Where is Science Information Heading? The Present State and the Development of Science Information in Technical University Libraries
Iwona Sójkowska and Filip Podgórski

Abstract

In the past few years, scientific information — and the services it offers — have undergone a rapid transformation, which has given them a new form and quality. The development of sciences, particularly computer science and computer technology, as well as the popularization of the Internet, have brought about a change in the quality of information and the ways of acquiring and distributing knowledge. Electronic information shared over the Internet has become predominant in the world of science.

This paper presents the evolution of information services in the Library of the Technical University of Łódź over the last few years, starting with the classic definition and the theoretical assumptions of science information, which describe it as ‘information about and for science.’ It also discusses in detail the means and methods of gaining information resources, the ways of distributing information, and the role of science information centre staff as managers of information, responsible for the whole process of gaining and sharing electronic sources of knowledge.

Computerization and the Internet have changed the image of the library. The library is no longer associated solely with a building that stores and provides printed material, but has become an information centre that can be used 24 hours a day.

This paper predicts further developments in scientific information provided in electronic form. Electronic resources purchased by the Library and those generally available on the Internet will become equally valuable and will soon stop being a mere counterpart to printed versions. They will be supplemented with multimedia materials, owing to which it will not only be possible to read about the course and results of work, but also to view them in detail. Users will be able to download scientific resources in a form most convenient for them and to use them by means of portable devices. We will also see a rapid development of elaborate platforms which will integrate materials from all available sources. Systematic cooperation with academic staff and searching for the latest information on a given subject will soon become the main responsibility of any scientific information centre. Library staff will become assistants to scientists and professional guides through the wealth of information available.

Theoretical Assumptions of the Development of Information Science in Academic Libraries

The beginning of the 1990s was a period of transformation which permanently changed the information environment of scientific libraries. When electronic databases and services came into existence, offering descriptions of scientific achievements, not many librarians supposed that their development both in quantity and quality would be so dynamic that at the turn of the twentieth century electronic resources would become an indispensable source of knowledge.

Definitions of “science information” particularly stress this discipline as “information about science and for science” [1]. Librarians are of the opinion that it is not only a discipline of science but a practical activity aimed at popularizing scientific developments in society and having an indirect impact on further advances in different fields of knowledge.

Despite the many changes information science has undergone in the recent years, the kinds and typology of users have remained the same. Instead, a form of communication between a librarian and user has evolved. Owing to the development of new information channels, a direct contact with the user is more and more frequently being replaced by indirect communication. The library user has become more anonymous and awaits only instruction to continue searches individually. For instruction, the Web page, library guidebooks and leaflets explaining various services can be used, while chats and discussion forums on the Internet can serve as tools.

The most important change in information science was brought about by the introduction of electronic resources which broke the barrier of availability to the world’s scientific achievements and modernized librarians’ work. They have become the basic information source in the academic library of the twenty–first century. Some of the functions which electronic resources serve in the process of communication with the user are:

Development of Electronic Resources in the Library of the Technical University of Łódź

The process of developing a modern working environment for the science information librarian taking place at the Library of the Technical University of Łódź may serve as an example of the transformation which is taking place in the majority of Polish academic libraries.

The Library of the Technical University of Łódź subscribed to its first databases in 1992. They included two series of Current Contents (Physical, Chemical and Earth Science with Abstracts, and Engineering, Technology and Applied Science) and were addressed to researchers interested in physics, chemistry, technology and Earth sciences. They were available on selected computers and updated regularly with the latest diskettes received by the Library. The following year, the Library extended its collection by offering electronic resources available on CD–ROMs. Later, a few other databases were purchased, such as COMPENDEX — a multidisciplinary database covering technology and engineering; EEDISC database aimed at electronic professionals and those interested in computers; CITIS, which included the ICEA database covering construction engineering; and, the SAFE database including computer programs for designers. In 1994, there were seven databases available (the collection was extended to include Derwent Biotechnology Abstracts) and they were used by 350 persons.

These databases were designed for a wide forum of users. In comparison with current services, they did not index all documents, but included only the latest ones pertaining to the advances in a specific field of science. Regardless of whether they were specialized or multidisciplinary, they covered only a modest quantity of source material and their description was limited to basic bibliographic data, sometimes enhanced with abstracts. Those databases had simple search tools which made it difficult to find relevant material in a short time.

