a) All change for UK library cataloguing format
For the first time since 1969 the UK library community is set to change the format for all its cataloguing and bibliographic data exchange. The clear message that UK libraries wish to adopt MARC21 as the standard for encoding new library catalogue records was given in response to a consultation exercise carried out by the British Library. MARC21 is the standard format for the exchange of catalogue information used in the US, Canada and several other parts of the world, and its adoption in the UK will make possible the downloading of bibliographic records from a wider range of Internet sources than ever before. What's more it will build for the future by bringing the UK into closer alignment with US, Canadian and other libraries worldwide.
The British Library has been working since the mid-1990s with the US Library of Congress and the National Library of Canada, who are the guardians of MARC21, to bring the UK and North American formats closer together, and this latest step is a logical development of that work.
A survey conducted by The British Library as part of an extensive consultation process with key users of its National Bibliographic Service showed that 57% of 210 respondents were in favour of fully converting to MARC21. Whilst 30% would prefer partial harmonisation, only 7% wished to retain UKMARC, the format which has been in place for the last 32 years. A digest of the survey results is available on the British Library's website at: www.bl.uk/services/bsds/nbs/marc/result1.html.
Stuart Ede, Director of Collection Management at the British Library said "In the light of this clear mandate The British Library has confirmed its commitment to lead the change to MARC21, and over the coming months we shall be developing plans for the transition".
MARC or Machine Readable Cataloguing format was originally developed by the US Library of Congress in 1965 as a system for representing bibliographic information for use in library catalogues and databases. The United States and Great Britain developed two separate MARC formats, respectively USMARC and UKMARC. UKMARC has been the standard supplied by the British Library to users of its automated services across the world, including national, academic and public libraries, as well as library systems suppliers and bibliographic utilities.
MARC21 was formed in 1999 when the National Library of Canada's MARC format (CANMARC) fully integrated into the Library of Congress USMARC. Changing to MARC21 has a number of important advantages for UK libraries:
- ability to download and derive bibliographic records from a wider range of sources, particularly from North American national libraries and bibliographic utilities;
- it represents a more effective route to the adoption of new standards for the future, in particular metadata standards for digital material disseminated on new media such as DVDs and the Web;
- MARC21 gives superior coverage of non-book media and separate formats or bibliographic and authorities data;
- MARC21 offers superior resources for future development, support and documentation;
- the marketplace for library systems, software and bibliographic data is increasingly moving to MARC21, especially in the university and research library sector.
The main issue of concern identified by the consultation process was the extent to which UK libraries will be allowed input into the running of MARC21. This will be one of the key topics for discussion between the British Library and the format's guardians in Canada and the US later in the year. The British Library intends to issue a ' white paper' in the summer proposing the way forward, including details of transition arrangements and the provision of training.
b) Doctors get help from British Library Telemedicine Information Service
Doctors, surgeons and other health professionals will be able to help their patients more effectively, 'visit' operations and share skills and intelligence with other practitioners - without having to move from their own desks - courtesy of a new service aimed at supporting telemedicine and run by the British Library.
The new Telemedicine Information Service aims to promote the growth of telemedicine in the UK and further the use of more innovative technology. The Service website will list dozens of projects that are already up and running, including a live videosurgery link to train doctors, provided by the Royal College of Surgeons, and a hugely successful scheme between the Accident and Emergency Unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and a rural hospital in Scotland.
The new Telemedicine Information Service - unveiled on January 15th at the Telemed 2001 conference in London will enable health professionals, patients and carers to access contacts and top quality information on the latest projects and developments. Provided by the British Library, working with the University of Portsmouth, the Service has received £90,000 funding from the four UK Health Departments, which is spread over three years.
Key elements of the new Service are a website (www.tis.bl.uk) with information on over 120 current projects and sections on people, publications and equipment; an e-mail discussion list; a telephone enquiry service; and current awareness services. All the services are free, with the exception of the current awareness updates.
The British Library was chosen to manage the project because of its world-renowned knowledge and experience in obtaining, storing and retrieving information.
Bruce Madge, Head of The Health Care Information Service (see http://www.bl.uk/services/stb/hcis.html) at The British Library commented, "We are delighted to be involved with this exciting project. The current emphasis from the Government on telemedicine and telecare and the innovative aspect of this form of diagnosis, treatment and professional education, reinforces the British Library's role as a major player across all disciplines in the e-world."
