International and National Library and Information Services. A Review of Some Recent Developments 1970–80

276 Pages·1982·11.203 MB·English

by  George Chandler and G. Chandler (Auth.)

Recent Advances in Library and Information Services
Titles in this Series
Volume Ί. CARROLL, F. L. Recent Advances in School Librarbnship
Volume 2. CHANDLER, G. International and National Library and Information
Services
Other Titles of Interest
CANADIAN OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
O. B. Bishop
ECONOMICS OF EDUCATION, 3rd edition
Edited by M. Blaug
HOW TO FIND OUT ABOUT AUSTRALIAN BIBLIOGRAPHY
D. H. Borchardt
HOW TO FIND OUT, 5th edition
G. Chandler
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVING SOCIETY
Edited by R. L. Chartrand and J. W. Morentz, Jr.
OFFICIAL PUBLISHING: AN OVERVIEW
J. J. Cherns
AUSTRALIAN OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
H. F. Coxon
US FEDERAL OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
J. A. Downey and L. C. Schwarzkopf
STAFF MANAGEMENT IN UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE LIBRARIES
P. Durey
COMMUNICATION - THE ESSENCE OF SCIENCE
W. D. Garvey
DOCUMENTATION OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
C. Köhler and G. Westfall
AN INTRODUCTION TO JAPANESE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
T. Kuroki
IRISH OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
A. Maltby and B. McKenna
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
V. M. Palic
FRENCH OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
G Westfall
Journals of Interest
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS REVIEW
INFORMATION PROCESSING AND MANAGEMENT
LIBRARY ACQUISITIONS, PRACTICE AND THEORY
International and National
Library and Information Services
A Review of Some Recent Developments
1970-80
by
GEORGE CHANDLER
PERGAMON PRESS
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FEDERAL REPUBLIC Pergamon Press GmbH, 6242 Kronberg-Taunus,
OF GERMANY Hammerweg 6, Federal Republic of Germany
Copyright © 1982 George Chandler
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or trans-
mitted in any form or by any means: electronic,
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copying, recording or otherwise, without permission in
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First edition 1982
Library of Congress Cataloging In Publication Data
Chandler, George, 1915-
International and national library and information
services.
(Recent advances in library and information services;
v.2)
1. Libraries, National. 2. Libraries, International.
3. Information services. I. Title. II. Series.
Z675.N2C461981 027.5 81-13768
British Library Cataloguing In Publication Data
Chandler, George
International and national library and information
services.-(Recent advances in library and infor-
mation services, v.2)
1. Libraries, National
2. International librarianship
I. Title II. Series
020'.621 Z672
ISBN 0-08-025793-3
In order to make this volume available as economic-
ally and as rapidly as possible the author's typescript
has been reproduced in Its original form. This method
unfortunately has its typographical limitations but it is
hoped that they in no way distract the reader.
Printed in Great Britain by A Wheaton 8c Co. Ltd., Exeter
Introduction
This volume is the second in a new series — Recent Advances in
Library and Information Services — which will survey developments
in specific types of library and information services and
subject fields over a period of 5 to 15 years, according to the
nature of the topic. This volume will provide general back-
ground to other volumes which will be devoted to public, school,
and university libraries, and to schools of librarianship and
information science.
This survey is from the point of view of the role of national
libraries in national and international library and information
systems. It will be seen that this role varies from that of
comprehensive national libraries like those of the United
Kingdom, the USSR, and Australia to national libraries with very
limited responsibilities like the Deutsche Bibliothek. In the
case of national libraries, which do not perform the functions
of the more comprehensive national libraries, an account will
be given of some of the institutions which do.
Authors of the various volumes in this series have been selected
for their first-hand knowledge of the library and information
scene in at least three continents. They are, therefore, ex-
pected to give personal impressions and experiences as no author
can, individually, be expected to deal authoritatively with
worldwide developments. This approach inevitably leads to
personal conclusions and might give the impression of being
biased and egocentric, but this is a price that must be paid for
any attempt to give an up-to-date account of developments
throughout the world.
