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AIB. Commissione nazionale università e ricerca |
Abstract: Aib-Web is the Web site of the Italian Library Association.
It could be described as an information tool for librarians but the aim
of the paper will be demonstrating how the editorial board is working in
order to reach wider goals: online professional updating, electronic publishing,
debate.
The home page (http://www.aib.it) gives access to the Association
activities informing members about conferences and training courses.
Committes, Working groups and Regional Branches are able to present their
projects keeping in touch with the associates by e-mail.
Electronic publications, once just e-version of professional journals, are
now shifting to tailored information, captured on the Net or e-published,
and organized in order to deepen the most important topics connected with
the librarian profession. Copyright and library standards are some of the
most investigated fields.
The list of Italian OPAC, built up by a truly cooperative approach, is regularly
updated and represents a useful starting point for bibliographic research.
Legal information, always connected with librarian work development, is
particularly monitored: a special resources list is presented including
free of charge connections, with help facilities, and hosts descriptions
with labels on each database. Evaluations and suggestions on integrating
resources opportunities are expressed by law librarians.
Of course, Library and Information Science has a leading role within the
Web. A rich Information science virtual reference desk is offered to users,
including links to Library and Information Science Association.
AIB-Web site contains information about AIB-CUR, not just the librarian
mailing list but probably the largest listserv based list in Italy. This
is a dynamic, essential instrument of debate and updating reaching university
as well as public librarians. It can be seen as a two-lane motorway sharing
information among members and collecting requests for new goals.
Keywords: Web content, professional information, electronic publishing, added value.
1. Introduction
1.1 AIB: a brief presentation
AIB is the professional association of Italian librarians. On July 1998
it counted 3251 associates, 890 of which organizations, that is public or
academic libraries. Following the statistics presented during the latest
National Congress in Genoa last year, from the Eighties the number of its
members doubled, and since January 1998 it increased by 6%.
AIB aims, listed in the Statute approved by all its members, could be summed
up as follows:
AIB is the editor and publisher of journals, newsletters and monographies,
recognized as major professional information sources for Italian librarians.
A National Executive Committee, elected by all Association members, gives
the guidelines for the organization development and coordinates the Regional
Branches policies. National Committees and Working Groups study particular
fields of interest, publishing new material and promoting research.
AIB is a member of IFLA, institutional member of FID, founder and full member
of EBLIDA.
2. Moving to the Web: why and when
As all libraries seemed to compete on the Web in order to offer better
services, the Association did not want to be left behind. As librarians
were looking for value added information, the Association did not want to
offer just promoting services. The AIB-Web editorial board overcame the
limits imposed by paper publications, in order to reach wider goals. The
site could have been just a sort of window on the world, presenting the
Association activities, or distributing information and promoting debate
among the members. But the editorial board wanted AIB-Web to be a librarian
site, made by and for information professionists. The challenge was to demonstrate
how information could be managed, built up, completed and organized in order
to become librarian-tailored.
After a short trial period, AIB-Web was announced on March 1997. Since then,
a lot has been done. In five months, from January till May 1998, the OPAC
list had more than 20.000 visitors and 38 countries were consulting the
links presented on the Web. AIB-Web was quoted by Italian and European journals
- not only specialized in Library and Information Science - as an essential
source of information.
Behind the success of AIB-Web there is the hard work of the editorial board
in managing a variety of information resources. First of all, the editing
of AIB-Web is carried out by people who cooperate from a distance. The editorial
board, operating from all over Italy, shows how, using new technologies,
it is possible to collaborate and to keep in touch without proper meetings.
Distance limits, not just paper limits have been overcome. Behind a good
Web site there is an enourmous e-mail interchange: the editorial board communications
- about 25 people - have very often been twice as busy as the AIB-CUR discussion
list (over 1400 subscribers).
The work is divided among sublists; each single field is the result of suggestions,
improvements and updating efforts made by sublist members. The librarians
working in the project have little opportunities to meet; the site, therefore,
should not be considered just as a new communication tool offered by Internet,
but as a new cooperative approach where the work of every AIB member is
welcome. It is quite easy to contribute: just sending an e-mail to the sublist
e-mail address and submitting questions or proposals. Thus, the numbers
of contributors is continuously increasing.
These are the main guidelines:
This new communication tool was not devised as a static publication, but as a work in progress, reflecting the activities of the Association.
3. Contents
3.1 Distribution of information among associates
The Web has drastically changed the way information is shared. Courses,
Conferences and Meetings can be publicized to the associates in real time;
plans and speeches are made available full-text.