Dr Jim Briggs, project manager for the Service at the University of Portsmouth, said "We are pleased to have been invited by the Department of Health and the British Library to combine our expertise in both Internet technologies and health services research to develop this valuable resource for the UK healthcare community."
Welcoming the launch of the website Health Minister Gisela Stuart said, "Technological advances offer improved access to services, rapid access to assessment and treatment and to health information when and where patients need it. We are determined to provide fast and easily accessible services to patients and the use of telemedicine is a key element in our plan to ensure that this happens and that patients get the first class service they deserve."
Dr Raj Persaud, the award winning Consultant Psychiatrist at The Maudsley Hospital in London, commented, "Telemedicine will in the future come to be regarded as revolutionary an innovation in medicine as the introduction of antibiotics has proved to be. At the moment telemedicine is used mostly to help remote communities access medical expertise, but in the future the idea that patients always need to make physical contact with their doctor for a consultation will come to be seen as anachronistic as we now regard the biting on wood during surgery from pre-anaesthetic days."
c) Access to archives on the wider world for everyone
Did you know that:
- records of West Indian slave plantations can be found in the University of London Library?
- papers of famous explorers of Africa such as David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley can be found at the Royal Geographical Society?
-a firm in the London Borough of Hackney made coffins for South Africa?
A new online service, London Archives on the Wider World, will help researchers and students locate the sources of this kind of information via the Internet. Awarded a grant of £25,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, London Archives on the Wider World will make access to the catalogues of 12 archive offices in the London area much easier. By making archive catalogues available centrally and in a searchable format, both amateur and professional historians will be offered the opportunity to locate useful documents at the tap of a keyboard.
London Archives on the Wider World is a project led by the British Library which will provide fast access to a variety of archival sources in London documenting the relationships of Britain and its people with the wider world by mounting their catalogues on the Web.
London Archives on the Wider World is part of a nationwide programme entitled Access to Archives (A2A) led by the Public Record Office, the Historical Manuscripts Commission and the British Library. It will consist of over 15,000 catalogue pages on archival gems and will be available via A2A's database. This will provide a one-stop shop by making archive catalogues available centrally and in a searchable format. A few mouse clicks will take users from descriptions of documents to linked information on the archive offices where the documents can be consulted.
The catalogues of London Archives on the Wider World list documents on the rich and varied history of Britain's contacts overseas. These sources are held in the India Office Records of the British Library and 11 other archive offices in London. They include papers of civil servants and army officers who served all over the world, documents relating to British rule in India and to the freedom movements in India, Pakistan, and Burma, and archives of international business, health and education. The personal papers of many historical figures are represented in the holdings of other participating archive offices, ranging from the 19th century explorer David Livingstone to the pioneer anthropologist Margaret Read who died in 1991.
d) Accessing the future
Identifying and defining the key issues facing libraries in the digital age and developing plans of action were the aims of a major international conference - Issues in Digital Librarianship: Accessing the Future - held at the British Library in April 2001.
Focusing on e-commerce and modern means of information retrieval, delegates from the world's major national and research libraries and digital library opinion formers attempted to analyse the trends and issues facing libraries and pinpoint opportunities for shared action. This approach aimed to help the library community to develop a clear strategy on how to collect and preserve digital materials to serve the needs of users - now and in the future - ensuring that it avoids becoming 'technology-led'. Whilst the emphasis was on strategic issues, it was anticipated that many participants would leave with specific and practical action plans for their own institutions.
Sponsored by Océ - one of the world leaders in digital copying and printing - 'Issues in Digital Librarianship' also celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Online Computer Library Centre (OCLC) Institute's Europe, Middle East and Africa office.
Erik Jul, Director of the OCLC Institute, welcomed participants and introduced the two keynote speakers: Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library and Deanna Marcum, President of the Council on Library and Information Resources, who each provided a strategic overview of activities in the UK and USA. Other highlights included: Titia Van der Werf of the Networked European Deposit Library and Koninklijke Bibliotheek in the Netherlands on digital preservation issues; Lorcan Dempsey, Director of the Distributed National Electronic Resource (DNER) on acquiring digital materials; and John Dolan of Birmingham City Council on avoiding social exclusion.
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