Issues In Science and Technology Librarianship 008 (December 1993) URL = ftp://ftp.lib.ncsu.edu/pub/stacks/sts/sts-008 ------------->> ---------- ---- -- ##### ####### ##### - # # # - # # # S - ##### # ##### T ELECTRONIC - # # # S COMMUNICATIONS -- # # # ---- ##### # ##### --------- ----------------------->> ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LIBRARIANSHIP December 1993 NUMBER 8 _____________________________________________________________________ ALA ACRL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SECTION _____________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS: FROM THE EDITOR: LINES 71-106 STS ANNOUNCEMENTS: PUBLISHER/VENDOR RELATIONS COMMITTEE: LINES 107-147 CALL FOR SCI/TECH ABSTRACTS: LINES 148-175 STS GENERAL DISCUSSION GROUP MEETING FEBRUARY 6, 1994: LINES 176-187 COLLEGE SCIENCE LIBRARIANS DISCUSSION GROUP ALA 1993 SUMMER MEETING: LINES 188-217 ANNOUNCEMENTS: BIBLIOGRAPHIC GUIDE ON THE HISTORY OF WOMEN AND SCIENCE: LINES 218-255 FREE COMPUTER EQUIPMENT: LINES 256-302 MICROCOMPUTER ABSTRACTS ADDED TO FIRSTSEARCH, EPIC: LINES 303-355 INSPEC DATABASE TO BE AVAILABLE ON FIRSTSEARCH AND EPIC: LINES 356-394 OCLC AND IDI TO DEVELOP ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING SYSTEM FOR ACM:LINES 395-482 RETHINKING REFERENCE PROCEEDINGS AND AUDIO TAPES: LINES 483-515 REPORT FROM THE IFLA STANDING COMMITTEE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LIBRARIES BY MARTY KESSELMAN, ALA DELEGATE TO THE COMMITTEE, HEAD OF REFERENCE AND INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY LIBRARY OF SCIENCE AND MEDICINE: LINES 516-601 37TH ANNUAL MILITARY LIBRARIANS WORKSHOP BY JUDY C. NEFF, PRESIDENT, RIO GRANDE SLA CHAPTER, TECHNICAL INFORMATION SPECIALIST, SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO: LINES 602-661 LATIN AMERICA THE EMERGING INFORMATION POWER: SLA STATE OF THE ART INSTITUTE BY DAVID BLOCK, IBERO-AMERICAN BIBLIOGRAPHER, 504 OLIN LIBRARY, CORNELL UNIVERSITY, ITHACA, NEW YORK: LINES 662-911 BIBLIOGRAPHY: LATIN AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION ISSUES BY VILMA LOPEZ CORREIA: LINES 912-1008 NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTIONS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN PREPARED BY BENITA WEBER VASSALLO: LINES 1009-1116 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FROM THE EDITOR The STS Announcements are revised and/or updated information which appeared in the most recent STS Signal Newsletter that went out this fall. David Block's article on the SLA State Of The Art Insitute first appeared on LALA-L: Latin Americanist Librarian's Announcement List. With the author's permission and because LALA-L goes to a limited number of people, I have included it in this issue of ISTL along with duplication of two handouts of particular interest to science and technology librarians. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has produced a report titled "Science and Technology in the Americas: Perspectives on Pan American Collaboration." "The report addresses the impediments to science and technology development in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as countervailing sources of optimism to be found in the emergence of world-class research centers in certain countries, increased interest by governments in supporting science, and the economic opening of the region. In recommendations printed in English, Portugese, and Spanish, the report calls for greater involvement of scientists in guiding official science policy and points to possibilities for international cooperation to strengthen communications, education and public awareness, and financing of science. The report will be the basis for a new Western Hemisphere Initiative guided by an international steering committee based in Washington. The conference and report were supported by the National Science Foundation, the Organization of American States, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science." A free copy of this report may be obtained from: JSTAN@AAAS.ORG (Jeff Stann) HTHOMAS@AAAS.ORG (Helen Thomas) Harry LLull University of New Mexico ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PUBLISHER/VENDOR RELATIONS COMMITTEE The Publisher Relations Committee came under new leadership in 1991 and was given a new focus. The charge to the renamed Publisher/Vendor Relations Committee (PVRC) is to facilitate the multi-directional exchange of information among science and technology publishers, vendors and librarians. Several strategies were employed to help the committee fulfill its assignment. The first task was to identify science and technology publishers and vendors. Then, informational letters were sent to individual representatives who were invited to attend the next PVRC meeting. Extended visits to the Exhibits Hall at the ALA meetings identified many additional individuals who seemed pleased to learn about STS and PVRC. Most recently, in preparation for the New Orleans meeting, telephone calls were made to publishers and vendors who had never attended a PVRC meeting. Thus, more individuals were identified who then received introduction letters and invitations to the PVRC meeting. A name/title/address database has been created to assist in communicating with current and future attendees. Some of the ongoing topics discussed during the past year include: changing economic realities affecting all three groups; increasing subscription prices and weakened library budgets; future publishing in CD-ROM format; electronic journals and other emerging technologies; document delivery issues; access vs. ownership; licensing and copyright issues; dual pricing strategies for hardcover vs. paperback editions; possible subscription to and use of ISTL by publishers and vendors; and the possibility of internships with vendors and publishers for PVRC and other STS members. As a measure of the success of PVRC, the meeting in New Orleans set a fourth straight attendance record (35 attendees). Once again, publishers and vendors outnumbered librarians. Information provided by Michael Fineman Reported by Mary Markland ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CALL FOR SCI/TECH ABSTRACTS Science and technology librarians -- take advantage of this opportunity to present your preliminary original research results or ALA committee findings by submitting an abstract to the Forum for Science and Technology Library Research. The Forum Committee invites abstracts describing recent research or work in progress of interest to science and/or technology librarians. Task Force members will select individuals to present reports of their research at the 1994 ALA Annual Conference in Miami. Proposals will be judged on the basis of timeliness, evidence of scholarship in methodology, and relevance to science and technology librarianship. Proposals should be limited to one page and should contain an abstract of not more than 250 words, as well as the researcher's name, institution, phone number and e-mail address (when available). The deadline for submission is January 1, 1994. Papers will be selected at ALA Midwinter 1994. Send abstracts to: Kathy Whitley, Lupton Library, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN 37403-2598, or KWHITLEY@UTCVM.UTC.EDU. For more information, she can be reached at 615-755-4510. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ STS GENERAL DISCUSSION GROUP For Midwinter, the STS General Discussion Group is collaborating with LITA's GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Discussion Group, and will meet on Sunday, February 6, from 8:30-11:00 AM. Leading the discussion will be Pru Adler, ARL; Brent Alison, U. of Minnesota; Mary Laarsgard, U. of CA-Santa Barbara; Melissa Lamont, U. of Conn. The discussion is designed to be appropriate for novices as well as for those experienced in the use of GIS's. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- COLLEGE SCIENCE LIBRARIANS DISCUSSION GROUP--ALA 1993 SUMMER MEETING The topic for the College Science Librarians Discussion Group was "Group Therapy for Problems Facing Science Librarians." Although we considered several thorny problems during this session, most of the group therapy" was centered around CHEMICAL ABSTRACTS SERVICES products and services. Concerns included: 1) Designing a program for teaching STN End-User Searching to Chemistry majors 2) Challenges of team-teaching with faculty members 3) Using DIALOG ClassMate to teach C.A. searching 4)Finding instructional materials for teaching end-user searching 5)Going after foundation grants to fund database trainers, workshops, online time, etc. 6)Seeking departmental funding to help pay for the collective index 7) Encouraging faculty searching in their own office/department 8)Making hard decisions about cancelling the print CA, not ordering collective index, cancelling journal subscriptions, and 9) Sharing concerns about the problematic C.A. CD-ROM product. Other concerns not related to C.A. included the escalation of document delivery requests due to journal cancellations and the deplorable quality of CD-ROM products in the sciences. Most college science librarians are still doing mentored searching for faculty in the sciences. Most of us are not happy with the FirstSearch products in the sciences. The interchange of problems and ideas was quite helpful, and we hope to do more in the way of group support at future conferences and by electronic mail. Robin Raquet Trinity University San Antonio, Texas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BIBLIOGRAPHIC GUIDE ON THE HISTORY OF WOMEN AND SCIENCE The Women's Studies Librarian of the University of Wisconsin System is pleased to announce the publication of the updated and substantially expanded second edition of THE HISTORY OF WOMEN AND SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND TECHNOLOGY: A BIBLIOGRAPHIC GUIDE TO THE PROFESSIONS AND THE DISCIPLINES, edited by Phyllis Holman Weisbard and Rima D. Apple. Partially annotated, the 108-page, double-columned new edition has over 2,500 citations arranged by subject and indexed by author. The bibliography is organized into six sections. "Overviews" includes practical articles and books aimed at the teacher, reference sources, multi- disciplinary works, traditional "scientific" views of women, and feminist critiques. "Women in the Scientific Professions" is divided by the branches of the sciences: astronomy, chemistry, geology, mathematics, natural sciences, and physics. "Health and Biology" covers general works on women and health, women in the health professions (physicians, dentists, nurses, midwives, medical researchers, pharmicists, and others), and health care issues. Sections on "Home Economics/Domestic Science," "Technology," and "Books for Older Children and Young Adults" complete the coverage. The project received gifts from several professional organizations, foundations, and a private individual to make possible an initial FREE distribution to interested scholars, educators, and libraries. Single print copies are available while supplies last from the Women's Studies Librarian, University of Wisconsin System, 430 Memorial Library, 728 State Stret, Madison, WI 53706; email: WISWSL@MACC.WISC.EDU. Please include your FULL MAILING ADDRESS in your request. The bibliography can also be requested as (many) electronic files sent to an email address (file conversion in progress). If you made a request for a copy of the bibliography from a pre-publication announcement, you do not need to request it again. Phyllis Holman Weisbard Acting Women's Studies Librarian University of Wisconsin System _______________________________________________________________________________ This is a Federal Information Exchange E-mail F R E E C O M P U T E R E Q U I P M E N T ============================================= FREE NEW OR USED COMPUTER EQUIPMENT for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Institutions (MI) is available from the Department of Defense HBCU/MI Automation Resources Program. >>> Over 90,000 computer-related items each year! <<< --------------------------------------------- FEDIX, a free on-line database, enables you to quickly and easily locate needed computer items for your school. The database is updated twice weekly with over 800 items added with each update. Examples of available equipment: Calculators Facsimile Machines Mouse Peripherals Copiers Keyboards IBM Compatible PCs CPUs and Memory MacIntosh Computers Laser and Dot Matrix Printers Disk Drives Modems Scanners External Drives Monitors Software To search the database for computer items, connect to FEDIX by modem or the Internet: Dataline #: (800) 783-3349 -or- (301) 258-0953 Modem setup: 8-N-1 Internet: telnet or gopher to fedix.fie.com Helpline (voice): (301) 975-0103 [Once connected, enter user information and a self-assigned password; at the first menu select "1-FEDIX"; at the subsequent menu select "2-Minority Program Information"; then choose "7-Equipment" at the next menu.] For more information and to reserve equipment items found on FEDIX contact: Mervyn A. Jones, Jr. or Crystal Gayles Defense Automation Resources Information Center (DARIC) 6301 Little River Tnpk., Suite 200 Alexandria, VA 22312-3508 Phone: (703) 274-0788 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: Nita Dean (614) 761-5002 MICROCOMPUTER ABSTRACTS ADDED TO FIRSTSEARCH, EPIC DUBLIN, Ohio, Oct. 18, 1993--Microcomputer Abstracts, the oldest and largest online database with a focus on personal computers, is now available on The FirstSearch Catalog and the EPIC service, OCLC online reference services. Microcomputer Abstracts, published by Learned Information Inc., covers the use of microcomputers in education, business, industry, and the home. Citations