The work of Standing Committees, Working Groups and Regional Branches has
acquired visibility and avails itself of wider external contributions. Members
can be easily contacted through the e-mail and working strategies can be
followed by everybody. Minutes, issues and results are available full-text.
The Association political choices can finally be discussed by all members;
recent suggestions on the creation of a professional board were debated
through AIB-Web.
A wider and more capillary communication between associates was also attained
thanks to AIB-CUR, the Italian librarian mailing list which is open to all
information professionals, not just AIB. AIB-Web provides information about
the list, from subscription to access to archive files.
Even though it is not limited to AIB associates, the list is their preferred
communication channel and is still developing. In July 1998, it included
1393 Italian and 62 foreign associates. In the first semester of 1998 their
number had increased by 23%. It is not just a librarian mailing list but
the largest e-mail discussion list in Italy. The highest number of librarians
in the mailing list is from the North and the Centre of Italy and, according
to a questionnaire distributed in 1997, a majority of subscribers is from
University and research libraries, where network connectivity is still easier
than in public libraries.
3.2 Online professional updating
Updating is mainly carried out through the "News". In AIB-Web,
this covers recent events in the life of the Association, as well as current
Italian and foreign projects. Users can avail themselves of an online updated
catalogue listing all AIB publications, with relevant abstracts and indexes.
One of the main advantages provided by the site is the opportunity to consult
the texts debated at conferences and seminars. All speeches are made available
full-text as soon as possible. Courses recommended by the Association are
publicized right away.
In order to meet the requirements of operators dealing with legal matters,
updating on amendments and changes in fields such as copyrights is also
provided. Links, articles and associations dealing with individual issues
are also indicated. Training opportunities are advertised, not only for
librarians but also for students who would like to start the profession.
This is the result of wide research on paper and online - data are often
difficult to find due to lack of collaboration on the part of the Istitutions.
Direct access to Universities specialization schools and courses is provided
and information on courses held by local public authorities has recently
been added.
3.3 Towards electronic publishing
Although the main updating sources are on paper, AIB has been able to
provide a variety of information tools. Since 1995, the Bibliografia
Italiana delle Biblioteche, del libro e dell'informazione (Italian bibliography
of libraries, books and information science) - published on paper since
1975 - has been distributed on floppy disk together with Bollettino AIB.
On the Web, the monthly AIB-Notizie (AIB News) is available
full-text while the quarterly bulletin -Bollettino AIB - has a cumulative
index. The editors' wish was not only to turn paper into electronics but
also to publish information in electronic form - for instance, the Guida
alle fonti di informazione della biblioteconomia in rete (A guide to LIS
resources on the net). This, in electronic form only, is an integration
to guides previously published on paper. The idea behind it was, once again,
to fill in a gap.
One of the major organizing efforts concerned Government information, which
in Italy is quite murky. Here, links provide access to specific sites -
legal or juridical - as well as to the authorities in charge of the documents.
For each individual item the archive provides instructions, reference and
further information - such as coverage, updating and costs - drawn up by
librarians specialised in the field. This is a precious tool that has not
equivalent on paper. Users have access to data which is otherwise very difficult
to get and can evaluate in a comparative way different paths towards resources
integration. In Italy, legal information online can avail itself of a number
of hosts providing services which are apparently similar but rarely exaustive.
For instance, the Gazzetta Ufficiale - the most important source
of information as regards public examinations and regulations - can be searched
through a number of channels. Consulting the site a librarian can tell at
what price and to what extent. Regulations are grouped according to the
issuing authority as well as to the sector concerned - health, environment,
education and so on. The links also allow to retrieve the shorthand minutes
of Parliamentary Acts and European Community documents. Although this information
is available online, usually it is hidden in a bureaucratical maze; new
Web sites concerning public authorities are publicized by AIB-CUR - only
electronics can keep the pace with this ever changing world.
3.4 The librarian reference desk
Reference is one of the key services offered by a librarian. Librarians
have to deal with increasingly complex bibliographical researches, usually
followed by interlibrary loans, and thus need constant updating. While providing
a reference desk, they need a reference desk themselves and must be more
informed and updated than ever. AIB-Web can cater for different needs, supporting
the librarian enquires and providing a precious professional reference desk.
Links such as Italian OPAC and LIS virtual reference desk are good examples
of this effort. In Italian OPAC, resources were divided into national, regional,
provincial, city or single libraries collective catalogues. The editors
researched the whole of Italy, dividing it into areas. Thus 251 OPAC were
available by May 1998, for a total of 330 possible accesses. Where only
Telnet access is available, the basic commands are detailed.