In the following years, the Library gradually extended the collection of electronic resources both in numbers and in subject scopes in order to meet the expectations of the majority of users. With time, the subject coverage of these databases evolved. The amount of source material available grew continually, covering more and more aspects of the field. Finally, databases were transformed into multidisciplinary resources.

The amount of information on source materials grew dynamically. At the beginning only selected journal titles were covered by databases. Later, the publishers began to acquire data from journals which were more valuable in the academic community and then expanded the databases with new types of documents, e.g., conference proceedings and books. A range of time relating to the material available was also extended. Now, the majority of databases offer not only current issues of journals but also vast archives.

Access to databases on CD–ROM at the Library of the Technical University of Łódź changed substantially in 2000 when a system based on an application server (named SABINA) and ‘thin–client’ technology were introduced. This allowed users to access the chosen databases not only on the Library premises but also through the university network at the facilities and in the residence halls. A great advantage of the system was the ability to introduce updates and configurational changes on the servers and not on individual computers. In 2001 the following databases were available via the application server: Chemical Abstracts, Chemistry Citation Index and Compendex Plus. The next year, the Library could offer four databases through SABINA; in 2003 their number rose to six, and in 2004 to eight databases.

A turning point in the development of science information services was the introduction of electronic resources offering access to full text materials. Electronic journals were the first, and to the present day they constitute the greatest number of documents. In the Library of the Technical University of Łódź, the first full–text journals were purchased and made available in 2001 within the following services: EBSCO Publishing, IDEAL Academic Press, SwetsNet Navigator, and the Link Information Service (Springer). They included over 9,400 journal titles. In addition, in 2001 the Library offered 21 abstract databases, which were used by over 1,000 patrons only on the Library premises.

In 2005, the Library provided access to seven full–text services (excluding trials) and enabled the use of 19,000 full–text journals. At the end of March 2006, the number of titles rose to 23,000. Such a large increase shows in the best way the dynamics of development of the information environment in the modern library.

Within the last three years, publishers expanded their offers providing services which gave access to conference proceedings and full–text papers (e.g., IEEE/IEE), and recently they have also offered purchase of e–books to libraries, which are becoming more popular in Poland. Since the beginning of 2006, the Library of the Technical University of Łódź has allowed access to e–book services by Knovel Library and Safari Tech Books Online, enabling access to overall number of about 4,800 full–text items, of which the Library users have access to 860.

The Library also offers its users access to foreign patent databases (bibliographic and full text) such as: Espace Precess, Espace Access, Espace Access Preces, Espace Globalpat, and Espace Bulletin.

A large amount of full–text material scattered in various services made it necessary to buy a tool which would bring together and set in order electronic resources and thus enable an easy and simple search for relevant information. This problem was in great measure solved by the A–to–Z service by EBSCO, which is a full catalogue of electronic and print journals available to the Library.

With the constantly growing volume of electronic resources, the sorting tools will evolve and make more search options available to the librarians and the users. With time, they will be comparable to catalogues and will allow for searching electronic resources via various types of indexes known currently in traditional computer catalogues.

An important step forward in the development of electronic resources has been the start of digitization of the Library’s own collection. The project is aimed at creating electronic versions of material presently available only in print. At the end of 2003, the Library of the Technical University of Łódź started implementation of a long–term project which has caused a great interest called eBipol (Electronic Library of the Technical University of Łódź). As a result, an electronic collection of the Library’s own holdings has been created, valuable from the point of view of scientific and cultural heritage.

Electronic resources have changed radically over the past 15 years. They have undergone numerous transformations: in form of distribution and accessibility to the users (from diskettes and compact discs available on chosen computers to Web site accessibility), in range of subjects (from very limited to multidisciplinary and/or very specialized), in form of primary information (from bibliographic description and abstracts to full–text), in methods of browsing and searching for information (from simple ones to using any criteria). Due to these changes, a library has become not only a building where the collection is stored and made available to users but also an information centre that can be used 24 hours a day.

Further Development of the Electronic Resources of Knowledge

The next step in the evolution of the electronic resources of knowledge will be the creation of elaborated subject portals of knowledge which will integrate resources of databases and functionality of traditional portals. Complex tools will be made to serve as a virtual work environment.

Creating Institutions

Knowledge portals will be new products made by commercial companies which today offer access to electronic information services. These services will aim to cooperate with authors, computer companies, research centers, and libraries whose knowledge and experience will contribute to create a virtual workplace for the scientists of the twenty–first century.

Software and information experts will be responsible for the preparation and organization of the necessary technological base that can ensure the proper functioning of portals and tools. The dynamics of the technological development and attractiveness of services will depend on their work.

