Home / Information Center

Improving the efficiency of organizing and preserving document capital at the Library Information Center of the University of Transport - Hanoi - 8


Regularly check documents, monitor readers to correct and avoid loss

Through research and study, we realize that the Information and Library Center of the University of Transport in particular and the Vietnamese library system in general must unify and effectively implement the following principles to move towards "standardization and integration" with the world:

- Standard for describing library directories: AACR2

- Machine-readable cataloging format standard: MARC21

Maybe you are interested!

- Classification framework standard: DDC

- Uses 3-digit Sanborn Cutter table

Improving the efficiency of organizing and preserving document capital at the Library Information Center of the University of Transport - Hanoi - 8

- Interlibrary search and online cataloging standards: Z39.50

- Interlibrary loan: ISO10160

In information technology activities, professional standards for information processing, storage and service are given top priority, especially in the current conditions of automation of information technology activities on the basis of strong development of information technology. Up to now, after many choices, our country's information technology agencies have reached a consensus on applying advanced standards in the world to their activities.

AACR2 description standard

AACR2 provides the basis for national and international cataloging cooperation, improved bibliographic services, and cost savings. By providing a uniform description format for all types of materials, it enables integrated multimedia cataloging. In addition, it reduces user search time by providing headings (entry points) that are more compatible with the formats used in books and citation references.

MARC21 standard

The application of MARC 21 has brought benefits to libraries such as:

− Personal author name: describing the year of birth and year of death along with the author's name helps to make the search request more accurate in choosing between the


The authors have the same name but different year of birth. This is highly effective in searching for information by author as well as saving time searching for information.

− Users can search for information through access points such as title, author, subject heading, catalog, etc. or through search expressions such as search, detailed search, advanced search.

− Notify library users about the status of documents: not borrowed, borrowed, in process, to be closed, etc.

Statistics on the content of the document repository, the number of readers searching on computers, etc.

− Users inside and outside the library can access the library's database information.

DDC classification framework standards

DDC is used by more than 200 libraries in 138 countries around the world, the DDC classification index is widely used in the national bibliographies of more than 60 countries, including 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, 13 countries in the Americas, 8 countries in Europe, 7 countries in the Middle East. In its 125 years of existence, DDC has been translated into more than 30 different languages ​​in the world, 11 translations are in progress, some countries have included the DDC symbol in electronic catalogs and computer directories. Therefore, the DDC classification framework is highly international, besides this framework is constantly updated, regularly corrected, supplemented, and published. DDC is also the most continuously updated classification framework compared to the classification frameworks used in Vietnam.

On May 7, 2007, the Ministry of Culture and Information issued Decision No. 1598/BVHTT-TV stipulating that libraries nationwide apply the DDC Classification Framework in classification work. And the National Library of Vietnam organized two training courses on "Lecturers of the Condensed Dewey Decimal Classification, 14th Edition"; issued Official Dispatch No. 368/CV-TVQGVN on guidelines for implementing the application of professional standards.


which provides guidance on the application of this framework from 1 June 2007.

The selection of the classification table for the Center in the recent period was based on the following criteria: (1) Continuity, not interrupting the classification and organization of the MLPL system of existing document repositories, which are often very large in number and the habit of using the NDT search engine; (2) Suitable and convenient for organizing open repositories and exchanging bibliographic information with modern and advanced libraries in the region and the world, moving towards regional and international integration in this field;

(3) Suitable for the political system and socio-economic conditions of the country

Cutter – Sanborn number is used in conjunction with the DDC classification scheme and is used in many places around the world. This number is very convenient for arranging documents in open storage.

Interlibrary search and online cataloging standards: Z39.50

Z39.50 is an international standard (ISO 23950) that specifies the protocol for exchanging information between computers on a network. This standard helps:

Exchange materials with other libraries.

Allows readers of this library to borrow books from other libraries.

For example, the Z39.50 gateway service at http://z3950.loc.gov/ provides Z39.50 connectivity to over 450 library cataloging databases worldwide.

Interlibrary loan: ISO10160/1

ISO 1061 was developed to help standardize interlibrary loan services as well as standardize software tools for this service. By complying with the above standards, ILL tools can exchange information about interlibrary loan transactions with each other in a complete, correct and consistent manner. ISO 1061 specifies the structure and encoding of messages exchanged in a transaction, the states and actions associated with the states of the transaction, and the standard categories and keywords used in the messages.


3.1.2. Document preservation work

The first important thing is to agree on priority for preserving those documents that are being reproduced that can be preserved by changing the material from which they are made. For example, the paper could be made more durable.

An important principle is the method of processing large quantities of documents economically at one time. For example, a deacidification program for a whole archive.

The next principle is that preservation is not considered a simple task of a specific individual in charge of preservation work, does not require additional staff nor does it require special technical experts because of the limited investment conditions for libraries in our country. In fact, preservation is implicit in most of the daily work of the library, and all staff in the library need to have knowledge of preservation issues, related issues and measures to mitigate those issues.

Some notes on document preservation in the library are as follows:

+ Regarding finance: there is never enough funding and financial capacity to carry out the preservation goal, so it is necessary to prioritize the documents that need to be preserved first. Because with the current conditions of our country, the issue of investment in libraries has not been given due attention, and the library can still be considered a non-profit organization.

+ The average annual budget of the library must also be allocated for preservation, ...

+ The issue of preservation is a management issue and the available measures for librarians to solve it also belong to management: determining the supplementary policy, establishing the preservation policy of the document capital, maintaining and organizing the document capital, and educating librarians and users about knowledge and awareness of preservation.


