Library automation in Danish public libraries 1989
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LIBRARY AUTOMATION
IN DANISH
PUBLIC LIBRARIES
MORTEN HEIN
Head of Division, Directorate for Public Libraries
Copenhagen, Denmark
Historical background
To describe the present is easy enough, but a description that explains our
motives and objectives must also include observations of the past, withouth any
attempt to write library history.
The Danish public library system ranks according to an EEC survey on libraries
in the 12 member states number one in every aspect: holdings, circulation and
other services, staffing ? and costs. This is of course our pride ? or the
nation's pride, but also its problem in a period of cutting down public
expenditure. Looking at the Nordic countries Finland is a very close second and
Sweden a third, both ranking higher than the other 11 EEC countries.
This Danish achievement is not a library achievement but a by?product of the
Danish society and its education policies, cultural tradition and other factors.
It has just been the duty of the libraries to fulfill the expectations by
providing more and more service at as low costs as possible.
But among themselves the libraries have tried to keep up with the demands by
introducing common methodologies and common initia-tives.
One of the landmarks in common development came in 1915 when common cataloging
rules ? and a common classifications sceme (an abbrieviated Dewey ?as Denmark is
a small country) were published. This was made by the Copenhagen deputy
librarian, H. Rolf, who died only a few month ago. My aunt as sisted him in
doing the typing and editing, she died a few years ago.
The next step was the initiative for centralized cataloging and the availability
of printed cards. This was started just before the Second World War by Erik
Allerslev Jensen, who later became director of the Directorate for Public
Libraries. Another result of this initiative was a service institution: The
Danish Library Bureau, which today is a very important link in the system of
centralized services for libraries.
The breakthrough for centralized services came in the Sixties with an initiative
for work simplification in the libraries. The main objectives were: To secure a
better work distribution in libraries according to formal staff education,
hereby relieving librarians from clerical tasks, they were not educated for and
not too efficient in, and to transfer work from the libraries to the central
supply institutions where pro-duction methods and economy made this feasible.
This initiative was taken to bring libraries into a better position during the
period of heavy development in the Sixties, not to cut library costs.
Start of library automation
Library automation was first contemplated shortly after in the late Six-ties. A
quick introduction was hoped for, but in fact a much slower development proved
to be the case.
There are two explanations for this. Firstly a very high cost- effectivenes in
the already rationalized library procedures gave auto-mation a strong
competition, as automation was very costly in those days. Secondly, those
involved in the library world are information specialists and could specify
useful systems that were too advanced for those days.
The latter problem was observed worldwide. The first was perhaps more local. As
an example it can be mentioned, that in 1970 the Directorate for Public
Libraries conducted an experiment in online cataloging. One of the obstacles to
that succesful experiment was that in those days a VDU terminal had a price
equivalent of two years salary for a librarian.
The first concept for automation was very straight?forward for those days again
after the American fashion: A national union catalogue, computer produced in
book form to superseed the local card catalo-gues. Mind the limited size of the
country.
The main problem was not the catalogue itself, even though it posed some very
complex problems of those days. The greatest problems were potentially in the
handling the holdings information nationwide in an off line environment and in
describing the holdings or the locations at least ? in a printed product.
However this catalogue would encompass all available titles thereby giving a
survey of the library system's combined resources. This could be a push forward
for serious library work. And it would have been a system that would have saved
money.
Plan for automation 1970
In 1970 a plan was published which aroused quite a bit of criticism. That is
easy to understand today. The general feeling was that the complexity of the
idea would not be workable in practise. After a number of changes in the concept,
and by adding that before the plan could be realized new technologies would
overcome the weak points, the plan was more or less accepted in 1972.
Biblioteksdata
But a plan is not enough. Who should do the job? The Directorate as part of the
civil service could not participate in development or production. Eventually a
collaboration was set up among The Library Bureau, The Binding Centre and
Kommunedata, the local authority common data processing service centre. This was
called `Biblioteks-data', the project was then named FAUST, an acronym for
Folke-bibliotekernes AUtomationsSystem ? with the hidden joke that `faust' in
German means fist.
