Libraries Maria Teresa Natale Italian Library Association Italian

Libraries Maria Teresa Natale Italian Library Association

Italian Libraries and European Projects Until now: • Not large participation • Not large diffusion of the results Co-operation for the promotion of new services must not be limited to a few number of libraries, but it must become a method for their development

Italian Libraries and European Projects 2002: year of transition from V to VI Framework Programme towards: • new policies • new models of projects • larger co-operation among libraries, museums and archives

Italian Libraries and European Projects The most significant projects are: ABSIDE: learning in libraries: the information society against discrimination and marginalization It intends to realise a new training model in order to retraining those who are in a difficult condition in the job market Used methodologies: integration of personalised training, open learning and practical activities usable through a network of centers for distance learning, developed within public libraries. Development of didactic packages for distance learning, aimed at giving competences with respect to new technologie and multimedia. http: //www. abside. net

Italian Libraries and European Projects CLEFCross: Language Evaluation Forum Action to support digital libraries through the development of an infrastructure to test and modify the information retrieval systems which use European languages http: //clef. iei. pi. cnr. it: 2002

Italian Libraries and European Projects Cultivate-EU: Cultural Heritage Application Network • • It aims at creating a supporting network for the co-operation among archives, libraries and museums, through a network of 30 partners, proposing: the development and use of new technologies in all European cultural heritage institutions the connections of European institutions with national institutions and professional organizations in order to give more rapid information among activities, European directives and citizens http: //www. cultivate-europe. org

Italian Libraries and European Projects Delos: Network of excellence on digital libraries It acts as laboratory and meeting point for initiatives in the field of digital libraries. It is organised in 5 forums: • Digital library research forum • Digital library evaluation forum • Standardization forum • Training and technology transfer forum • International cooperation forum http: //delos-noe. iei. pi. cnr. it

Italian Libraries and European Projects Erpanet: Electronic Resource Preservation and Access Network Actions to improve the preservation of cultural and scientific heritage, in particular as far as digital objects are concerned http: //www. erpanet. org

Italian Libraries and European Projects Image of music: a cultural Heritage Pilot Project for the realization of databases of musical iconography, creating and making new archives accessible on the Net http: //www. imagesofmusic. net

Italian Libraries and European Projects Meta-e: the Metadata Engine Project The project aims at creating a software for the ackowledgement and automatic retrieval of metadata from printed materials http: //www. meta-e. uibk. ac. at

Italian Libraries and European Projects Minerva: Ministerial Network for Valorising Activities in Digitisation It is a network of Member States' Ministries to discuss, correlate and harmonise activities carried out in digitisation of cultural and scientific content for creating an agreed European common platform, recommendations and guidelines about digitisation, metadata, long-term accessibility and preservation. http: //www. minervaeurope. org

Italian Libraries and European Projects Opendrama: the Digital Heritage of Opera in the Open Network Environment Its goals are: the definition, development and data integration in order to create and make online and offline multimedia products available, concerning lyrics and other forms of dramatic music, with purposes of study, research and fruition http: //www. opendrama. com

Italian Libraries and European Projects Presto: Preservation Technology The project developed integrated system for digitisazion at economically acceptable costs http: //www. presto. joanneum. ac. at/partner. asp

Italian Libraries and European Projects Pulman It supports the role of public libraries and cultural institutions, mostly at local level http: //www. pulmanweb. org

Italian Libraries and European Projects Rinascimento virtuale: Rediscovering Written Records of a Hidden European Cultural Heritage Network of European co-operation in order to rediscover and diffuse the content of palimpsest manuscripts, through the use of multispectral digital shots

Italian Libraries and European Projects Sandalya The project intend to manage and valorize documentary collections of library and archives, using existing open library technologies http: //www. sandalyaproject. org

Italian Libraries and European Projects TEL : The European Library It aims at: • realizing an infrastructure for integration and access to major digital collections, based on the esisting needs of 8 European countries, operating for the harmonization of legislative problems and the different national traditions. • The development of common agreements with publishers on problems concerning licences, prices and e-commerce http: //www. europeanlibrary. org

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web The use of a Website as instrument of promotion of the library, in addition to information and support to distance services, is more and more diffused. One of the most diffused novelty is the use of the newsletter by e-mail.

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web It’s difficult to say how many libraries in Italy reached the aim to have a more or less dinamic Website We have abour 15. 000 libraries. According to ISTAT, the National Institute of Statistics, at the end of 2001, one fifth of about 7000 libraries had realised a Website.