3.2. Influencing factors

3.2.1. Advantages

Modern and spacious headquarters

The Center's area is large: nearly 4000m2 and the system of modern equipment such as: search machines, tables and chairs, air conditioners, lights, electric fans, magnetic gate systems, cameras have become an ideal place to work, study and research for staff, lecturers and students inside and outside the school.

The service department of the Center is located from the 4th to the 7th floor. Along with the construction, we also increase investment in purchasing synchronous equipment, investing in technology towards modernization, and applying information technology to the Center's operations.

+ Servers: including 17 servers concentrated on the 6th floor to manage Central data. For example: servers serving general database management (ILID, DLID), servers serving email usage, portal management servers, etc.

+ Workstation

Workstations: The center has 20 workstations serving document processing, managing readers' documents, as well as serving circulation work, ...

Document search workstation: there are 7 machines for document search: Reading room on the 5th floor has 3 machines, borrowing room on the 4th floor has 2 machines, reading room on the 6th floor has 2 machines.

Workstation for information search and electronic document reading: 7th floor

+ Automatic card scanning system: The center has equipped all rooms with automatic card scanning machines, from the business room to the service room with 5 machines;

+ Surveillance camera system: All rooms are equipped with surveillance cameras to serve the purpose of managing readers, with 30 cameras capable of storing images, installed in different locations to help library staff conveniently control readers to avoid tearing documents;


+ Magnetic gate and card system:

In the self-selected reading room, RFID double security gate systems are installed to control readers, not allowing documents to be taken out without the consent of staff. With RFID readers, book inventory is done easily.

+ Air conditioning system: all departments of the Center are equipped with air conditioning system with 13 50,000 BTU air conditioning cabinets and 20 18,000 BTU wall-mounted air conditioners.

+ Printer and photocopier system: equipped in all service rooms, ensuring the document photocopying needs of readers

In short, the University of Transport Information and Communications Center has a spacious and airy headquarters, with modernly arranged rooms, which is one of the important factors for the center to be able to perform well the work of organizing and preserving the document warehouse.

Young, dynamic and dedicated librarians

This is one of the most important factors for the library to exist and develop. With an increasingly developed information technology society, the information needs of readers are increasingly high, so the library staff not only have professional expertise but also have communication skills and psychological knowledge to be able to behave civilly in the process of interacting with readers.

Currently, the University of Transport Information and Library Center has 19 staff members with university and college degrees; 73% of the staff are between the ages of 25-40, and are equipped with basic knowledge to organize closed and open archives to serve readers in many different forms.

Previously, the library only served readers in the form of a closed warehouse, the librarians were simply the ones who preserved, stored and retrieved documents when readers needed them. But when organizing an open warehouse in addition to professional knowledge, the staff of the Center are always dynamic, dedicated to their profession because only then can they grasp modern library knowledge quickly such as: guiding readers to search


documents, use documents, help them find information on the machine and on the shelves to keep the documents longer. That is a favorable factor for the organization and storage of the Information and Television Center to achieve high efficiency.

3.2.2. Difficulties

Cost

To carry out the computerization of library work requires a huge source of funding, while the state budget allocated to libraries is very limited, so funding is always a difficult problem for leaders. Investing in libraries often does not immediately show results, so it is very difficult to ask for funding, so library development is often asynchronous and fragmented. Currently, many libraries with dynamic leaders have requested aid from foreign organizations to invest in their libraries. But the next problem that arises is how to have financial resources to maintain library activities when the funding source runs out, this is also a difficult problem because the library is not a revenue-generating business unit.

For the University of Transport and Communications Information Center, although the funding is provided by the University and the World Bank project, the equipment is currently operating less effectively and needs to be maintained and upgraded. More specifically, the number of specialized newspapers and magazines is very limited and has not been supplemented, also due to funding issues.

The IT and foreign language skills of library staff are still low.

In general, the quality of staff is still the biggest challenge of the Vietnamese library industry. Library staff in our country in general are in great need of enthusiasm, professional ethics, training to improve dynamism, creativity, adaptability to the requirements of the new era, and need to be trained more deeply and highly in professional skills, especially foreign language and IT skills...

In particular, in the current trend of automation and knowledge economy, foreign language and computer skills are a necessary requirement for library staff, because the Center


Annually import foreign specialized technical books from the project investment, or purchase. Should:

Librarians with a certain level of foreign language proficiency will synthesize information from many different sources, translate information from foreign documents, and help readers overcome language barriers so they can access information because with the increase in paper, electronic, online documents... in English and the growing need to communicate with international friends, foreign language proficiency, especially English, is an urgent requirement for librarians.

By using information technology proficiently, librarians will have basic knowledge of information technology, be ready to acquire knowledge of modern information services, and well manage the system of software equipment and modern technology systems applied in the library. On the other hand, the strong development of information technology has enriched reading materials, from paper documents to electronic documents, from reading books to reading on computers and being able to read anywhere as long as there is an information network... A large part of users, especially the young generation, are gradually losing the habit of reading books and newspapers on paper. Audio-visual culture is overwhelming the reading culture. Libraries are gradually losing readers. It is time for the role of librarians to change from "passive" to "active". We not only do the work of organizing and managing books and newspapers that readers need to borrow and read, but also need to advise readers on addresses to look up online. To do this well, librarians' information technology knowledge must be good. More than ever, librarians must do a good job of promoting and encouraging the reading of traditional and modern books and newspapers among the people.

In short, the level of information technology and foreign language for library staff today is an important requirement and a difficulty not only for the Information and Library Center of the University of Transport and Communications but also for Vietnamese libraries when aiming to standardize and integrate with the library information industry in the world.

Comment


Agree Privacy Policy *