Universal information service and increasing tasks of libraries
Identifieur interne : 000A46 ( Istex/Corpus ); précédent : 000A45; suivant : 000A47Universal information service and increasing tasks of libraries
Auteurs : Edvins KarnitisSource :
- New Library World [ 0307-4803 ] ; 1999-04-01.
Abstract
The evolution of information processing and deep integration of social structures and information systems are raising the significance of information and knowledge to a new higher level. The availability of information for everyone is the essence of the universal information service and the basic objective for the national information policy. An analysis of the market for information services shows that libraries remain the major information brokers and a significant guarantee for general availability of information. Tasks and usage of libraries are increasing, therefore the strategy of their development should be elaborated on a state scale. The Concept of Provision of Scientific and Technical Information for Latvia is based on integrated usage of printed and electronic information sources and services, wide application of virtual library strategy and the development of electronic information technologies.
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DOI: 10.1108/03074809910263800
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Do Not Edit! --><article dtd-version="1.0" xml:lang="en" article-type="research-article"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">nlw</journal-id><journal-id journal-id-type="doi">10.1108/nlw</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title>New Library World</journal-title></journal-title-group><issn pub-type="ppub">0307-4803</issn><publisher><publisher-name>MCB UP Ltd</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1108/03074809910263800</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="original-pdf">0721000203.pdf</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="filename">0721000203</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="type-of-publication"><compound-subject><compound-subject-part content-type="code">research-article</compound-subject-part><compound-subject-part content-type="label">Research paper</compound-subject-part></compound-subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="subject"><compound-subject><compound-subject-part content-type="code">cat-LISC</compound-subject-part><compound-subject-part content-type="label">Library & information science</compound-subject-part></compound-subject><subj-group><compound-subject><compound-subject-part content-type="code">cat-LLM</compound-subject-part><compound-subject-part content-type="label">Librarianship/library management</compound-subject-part></compound-subject></subj-group><subj-group><compound-subject><compound-subject-part content-type="code">cat-LISE</compound-subject-part><compound-subject-part content-type="label">Library & information services</compound-subject-part></compound-subject></subj-group></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>Universal information service and increasing tasks of libraries</article-title></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><string-name><given-names>Edvins</given-names> <surname>Karnitis</surname></string-name><aff>Edvins Karnitis is Director of the Latvian Academic Library and Deputy Chairman of the Co‐ordination Board for the National Program Informatics, Riga, Latvia</aff></contrib></contrib-group><pub-date pub-type="ppub"><day>01</day><month>04</month><year>1999</year></pub-date><volume>100</volume><issue>2</issue><fpage>65</fpage><lpage>71</lpage><permissions><copyright-statement>© MCB UP Limited</copyright-statement><copyright-year>1999</copyright-year><license license-type="publisher"><license-p></license-p></license></permissions><self-uri content-type="pdf" xlink:href="03074809910263800.pdf"></self-uri><abstract><p>The evolution of information processing and deep integration of social structures and information systems are raising the significance of information and knowledge to a new higher level. The availability of information for everyone is the essence of the universal information service and the basic objective for the national information policy. An analysis of the market for information services shows that libraries remain the major information brokers and a significant guarantee for general availability of information. Tasks and usage of libraries are increasing, therefore the strategy of their development should be elaborated on a state scale. The Concept of Provision of Scientific and Technical Information for Latvia is based on integrated usage of printed and electronic information sources and services, wide application of virtual library strategy and the development of electronic information technologies.</p></abstract><kwd-group><kwd>Electronic publishing</kwd><x>, </x><kwd>Information services</kwd><x>, </x><kwd>Information superhighway</kwd><x>, </x><kwd>Latvia</kwd><x>, </x><kwd>Policy</kwd></kwd-group><custom-meta-group><custom-meta><meta-name>peer-reviewed</meta-name><meta-value>no</meta-value></custom-meta><custom-meta><meta-name>academic-content</meta-name><meta-value>yes</meta-value></custom-meta><custom-meta><meta-name>rightslink</meta-name><meta-value>included</meta-value></custom-meta></custom-meta-group></article-meta></front><body><sec><title>Development of the universal information service</title><p>The collection and interpretation of data, accumulation of experience and knowledge and transmission and exchange of information have been some of the main activities of mankind during millennia. Human information processing activities have been integrated with tools for external information storage and transmission ‐ symbols, languages, pictures, writing and printing. Social information processing is improving in line with the development of society.