include 50- to 150-word abstracts of news and feature articles, columns, programs, product announcements, and product reviews of software, hardware, and books, from over 75 of the most important and widely read microcomputer publications. "It's a very comprehensive database with excellent abstracts," said Tam Dalrymple, OCLC reference services. "Microcomputer Abstracts will appeal to anyone who has contact with or an interest in microcomputers." Microcomputer Abstracts is available on The FirstSearch Catalog by subscription--with prices ranging from $700 for one to five log-ons, to $1,300 for 16 to 20 log-ons (U.S. prices). Access is also available on a per-search pricing basis. On EPIC, users may access the Microcomputer Abstracts database for $50 per connect hour, and 75 cents for each full record viewed. Holdings information is attached to records located in both FirstSearch and EPIC. There are now 40 databases available on The FirstSearch Catalog, and 42 on the EPIC service. The FirstSearch Catalog is designed for library patrons, with an end-user interface that allows patrons to move easily through the online search process in just a few simple steps, without training or online searching experience. EPIC, a full-featured online reference system that provides subject access, and keyword and Boolean searching to a variety of databases, is used mostly by librarians and experienced searchers. OCLC is a nonprofit computer library service and research organization whose computer network and services link more than 17,000 libraries in 52 countries and territories. (RM) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: Michele Day, IEE (908) 562-5556 Tam Dalrymple, OCLC, (614) 761-5054 Nita Dean, OCLC (614) 761-5002 INSPEC DATABASE TO BE AVAILABLE ON FIRSTSEARCH AND EPIC DUBLIN, Ohio, Nov. 2, 1993--INSPEC, one of the world's leading databases for scientific and technical researchers, will be available on OCLC's FirstSearch Catalog and EPIC service beginning in mid-November. The INSPEC Database, produced by the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), is the world's largest and most comprehensive source of published reference literature in physics, electrical and control engineering, electronics, and computing. Coverage on both FirstSearch and EPIC will be from 1987 and includes some 2 million citations. The files will be updated weekly. The availability of INSPEC on FirstSearch (on a per-search basis) and EPIC brings to three the number of IEE products available through OCLC. In addition to INSPEC on FirstSearch and EPIC, Electronics Letters, IEE's prestigious biweekly journal of international electronics research, will be available in electronic form through OCLC's Electronic Journals Online beginning mid-November. The Institution of Electrical Engineers is the largest professional engineering society in Europe and has worldwide membership of over 130,000. It covers every aspect of electrical and manufacturing engineering from power generation to software engineering, medical electronics, and satellite communications. In addition to its database products, IEE also publishes journals, books, and conferences in the various disciplines encompassed by its membership. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: Nita Dean, OCLC (614) 761-5002 Janet Nunn, IDI (614) 761-7262 OCLC AND IDI TO DEVELOP ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING SYSTEM FOR ACM DUBLIN, Ohio, Oct. 21, 1993--OCLC and its subsidiary, Information Dimensions, Inc. (IDI), have been selected to develop an electronic publishing system for ACM (the Association for Computing Machinery). The OCLC/IDI in-house electronic publishing system will integrate the various ACM publishing functions into a unified, automated system that will encompass the writing, editing, composition, production, archiving, and, eventually, distribution of documents and publications. ACM publishes an estimated 40,000 pages per year, including books, journals, conference proceedings, and internal publications. "High-quality print journals, magazines, and books will continue to play an important role in ACM's distribution of leading-edge thinking and knowledge about information technology," said Joseph S. DeBlasi, ACM executive director. "But having it all in electronic form will make everything more widely and readily available in a timely, selective, and even interactive manner. We believe an electronic publishing system will be especially important to ACM membership and to the association's future, maintaining as it will our position on the forefront of major developments in the field of information technology." K. Wayne Smith, president and chief executive officer, OCLC, stated: "This is an important project. It combines the strength of ACM's publishing program with OCLC/IDI's innovative approaches in electronic publishing. It underscores OCLC/IDI's commitment to add new, electronic dimensions to a publisher's existing program that will make it not only timely, but cost-effective and user-friendly." The OCLC/IDI approach will be based on open systems architecture, which will let ACM upgrade modules cost-effectively as technology advances. The approach will use Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML); BASISplus, IDI's document database management system; and BASIS SGMLserver, IDI's new storage manager built to accept, query, retrieve, and manipulate SGML document components as separate objects. Using the new system, ACM editors will be able to receive documents from contributors in a variety of word-processing formats and enter them electronically into a working database where they can be edited, transmitted for review, and processed for composition and printing. The system will also enable the search of stored documents and the collection of documents on selected subjects. For example, a search on "parallel processing" could retrieve three chapters and four sections from seven different documents, which the system would then combine into a new document on parallel processing. The ACM system will be completed in 12 to 18 months. The ACM electronic publishing system will combine OCLC's experience with electronic publishing and user interfaces that can be operated without training, and IDI's database management systems that have been used in many different document management applications. IDI's BASISplus software is consistently rated the fastest, largest, most dependable, and most cost-effective document-database engine on the market. OCLC is the distributor of the _Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials_, under a joint venture with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This fall OCLC is introducing the _Online Journal of Knowledge Synthesis for Nursing_ with Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing, and an electronic version of _Electronics Letters_ with the Institution of Electrical Engineers. OCLC has also produced easy-to-use interfaces for The FirstSearch Catalog, an online reference service for library patrons, and DiscLit, a full-text database with bibliographic citations designed for literature students. ACM, founded in 1947, is the oldest and largest not-for-profit educational and scientific computer organization in the world. The association has upwards of 80,000 members internationally. ACM publishes refereed periodicals, newsletters, conference proceedings, books, and reference publications, including _Computing Reviews_, the _ACM Guide to Computing Literature_, and _The Graduate Assistantship Directory_. IDI is an international software company specializing in information management technology. Its software products are installed at over 2,200 sites worldwide. OCLC acquired IDI earlier this year. