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Management of Information Centres in China: Results of a Course Held In The International Development Research Centre is a public corporation created by the Parliament of Canada in 1970 to support research designed to adapt science and technology to the needs of developing countries. The Centre's activity is concentrated in five sectors: agriculture, food and nutrition sciences; health sciences; information sciences; social sciences; and communications. IDRC is financed solely by the Parliament of Canada; its policies, however, are set by an international Board of Governors. The Centre's headquarters are in Ottawa, Canada. Regional offices are located in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. © International Development Research Centre 1984 Postal Address: Box 8500, Ottawa, Canada KIG 3H9 Head Office: 60 Queen Street, Ottawa, Canada IDRC, Ottawa CA Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China, Beijing CN Broadbent, K.P. IDRC-TS50e Management of information centres in China : results of a course held in Kunming, Yunnan Province, People's Republic 'of China, 6-18 December 1982. Ottawa, Ont., IDRC, 1984. 470 p. : ill. /Information services/, /information systems/, /management/, /training centres/, /China/ -- /manage- ment techniques/, /information sources/, /library automation/, /specialized information analysis centres/, /technology transfer/, /personnel management/, /AGRIS/, /MINISIS/, /scientific cooperation/, /case studies/, /list of participants/. UDC: 002.6:65(510) ISBN: 0-88936-426-5 Microfiche edition available I D RC-TS50e Management of Information Centres in China: Results of a course held in Kunming, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China, 6-18 December 1982 Editor: K.P. Broadbent Sponsored by: The International Development Research Centre, Canada, and The Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China Editorial Note It should be noted that some of the lectures that formed a part of this course were provided all or in part in audiovisual form and, therefore, could not be reproduced in this report. Some figures and tables that appeared in the lectures were also presented as overheads in the Chinese language and could not be included. The following lectures that were given are not included in the report: 1. Problems of Data and Measurements 2. The Quality of Information 3. Information Systems Development 4. Application of New Technology 5. Quantitative Methods to Information Centre Management CONTENTS Foreword 9 PART ONE: GENERAL BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE 11 The course 13 Survey of participants' background 28 Course evaluation 37 PART TWO: THE CURRICULUM 49 Introduction to information science: Past, present and future M. Beckman 50 Value of information T.C. Ting 58 Evaluation of information policy T.C. Ting 61 Information systems 64 Generalized profile of an internationally oriented information management system for libraries and information centres, with MINISIS as a case study K.P. Broadbent 65 AGRIS: An international information system for agricultural science and technology Olga Lendvay 71 CODOC: An automated system for organizing government publications M. Beckman 76 Application of new technology T.C. Ting 88 3 Predecessors of modern computerized systems: Manual and semirnechanized information systems Olga Lendvay 91 On-line circulation systern on a minicomputer M. Beckman 96 Planning for library automation using MINISIS K.P. Broadbent 109 Information centres 124 Specialized information analysis centres K.P. Broadbent 125 Types of information centres: Special - An overview M. Beckman 130 Types of information centres: Regional - AGE and other regional information centres established by the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand Hwa-Wei Lee 138 Function, planning and management of information centres M. Beckman 144 Organizational structures of information centres M. Beckman 153 Organization and management of special libraries Olga Lendvay 161 Tools and services of information centres, with specific examples from CISTI M. Beckman 176 Networking and cooperation 188 International cooperation in information: The agricultural sector as an example K.P. Broadbent 189 How to manage and link all components together J.B. Wills 196 4 Star or distributed network M. Beckman 202 Coordination and networking: The Chinese case Hwa-Wei Lee 208 Scientific information exchange and transfer of technology: A review of the principles K.P. Broadbent 218 Questions and answers about the Ohio College Library Center Hwa-Wei Lee 226 CUSS: An automated system for creating an inexpensive serial union list Hwa-Wei Lee 241 Information sources 247 Surveys of user needs J.B. Wills 248 Management techniques: Operational examples J.B. Wills 253 Chinese input/output and processing T. C. Ting 