</p><p>Several decades ago the development of computer and communications technologies created conditions for technical information processing. The main advantage of technical processing was much more powerful action in terms of speed and amount of processed data.</p><p>During the last few years we can see that there has been a symbiosis of social and technical information processing and formation of complex socio‐technical information processing systems. They combine human intelligence and complex approaches to problems and high‐capacity technical data processing for defined routine activities.</p><p>The evolution of information processing continues. Quality of processing and the amount of processed data increase in line with the development of technologies. The size and scale of tasks and subjects covered by information processing systems are expanding continuously; in addition to economic and government applications they spill out into the social sphere. Information processing started on a local and regional scale, whereas nowadays national and global systems are created.</p><p>The real influence of socio‐technical information processing on processes in society already exists. Information acquires a special importance. It becomes a strategic national resource and a basis for national economy. Wide diffusion of information in all spheres of economic and social life, integration of human and technical information processing, deep penetration of technical systems into social structures raise the significance of the traditional sequence, data ‐ information ‐ knowledge, to a new higher level and will lead towards transformation of humanity into a new society on a higher level, the information society.</p><p>A precise world‐wide co‐ordinated definition of the term information society is not settled yet. Usually this term is defined as containing several main characteristics that throw light on the decisive importance of information providers, including libraries: <list list-type="bullet"><list-item><label>• </label><p>the production and collection of huge amounts of various information and its availability for everyone;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>the wide and intensive usage of information, the inclination of high skilled societies towards knowledge and know‐how;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>highly developed information and communication technologies, use of which is available to everyone;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>changing priorities and accents for national economies: instead of raw materials and energy they are based on knowledge, utilising scientific techniques.</p></list-item></list></p><p>Information processing should operate for human prosperity, and should provide achievement of the maximum benefit for everyone and avoid creating information‐rich and information‐poor in society. Although information processing systems are capable of self‐organization in a large measure, thanks to a certain level of artificial intelligence, to ensure maximum benefit for everyone their evolution should be controlled and inter‐ co‐ordinated on various levels (political, regulatory, economic, technological, etc.). To create the necessary control gear on a state scale, Latvia, like many other countries, has started to develop its national information policy.</p><p>The European Union has declared the creation of the information society as a political priority. According to the Europe Agreement, establishing an association with the European communities and their member states, it has to be a vital part of pre‐accession strategy for associated countries too. Creation of the information society has been determined as one of primary goals of the EU programs (e.g. PHARE and Fifth Framework Programs) since 1998.</p><p>The Latvian approach envisages the adaptation of general EU principles to its own needs and specific realities (Karnitis, 1997a). The Policy includes a number of interconnected and interdependent informative (creation and maintenance of various information sources), communications (telecommunications and data transmission services), normative (legislation, standardization and cultural requirements), knowledge (education and research and development) and applied (implementation of applications and services) sub‐programs.</p><p>The processing of various types of information and the provision of information services are envisaged as the main components of the Policy, with the concept of universal information service as its cornerstone. The program implies under universal service both technical access to communications and the availability of information content to which an end‐user has the right of access. General access to information services without any discrimination (social, regional, etc.), an uninterrupted service of a long duration and defined quality should be ensured for everyone at an affordable price. Various kinds of information must be accessible.</p><p>Information of national significance should be collected and processed for state or regional administration, for development of the national economy, finances, education and social life and for forming a general image of the country. The main subjects of this type of information are real estate and movable property, legal and private persons and a number of processes which are important for the country and its economy. Business, finance, market and product information is very significant for support of economic processes that are valuable for the country and society ‐ the development of all kinds of business, international finance and economic relations, public transparency of companies and various finance transactions.