has turned senseless for home-made PCs - EC-1840 series computers, ISKRA, NEURON, and the like. Russian libraries areequipped now with IBM PC/AT-286,386,486 and even Pentium computers with Gb hard disks,SCSI-adapters, and other modern characteristics, PC-based LANs, CD-ROM databases,scanners, desk-top publishing systems, and many other applications of modern informationtechnologies.

PC-based LANs have been introduced by virtually all Russian libraries. They have become abasis for development and maintenance of local automated systems. Many libraries haveinitiated a gradual development of their systems using CDS/ISIS/M, Clipper, Paradox, and otherpackages, C, C+, C++, and Pascal languages. But major libraries are also actively developingtheir own integrated systems and supply them to libraries that do not have such an opportunity.Foreign products for library automation have not become popular in Russian libraries because ofa permanent money problem for their purchase (the only exception in this respect is a French"LIBER" system, thanks to its cheapness). In telecommunication, our success is very modest, butevery single day brings some progress. The results are especially encouraging in data exchangevia e-mail. RELCOM network as the Russian node of the global INTERNET has linked manylibraries and provided an opportunity for exchanging information and messages, generatingtechnologies for ILL services and multi-user databanks, and offering remote access in thepending-request mode.

We shall try to bring our information in line with the types of libraries, though it is not easy, insome cases, to define the type according to the accepted library classification: comprehensive,special, public, university, etc. Very often we shall deviate from this model with regard to theRussian national features (Table 1).

Table 1

Below we shall examine the state-of-the-art online access inthe major libraries of every type. Note, that the primary technology that is used today for onlineaccess to the resources of Russian libraries is the LIBNET network, the project of which andapplication results are described in this bulletin. Therefore, we shall refer to LIBNET, whennecessary, instead of brouching the respective online modes.

1. The System of Sci-Tech Libraries

In general, the System of Sci-Tech Libraries comprises 7,000 libraries with the collectionscarrying 20 million items.

The second, branch, layer of the System comprises 17 central Sci-Tech libraries of the Ministriesand Departments. These libraries are, in turn, considered as central for the correspondingdepartmental library systems operating in branch institutions and enterprises (the third layer). Allcentral Sci-Tech libraries and 10 percent of the third-layer libraries have passed the initial stageof automation and are equipped with IBM PC-type computers. Some libraries still utilizemainframe computers of institutions by the right of a share-user.

The most automated library in the country today is the Russian National Public Library forScience and Technology. It has the most developed telecommunication technology, compared toother Russian libraries. The Library's online and telecommunication system is shown in Fig.1.The Library's telecommunication access is based on a special access server allowing for sixteenconcurrent sessions. NetWare Connect 1.0 and NetWare Access server 1.3 are the principalsoftware packages. Presently, telecommunication is provided to over 25 databases, the Library'selectronic catalog, electronic publications, and address-reference products via four switchedtelephone lines of the public system telephone network (PSTN) and eight logical channels bymeans of a packet-switched X.25 network. The address of the telecommunication system is asfollows: 2506100240. Besides, INTERNET provides access in the pending-request mode. Itsaddress is: POISK@gpntb.msk.su.

Online access via INETRNET will be put into operation within the coming two or three months.The Library offers concurrent access to the INTERNET resources from four user workstations.CD-ROM Networking is a new trend in the Library's activities. A special network based on theCD-ROM-server has already been developed and launched in the Library. It allows for multi-access to the Library's CD-ROM databases of about 100 concurrent users.

Figure 1.

2. Information Library Network of the Russian Academy of Sciences

1. The Russian State Public Library for Science and Technology of the Russian Academy ofSciences Siberian Branch.
2. The Academy of Sciences Library (St. Petersburg).

The first one unites 67 libraries, the second one - 41 library.

The branch centres are:

• The Russian Academy of Sciences Natural Sciences Library.
• The Institute of Information on Social Sciences (the system of humanitarian and socialorientation).