28 January 1981 GEORGE CHANDLER
vi i
List of Illustrations
Documents illustrating some developments in International and
National Library and Information Services, 1970-80
1970 Page
An Act to Provide for the Establishment of the Ceylon
National Library Services Board, 24 March 1970
(Fig. 34) 187
Powers of the Ceylon National Library Services Board
(Fig. 35) 188
Nigerian National Library Decree, 14 May 1970 (Fig. 28) 158
Powers of the Nigerian National Library Board (Fig. 29) 159
Signature of Public Law 91-345 establishing the National
Commission on Libraries and Information Science as a
permanent and independent agency appointed by the US
Government, with chronology of subsequent developments
leading to the White House Conference on Library and
Information Services (Fig. 13) 69
1971
UNISIST Intergovernmental Conference, October 1971. A
selection of the recommendations arising from con-
sideration of UNISIST-Study Report on the Feasibility
of a World Science Information System by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organ-
isation, and the International Council of Scientific
Unions, UNESCO, Paris 1970 (Fig. 2) 10
1972
British Library Act 1972, 27 July 1972 (Fig. 18) 98
x Library and Information Services: A Review
Centre for Library Science and Methodology, National
Library, Budapest, 1972 (Fig. 26) 136
1973
BNIST (Bureau national de l'information scientifique et
technique) established by Decree (Fig. 22) 116-17
Findings of the Australian Scientific and Technical In-
formation Services Inquiry Committee (STISEC)
(Fig. 36) 200
National Library Act 1960-73 setting out the functions
of the National Library of Australia (Fig. 37) 203
Bibliotheksplan 1973, Deutsche Bibliothekskonferenz,
Berlin (Fig. 23) 119
UNISIST Newsletter No. 1 (Fig. 1) 8
1974
International Federation of Library Associations.
(ISBD(M) International Standard Bibliographie Des-
cription for Monographie Publications , I FLA Committee
on Cataloguing, London, 1974 (Fig. 7) 28
1975
Meeting of Directors of National Libraries on Policy
Aspects of International Exchange of Bibliographic
Data in Machine Readable Form, Bibliothèque Nationale
Paris, 27 October 1975; list of national librarians
present or represented (Fig. 9) 46
1976
National Information Systems, Design and Planning of
National Information Systems (NATIS): A Paper for
Government Planners (Fig. 3) 16
Table of contents of the NATIS Paper for Government
Planners (Fig. 4) 17
The Gambia Library Board Act, 1976 (Fig. 27) 149
1977
Section of the Decree relating to the Bibliothèque
Nationale and setting out the membership of its new
Scientific Council (Fig. 20) 112
List of Illustrations xi
Administrative Direction making the Bibliothèque
Nationale responsible for the management of the
National Bibliographic Centre, the National Exchange
Centre, the National Lending Centre, the National
Centre for Rare Books and Manuscripts, and the
National Centre for Restoration and Binding (Fig. 21) 114
Development of Networks : the Services of AUSINET
(Fig. 38) 210
The Development of Networks: EURONET: guidelines for
cooperation between data base suppliers and host
organisations (Fig. 24) 126
The Development of Networks: EURONET: Network con-
ditions (Fig. 25) 127
BLAISE (British Library Automated Information Service)
(Fig. 19) 104
US Bill establishing a Center for Books at the Library
of Congress (Fig. 11) 62
International Federation of Library Associations and
Institutions, ISBD(S) International Standard Biblio-
graphic Description for Serials, IFLA International
Office for Universal Bibliographic Control, London,
1977 (Fig. 8) 29
International Congress on National Bibliographies
organised by UNESCO within the framework of the
General Information Programme in collaboration with
IFLA, UNESCO, Paris, 1977 (Fig. 5) 21
1979
International Access to MARC Records: a summary report
with text of a model bilateral exchange agreement
(Fig. 10) 47
National Library of Canada, Recommendations for Devel-
opment (Figs. 15-17) 80-2
A Brief Introduction to the China Society of Library
Science , founded 9 July 1979: extracts (Figs. 30-31) 171-2
Public Law 93-568 sets out the goal of the White House
Conference on Library and Information Services
(Fig. 12) 68
1980
Draft Bill arising from the White House Conference:
extract (Fig. 14) 71
xii Library and Information Services: A Review
Libraries in Japan, Japan Library Association, March
1980: title page and contents (Figs. 32-33) 177-8
UNESCO Planning Document: Programme under consideration
in 1980 for implementation in 1982 (Fig. 6) 22
Chapter 1
Intergovernmental Organisations
Owing to the development of modern communications, all the
countries of the world have become relatively near neighbours
and the exploration of space is proceeding purposively. Against
this background it is very difficult for any country to remain
isolated in its traditional way of life. Television, the radio,
the eradication of illiteracy, and the development of higher
education have generated an unprecedented demand for information.