</p><p>Scientific, technical, technological, economic and medical information is needed for education and training, fundamental and applied research, the development and transfer of advanced technologies, the production of knowledge‐based and science‐based products, the supervision of the national economy and the development of the social sphere. General, reference, entertainment information and current news should be provided for everyone.</p></sec><sec><title>Information brokerage and libraries</title><p>Who are the end‐users of information? What kinds of information are the most significant? Who are those providing the information in the country?</p><p>To have answers to these and other questions as well, as a reliable indication of the current state of affairs in the Latvian market for information services, on the demand for, and supply of, services and on their availability and quality, the market was analyzed in 1997 by means of a survey of end‐users of various information (Karnitis, 1997b). Special questionnaires were disseminated among customers of various institutions (libraries and archives, public and private information brokers, information departments of various organizations and branches of international institutions, etc.) which provide brokerage of various types of information. As a result of this strategy various exact target groups of people who really use information and only such people were involved in the survey. They represented government and state organizations (38 percent of the total), academic institutions (34 percent), state and private enterprises (26 percent), non‐government and public organizations.</p><p>The survey found that highly‐skilled people are the major users of information, but the share of students, even children and pensioners, increases. If wide interest by researchers (15 percent of respondents), teachers (20 percent) and information professionals (18 percent) in qualitative information is quite natural, then managers (17 percent) and civil servants (15 percent) in comparison with the near past have become much more active (a number of respondents have marked more than one occupation). The large number of students (23 percent), and the participation of some pupils too, suggests the beginning of real transition from teaching‐based education to a learning‐based one.</p><p>Demand for various types of information in reality reflects the current situation in the country. The most widely used categories of information are general/reference and scientific/technical; 90‐100 percent of consumers in most of the respondent categories had marked demand for some types of information in these groups. The significance of scientific/technical information received a lower rating owing to the current catastrophical reduction of research programs in Latvia and the inadequate introduction of advanced technologies.</p><p>Although business/finance information and information of national significance is used more irregularly, this demand is encouraging. It means development of normal civilized business, instead of its rather wild variety in previous years as well as the need for a stable informative basis for state administration.</p><p>As to specific types of information, that most often required is information of a general nature: general economic and statistical, legislation and business rights, finances and taxes, educational and the humanities, etc. Much less important for society are patents and standards (stagnancy in production has not been overcome yet); information on the labour power market (despite the high level of unemployment); tourism/travel and leisure/ entertainment information (obviously a result of the low purchasing power of society) and personal data.</p><p>Use of all types of printed and electronic information sources as well as the significance of personal contacts were included in the survey. The results show that end‐users at the present time rely more on traditional and verified information sources ‐ books, periodicals and personal contacts ‐ although various electronic information sources increasingly occupy the Latvian market for information services. The number of users of electronic services increases in line with the development of the technical infrastructure in various institutions and in households. Roughly 70 percent of all respondents had marked use of some type of on‐line or off‐line electronic sources.</p><p>The survey of various providers of information shows that libraries remain the major provider. A total of 97 percent of respondents had mentioned libraries as the information brokers whose services they use, 89 percent of them had rated libraries as significant and very significant information institutions. Libraries, and primarily research libraries as the main provider of scientific/technical and general/reference information, are involved deeply in the common process of the provision of information as a source of knowledge.</p><p>Statistics about the use of Latvia’s major libraries over recent years also show an obvious tendency of the increasing need by society for library information services. So the number of patrons as well as usage of basic traditional services of the Latvian Academic Library is increasing by 10‐20 percent every year and demand for electronic information services doubles every year.