RFG/NLS MARCH 2000
NATIONAL DIGITAL NATIONAL DIGITAL LIBRARIES: perspectives LIBRARIES: perspectives from Russia and Scotlandfrom Russia and Scotland
FRED GUYFRED GUYDirector of Information and Communications TechnologyDirector of Information and Communications Technology
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLANDNATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
SCOTLAND AND RUSSIASCOTLAND AND RUSSIA400 YEARS400 YEARS
• Mercenaries in Muscovy
• Physicians to the Tsars
• “Caledonian Phalanx” of entrepreneurs - architecture to shipping, industry to photography
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
COLLABORATIONCOLLABORATION
• Private sector - airlines; railways; IT
• Public sector - funding agencies
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
Creation of an Information System for the Creation of an Information System for the Russian State LibraryRussian State Library
TELRUS 9705
December 1998-June 2000
TACISEUROPEAN COMMISSION - DG 1A Directorate
General for External Relations
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
NATIONAL LIBRARIES:NATIONAL LIBRARIES:FUNCTIONSFUNCTIONS
• Acquisition - legal deposit; purchase; donation; exchange
• Retention
• Preservation
• Access
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
RSL: HistoryRSL: History
• Founded 1862 as Moscow’s first free public library
• Known as The Library of the Moscow Public Museum and Rumiantsev Museum or Rumiantsev Library
• 1919. Lenin signed Resolution to increase staff
• 1921. Became a state depository
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
RUMIANTSEV LIBRARYRUMIANTSEV LIBRARY
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
HISTORY (CONT)HISTORY (CONT)• 26th January 1924 named after V.I. Lenin
• 6th Feb. 1925. State Lenin Library of USSR.
• 1955. New building opened
• 1992. Russian State Library
• 1994. Modernisation Plan
• 1996. Plan revised
• Estimates. $750,000,000
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
RSL - MAIN BUILDINGRSL - MAIN BUILDING
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
RSL - Entrance HallRSL - Entrance Hall
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
RSL - Main Reading RoomRSL - Main Reading Room
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
NLS: HistoryNLS: History
• Founded in 1680s as Faculty of Advocates Library
• 1710 1st Copyright Act (Queen Anne)
• 1925 National Library of Scotland Act
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
NLS - George IV BridgeNLS - George IV Bridge
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
NLS - George IV BridgeNLS - George IV Bridge
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
GEORGE IV BRIDGE - Entrance HallGEORGE IV BRIDGE - Entrance Hall
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
RSL: StatisticsRSL: Statistics
• 3023 members of staff
• 42,000,000 items (books, periodicals, manuscripts, maps).
• 7,000 visitors daily (ca. 1,500,000 pa)
• 30,000 items circulated daily
• Lof C 1,000,000 visitors
• BL 500,000
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
RSL - Storage area after refurbishment
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
NLS: StatisticsNLS: Statistics
• 250 staff
• 8 million printed items inc. rare and priceless items (eg. Gutenberg Bible)
• 1.6 million maps
• Manuscripts, music scores
• 230,000 items pa via legal deposit
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
PROJECT OVERVIEWPROJECT OVERVIEW
• Specification, selection and implementation of a modern, scaleable computer system
• Analysis of data and data flows and input of data into system
• Preparation of a “business” strategy including means of sustaining system beyond project completion
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
Creation of an Information System for the Creation of an Information System for the Russian State LibraryRussian State Library
• TACIS funded
• 1,000,000 Euro over 18 months
• Money via EU member countries
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
TACISTACIS•EUROPEAN COMMISSION - DG 1A Directorate General for External Relations
•Technical Assistance to the New Independent States (former republics of the Soviet Union except Baltic States) and Mongolia
•Since 1991. 3000 projects worth ECU 3,300,000,000
•For transfer of know-how thereby fostering development of market economies and democratic societies
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
THE PROJECTTHE PROJECT• NLS a consortium member. Leader British
Council. Other partners Jouve SA (France) & EDS-LANIT (Germany/Russia). Experts also on procurement and marketing.
• Providing advice
• Writing reports
• Working with Russian colleagues
• Overseeing a key component
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
RSL:Automation historyRSL:Automation history
• 1970s - investigations
• 1990 - VTLS (USA) package
• 1996 - Specification prepared jointly with National Library of Russia
• 1998 - MEKA
• 1999 - Aleph 500 (Israel) selected
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
NLS: Automation historyNLS: Automation history
• 1978-1985 LOCAS (British Library)
• 1985-1987 SCOLCAP
• 1988-1999 VTLS (USA)
• 1999- Voyager (USA)
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
PROGRESS TO DATEPROGRESS TO DATE
• Server (SUN 450) installed
• Aleph 500 installed
• Data (retroconverted) + MEKA data loaded
• Training plan prepared
• Systems librarian training delivered + training on Unix
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
BUILDING THE DIGITAL BUILDING THE DIGITAL LIBRARYLIBRARY
• Acquisition
• Retention
• Preservation
• Access
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
ACQUISITION - NLSACQUISITION - NLS
• In house projects: maps; manuscripts; photographs
• Deposit of Ordnance Survey data
• Voluntary Code.
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
RETENTION & RETENTION & PRESERVATIONPRESERVATION
NLSNLS
• Policies being developed
• Awaiting outcomes from CEDARS and NEDLIB
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
ACCESS - NLSACCESS - NLS
• NLS WWW SITE - WWW.NLS.UK
• INHOUSE ACCESS DATABASE
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTSPOSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTSNLSNLS
• New Opportunities Fund Proposal
• Use of EnCompass - software from Endeavor Information Systems Inc.
• Large scale co-operative project using, for example IBM Digital Library
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
DIGITAL DEVELOPMENTS - DIGITAL DEVELOPMENTS - RSLRSL
• Memory of the World - First Printed Slavic books of 15th and 16th centuries; archival material relating to Dostevsky and Pushkin
• Access via http://SUN450.agir.ru/memory
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
FUTURE PLANS - RSLFUTURE PLANS - RSL
• Project to digitise 50,000 books including many in foreign languages
• SFX Reference Linking Software Solution from ExLibris
MARCH 2000 RFG/NLS
CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS
• Acquisition. In house digitisation strategies to be determined. Legal deposit only voluntary at present.
• Retention and preservation. Awaiting outcomes from other projects.
• Access. Rudimentary.
• Collaboration. Essential.