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- RETHINKING REFERENCE PROCEEDINGS AND AUDIO TAPES Title: Rethinking Reference in Academic Libraries: The Proceedings and Process of Library Solutions Institute #2 University of California at Berkeley/March 12-14, 1993 and Duke University, Durham, North Carolina/June 4-6, 1993 Edited by Anne Lipow Institute facilitator: Lou Wetherbee Berkeley, CA:Library Solutions Press, 1993 258 pages. ISBN 1-882208-02-1. Price: $32.00 Order from: Library Solutions Press Sales Office 1100 Industrial Road, Suite 9 San Carlos, CA 94070 Fax orders: (415) 594-0411 Phone Inquiries: (510) 841-2636 Part 1 is the proceedings and part 2 is the process. The process section is intended to be a guide to others who wish to organize rethinking sessions. Rethinking Reference: Audio Tapes Formal presentations at the Berkeley Institute including discussions following each speaker. Also includes printed copies of 2 speakers' overhead transparencies, and the Berkeley program agenda. Tapes are made on demand. Allow 4-6 weeks for non-rush delivery. 4 tapes, 8sides, 45 min. ea. Price: $34 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- REPORT FROM THE IFLA STANDING COMMITTEE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LIBRARIES By Marty Kesselman, ALA Delegate to the Committee, Head of Reference and Instructional Services, Rutgers University Library of Science and Medicine. kesselman@zodia.rutgers.edu Well, in the three years I have been involved in IFLA I have been through a coup in Moscow, Dehli Belly (similar to MontezumaUs Revenge) in New Dehli, and almost getting pickpocketed in Barcelona (there were numerous incidents at this conference). It certainly has been exciting and I wonder what Havana, Cuba has in store for this coming summer!! But, aside from these obstacles, IFLA has been extremely rewarding for me as I continue to make many international contacts and am glad to be part of this global community of librarians. The Standing Committee on Science and Technology Libraries was formed in 1978 and brings together interests from national libraries, university libraries, public libraries, corporate libraries, and government research libraries around the world. The committee also provides a close liaison with the board of IATUL, the International Association of Technological University Libraries. The major focus and activities of the committee are the following: *To analyze new challenges which libraries in the sciences and technology are facing and to prepare and implement appropriate proposals. *To act as an international forum for raising the profile of science and technology libraries and their contribution to the global economy. *To improve cooperation between scientific and technical libraries and information specialists around the world. *To press for standards to facilitate global scientific communication. *To promote communication between the developed world and the developing world on questions of scientific and technical library organization and services. *To provide for discussion of topics of interest to members at the Section's annual sessions. In Barcelona the section sponsored a program on providing scientific information to the general public. Suzanne Ward of Purdue University spoke on their Technical Information Service which provides fee-based information services to the business community. Francis Agostini of the Museum of Science and Industry in Paris spoke on how their library helps with the popularization of science. In Barcelona, the committee also sponsored a half day workshop on the topic "Charging for Science and Technology Information: Does it Help or Hinder Access." The workshop was organized and co-moderated by myself and Julia Gelfand at the University of California at Irvine. Presentations included several on fee-based services by Sinikka Koskiala of the Helsinki University of Technology, Sjoard Koopman of RAPDOC/PICA in the Netherlands, and Manuella Vazquez of CINDOC in Spain. Other presentations included those by Andreii Zemskov and Elena Eronina of the State Public Library for Science and Technology in Moscow on the change from socialism to fee-based democracy, by Julia Gelfand who provided a collection development point of view, and Subbiah Aranachalam from the Central Electrochemical Research Institute in India on the effects on developing countries. The section has two ongoing projects. The first is a world survey of the availability of theses in science and technology. The survey which covers 24 countries is currently being edited and will be published as an IFLA Professional Report. The other project involves the investigation of the use of satellite communication channels for electronic data transfer of scientific information in developing countries. Such a system would involve the marine international satellite system and personal communication devices to get access to the Internet. A basic kit could sell for less than $50 which would include a portable unit and printer. At the present time Dennis Shaw, of Oxford University who has been investigating this for the committee, is developing a proposal to UNESCO to fund a small conference on this topic. The current officers of the section are Nancy Anderson, Math Librarian at the University of Illinois as Chair and Sinikka Koskiala, Director of the Helsinki Univeristy of Technology as Secretary. The theme for the section's program for the 1994 IFLA Conference in Havana will be on social barriers to the access of scientific and technical information, including linguistic barriers, literacy barriers, economic barriers, censorship, and privitization. For the 1995 conference in Istanbul, the committee is planning a program on the future of the scientific journal. For more information on the Havana Conference and registration materials, write to IFLA Headquarters, POB 95312, 2509 CH The Hague, Netherlands. Telephone: +31-70-3140884. Fax: +31-70-3834827. If I can provide any further information on the committeeUs activities, please feel free to contact me via email at kesselman@zodiac.rutgers.edu. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 37th ANNUAL MILITARY LIBRARIANS WORKSHOP By Judy C. Neff, President, Rio Grande SLA Chapter Technical Information Specialist, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico On the snowy morning of November 16th, 183 MLW participants were given a warm welcome to their 37th annual workshop which was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Old Town Sheraton Hotel. Representatives from the Governor's office, Phillips Laboratory, and the Albuquerque City Council spoke, as well as the Kirtland Air Force Base Commander, Colonel Edward S. Tooley. To the delight of the audience, he recounted some of his experiences as a frequent library user and praised the efforts of all special librarians! Paul Mosher, Vice Provost and Director of Libraries at the University of Pennsylvania, warned librarians to beware of "technophoria" and "information overload anxiety." He stated that emerging technologies will not save costs, but rather help manage costs. Jose-Marie Griffiths, an award-winning lecturer, presented a comparison of U.S. and Eastern European libraries and library science educational systems. She strongly advocated the development of undergraduate degree programs in information science, and a "Baskin Robbins approach" to curriculum planning. Library schools can then build upon their strengths and offer specialized tracks. Jose-Marie is the Dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science and Director of the Center of Information Studies at the University of Tennessee. Sessions also offered attendees information on Federal Library Contracting and the Virtual Library. Joseph Price, Chief of the Science and Technology Division at the Library of Congress, and acting Executive Director of FLICC, commented that the FEDLINK had saved the government over 12 million dollars and was providing Internet training so that the Library of Congress can be easily accessed by FEDLINK members. Marjorie Hlava of Access Innovations (Albuquerque) presented her experiences in the development of a CD-ROM citation database of Russian scientific information. Because of the tremendous amount of change in the former Soviet Union, difficulties arose trying to establish contacts for access to the information. Access Innovations is the first company in the world to provide such a unique package of Russian science and technology literature. A panel discussion was presented on the Library Services Alliance of New Mexico. Member libraries are trying to establish cooperative efforts for collection development/management and interlibrary loan procedures. Other discussions among the workshop attendees centered on two of the key issues facing many military librarians, budget restraints and job classifications. The meeting provided an opportunity for networking on these issues and sharing ways to exchange information and resources. In its 37 year history, this was the first time that the MLW had been co-hosted with any group other than another military organization. The Rio Grande Chapter of SLA had the opportunity to help plan, facilitate, and participate in the workshop activities. Programs were designed to incorporate broader interests than just military agendas. The cooperative effort demonstrated a highly successful means by which to continue effective programming in times of shrinking budgets and staffs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LATIN AMERICA THE EMERGING INFORMATION POWER: SLA STATE OF THE ART INSTITUTE By David Block, Ibero-American Bibliographer, 504 Olin Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. I had never attended a meeting where all meals were furnished, but then I had never paid a $475 registration, either. The Special Libraries Association does a good job with their "State of the Art Institutes;" this is the seventh in the series, the most recent predecessors were on Eastern Europe and Asia. The attendees were primarily members of the Association, corporate and law librarians predominated. There were four SALALM types, and of course the facilitator, Lou Weatherbee is a familiar name to veteran Latin Americanists. However, the organizers assumed little knowledge of the region, which slowed things down for those who make their living keeping up with Latin American events. The Opening Session featured former colleagues from the Organization of American States who outlined, in broad terms, the issues that characterize the current economic and political situation in Latin America. Alejandro Carillo, Mexico's Permanent Representative to the OAS, explained that NAFTA was actually the result of a thirty-year process of opening of economic and political systems in his country. Over the last three decades Mexico has gradually abandoned protectionist and anti-gringo stances put into place after the end of the Revolution and expressed the point of view that the United States could be a useful ally. He expressed concern that now, just as top government officials had taken the dangerous steps of advocating a partnership with the United States, Congress' reluctance to approve NAFTA, even with the recently negotiated side agreements, reduces U.S. credibility in his country and the hemisphere. He reiterated what he claims is the Mexican leadership's belief that the world is now divided into those areas that produce high value added goods (including information) and those that do not. Mexico wants to be among the first group. In between the two speakers, the conference facilitator, Lou Weatherbee, an information consultant, posed a series of questions that she hoped the sessions would address. What is information power, for the US and for Latin America? Who are the principal stake holders? What are the sources of Latin American information for decision makers in the United States? What will the role of traditional information providers, such as libraries, be? What are the means of networking between U.S. and Latin American counterparts? What are the implications of connectivity between Latin America and the United States? And what is the role of professional associations in establishing information links in the hemisphere? Luigi Einaudi, former U.S. representative to the OAS and now senior advisor to the Secretary of State, echoed the meeting theme in his remarks on "Emerging from What to What." First he asked has there been change, noting that the prevailing image of Latin America in the United States,"disaster punctuated by violence" seems indelibly fixed in this country's minds and media. But he also noted that there has been significant change in several areas: if the Caribbean is included in our definition, Latin America has emerged from colonialism; Ibero-America has largely emerged from caudillism (arbitrary rule most often by the military) with