257 Improving bibliographic control from the national perspective Hwa-Wei Lee 260 Information services 267 Cost-effectiveness and cost-recovery in information service Hwa-Wei Lee 268 Information sources K.P. Broadbent 278 Information resources and how to use them effectively K.P. Broadbent 290 Nonconventional information J. B. Wills 301 Computerized data bases: Bibliographic and nonbibliographic Hwa-Wei Lee 305 Institutional management 314 5 Facility planning and management M. Beckman 315 Institutional budgeting: Development, control and review Hwa-Wei Lee 324 Institutional management: Staff (the human element) 336 Staff development and continuing education Hwa-Wei Lee 337 Training for professional staff M. Beckman 347 Performance evaluation Hwa-Wei Lee 362 Human resources development M. Beckman 380 Case studies 389 CISTI M. Beckman 390 Management of documentation in ISTIY: An introduction Yu Dingqing 403 Case study at ISTIY, 16 December 1982 410 APPENDICES 419 1. Schedule of the course 420 2. Speech at the opening ceremony, Mr Zhang Zhengbing, Deputy Director of ISTIC, Vice President, The Chinese Society for Scientific and Technical Information 426 3. Second speech at the opening ceremony, Mr Yu Futing, Vice Chairman, Scientific and Technical Commission of Yunnan Province 428 4. Message from John Woolston, Director of Information Sciences Division, IDRC, Ottawa, Canada 430 6 5. Mr Broadbent's speech at the opening cerernony 432 6. Mr Broadbent's address to the closing session 435 7. Closing speech by Mr Liu Zhaodong 437 8. List of participants 439 9. List of lecturers and IDRC personnel 444 10. List of Chinese staff members 445 11. Basic questionnaire - Chinese 446 12. Certificates presented to participants 449 13. Bibliography on general aspects of information sciences 451 14. Item in China Daily, 9 December 1982 456 15. Definitions and explanations 467 16. List of acronyms 460 7 FOREWORD This course may be defined as an informai seminar in a specialized field, namely the management of information centres in China. The course was not about China's experience as such, although participants were invited to give an account of their experiences, rather, it was based on various experiences in the management of information centres that might be of help to China in planning and organizing their own centres. It was agreed that a learning event of this kind should attempt to meet individual needs: course content should be relevant to the participants' own work, and participants should share their experiences and help design the course. The curriculum was therefore designed to be flexible and not as a fixed entity with which participants had to contend. A series of surveys and questionnaires at the beginning and end of the course identified the goals, interests and needs of the participants and their feelings about the course. This feedback underscored the course's weaknesses and highlighted areas for further discussion. In general, an effort was made to encourage communication among participants and lecturers, maintain a sense of purpose and direction, and to afford everyone an opportunity to criticize and evaluate the program for future use. The course proceeded from a discussion of the general principles of information science to case studies and practical examples of management in large and small settings. Consideration was given to the many practical concerns voiced today by those involved in the transfer of information and in the application of new technologies. This report is offered not as a model for future courses in similar settings, but simply as a means for promoting and stimulating knowledge in this field. It is 9 hoped that in some small way the course will contribute to China's modernization program and will help information scientists in China to increase their skills in order to attain greater self-sufficiency in information services. The creation and build-up of modern information services is a prerequisite for social and economic development. It is therefore hoped that the diffusion of skills in this area will ultimately be of widespread benefit to the Chinese people. Martha B. Stone Director, Information Sciences Division International Development Research Centre 10 Part One General Background and Introduction to the Course THE COURSE BACKGROUND The course evolved from one of the proposais submitted to the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) during the first visit to China by IDRC officers in September 1980. It was sponsored by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (ISTIC), the origins of which date back to 1956 when its predecessor was established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). ISTIC was given its present designation in 1958 and cornes under the aegis of the State Scientific and Technology Commission
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