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The Public Libraries Are Well on Their Way to Becoming Integrated Into the World of Information Technology

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The Public Libraries Are Well on Their Way to Becoming Integrated Into the World of Information Technology ISSN 1018-5593 1997 E- ω e-of-the-art of information nologies in libraries in the LJ o rdic countries en E- < PC α PL, Ui ω PC < PC PQ European Commission EUR 17476 EN 1997 ι State-of-the-art of information >< technologies in libraries in the u Nordic countries o en < PC o PH ω en ω PC < PC pq Author: ΠΟΙίΡΙΠΡΟ European Commission/ DG XIII-E4 EUR 17476 EN Published by the EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General XIII Telecommunications, Information Market and Exploitation of Research L-2920 Luxembourg LEGAL NOTICE Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int) Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1997 ISBN 92-827-8727-3 © European Communities, 1997 Reproduction is authorized, except for commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged Printed in Belgium Printed on white chlorine-free paper Preface In 1995, the Unit of Electronic Publishing and Libraries under the Directorate- General DG XED7E commissioned a "state-of-the-art" study of information technologies in libraries in the Nordic countries. The study was carried out under EC-contract PROLIB/NORDIC 10288 by the five countries in collaboration with NORDINFO, the Nordic Council for Scientific Information. NORDINFO is an institution under the Nordic Council of Ministers. The purpose of the study was to provide an overview of the situation in the mid-1990s and recent developments regarding information technologies in libraries in the Nordic countries. The Nordic countries include Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Research libraries, public libraries as well as school libraries were included in the study in order to provide a comprehensive view of the situation in each country. This report consists of five survey reports, each prepared by an author representing one of the Nordic countries, a summary where some of the survey results are described and compared, and an overview of Nordic cooperation initiatives concerning information technologies in libraries. The summary and overview were prepared by NORDINFO. We hope that this report will provide interested parties with useful background information about the IT-situation in libraries in the Nordic countries. Although some of the data gathered for this report may soon be out of date because of the rapid changes in the field of information technology, we believe that this volume will provide a unique profile of a very exciting time in the development of information technologies in libraries. Esbo, September 1996 Ylva Lindholm-Romantschuk Secretary General NORDINFO, The Nordic Council for Scientific Information Table of Contents Part A State-of-the-Art of Information Technologies in Nordic Libraries Part Β State-of-the-Art of Information Technologies in Danish Libraries Part C State-of-the-Art of Information Technologies in Finnish Libraries Part D State-of-the-Art of Information Technologies in Icelandic Libraries Part E State-of-the-Art of Information Technologies in Norwegian Libraries Part F State-of-the-Art of Information Technologies in Swedish Libraries Part A State-of-the-Art of Information Technologies in Nordic Libraries Ylva Lindholm-Romantschuk NORDINFO Secretary General Espoo 1996 Part A State-of-the-Art of Information Technologies in Nordic Libraries Table of Contents 1 Backgn>un d ot the study 2 Overall summary on the Nordic level 1 2.1 Background 1 2.2 Survey results 2 2.2.1 Libraries and IT 2 2.2.2 Automated library systems 3 2.2.3 National coordinated library systems 4 2.2.4 Document ordering and delivery 4 2.2.5 Access to online databases 5 2.2.6 Online databases: charging policies 5 2.2.7 CD-ROM 6 2.2.8. Access to the Internet 6 2.2.9 Use of the Internet 7 2.2.10 Nordic libraries in the national information policies 8 3 Overview of Nordic IT cooperation in libraries 9 3.1 The Nordic Council of Ministers 9 3.1.1 The Nordic School Data Network - ODIN 9 3.1.2 IDUN - Information Technology and Computer Pedagogy in Education 14 3.1.3 The Scandinavian Book House Project 15 3.1.4 NORDBmiT 17 3.2 NORDINFO 17 3.2.1 Completed projects 18 3.2.2 Nordic Centres of Excellence 22 3.2.3 NORDGUIDE 27 3.3. NORDUnet 27 List of tables Table 1 Survey questionnaire: distribution and responses Table 2 Local library systems: the three most commonly used by type of library 4 Table 3 National coordinated library systems 5 Table 4 Electronic document ordering and delivery systems 5 Table 5 Access to online databases 6 Table 6 Online databases - charging policies 6 Table 7 Access to CD-ROM 6 Table 8 Access to the Internet 7 Table 9 Use by staff and users in libraries with access 7 