Library News

Issue 10, July 1993

THE NATIONAL CJK PROJECT

CHINESE, JAPANESE AND KOREAN NATIONAL DATABASE

A national database of Chinese, Japanese and Korean (CJK) materials will be established by the National Library and seven university libraries, including Monash, as the result of an Australian Research Council "Mechanism C" grant. The ARC funding, over two years, will help to solve the problem of access to non-Romanised scripts in the three languages, by enabling researchers to access online information on CJK collections in libraries at the ANU, Griffith, Melbourne, Monash, Murdoch, Queensland and Sydney Universities and the National Library. In addition to nationwide automated cataloguing and retrieval in the CJK scripts, romanised information on authors, titles, subjects, etc. will be available. Materials in other Asian scripts, such as Thai and Vietnamese, will be added as the system develops. It is expected that the CJK system will be up and running in late 1994.

SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION CONFERENCE

This important conference, which was sponsored by the four Australian Academies - Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Technological Sciences and Engineering - was held in Canberra from 14-16 April 1993. Attendance was by invitation only. The Conference examined the global issues affecting scholarly communication worldwide, and more particularly the escalating costs of serial information, the impact of networked connectivity, the availability of electronic information and direct document supply services. The importance of the Conference lay in the fact that it received the imprimatur of the four Academies, and also that it brought together for the first time a number of concerned groups, viz. academics, librarians, information technologists, university and government administrators, publishers of books and serials, and suppliers.

KEY ISSUES OF THE SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION CONFERENCE

Some of the key issues discussed included the following:

Networks, originally designed for shared access to supercomputers, have developed into an important medium for scholarly communication. Scientists, in particular, use e-mail for ongoing discussions of research issues, exchange technical information (preprints, data,submission of proposals, discovery announcements) and international collaboration. In some specialised fields, for example physics, e-mail has become the preferred mode of scholarly exchange simply because print publications are too slow to convey information that is time sensitive.
Developments in computers and networks will make possible changes to publishing in the next decade. Some possible new forms of publishing include Print on demand publishing and Customised publishing. An example of the first relates to Elsevier's experimental TULIP Project, which is based on networked access of page images of journals in materials science. An example of the latter is McGraw-Hill's Primus project, which is an electronic database containing some 70,000 pages of textbooks in seventeen disciplines. The system will allow a customised book to be produced from various chapters of the textbooks in the database. It will recreate the contents page, repaginate the various chapters taken from different textbooks, print the book, and arrange for the book to be bound and forwarded to the user in the required number of copies. If required, the system will also allow the customised book to be delivered electronically to a licensed client for subsequent printing and binding.
Humanities scholars may not benefit as much from developments in information technology. While electronic information offers unprecedented opportunities for better instruction, better scholarly communication, and better access to resources for research, significant barriers stand between the current circumstances of the humanities scholar and the realistic possibility of exploiting these opportunities. This is largely due to the fact that much research funding is market driven, and consequently, humanities research is less well funded than research in the scientific fields. In the U.S.A. for example, it was pointed out the humanities have received less than 1% of the US$12 billion spent on research in the universities between 1949 and 1993. The same situation also prevails in Australia. Because wealth is not equitably distributed, the humanities scholars may face difficulty in making the capital investment necessary to use electronic data and information effectively.
As academic libraries begin to emphasise access over ownership, a worrying trend has developed. Recent studies have shown that libraries are making the same collection decisions, and as a result their collections are becoming more and more alike rather than unique and distinct. This has obvious implications for the implementation of the Distributed National Collection concept.
There are dangers in relying too heavily on information technology, because all technology is necessarily transient in nature. Equipment frequently becomes obsolete, and this may make some electronic information inaccessible over time. There is no doubt that the nature of libraries will change with these developments.However, it is difficult to predict the future shape of academic libraries. The more euphoric view is that academic libraries will be transformed or "reinvented in the electronic environment". A more realistic view sees the future of the academic library not merely as an electronic conduit, but also continuing as a traditional print-based collection. In short, the future is one where librarians have to grapple with the paradigm of the parallel library, i.e. libraries based on both electronic and print media. This is because for a long time to come paper publishing will not be superseded by electronic media. One major reason is that more than half the world's population still has no access to telephones, networks or computer equipment. Another is that only 1% of information is currently published in electronic form, 5% in microform, and 94% on paper. Nevertheless, it is important that the stakeholders must be involved in reassessing the traditional concept of academic libraries and in joining with librarians to develop a consensus about the appropriate role and mission of the academic library of the future.

E. Lim
University Librarian
18/5/93

LIBRARY IMPACT STATEMENTS

ALL NEW SUBJECTS/COURSES NOW REQUIRE LIBRARY IMPACT STATEMENTS

Since 1992 Academic Board has required that every new course, subject, centre, etc., proposed for its consideration should be accompanied by a statement indicating the likely impact on the Library. This statement, which must be signed by both the Department's representative and the relevant Branch Librarian, attempts to estimate what new demands may be placed on the Library in terms of provision of resources and services. In the past these statements were required only when new degrees, diplomas or centres were established.

