A UNESCO seminar on electronic data processing in libraries
Abstract
In April 1970 UNESCO held a seminar in Regensburg (GFR) on the problems of electronic data processing in libraries.
At the seminar 25 papers were read, the majority of which tended to treat the recent developments in the German Federal Republic, the mechanization introduced in the first place within newly organized university libraries, and also pointed to the new centralized tendencies in this field.
New libraries generally use book-catalogues: thus the automation of preparing such catalogues appeared as the first task. West German systems of this type were discussed as the main issue at the seminar particularly as regards tbe problems of their compatibility with each other and with the MARC II. format. It was agreed that this problem would deserve a separate treatment and it would be suitable to discuss it in the presence of other organs so that certain conclusions might be drawn.
Besides cataloguing, library lending forms another field where automation has gained ground. It was stressed that the automation of lending might be carried out together with that of cataloguing.
The general organizational and economic aspects of automation were also dealt with. The papers also touched upon the problems of hardware and software necessary to the operation of automated systems. It was underlined that the employment of photo-composers seemed to be inevitable in the future to eliminate certain shortcomings of the output, although this would not be sufficient to overcome all the difficulties arising in this field. As regards software, practically every participant deemed the adoption of programs composed in machine-oriented programming languages as the only solution economically feasible.
The mechanization of information was dealt with by two papers only: the first examined the possibilities of preparing various types of indexes by computer while the other informed on the problems and possible solutions of SDI-systems based on magnetic tape services (which may be subscribed for) and the related experiences.
At the seminar 25 papers were read, the majority of which tended to treat the recent developments in the German Federal Republic, the mechanization introduced in the first place within newly organized university libraries, and also pointed to the new centralized tendencies in this field.
New libraries generally use book-catalogues: thus the automation of preparing such catalogues appeared as the first task. West German systems of this type were discussed as the main issue at the seminar particularly as regards tbe problems of their compatibility with each other and with the MARC II. format. It was agreed that this problem would deserve a separate treatment and it would be suitable to discuss it in the presence of other organs so that certain conclusions might be drawn.
Besides cataloguing, library lending forms another field where automation has gained ground. It was stressed that the automation of lending might be carried out together with that of cataloguing.
The general organizational and economic aspects of automation were also dealt with. The papers also touched upon the problems of hardware and software necessary to the operation of automated systems. It was underlined that the employment of photo-composers seemed to be inevitable in the future to eliminate certain shortcomings of the output, although this would not be sufficient to overcome all the difficulties arising in this field. As regards software, practically every participant deemed the adoption of programs composed in machine-oriented programming languages as the only solution economically feasible.
The mechanization of information was dealt with by two papers only: the first examined the possibilities of preparing various types of indexes by computer while the other informed on the problems and possible solutions of SDI-systems based on magnetic tape services (which may be subscribed for) and the related experiences.
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Published
2019-05-07
How to Cite
Schiff, E. A UNESCO seminar on electronic data processing in libraries, Scientific and Technical Information, 17(6), p. 469–482, 2019.
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