Appendices Appendix 1 Map of Nordic network connectivity Appendix 2 Questionnaire form in English 1 Background of the study In 1995, the Directorate General DG ΧΙΠ/Ε/4 of the European Commission in Luxembourg commissioned a "State-of-the-Art Study" of information technologies in libraries in the five Nordic countries. The Nordic countries include the two new EU member countries Finland and Sweden, Denmark, which has been a member of the EU for more than twenty years, and the two non-member countries Iceland and Norway. The purpose of the study was to provide an overview of the situation in the mid-1990s regarding information technologies in libraries in the five Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The study in its present form consists of five survey reports, prepared by five authors representing each of the Nordic countries, a summary where some of the survey results are described, and an overview of Nordic cooperation initiatives concerning information technologies in libraries, prepared by NORDINFO, the Nordic Council for Scientific Information. The study was commissioned by the European Commission DG ΧΙΠ and carried out under contract with the EC by the five countries in collaboration with NORDINFO. A Nordic working group planned the survey. The group met in 1995 in order to prepare the survey and standardise the survey questionannaire. The questionnaire was then translated into the five languages concerned. The individual country surveys, including data collection and analysis, as well as the preparation of the reports, were carried out separately by five authors in the autumn of 1995. Each country report explains in more detail the procedures for data collection and analysis. The group of authors met again in order to compare notes and streamline their respective reports. Drafts were submitted and commented upon during the spring of 1996, and the final country reports were submitted in May/June of 1996 to NORDINFO, where the summary and the Nordic overview were produced. 2 Overall summary on the Nordic level 2.1 Background This summary will provide a brief overview of the results of the Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish surveys of the state-of-the-art of information technologies in libraries. Although the five Nordic countries are similar in may ways, and have a long common history that is reflected in, for instance, many shared political and cultural values, there are also noticeable differences among them. These similarities and differences are reflected on many levels, and the individual country reports that represent the bulk of this report give an indication of the wide range of policies, approaches, and solutions that form the background for the IT development in the libraries in the Nordic countries. The total population of the Nordic countries is about 23 million, but the individual countries vary in size, from Iceland's 265,000 people to Sweden's nine million, with Denmark and Finland each representing a population of about five million, and Norway about four and a half million people. The study and the five individual reports are based on questionnaire surveys carried out in the five Nordic countries in 1995, as well as on a range of additional information A-l The study and the five individual reports are based on questionnaire surveys carried out in the five Nordic countries in 1995, as well as on a range of additional information sources ranging from official statistics to books, articles, and reports. Although the working group tried to ensure that the same kind of data were collected and used in the survey it did not entirely succeed. The definitions vary somewhat in each country report as to scope and interpretation. The tables in this summary are therefore only indicative and should be treated as such. We refer the reader to the country reports for a more complete picture of the situation in the countries concerned. The survey covers the whole library sector, that is, research libraries, public libraries and school libraries. The definitions of research libraries vary from country to country, and again, the reader is referred to the individual country reports for further elaboration and explanation of these issues. School libraries represent a special problem when it comes to data collection. Statistics on school libraries are not collected regularly and systematically in all the five countries, and information gathering through questionnaires is not feasible due to the large number of schools. In most cases the information on school libraries is based on earlier surveys, apart from Iceland, where an additional telephone interview was carried out in selected regions. 2.2 Survey results As indicated by Table 1, there is some variation among the countries studied as to the sample of libraries that were surveyed, as well as in response rates achieved.
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