the strengthening of a professional bureaucracy, of a more robust and differentiated economy, and of open political institutions. He compared these trends with the East European situation, noting that Latin America has come further in its emergences since it never totally eradicated its private sector and thus had a foundation for open institutions to rise from. Within the rosy overview, Einaudi noted that not all is well in the region. He acknowledged the consequences of the lost decade of the 1980s and expressed particular concern for events in Brazil and Central America and for the social consequences of sectors marginalized by economic changes (and here he used Ithaca, NY-- his boyhood home-- as an example of a region once better integrated into the national economy than is it currently). Finally Dr. Einaudi asked what all this means for us in the near term. His answer is that change in Latin America has created institutions comparable to those of the United States, operating under the same rules, and capable of agreements that bridge questions of national sovereignty. Echoing Carillo's presentation, he contended that NAFTA is the culmination of a long process and that its real significance lies not so much in the agreements themselves but in what may lie beyond them, that is more free trade in the hemisphere (and in the world through coupling NAFTA with GATT) and a strengthening of the American "neighborhood." The second session featured a presentation by Rodolfo Balmaceda, of the NAFTA Office in the Mexican Embassy. Balmaceda is obviously engaged as a pro-NAFTA spin doctor and subjected the audience to a series of rationales for why opponents' arguments make no sense. He was particularly insistent in disabusing us of the notion that low wages would cost large numbers of Americans their jobs (Ross Perot's "sucking sound"). He pointed to the far-reaching implications of NAFTA, especially in protecting the environment, safeguarding intellectual property (although further questioning revealed that he did not fully grasp this issue, at least in a way that would allow him to appreciate librarians' concerns for copyright and fair use), and in opening the Mexican economy to American capital and technology, reminding the audience that with a united continent, America would be able to better compete with emerging trading blocks in Europe and Asia. The most effective presentation of the day was that given by Gil Donahue, Director, Intellectual Property, Office of U.S. Trade Representative. After offering definitions and interpretations of what intellectual property is (basically any result of the creative process, ideas as well as physical objects)and what conventions currently protect it (Berne for copyright, Paris for patents) he explained how strongly this commodity is protected in NAFTA. Under current interpretation, copyright is the most protected of intellectual properties and this has been construed under NAFTA to include software and databases as well as literary works-- a higher level of protection than offered by GATT. NAFTA also protects patents, trademarks and service marks, trade secrets, and such esoteric commodities as encrypted satellite transmissions. In addition to the protection clauses, enforcement provisions are specified in the agreement. On matters close to librarians' hearts and minds, he sent a mixed message. While making it clear that international law, as well as US statute recognized fair use, he suggested that current regulations were designed for a printed and pressed (as in phonograph records) world. He admitted that there are currently "many problems and not many answers" when questioned about whether current concepts of intellectual property would support digitized stores of materials within copyright. He did say that in the end fair use could only be maintained on the honor system, which undoubtedly means that there will be a lot of negotiation between producers, consumers, and intermediaries in the near future. The last time slot of the day was divided between two concurrent sessions, "Information Networking: Promises & Challenges" and "Assessing and Using Scientific and Technical Information." The networking panel began with Professor Sheldon Annis of Boston University demonstrating a gopher being developed by a former graduate student of his now working for the World Bank's Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) department. Still restricted to internal use by Bank staff, this gopher arranged scores of regional, country, and topical resources under various menu headings. Annis stressed that virtually all of the information represented in the gopher is freely available on the Internet, but that it took 6 months of dedicated work for the product to reach its present state. Additional work remains to be done (and the LAC gopher may later appear in different form for non-Bank users on the Internet), but future gopher constructs will be greatly eased by emerging "authoring" packages. Next, Murilo Bastos da Cunha, library and information science professor at the Universidade de Brasilia, surveyed numerous databases, networks, and technical information centers available in Brazil. He began by noting contrasts evident in Brazilian life today, namely the industrial power of South America that is plagued by striking social and economic inequality, and the home of some of the most advanced as well as the most pitiful libraries in the hemisphere. Brazil has featured Internet access since 1992, and is developing the RNP national research network (TCP/IP) and the RENPAC packet switching (X.25) net. After describing ARUANDA, BIBLIODATA, BIREME, CID-MARA, CIN/CNEN, IBICT, SEMEAR, PRODASEN, SIDRA, and other information systems and networks, he stated that Brazilian networking still suffers from poor marketing, administrative discontinuities, and high costs. (Cost for foreign systems like Dialog and BRS are even more prohibitive to Brazilian users, he noted, with telecommunications charges alone running well over $2 per minute.) The panel concluded with Jesus Lau, who trained as a librarian but is now senior researcher at the Center for Business Strategic Studies at ITESM-Toluca. Lau observed that the notion of "networking" in Latin America can be traced back to Bolivar's vision of a united Spanish-speaking hemisphere. In these days, however, economic "networking" in Latin America as measured by intra-regional trade is very low compared with, say, U.S.