</p><p>Really a strategy for the development of research libraries on a large scale applies to the concept of universal information service. Small and medium‐sized enterprises become consumers of information alongside such traditional users as universities, research institutes and research departments of large companies. The level of information services provided by major libraries should conform to today’s qualitative and quantitative demands, because it determines, to a considerable degree, the intellectual potential of the country and its society. Therefore the national information policy should pay as much attention to libraries as the most popular and most democratic information brokers.</p></sec><sec><title>Basic principles of information provision</title><p>In order to satisfy the increasing information demands of society and to organize truly user‐oriented advanced information services it is necessary to elaborate the strategy of the development of information provision. Research libraries are the first ones that have coped with this task. The Concept of Provision of Scientific and Technical Information for Latvia has been created (Karnitis, 1997c). Principles that form the basis of the Concept are rather like those for other libraries too. They were approved by the Latvian Academy of Sciences. The Association of Latvian Academic Libraries adopted the Concept in full in 1997. The Concept conforms to the general tendency of evolution of our country toward the information society and it is a substantial component of the National Information Policy.</p><p>Several projects are implemented nowadays in line with the Concept to create an advanced technological infrastructure in libraries and to enable the development of a full spectrum of electronic information services. Really the Concept is partly based on the practical experience that was gained during the introduction of electronic technologies in major Latvian research libraries after the early 1990s.</p><p>The key canon in the Concept is development of information provision and information services, while preserving the main traditional principle of any library ‐ acting as an intermediary in the process of information transmission between the information source and its end‐user. The Concept assumes several hypotheses as a basis for carrying out this principle.</p><p>To provide information for the aforementioned programs and purposes libraries must change their traditional style of work according to today’s demands. All the stages of information services have to take place in any research library ‐ collection, processing, storage, effective searching and supplying users with qualitative information in the form they need and wherever and whenever they need it. The provision of various information services and creation of information sources has become a complex task.</p><p>Electronic information technologies are widely introduced for information supply today. They ensure formerly unachievable possibilities, first of all for information browsing and search. At the same time, printed books and journals have some advantages and attractiveness too. It is necessary to specify the role and tasks of each technology in the overall information assimilation process (search ‐ delivery ‐ studying) to find the optimum balance of functions between both technologies. Today’s optimum will not be final as various changes will take place in the future too. The optimum balance is different in various libraries because of the different needs and approaches of patrons. The Concept envisages the realization of qualitative information supply by the integrated use of both printed and electronic technologies.</p><p>The amount of information has increased in line with the general development of science and technology. It is impossible at present to acquire all of the potentially necessary information sources. Therefore a strategy of the virtual library should be widely developed in addition to very careful management of acquisition policy. In particular, it concerns small countries where varied information is necessary, but only a few people work in each field and finances would be ineffectively expended. As a result, a traditional complex method of information assimilation, direct examination of documents, selection of necessary materials and their subsequent study, has become ineffective. The Concept proposes complete separation of both components of information assimilation ‐ information search and its study ‐ and choice of optimum technologies for each of them.</p><p>In addition to traditional library services, creation and brokerage of value‐added information should be developed, such as information searches on demand, active consulting and reference services, creation of printed and electronic information sources, participation in research and technological projects, brokerage of advanced information products and services, etc. All necessary preconditions for such activities exist in libraries ‐ huge amounts of collected documents, global access to printed documents and electronic information sources and highly skilled information professionals.</p><p>Several conflicting legislation problems should be resolved for the implementation of the Concept, for example, protection of intellectual property in electronic publications, dissemination of knowledge versus protection of rights holders, information as a commodity versus favourable conditions for access to non‐profit organizations such as schools, universities and libraries.</p><p>Although mutual co‐ordination of library activities and projects is taking place, it should facilitate achievement of the best results. It is necessary to increase the leading role of professional unions of libraries, especially the Association of Latvian Academic Libraries, which amalgamates the major research libraries of the country.