Universal access to information has become a priority programme
for the peoples of the world. Currently, however, the flow of
information tends substantially to be between the educationally
élite or to be one way — from West to East or from the developed
countries to the underdeveloped.
The need to facilitate the worldwide flow of information in order
to offer universal access to information is becoming increasingly
important. Libraries and information services have an important
role to play in encouraging universal access to information.
They have so far understandably given priority, as we shall see
in later chapters, to Universal Bibliographical Control (UBC) and
Universal Availability of Publications (UAP). This is, however,
a start only. The next stage is the encouragement of Universal
Access to Information (UAI), a programme which this book hopes
to foster. The development of computer-based services in recent
years suggests that UAI is achievable.
A recent step towards UAI was the project on the International
Flow of Information sponsored in 1979 by the US International
Communication Agency, the Library of Congress, and the Graduate
School of Library Studies, University of Hawaii. This was fol-
lowed by a tour of libraries and information services in the USA
by a group of international information and library specialists,
of which I was privileged to be a member, by kind invitation of
3
4 Library and Information Services: A Review
the US Government and with the approval of the Australian Govern-
ment. During the tour participants were made well aware of the
consequences of the development of computer-based services in
making progress possible towards universal access to information,
but concern was expressed that this should not be one way. The
flow of information should be from East to West as well as from
West to East. It should be from the developing countries to the
developed- countries as well as from the developed countries to
the developing. This is in tune with the Third World's desire
for a New World Information Order, which I have referred to as
UAI. Certainly the lack of effective international communication
has been one reason for the current difficulties in the Middle
East, and it has long been a major barrier between Communist
countries with their aspirations to thought control and countries
which believe in freedom of access to information of all kinds.
Intergovernmental organisations have a key part to play in en-
couraging the free flow of information between the various
countries of the world. Their recent activities have been large
scale and world wide, involving the production of large numbers
of documents of many kinds, and the sponsorship of many conferen-
ces and visits of experts at the political and the professional
level. The sheer size of the information explosion, linguistic
barriers, and educational limitations are a few of the factors
which have prevented greater progress in the free flow of in-
formation. There have, however, been two developments which
illustrate the efforts of intergovernmental organisations to en-
courage · the flow of information: (1) the efforts of UNO to
improve its own documentation and information services; and (2)
its encouragement and support of UNESCO to foster the develop-
ment worldwide of information policies through UNISIST (World
Science Information System), NATIS (National Information
Systems), and GIP (General Information Programme). These
are steps towards the achievement of UAI.
UNO DOCUMENTATION AND INFORMATION SERVICES
UNO's difficulties in providing effective documentation and in-
formation services about its own activities arise from the very
wide scale of its library and information responsibilities.
UNO maintains a headquarters library in New York and a library
at Geneva. The principal purpose of these libraries is to assist
the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Trusteeship
Council of the United Nations to discharge their responsibilities.
UNO libraries need, however, to discharge a special function as
leaders in international librarianship by encouraging inter-