The primary purpose of Library Impact Statements is to formally state what impact the proposed new course will have on Library resources and services.

The form in which the statement is made has been revised by the Committee of Deans and has the approval of Academic Board and the General Library Committee. Academic Staff contemplating new course developments, new subjects, or extending courses currently available on one campus to another campus, should contact the relevant Subject or Branch Librarians serving your Department.

The Librarian will try to estimate likely costs in consultation with the course proposer. Branch and Subject Librarians will require at least one week to prepare these statements. Library Impact Statements serve to provide the academic community with information on how their Library service may be affected by their decisions and help the Library to meet their needs more effectively.

For further information, contact your Branch Librarian.

MONINFO

The Monash Information Service (MONINFO) - the University Library's commercial arm - was launched in July 1990. Nearly three years after its launch, the fee-based information service has surpassed its projected business levels, becoming the most active university-based information service in Australia. MONINFO provides access to all major database services, market research, borrowing rights to the University Library, document provision from a world-wide network, and industry and product overviews.

Information searches are its most frequent task. The MONINFO Manager, Mr. Leigh Oldmeadow said that "It is not unusual for a business to contact us and request an information search by the next day." He stressed that it is not always possible to satisfy every request, but adds that if his organisation can't source it nobody can.

MONINFO has already established an impressive list of high profile clients who have requested information including:

market size of a particular product;
market share figures for major products;
advertising expenditure for individual products;
sales patterns;
evaluations on public relations activities in print media;
guidelines for companies looking to expand their operations off shore

Costs are calculated on a per hour consultancy charge. Inquiries can be made by contacting Leigh Oldmeadow, MONINFO, on ext. 75 2690.

NIKKEI TELECOM DATABASE

The Nikkei Telecom Database provides a wealth of statistical, graphical and textual information in English on Japan and other economies in Southeast Asia. Information available includes:

Detailed corporate profiles of Japanese and selected Asian companies.
Stock market indices - Japanese and leading Asian exchanges, commodities and industrial production indices, money market rates for - bonds, foreign exchange, interest rates.
Major international trade and economic indicators for Japan and its key trading partners
Full text of several major Japanese and Asian newspapers for the last 5-10 years e.g. Japan Economic Daily, Tokyo Financial Times, Far Eastern Economic Review.

Who can use the Nikkei Telecom Database?

All Monash University Academic Staff and Postgraduate students may use the service initially via their subject librarians. The international telecommunications cost of $35 per hour (or prorata, depending on search time taken) for online searches may be paid individually or charged to departmental funds. Ask for a Library Online Search Form to initiate your search. Searches should be for purposes of research or teaching at Monash University. Users who have gained a level of searching proficiency over a period of time by working with their subject librarian may wish to search the Nikkei Database themselves. Telecommunication costs will still be charged individually or to departments with the appropriate authorisation.

Contact the following subject librarians - Clayton or Caulfield - about a search on the Nikkei Telecom database or for more information.

Contact at Clayton:
Dennis Kishere     565 2658    Helen Soemardjo    565 2658
Gayle Whyte        565 2654    Grace Giannini     565 5472
Gerry Mackenzie    565 5293    Judy Hopley        565 2317

Contact at Caulfield :

David Horne        573 2441    Anna Ryan          573 2441

RESEARCH GRANTS

Each year Faculty Staff apply for Research Grants. The University Library encourages staff to earmark (on their research grant application) funds which may be required for library research or Interlibrary Loan of books and/or articles required as part of the research project. Further, we would encourage successful applicants, at their discretion, to talk with their Branch Librarian regarding library materials which would assist in their research and in the long term also benefit the University Library.

The University Library has for a number of years received Research Infrastructure Funds which are distributed among the Branch Libraries by a formula which takes into account ARC, NH&MRC and other Commonwealth competitive grants.

LAW LIBRARIAN APPOINTED

Nicholas Pengelley has been appointed to the position of Law Librarian at Monash University Library.

Mr Pengelley has a B.A. (Library Studies) from the University of South Australia and has recently completed his legal studies through the Supreme Court of New South Wales and been admitted to the Bar. He began his career in 1979 in the Legal Services Commission of South Australia initially as a supervisor, Records Management Section, and subsequently as Librarian. Between 1987-1990, he held the position of Senior Reference Librarian at the High Court of Australia, and became Director, Information Services Network, Australian Taxation Office in 1990.

Mr Pengelley has also been very much involved with the activities of various associations of law librarians. He was a founding member of the South Australian Law Librarians' Group, and editor of the S.A. Law Librarians' Group Newsletter, as well as participant and organiser of law librarians' conferences. He has a number of publications to his credit.