</p></sec><sec><title>Development of electronic information services</title><p>It is possible to highlight several main applications of electronic technologies and services in libraries for the implementation of the aforementioned principles. All these applications and services are not separate items. They should be developed as an integrated information system and as a substantial component of the general strategy of development of the library, with the strict precondition to achieve set goals.</p><p>Comparatively low real efficiency of use of its collection is one of the basic problems in every library. Information searching is hampered by the use of card catalogues, and the level of user‐friendliness in the traditional set of library services is not high. It is impossible to determine the true usefulness of each book and periodical and therefore to manage and correct the library’s acquisition policy. Statistics show that sometimes sizable portions of the collection have never been used.</p><p>To resolve these problems substantially, to improve the use of libraries’ collections and the level of patrons’ services, to put acquisition and stocktaking in better order, the Concept envisages intensification of electronic data processing in libraries by means of library automation systems and the creation of an integrated library information network.</p><p>A set of functions performed by various systems is comparatively unified nowadays (acquisition, electronic catalogues, a number of patrons’ services, export/import of bibliographic records, linking with full text and full image data bases, collection of statistics, etc.) and data interchange formats are standardized too. The Concept envisages keeping strictly to the open systems principles and a number of advanced principles should be assumed as a basis of this network: <list list-type="bullet"><list-item><label>• </label><p>interconnection of an unrestricted number of libraries and other information institutions;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>interoperability of all information services and applications;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>integration of all information processing systems in libraries, including accounting, desktop publishing, etc.;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>compatibility of various automation systems including specific systems developed by the British Council, the US Information Center, the Eurofaculty, etc.;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>the possibility of using several special classification systems and thesauri, such as MeSH, AGROVOC, International Patent Classification of WIPO;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>exchange of bibliographic records including centralized distribution of the national bibliography;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>integration with corresponding university information systems including registers of lecturers and students as well as study programs.</p></list-item></list></p><p>The Concept envisages the creation of an on‐line union catalogue also. It is possible to use advanced technologies and to develop a distributed union catalogue as an information browser in the Internet environment that is based on on‐line catalogues of participating libraries. A central node will make possible only administrative management of the catalogue. Such an approach will provide: <list list-type="bullet"><list-item><label>• </label><p>an opportunity to join different systems and to connect any participating library and any new system or its version in future;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>the best compatibility of different principles and technologies of data processing that depend on different tasks of libraries;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>better reliability and fault protection in comparison with a centralized union catalogue;</p></list-item><list-item><label>• </label><p>an opportunity to create a Baltic union catalogue as the next real step.</p></list-item></list></p><p>To develop a virtual library strategy and to provide information that is not collected in stock holdings, two tasks should be performed: <list list-type="order"><list-item><label>1 </label><p>provision of global information search; and</p></list-item><list-item><label>2 </label><p>delivery of the necessary information for consideration.</p></list-item></list></p><p>They are interconnected. The Concept envisages wide use of electronic technologies to solve both problems.</p><p>Computer searching provides information on all available documents. The development of a document delivery service really became possible only after the spread of bibliographic databases. However, the best method of information searching is useless without the possibility of receiving the full text of documents. Only the implementation of an integrated service ‐ computer searching of information and document delivery service ‐ will ensure worldwide information supply. Development of a CD‐ROM service, the acquisition of databases, installation of workstations and connection to Internet are envisaged by the Concept as essential tasks of any library.</p><p>The creation of various information sources is a substantial part of information services, and is necessary in order to ensure a full information processing cycle for qualitative information support. Owing to the small information market in small countries, the preparation and updating of information sources is an unprofitable business. Obviously it should be subsidized by the state to a large extent. According to the tendency of distributed information processing, large information centres have ceased to exist, and libraries have become one of the basic information institutions in this area. Therefore libraries should take an active part in the creation of various electronic information sources ‐ WWW pages, databases, catalogues, directories, etc., especially those containing bibliographic, reference and other meta‐information ‐ according to general subjects and the regional profile of the library. This will become a basis for the development of resources of the electronic library in prospect.