Biblioteksdata attained rapid succes by launching two products in 1974: The
Copenhagen Public Library microfiche catalogue to replace the earlier card
catalogue and the public library union catalogue of foreign literature. This
could only be achieved by a close cooperation with the British Library from whom
the complete suite of MARC? programs from the British National Bibliography were
bought.
It was thought that the Library Bureau could also use the programs for the
Danish National Bibliography, a cornerstone of centralized cata-loging for
public libraries. But new generations of computers were de-veloped, offering new
opportunities. Therefore it was decided to de-vise a completely new online
cataloging system connected to a database. This system went into production in
1976. In existence for only two years, the BL connection was a very valuable
start help for further local developments.
In 1978 Biblioteksdata ran into problems of organization and credi-bility in
professional circles. It was proposed that the Association of Local Authorities
and the Directorate for Public Libraries should participate directly as sponsors
of the project.
This change meant redrawing of specifications. The plans became now an even
today modern concept with a common database as platform for a number of
applications: a national union catalogue, local Opac's, aquisition systems,
circulation systems etc. The redraw-ing was completed in 1980.
Kommunedata
Kommunedata, responsible for computers and software, made call for tenders from
potential suppliers. None was able to supply a complet system, but from the
tenders the Danish RC Computers was chosen for their experience and
international succes in telephone directory systems. This gave a first priority
to the central database and its search system. This was later enlarged with
other library applications. The systems ? as marketed by RC Computers themselves
? are also widely used in Danish academic libraries.
Kommunedata adapted and developed the system for public library use. It was
released for the market, but for many reasons introduction was slow. Cuts in
public expenditures also hit the libraries, making it difficult to find money
for automation. At the same time the trade unions were very uneasy about the
unknown consequences of the then coming massintroduction of computerized systems
not only in libra-ries, but in public service in general. All these created
delays.
The Danish public libraries are operated by the local authorities, that either
alone or in coorporation run the libraries. The 275 local authori-ties are
covered by 250 library systems consisting of approximately 1,100 main libraries
and branches.
The common database, now called `BASIS', is used by 110 library systems that are
connected to it via more than 500 terminals. The traffic is very heavy as every
terminal is used for general searches, as an opac etc. The database contains
more than 600,000 titles embracing the national bibliography from 1970, a large
selection of older Danish titles and all foreing titles in the libraries since
1970. Furthermore re-levant titles in audio?visual materials, soun recordings
and films are included.
Slow start for conversion of holdings
Statistical surveys have showed, that most public libraries will find more than
90 percent, some even more than 95 percent of their titles in the database the
day they want to start their local retrospective con-version of their holdings.
Altogether it would appear to be a moderate success. But the libraries have not
started their conversions on a larger scale, although they would like to do so,
and even if they can't anticipate extra funds for a local project many are
prepared to do it by changing internal priorities.
Once again there is an uncertainty in Biblioteksdata that makes the libraries
hesitate. Some of the applications have been expected long, but can still not be
described as real production modules. And the libraries do not want to take a
chance with unproven solutions.
The costs of bibliographic work seem to rise. The libraries complain about the
costs in the Library Bureau, even if that organization now gets 100% financial
compensation from the government for the production of the national bibliography.
Previously this was more or less paid by the local authorities, by the price tag
put on all product from the Library Bureau.
Today only three small library systems have completely converted their holdings.
Further 12 are well under way. But where are the rest?
Pluralism
The last two years have seen a new trend: pluralism. The concept until now has
been an uniform system with a central part and a decen-tralized part ? both
created and maintained by Biblioteksdata. This is an ideal situation as all
parts can be controlled and surveyed. Some might be of the opinion that a
monopoly could need a little compe-tition in order to stay alive, and that's
what we have now got.