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web The most important Italian library repertory is Anagrafe delle biblioteche italiane Register of Italian Libraries http: //anagrafe. iccu. sbn. it/

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web As regards quality of Italian Websites, we are still very far from a diffused adoption of the W 3 C guidelines, even if they have been translated in Italian

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web Among the initiatives to promote accessibility: CABI Project, by Biblioteca Marciana Venezia Italian Campaign for accessibility of online libraries http: //marciana. venezia. sbn. it/CABI/ The object of the Project is to sensibilize this field, trying to giving support by means of indications, instruments and technical suggestions in order to approach also disadvantaged people

Another initiative: Bibliocom award for the best library Website Initiatives connected with preservation and long-term accessibility are not much diffused. The Italian library community discusses much about Dublin. Core, but the application of this standard for one’s own site metadata is quite scarce.

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web There is an improvement of the “external” indexing, namely the instruments at user disposal to find information resources outside the side itself

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web Segna. Web http: //segnaweb. it Born in may 2003, it is an information service tailored on user’s needs, managed by AIB and CILEA, and realized with the sofware My. Library. It is a co-operative service to which librarians from public libraries all over Italy are working to select and catalogue quality Internet resources. The aim is to offer an online quick reference service

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web Italian OPACs 31 December 2002: the number of catalogues of Italian libraries available on the Internet were 598 OPAC unities (+ 32 % in respect to 2001), among which 23 national, 43 regional and 532 of Provinces and Municipalities http: //www. aib. it/aib/lis/opac 1. htm

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web Meta. OPAC Azalai Italiano MAI is a database realised in coo-peration by AIB and CILEA. It includes 645 OPAC recorded and catalogued by a staff of librarians and computer specialists. Mai offers a service of simultaneous Meta. Search in 184 OPACs. http: //www. aib. it/aib/opac/mai. htm

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web Meta. OPAC Azalai Italiano The OPAC of MAI database have been divided into 7 cathegories: • • Public Libraries State Libraries Ecclesiastic Libraries School Libraries Academic Libraries Research Libraries Other Libraries

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web Meta. OPAC Azalai Italiano Monthly accesses have been about 140. 000 (about 5000 calls every day) 62% from a global research 17% from a regional research 21% from a selective research

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web Meta. OPAC Azalai Italiano Families of OPACs actually connected are: ALEPH, various OPAC applications realised with DBMS Basis. Plus, Easy. Web, various applications realised with High. Way, OPAC Sebina, applications Unibiblio, File. Maker Pro, WWW Isis, ISIS-GAS, Web. IF, alcuni gateway Web, OCAP, Sirtx-Sistema Integrado de Recuperacion Textual. LASSO, Sirtwx, Zetesis, Web Interface, YNIS/WAIS, Bibli. Win Online 4. 0.

Italian Libraries and the World Wide Web On AIB-WEB there is also a repertory of on-line alfabetic list of serials present in Italian libraries 26 February 2002: 177 alfabetic list of serials present on line, realised by 158 Italian libraries

Library automation systems in Italy INSTALLATIONS Aleph 64 Alexandrie 34 Amicus 7 Bibliowin 266 Bibliowin OPAC 113 Libero 4 Q-Series 26 Sebina 118 So-se-bi. 207 Suite Nexus 30 Suite Nexus (Easyweb) 232 Tin. Lib 164 @UOL. IT 5 @UOL. IT OPAC 3 UOL 19 Zetesis 73 LIBRARIES 856 46 178 369 217 4 105 2700 308 150 1060 200 170 261 429 273

SBN: National Library System Among the reasons of the specificity of the Italian situation, not much open to the international market, there is the presence of SBN, the National Library System 50 poles, 1500 connected libraries

Library automation systems in Italy SYSTEM Aleph Alexandrie Amicus Bibliowin CDS-ISTS Libero Q-Series Sebina So-se-bi. Suite Nexus Tin. Lib @UOL. IT Zetesis WILL DIALOGUE WITH SBN Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes WHEN End 2003 Mid 2003 End 2003 Mid 2004 End 2003 March 2004 ? Mid 2004

Library automation systems in Italy ASP Services Growing of the offer of this service, by which the software producer rents the using license and hosts application and data on its server, allowing a saving in the initial investment Now the offer is available for clint/user packages ((Aleph, Amicus) as well as for packages based on browsers (UOL, Easycat)

Source: Rapporto sulle biblioteche italiane 2002, a cura di Vittorio Ponzani, Bollettino AIB, 4 (33) 2003.

AIB-WEB http: //www. aib. it/aib/default-e. htm