</p><p>The creation of full image databases of duplicates of rare editions and manuscripts, which form the cultural heritage of the country, is an important area for major libraries. Such a collection of duplicates should be linked with the common library electronic catalogue. It is necessary to improve the preservation of originals and to provide the general availability of information at the same time.</p><p>According to the principles of the development of the information society, the Concept envisages that information services should be brought nearer to the places where end‐users of information are living and working.</p><p>Development of on‐line services is the only way to provide general access to information sources (part of them are the only sources in the country), to receive information wherever and whenever it is necessary. It is especially important for the development of rural regions of the country, for regional universities in Daugavpils, Liepaja, Jelgava, Valmiera, Ventspils and for the development of small and medium‐sized businesses in any locality. A strongly pronounced trend of libraries to develop on‐line information services and to create on‐line catalogues, databases and other information sources is a subject of paramount importance.</p><p>The conclusion of agreements with international on‐line information and database systems, with providers of electronic journals and document delivery systems means that they become the main type of on‐line service in libraries instead of simple browsing in generally available Internet environments. A distributed Baltic document delivery system would be organized as a co‐operative article delivery system. The subscriptions to a set of necessary periodicals should be distributed among the major research libraries in all three countries. All libraries, participating as delivery libraries, are offering their journal collections for delivery. The responsibility is distributed between the libraries according to interlibrary agreement and subjects of subscription. A central bibliographic database and administration will ensure the ordering and distribution of requests to libraries.</p><p>Progress in telecommunications services, particularly the creation of the national fibre‐optic cable network, is a real technological basis for the development of networking, including connection of regional libraries by means of high capacity links. Services will be disseminated, especially outside Riga, to regions of the country, and a circle of users will be expanded.</p></sec><sec><title>Implementation of the Concept</title><p>Subsidies from the national budget and other sources are provided for the development of information systems and projects of national significance. In order to ensure a high level of knowledge and availability of information for everybody, the provision of information in libraries is envisaged as one of the priorities of applied programs.</p><p>The Latvian Academic and Research Network LATNET/LANET (TCP/IP‐based) interconnects universities, schools and other educational institutions, research institutes and libraries and provides Internet connection to these entities. The network is developed further for support of research and educational processes in the country.</p><p>The integrated library information network project envisages the creation of the technological environment for the development of information applications and library information services as an integrated system for the aforementioned purposes. Installation of hardware and software, creation of local area networks and connection of libraries to LATNET/LANET should be realized in the libraries.</p><p>The first stage of the network for eight libraries of state significance is being implemented in 1997‐1999 by a special state‐owned limited liability company. A total of US$300,000 was invested in the necessary infrastructure in 1997, US$350,000 in 1998. Matching financing, it is envisaged, will be provided for the implementation of this project by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.</p><p>The Public Library Network Programme is developed by the Ministry of Culture. The implementation of this programme means spreading information services to the peripheral regions of the country. A project, Unified Information Network of Latvian Public Libraries, was realized in 1996‐1997 according to the programme. The project was financed by the Soros Foundation Latvia, Open Society Institute (Budapest) and the local authorities. A total of 17 public libraries of several types and various regions were selected taking into account a number of criteria. As a result of this pilot project, a technological infrastructure and preconditions for the automation of acquisition and cataloguing processes, for public access to the electronic catalogue, for the creation and use of analytic records and for electronic information services, were provided.</p><p>An integrated project of information provision for the educational system is being realized in 1997‐1999 under supervision of the University of Latvia. The project includes the reaching of several goals, including the preparation of electronic textbooks and training appliances for schools and distance learning, as well as the connection of libraries of educational institutions to information sources via local area networks and the Internet. The characteristic feature of the project is a shared financing that was provided by state budget investments (US$500,000 in 1997, US$ 1million in 1998), local authorities, foundations and sponsorship.