-Mexico trade. Signed or proposed free-trade agreements in Latin America involving Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, and other countries suggest an emergent counter-tendency toward more economic linkages. Information networking in Latin America has proceeded since the 1960s, with dozens of regional institutes and centers forming in many fields, generally with the assistance of international agency funding. After surveying dozens of these inter-American organizations, Lau cited several ongoing challenges to greater information networking, including limited computer network knowledge, scarce economic resources, limited networking history and culture, long geographical distance, leadership changes, difficulties in updating information, lack of business information, disparate representation by member countries, and uneven funding. Seeing CD-ROM resources as key in a region of unreliable telecommunications, he concluded with the call to take advantage of new information technologies and to "learn the Internet." The Science and Technology session featured two papers, the first by Eileen Ables of the Graduate School of Information Science at University of Maryland which examined science and technological publishing in Latin America. After describing the causes of scientific underdevelopment in the region-- low levels of GNP invested in science, poor compensation of scientists at universities, and the brain drain among them, she cited patterns of scientific publishing by Latin American scientists. Here Ables found that citizens of Latin American countries were very poorly represented in international journals and that although tens of thousands of articles are published in Latin American scientific journals, the developed world's research libraries hold few of them. These tendencies tend to isolate Latin American scientists and marginalize their contributions. Ables did cite sugar cane byproducts as one technology in which Latin Americans (especially Cubans and Brazilians) were world leaders, but concluded that science in the region was generally unappreciated. The second paper, delivered by Benita Weber Vassallo, Chief of Library Services at the Inter-American Development Bank, reviewed a series of statistics and summarized handouts on Latin America's sci/tech infrastructure. She pointed to the low levels of GNP investment in science and technology as an indicator of difficulties in developing an indigenous community of experts in the region and then pointed to a number of national institutions devoted to scientific and technological development, such as Mexico's CONACYT. She ended her presentation by passing along some sources that she finds useful in collecting information on scientific and technological information in the region. They include AGRIS and CAB for agriculture, Medline for medicine, and NTIS and Energy Science for engineering but confessed that these sources did not represent Latin American research but rather research on the area by developed world investigators. Day two began with a presentation by Ruth Stanant, owner of SIS, an international information broker, who spoke on"How to Find Quality Information on Overseas Competition." Her presentation featured several recurring themes, among them: that Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Venezuela (in that order) presented the greatest opportunities for investment; that despite recent institutional developments personal contacts were of great importance for doing business in the region; and that research techniques that work well in the US and Western Europe would have to be modified for application in Latin America. She gave greatest attention to Mexico and mentioned several sources of business information such as IMPRODIR, a Mexican market research firm, INFOTEC, a formerly state-owned consulting company now rapidly privatizing, that is building economic databases, and AMAI, the Association of Mexican Research Agencies, a trade organization. She also revealed that her staff are particular users of two databases, available over networks in this country, Promt and Datastar. Mario Paranhos, a Brazilian information specialist and affiliate of SIS, spoke on his country's information policy (or the lack thereof). He sees two scenarios, the first views information as a commodity, for sale and potentially enriching its consumers. Under this scenario, information is a positive good which is made available to the entire society, but because of great disparities in disposable incomes and education would accelerate the uneven development that Brazil has experienced. The second scenario, which Paranhos called the "New Information Society," promotes the development of all sectors of the population, establishing "telecenters" which would give access to telecommunications and training in the use of technology to people unable to gain such access and training with their own resources. The afternoon speaker was Jesus Lau, who outlined Mexican information policy. He gave an interesting information chronology of Mexico, beginning with the establishment of the National Library in 1846 and ending with the 1990 legislation that opened telecommunications investment to private sector investment. He also introduced the principal players in the Mexican information scene: INEGI, the national statistical agency, SECOFI, the Ministry of Trade and Industrial Production; SEP, the ministry of education; SCT, the Ministry of Communications and Transport; and the Banco de Mexico, the principal financial institution in the country. Finally, he gave a rundown on the emerging private information sources, mentioning three firms: Infosel (whose representatives were present at the conference), El Financiero (a newspaper, which also markets information under a subsidiary called Infofin), and the Bolsa de Valores (the Mexican stock market, which sells its information in real time for a steep price and also in regularly updated digitized form, more reasonably). The formal sessions ended with concurrent presentations, one a repeat of Lau's "Information Networks..." the second a review of business sources. The first to speak here was Susan Benson of the OAS who first described what she considers "traditional" sources of information on Latin America-- such agencies as Agrinter (agriculture), UNSDP (demography), CERLALC (libraries and the book trade), and the Hispanic Law Division. She spent most of her time describing a particular recent interest, a project called the Interamerican Network on Popular Culture which proposes to combine craft, scholarly, and business interests into a system that allows artisans to discover how to make salable products and to market them in the developed world and scholars to study these activities and supply their observations to the craftspeople. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BIBLIOGRAPHY: LATIN AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION ISSUES THIS BIBLIOGRAPHY WAS EXTRACTED FROM AN INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT BY VILMA LOPEZ CORREIA AT THE COLLEGE OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, JULY, 1993. IT WAS HANDED OUT AT THE SLA STATE OF THE ART INSTITUTE. Information Infrastructure Correa, Carlos Maria. "The assimilation of computer and microelectronics technology in developing countries: The case of Latin America" International Journal of Technology Management 7 (1992): 485. Fernandez de Zamora, Rosa Maria. "The economic crisis and the scientific, technical and cultural information services in Mexico." International Library Review 22 (December 1990): 263- 271. Hogeboom, Richard L. Informatics science and technology for development in Latin America:Towards a conceptual framework for comparative analysis. ERIC: ED333866, RIENNOV91, 1990. Van Ryckeghem, Dominique. "Information technologies in Brazil:Hope of the third world?" Telematics and Informatics 9 (1) (1992): 43-51. Information Production and Transfer Argentina Rabinovich, J.E. "Publications of scientists of developing countries in international journals: Are they channels to the international circuit for colleagues that only publish in national journals?" Scientometrics 23 (January 1992): 91-103. Brazil Meneghini, R. "Brazilian production in biochemistry: The question of international versus domestic publications." Scientometrics 23 (January 1992): 21-30. Myscko, Megrin, A.Y. "Estimates of the annual total number of titles on medicine and its disciplines and scientific productivity of physicians." Scientometrics 18 (May 1990): 375-388. Chile Krauskopf, M. "Scientometric indicators as a means to assess the performance of state-supported universities in developing countries: The Chilean case." Scientometrics 23 (January 1992: 105-121. Saavedra, F.; Mackenzie, Mary Rose; Pessot, R. Krauskopf, M. "Size and ageing of the scientific community in Chile." Scientometrics 27 (June 1993): 105-117. Mexico Delgado, H., and Jame M. Russell. "Impact of studies published in the international literature by scientists at the National University of Mexico." Scientometrics 23 (January 1992): 75-90. Licea de Arenas, Judith, and Blaise Cronin. "Health, politics, and scientific production in Mexico [Salud, politicas y produccion cientifica en Mexico]." Revista Espanola de Documentacion Cientifica 13 (January-March 1990): 586-593. Venezuela Lemoine, W. "Productivity patterns of men and women scientists in Venezuela." Scientometrics 24 (June 1992): 281-295. Latin America Ayala, Marta Stiefel. " A bibliometric analysis of cross-national information flow between Spanish-speading Latin America and English-speaking North America." Ph.D. diss., Texas Women's University, 1990. Lewison, G: Fawcett-Jones, A.; Kessler, C. "Latin American scientific output 1986-1991 and international co-authorship patterns." Scientometrics 27(3) (July/August 1993): 317-336. Macias-Chapula, C.A. "Patterns of scientific communication among Latin American countries, in the field of medical education." Scientometrics 23 (January 1992): 123-135. Narvaez-Berthelemot, N., L.P. Frigoletto, and J.F. Miquesl. "International scientific collaboration in Latin America." Scientometrics 24 (July 1992): 373. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTIONS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN PREPARED BY: BENITA WEBER VASSALLO, INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK AND HANDED OUT AT THE SLA STATE OF THE ART INSTITUTE. Argentina Colombia Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Instituto Colombiano para el Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICYT) Desarrollo de la Ciencia y la Rivadavia 1917, 2 piso Tecnologia (COLCIENCIAS). 1033 Buenos Aires Apartado 051850 Tel.: (541) 953-3609 Santa Fe de Bogota Tel: (571) 216 9800, 740 660 Bolivia Periodicals: (all quarterly) Anales de Invemar; Carta de Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Colciencias;Ciencia, Tecnologia (CONACYT (1991). Tecnologia y Desarrollo; Ministerio de Planeamiento y Colombia, Ciencia y Coordinancion Tecnologia. Avda. Arce 2147 Sopocachi Bajo Costa Rica Tel: (5912)374 914/3215 2826 Consejo Nacional de Brazil Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnologicas Conselho Nacional do Desenvolvimento (CONICIT) Cientifico e Tecnologico De La Iglesia Zapote Av.W3 Norte Q 507/B 1000 San Jose CP111142 (506) 244 172 70740 Brasilia DF Tel.: (5561) 274 2386 Cuba Periodicals: Revista Brasileira de Tecnologia Centro Nacional de Databases: SELAP, TESES, BPS Investigaciones Cientificas (CNIC) Chile Academia de Ciencias de Cuba Av. 25, Calle 158 Comision Nacional de Investigacion Reparto Cubanac n, Apartado Cientifica y Tecnologica (CONICYT) 6990 La Habana Calle Canada 308 Periodicals: Revista de Casilla 297V Ciencias Biologicas Santiago (annually); Revista de Tel: (562) 744 537 Ciencias Quimicas (annually) Periodicals: La Semana Cientifica y Tecnologica Ecuador Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT) Avda. Patria 850 y 10 de Agosto Edificio Banco de Prestamos Quito, Ecuador Tel: (5932) 550160,550699 ** ** ** ** Guatemala Mexico Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONGYT). Tecnologia (CONACYT) Depto. de Ciencia y Tecnologia Insurgentes Sur 1677 9 Calle 10-44, Zona 1 Mexico 20, DF Guatemala City Phone: (525) 515 3855, 655, 0417 Haiti Panama Conseil National des Recherches Consejo Nacional de Ciencia Scientifiques Apartado 3277 c/o Departement de la Sante Publique Panama City et de la Population. 116 Rue Capois Port-au-Prince Honduras Paraguay Consejo Hondureno de Ciencia y Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia y Tecnologia Normalizacion c/o Departamento de Ciencia y Avda. Gral. Artigas y Gral Roa Tecnologia Asuncion Av.@ entre calles 9 y 10 Tel: 29 01 60/29 01 66 Camayaquela, Tegucigalpa Tel. 22 7001 Jamaica Peru Scientific Research Council Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y P.O. Box 350 Tecnologia (COnCYTEC) Kingston 6 Camilo Carrillo 114 Jesus Maria Lima 11 Tel: (5114) 235 278 Uruguay Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas (CONICYT) 18 de Julio 1082 (entrepiso) 11100 Montevideo (5982) 91 25 25/ 90 59 39 Sources: Oro, Luis A. y Jesus Sebastian, Los sistemas de ciencia y tecnologia en Iberoamerica, Madrid: Fundesco, 1993. Regional Office for Science and Technology for Latin America and the Caribbean, ROSTLAC-STP Directory, Montevideo: UNESCO, 1989 ***************************************************************** Issues In Science and Technology Librarianship is a publication of the Science and Technology Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. The Editor: Harry LLull. Editorial Board: Lynn Kaczor, Gregg Sapp, and John Saylor. This publication is produced at the Centennial Science and Engineering Library, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and sent out in electronic form only over the internet. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Section or Division. Articles and requests for subscriptions may be sent to the editor at ACRLSTS@HAL.UNM.EDU. ***************************************************************** END OF FILE *****************************************************************