But what happens when a librarian needs a reference service? The LIS virtual
reference desk is an interesting example of resource organisation. Not only
does it provide information, but it can manage, manipulate and organize
it. In order to subdivide the material, the professional Italian literature
classification as per the Bollettino AIB was applied. Resources were
grouped according to the subject matter and organized in a professional
way. Thus librarians can retrieve information following a well-known pattern
and new sources can be added in a consistent way. Links cover all aspects
of the profession and neglect no detail - the LIS virtual reference desk,
for example, provides access to specialized sources, as well as to professional
associations and publishers in Italy and abroad. In a seminar on AIB-Web
held in Rome in May 1998 the reference service provided by the site was
praised by participants from all over Italy. OPAC accesses through AIB-Web
prevail over similar services in Italy and online LIS resources are the
main updating tool for Italian librarians.
Recently AIB promoted another project in the field - the Coordination of
Italian WWW for librarians. This was done to organize a multitude of online
services offering specialized information. The purpose was once again to
provide a wider reference desk, integrating different sources. This new
venture started in May 1998.
4. Added value
AIB-Web was created to be a librarian tool. Librarians know exactly what quality information is - reliable, updated, exaustive. Information as such is often useless and it is the work behind it that makes it valuable. The added value in AIB-Web is the result of different efforts in different directions, in line with internationals trends. Conventional cooperation means were abandoned and the new approach proved successful. The new opportunities and mainly the e-mail were exploited to the best. The electronic publications developed by AIB-Web provide access to information which could not be retrieved otherwise, organizing resources in a consistent and professional way, reviewing and integrating them. AIB-Web librarians did not sit back, but worked hard to provide high added value services.
5. Conclusion
Are librarians going through a crucial time just before the year 2000? This much asked question implies the existence of a phase after which everything is going to be routine again. However, the profession will always undergo changes and librarians will have to adapt. Old knowledge will have to be applied to new tools. Information editors and distributors work hard to provide quality information to satisfy even the most demanding user - the librarian. AIB-Web is the result of the joint effort of many Italian librarians to provide users and colleagues with professional services. At AIB-Web, new technologies are not resented but exploited to the full - used as tools, rather than contents. The work methodology and criteria are based on skills which are older than the technology applied. AIB-Web is a work in progress, developing through the cooperation of a number of people who do not fear technology and look forward to the future.
Dr Sonia Minetto
Genoa University Library Network
AIB National University and Research Committee
Centro Servizio Bibliotecario di Giurisprudenza "P.E.Bensa"
Università degli Studi di Genova
Via Balbi 130/R
16126 Genova Italy
Tel.+39 010 2099879
FAX +39 010 2099877
E-mail: sonminet@giuri.unige.it
References
AIB-Web http://www.aib.it
Brugaletta, F. (1997) Al concorso col dischetto, Inter.net, n.33, p.30-31.
Magarotto, A. (1997) AIB-CUR e AIB-Web al Congresso di Napoli, AIB Notizie, n.12, p.9-10.
Mazzitelli, G. (1997) Le biblioteche nella rete, I quaderni di Tor Vergata, n.4.
Mazzitelli, G. (1997) L'AIB-WEB, La qualità: un impegno per le biblioteche. Atti delle quarte giornate di studio del CNBA, Torino 22-24 Maggio 1997, Napoli, CNBA, p.21-24.
Metitieri, F. (1997) Biblioteche italiane sul Web, Virtual, n.38, p.56.
Metitieri, F., Ridi, R.(1998) Ricerche bibliografiche in Internet: strumenti e strategie di ricerca, OPAC e biblioteche virtuali, Milano, Apogeo.
Minetto, S. (1998) Roma 27 Maggio 1998: dietro le quinte di AIB-Web, AIB Notizie, n.7, p.4.
Poltronieri, E. (1997) Gli standard tecnici, AIB Notizie, n.11, p.8.
Renzoni, N. (1997) La biblioteca di babele, Computer valley, n.6 - La Repubblica, 6/11, p.12-14.
Ridi, R. (1997) AIB-Web: il Web dell'Associazione Italiana Biblioteche, Biblioteche Oggi, n.3, p.72.
Biographical details
Sonia Minetto graduated in modern languages in 1989. She is been working at the Law library at the University of Genoa since 1992. Having started in the cataloguing sector, she soon moved to online bibliographical research. Since 1992 she has attended numerous training and updating courses on Internet and specialized data bases. Her articles were published in Italian and foreign journals. At present she is the head of the bibliographical research service at the Law library. Her teaching experience was recently presented at a Seminar in Florence. Sonia Minetto belongs to the AIB National University and Research Committee.