The first one unites 246 libraries and the second one - 22 libraries.

Library holdings of the system total 55 mln. items. Automation in these libraries began in the late1970s and the Natural Sciences Library network has become the major one. Its "NAUKA"(Science) automated system provides automated information-library technologies for the centrallibrary and libraries of the Academy of Sciences research institutes.

In May 1994 the Library joined the LIBNET project and started to offer telecommunication accessto a part of its collections run on eight personal computers linked into LAN. Teleaccess isprovided via one switched PSTN line as yet. The system is developing within the LIBNET projectthat envisages the utilization of "ISKRA-2" specialized departmental fault-tolerant telephonenetwork and fiber-optic INTERNET channels. A transition to fiber-optic channels this year isenvisaged by the LIBNET development. Telecommunication access to the Library's resources isshown in Fig.2. This layout is taken as model by many Russian libraries.

3. The Russian Ministry of Culture Library System

The Russian State Library is the major library of this system and the country as a whole. Despitethe automated system and a big park of computers (three HP-3000/48 minicomputers and someeighty IBM PCs), the Library does not have online access and has not joined the LIBNET projectthanks to the absence of LAN. Note, that the basic idea of the LIBNET project is to form a unifiedglobal NOVELL network by uniting local NOVELL networks of the participating libraries. Directonline connection to INTERNET resources and participation in the LIBNET project areconsidered as the Library's prospects.

Figure 2

4. Russian University Library System

The Moscow University Scientific Library is the leading library of the network. It has sixtypersonal computers linked into LAN and a well-developed telecommunication network: PSTN -eight concurrent- access channels, X.25 PDSN and direct connection to INTERNET. Virtually, itis the only library in Russia with an IP address for online user's access to INTERNET. Moreover,the Library is a member of LIBNET and, together with the Russian National Public Library forScience and Technology, utilizes INTERNET e-mail for the work in the pending-request mode.

5. Branch Systems

The Central Scientific Library of Agriculture is the leading library of the network with itsdepartments in St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. The Library has twenty IBM PC-compatiblecomputers linked into NOVELL LAN, but online access is unavailable as yet. The Library is beingconnected to LIBNET and, in a month, will have telecommunication system corresponding to thatin Fig.2. All telecommunication prospects are connected with the application of the LIBNETnetwork.

6. Other Types

The President Administration Library is the only one to actively introduce automation. TheParliamentary Library has more than twenty IBM PC/386/486 computers but is just beginning itsautomation under CDS/ISIS/M and TINLIB (UK). Its online access systems are underdevelopment and will utilize both INTERNET and LIBNET resources.

Other libraries, not pertaining to any of the above systems, have no telecommunication, butmany of them are users of the Russian National Public Library for Science and Technology andsome other libraries of the country.

Conclusions

1. Development of online access in Russian libraries is at the initial stage, though severallibraries have made a breakthrough.
2. LIBNET gave a great impetus to the development of telecommunication systems in Russianlibraries. At stage 1 it united six Moscow libraries and is planning to add some ten-fifteen more(with several hundred users) by the end of this year.
3. INTERNET is being implemented intensively. Most of the major and medium Russian librarieshave e-mail, and several libraries are working in the pending-request mode via e-mail. Some ofthem have started the application of online INTERNET facilities and fiber-optic channels.
4. Several libraries are developing other telecommunication access systems, for instance, viaX.25 PDSN.In addition, the leading libraries in automation and telecommunication aredeveloping new projects. As an example, we may take BIBNET initiated by the Russian NationalPublic Library for Science and Technology and the Moscow University Scientific Library. BIBNET(Fig.3) is a project for communication via X.25 dedicated channels and TCP/IP in the single-vendor UNIX environment.

Figure 3

Reference

Shraiberg, Yakov. Automated Systems of Russian Libraries and their Online and CD-ROMService. Proceedings of the International Seminar on Information Technologies and InformationServices. Shanghai, China, October 20-24, 1994, 181-186.