; ,Ο /f\. ν- - ii; VW N^ ^> SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL REVIEW OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES VOL XI SPECIAL ISSUE devotee! to scientific information a in the Community 1972 ontents 1 JACQUES H. d'OLIER THE EUROPEAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD NETWORK OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION The Commission of the European Commu• nities or any persons acting on its behalf disclaim all liability with respect to the 4 ANDRÉ MAUPERON completeness of the information contained in this periodical as well as to any THE LATEST CHILD OF A GREAT FAMILY damage which might result from the use of information disclosed or of equipment, methods or processes described therein. 10 LOLL ROLLING Picture credits: p. 22 : Bauernkalender von Geser, p. 106 ; S.D.I.M. cover and drawings : Gaston Bogaert, The System of Documentation and Information for Metallurgy of the Brussels, Belgium. European Communities. Printed in Belgium by Maison d'Edition s c 6001 Marcinelle 14 N. DUSOULIER and A. L. van WESEMAEL THE WORKING PARTY ON BIOMEDICAL INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION: WORK AND PROSPECTS 20 HERBERT BUNTROCK AGRICULTURAL DOCUMENTATION 25 RUDOLF BREE CASH, PLEASE! Five editions: English, German, French, Ita ¡an and Dutch 29 A.A. WINTERS USER NEEDS IN AN INFORMATION SYSTEM Published and edited by: Commission of the European Commu- nities, Directorate-General Dissemina• tion of Information , Rue de la Loi 200 1040 Brussels. Tel 350040 Any article published in this Review may be reproduced in whole or or in part without restriction, provided that the source is 29, rue Aldringer, Luxembourg mentioned. Tel. 29241 The European Contribution to the World network of Scientific up in each country and when a vast international move towards the creation and Technical Information of a world-wide data-pooling system has just been translated into concrete action in the form of the IIN1S1ST scheme proposed by UNESCO and the Scientific Unions? In other wotds, what JACQUES H. dOLIER can be the role and purpose of a regional network? In his article entitled "The Latest Child of a Great Family". Mr Mau- AT ITS 157th SESSION, the EEC peron indicates the importance of a Council of Ministers decided (a) to united Europe to data producers and take steps to coordinate Member users. Admittedly, it is not up to Euro­ States' activities in the field of scien­ peans to draw up standards and define tific and technical information and the methods best suited to the needs of documentation, and (b) to approve the the whole world, but effective joint participation of the Commission's de­ planning could help to solve the large partments in setting up a European number of problems which are bound data network on the subject of metal­ to arise at each stage in the improve­ lurgy, in collaboration with the special­ ment of this world-wide network now ised documentation centres of the being set up. Europe will hold all the member countries. trump cards provided it manages to These two decisions reflect the create efficient methods of communica­ Council's desire to encourage the tion and systems, embodying as it does growth of a European regional net­ the majority of the principal difficulties work in order to coordinate efforts —linguistic problems, differences in in this field, as part of the world-wide approach, a diversity of equipment and network for the exchange of informa­ resources, and difficulties concerning tion. But why is this necessary, when the linking-up of information sources national data networks are being set which are a priori incompatible and JACQUES H. dOLIER is Deputy Director at the Centre of Documentation of the Centre National de la Recherche >^fe Scientifique, Paris, and Chairman of the 1DST Group. Ì On the other hand, the European Information System). At present, scru­ centre I DST ' must of necessity be the tiny of the various possible sources of "reference library" of, as well as for information is divided between the Europe. This term is used here in its member countries, but should the need modern sence and in the context de­ arise there is nothing to prevent col­ scribed above, it being a question not laboration with other bodies in order so much of storing entire documents to obtain some of this information as of employing automated equipment from them and hence to lighten the to set tip a vast compiling system by burden on the member countries. By means of which customers can be virtue of the cooperation thus achieved, referred immediately to the most appro­ the SDIM will play the part of priate specialised departments. Those a metallurgy reference library for virtually beyond control. Such will be who benefit from this indispensable Europe. the purpose of this joint planning body, work will be the information centres the creation of which has just been of the member countries, who, although However, the pursuit of information decided upon by the Council of they have themselves made only a is always closely linked with research Ministers. modest contribution, will consequently and these two activities become inex­ Just as they will not draw up have access to an unlimited flow of tricably intertwined the minute one standards, the European organisations information from the entire European gets onto the sector of observational do not seem to contemplate providing network. To this end, a pilot scheme science, where progress is based on the services directly to data users. A great has already been decided on and is exploitation and compilation of a long number of national bodies are better extremely well described in Mr Rol­ series of classified information and qualified to do this, are closer to the ling's article entitled "SD1M" (The data. In medicine, for example, customer and are frequently cheaper. CEC Metallurgical Documentation and Mrs Dusoulier and Mr Van Wesemael Apart from this, the word "service" demonstrate how documentation me­ inevitably implies invoicing and pay­ thods (such as indexing) can become ment and it is difficult to imagine how 1 Information et documentation scienti­ an important factor in the development this could be arranged in practice. fique et technique. of research, and how continuous com- munication is established between those producing and using published docu­ ments, medical files and biomedical data, since they are all working on the same basis. In this field, therefore, the European centre would indeed be the "reference library" for Europe, at the disposal of laboratories, hospitals and the multi- disciplinary and specialised information centres of the member countries. The scheme thus outlined could well con­ stitute one of the most efficient and original tools of biomedical research in Europe. Compared with these two pilot schemes, of which one has already been decided upon and the other has just been proposed, the subject of agricultural information is a more complex one, for, as Mr Buntrock development, for no government or specialised centres, if engineers are to explains, there are already 500 agri­ financing body will accept the idea of derive the maximum benefit from the cultural information services in the a deficit which increases as the service information systems, however adequate world, not one of which can claim to becomes more efficient and the clients they may otherwise be. keep the tabs on the relevant literature grow in number. Mr Bree's appeal for In conclusion, the Community's in a satisfactory manner, and it is in cash therefore reflects a real need for prime objective should be the coor­ this area more than any other that financial backing. Even on the Euro­ dination of policies and the harmonisa­ there are a great number of highly pean scale, where it will not be custo­ specific problems. If, therefore, it has mary to establish direct contact with tion of working methods so as to derive been chosen as a subject for collective users, a financial balance must be the maximum benefit from Europe's study, it is certainly not with the created between the participation of resotirces and make the most of them ultimate aim of creating a 501st in­ each member country and interested on a world-wide scale. The second aim formation service, but in order to centre and the benefits they will draw should be a sector-by-sector approach coordinate and strengthen the facilities from the network. In general, except to the creation of a homogenous net­ already existing in the member coun­ when the promotion of new projects is work to provide a genuine scientific involved, it is better to subsidise users tries, to add to them if necessary, and and technical data bank for Europe, at rather than the producers, since this thus to set up a "reference library" of the disposal of national bodies and leaves the former a greater range of and for Europe on this subject also. forming one of the basic elements of choice and encourages technical pro­ Of course, the possibility of collabo­ the world network as defined in the gress and the most rational and eco­ UN1S1ST scheme. All this will only ration with outside bodies or centres nomic management possible on the part be achieved with the aid of qualified cannot be ruled out here. In this field, of the producers. as in others, the best course might well staff having received a training which be to aim at pooling Europe's resources In the same way as national net­ is, if not common, at least coordinated, and then to study the way in which works, the European network of and this should be the third objective. they might be keyed into the world scientific and technical information The opening of the Common Market network.