</p><p>Several projects were implemented in 1997 to spread the document delivery service and to create various information sources. The implementation of all projects is directed to the attainment of optimum practical results instead of realization of attractive but non‐practical proposals.</p></sec></body><back><ref-list><title>References</title><ref id="b1"><mixed-citation><person-group person-group-type="author"><string-name><surname>Karnitis</surname>, <given-names>E.</given-names></string-name></person-group> (<year>1997a</year>), “<article-title><italic>Basic components of the national information programme: the Latvian approach</italic></article-title>”, <source><italic>Hiradastechnika (Journal of Communications)</italic></source>, Vol. <volume>48</volume> No. <issue>11</issue>, pp. <fpage>12</fpage><x>‐</x><lpage>16</lpage>.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="b2"><mixed-citation><person-group person-group-type="author"><string-name><surname>Karnitis</surname>, <given-names>E.</given-names></string-name></person-group> (<year>1997b</year>), ”<article-title><italic>The market for information services in Latvia</italic></article-title>”, <source><italic><italic>Baltic IT Review</italic></italic></source>, No. <issue>4</issue>, pp. <fpage>35</fpage><x>‐</x><lpage>41</lpage>.</mixed-citation></ref><ref id="b3"><mixed-citation><person-group person-group-type="author"><string-name><surname>Karnitis</surname>, <given-names>E.</given-names></string-name></person-group> (<year>1997c</year>), “<article-title><italic>Electronic information services in Latvian libraries in the context of the national information program</italic></article-title>”, <source><italic>Baltic IT Review</italic></source>, No. <issue>4</issue>, pp. <fpage>69</fpage><x>‐</x><lpage>75</lpage>.</mixed-citation></ref></ref-list></back></article></istex:document></istex:metadataXml><mods version="3.6"><titleInfo lang="en"><title>Universal information service and increasing tasks of libraries</title></titleInfo><titleInfo type="alternative" lang="en" contentType="CDATA"><title>Universal information service and increasing tasks of libraries</title></titleInfo><name type="personal"><namePart type="given">Edvins</namePart><namePart type="family">Karnitis</namePart><affiliation>Edvins Karnitis is Director of the Latvian Academic Library and Deputy Chairman of the Coordination Board for the National Program Informatics, Riga, Latvia</affiliation></name><typeOfResource>text</typeOfResource><genre type="research-article" displayLabel="research-article"></genre><originInfo><publisher>MCB UP Ltd</publisher><dateIssued encoding="w3cdtf">1999-04-01</dateIssued><copyrightDate encoding="w3cdtf">1999</copyrightDate></originInfo><language><languageTerm type="code" authority="iso639-2b">eng</languageTerm><languageTerm type="code" authority="rfc3066">en</languageTerm></language><physicalDescription><internetMediaType>text/html</internetMediaType></physicalDescription><abstract lang="en">The evolution of information processing and deep integration of social structures and information systems are raising the significance of information and knowledge to a new higher level. The availability of information for everyone is the essence of the universal information service and the basic objective for the national information policy. An analysis of the market for information services shows that libraries remain the major information brokers and a significant guarantee for general availability of information. Tasks and usage of libraries are increasing, therefore the strategy of their development should be elaborated on a state scale. The Concept of Provision of Scientific and Technical Information for Latvia is based on integrated usage of printed and electronic information sources and services, wide application of virtual library strategy and the development of electronic information technologies.</abstract><subject><genre>keywords</genre><topic>Electronic publishing</topic><topic>Information services</topic><topic>Information superhighway</topic><topic>Latvia</topic><topic>Policy</topic></subject><relatedItem type="host"><titleInfo><title>New Library World</title></titleInfo><genre type="journal">journal</genre><subject><genre>Emerald Subject Group</genre><topic authority="SubjectCodesPrimary" authorityURI="cat-LISC">Library & information science</topic><topic authority="SubjectCodesSecondary" authorityURI="cat-LLM">Librarianship/library management</topic><topic authority="SubjectCodesSecondary" authorityURI="cat-LISE">Library & information services</topic></subject><identifier type="ISSN">0307-4803</identifier><identifier type="PublisherID">nlw</identifier><identifier type="DOI">10.1108/nlw</identifier><part><date>1999</date><detail type="volume"><caption>vol.</caption><number>100</number></detail><detail type="issue"><caption>no.</caption><number>2</number></detail><extent unit="pages"><start>65</start><end>71</end></extent></part></relatedItem><identifier type="istex">3A2D82875DE9DE267709605F40F1B795D0399828</identifier><identifier type="DOI">10.1108/03074809910263800</identifier><identifier type="filenameID">0721000203</identifier><identifier type="original-pdf">0721000203.pdf</identifier><identifier type="href">03074809910263800.pdf</identifier><accessCondition type="use and reproduction" contentType="copyright">© MCB UP Limited</accessCondition><recordInfo><recordContentSource>EMERALD</recordContentSource></recordInfo></mods></metadata><serie></serie></istex></record>Pour manipuler ce document sous Unix (Dilib)
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