Staff of the scientific and research centers will play the role of co–editors of portals responsible for the presentation of materials. They will coordinate and verify the value of published information on the main Web pages of the service as well as in respective sections, scientific forums or in blogs. This will ensure reliability of information and appropriate promotion of the most important discoveries. The development of services offering continually updated information will depend in great measure on the scientists and their need for sharing knowledge.

Portal Resources

Portal resources will include full–text versions of journals, books, conference proceedings, patents and standards literature. Portals will integrate different types of documents creating a collection of full value, incomparable to anything else so far, whose contents will go beyond the contents of the existing Web pages and services. Articles and reference materials about planned and implemented research programs will serve as supplementary material and will be sent directly to the publishers by staff members of the research centers and institutions. The completeness of collections will make it possible for the users to find all the necessary information via portals. Archival as well as the most current material will allow the user to get in–depth knowledge of a given discipline and its future prospects.

A feature distinguishing the presented material will be a form. Documents will be enhanced by numerous images, charts and movies. Expanded multimedia files presenting a process of research work will also be available.

Additional Tools and Services

Portals will be the place for worldwide teleconferences and tele–seminars, which will enable the participation of many more people and discussion at scientific meetings as well as limiting the costs of business. They will become a routine activity and will replace traditional conferences and workshops.

Multimedia files will be archived and offered to the users with the possibility of retrieval for further analysis. They will also serve as educational material in classes. All the resources will be described in detail and made available through the expanded catalogue and advanced search engines, enabling access to interesting contents regardless of the user’s searching skills.

Besides the catalogue and search engine, portals will be equipped with other tools used for communication among the users, such as e–mail, multimedia chats and blogs.

Accessibility of Portals

It is expected that the high cost of creating portals will result in different levels of access. The possibility of access and use will depend on the purchase of subscriptions and the institution’s own contribution to the current contents of the service. This will provide an opportunity for the scientific community of less wealthy centers; by publishing on the portal’s site and actively participating in the development of science they will ensure themselves access to its resources.

The purchase of subscriptions and the individual’s involvement will enable the user to choose one of the following options of restricted access to:

The Role of the Library in the Virtual Knowledge Centre

Currently, Library staff does not have much influence on the shape of the information services to which they provide access. Their role is to acquire and organize access to services and to promote them in the academic community. They prepare material that the users request and give instructions for independent research. With the appearance of knowledge portals, however, the role of the Library staff will become more valuable. They will continue to be brokers between information and those who need it, and they will also become coordinators of portals and assistants to academic staff.

The daily duties of the librarians will include timely cooperation with academic staff. Personnel of scientific and research centers will deliver complete materials to the Library and the librarians will edit, index and adjust them in accordance with the service principles and then deliver them to the portal.

Conclusions

Thanks to modern technologies and the integration of available resources, knowledge portals will replace the present services and will become virtual workplaces for scientists worldwide. They will enable global communication and exchange of ideas and thus the advancement of science. Application of advanced multimedia will enable the staff to work more effectively and will reduce costs borne for the research work.

Notes

1. Radwański, A., 2004. “Zdetronizowana królowa wieku informacji, czyli rozważania o kondycji informacji naukowej,” Biuletyn EBIB, nr 7/2004 (58), at http://ebib.oss.wroc.pl/2004/58/radwanski.php (accessed 15 November 2006); “Library science,” Wikipedia, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_and_information_science (accessed 15 November 2006).

2. Based on H. Popowska–Taborska, B. Butent–Stefaniak, and A. Wysocki, 1991. Zagraniczne bazy danych: możliwósci i warunki ich wykorzystania. Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, p. 10.

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Radwański, A., 2004. “Zdetronizowana królowa wieku informacji, czyli rozważania o kondycji informacji naukowej,” Biuletyn EBIB, nr 7/2004 (58), at http://ebib.oss.wroc.pl/2004/58/radwanski.php (accessed 15 November 2006).

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About the Authors

Iwona Sójkowska earned a Master of Arts in Library and Information Science from the LIS Department of University of Łódź, Poland, graduating in 1999. Since 1998 she has been working in the Science Reference Division of Technical University of Łódź Library.

Filip Podgórski recieved his Master of Arts in Library and Information Science from the LIS Department of University of Łódź, Poland in 2003. Since 2002 he has been working in the Science Reference Division of Technical University of Łódź Library.

© 2007 Iwona Sójkowska and Filip Podgórski.