Strangely enough the monopoly was broken by Kommunedata, part-ner in
Biblioteksdata, as they announced an other line for local sys-tems. This is
perhaps easier to understand if one is aware that a num-ber of the larger local
authorities run other local systems on IBM mainframes and compatibles. They do
not wish to have another brand for the library, even if it is a famous Danish
supplier: RC Computers.
A number of local authorities began looking at other systems. One library has
awarded the Danish company Dansk Data Elektronik a development contract for a
library system. Another library has chosen a Norwegian system. At the moment, a
major library is negotiating with the Canadian GEAC. More initiatives are
expected.
Models for cooperation
This new situation brings up a number of questions. First of all: Will a
plethora of systems destroy the famous Danish library cooperation?
Once a year the Directorate for Public Libraries stages a meeting for all heads
of libraries. At the 1988 conference patterns for future co-operation was a
major issue. An exhibition was made to highlight the situation. Criteria for
invitations to companies were indications of interests to supply to the Danish
library market. 13 companies parti-cipated in the exibition.
The Association of Local Authorities and The Directorate for Public Libraries
has agreed, that the era of direct involvement in the operations in the
individual local authorities has gone. It will still be a mutual responsibility
to secure a common database, but otherwise the market is open for competition.
It is the intention to set up a number of functional standards for the
interconnection of local systems between themselves and between local systems
and a common, central supply system.
Library as information broker
The interest in library automation is increasing rapidly. There are a number of
experiments in the field, mostly financed in part by the development funds in
the Directorate. One of the tendencies is that the public library is an
important node for providing information for a local community. The library must
also ajust itself to cope with the role as a local information broker.
This can be done by searching external databases, but there is a clear trend
that the library itself can be a database host providing local information of
interest to the community. This can be a general community service, but it can
also be more specialised information.
The background for this is the availability of small minis and supermicros and
appropriate software. Even a library serving a community of say 10,000 can serve
as a database host. Examples can be found in this country.
Altogether the achievements in library automation have not been satisfactury,
but something has been gained. There is a tradition for rather high standards in
library work in Denmark. Some could say that we are overdoing our job, but work
worth doing is also worth doing well.
We would never fall for the first and easiest solution. We try to pinpoint the
problems in everything new and try to elaborate them. We believe that online
systems shall be simple and efficient, and in many systems those virtues are not
present ? and what user reactions will appear? Therefore we are in a very strong
favour of full text searching and have paid attention to search command
languages. It has taken some time to do so, but we are seeing the results just
now. The Danish libraries, not only the public libraries, some years ago found
that the so called `Common Command Language' or `CCL' was a very good query
language. In order to achieve a good result in Denmark we have participated in
the international development in ISO ? The International Standardization
Organization ? in the development of CCL. It is now out for the final
international vote as an international standard, although already a Danish
standard.
Professional Cooperation
A problem in developing library automation is the fact, that one has to mix
expertise of different origin and has to hope for a good result. One has also to
rely not only on experts, but also at the daily life pro-fessionals in the
libraries.
A programmer pretending to know better in cataloging is a menace, but a
cataloger pretending to do systems development is even worse. We have had very
good results in overcoming these problems by in-volving library staff in the
policy making in collaboration with the experts. The Directorate for Public
Libraries cooperate with relevant trade unions in the Library Automation
Committee. This committee discusses and tries out automated solutions and
proposes how to use the functionality and implement a solution in a library
environment. The results of the work in the committee have been published in a
number of pamphlets.
Danish public libraries have been en route for quite a number of years. The
ultimate solutions have not yet appeared. And the market pene-tration of even
modest solutuions has been slow. But a number of rather advanced systems exist,
mostly in the bibliographic area, less so in the area of housekeeping e.g.
circulation control.
However we now are well prepared for the largescale usage, even though we don't
know how far the new pluralism will take us.