Tasks and functions of the information units (special libraries) of industrial enterprises in the new economic model

Abstract

In the new economlc model the specíal libraries and information units (IU) of industrial enterprises are expected to perform new and great tasks. They have to provide technical and economic leading personnel with the necessary and adequate information for decision-taking, specialists engaged in research, development and production must be constantly informed about the developments and reaults of new techniques, sales personnel must be continuously informed about-the market news of the given branch of industry.
For the performance of the tasks outlined above special libraries must be developed into complex information units, and information offices already functioning must be strengthened.
The development of information activities should begin by proper organizational measures. The IU should be attached to the highest level responsible directly for technical development. The internal organization of the IU should be improved by a more rational division of labour and by delimiting the tasks of the library and the information services within the IU.
Special role will be played in organizational questions by a network consisting of the representatives of the various units of the enterprice, their function being especially to give expert's advice to the IU.
Dicussing the fields of activity of the two sections of the IU - the library on the one hand and the information acction on the other, - the paper touches only upon the new tasks.
With respect to the library, the new requirements of cataloging, the building of a catalogue covering all types of documents and the significance of reference work in stressed upon.
Classifying the tasks of the information section according to six functions, in the first place the transmission of processed information received ready from other information centres is mentioned as a few feature, whics may ensure the elimination of unnecessary parallelism to the highest possible degree. The new features and the rationalization of proceseing of information, the problems of translating, of publishing and of publicity work is dealt with.
The most important queations of the supply of funds and material lead to the discussion of the system of financial planning and of the wage-system, followed by useful remarks concerning the accomodation and equipment of the IU.
Finally the paper discusses the organization and the staff of the IU of an imaginary enterprise with about 8000-10.000 workers, including the qualitative and quantitative requirements of personnel found necessary by the established practice.