STRAIT to the future

8th Asia-Pacific Specials, Health and Law Librarians Conference

Focus session: Physics, Astronomy, Mathematics and Computer Science - Asia Pacific Forum

Co-Chairs:
Jeanette Regan, Australian National University Library and
Christina Louis, Library, Indian Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Bangalore, India

Keywords: networking; science libraries; developing countries

Background on the formation of PAM-APF

Here in Australia we are all aware of the impact caused by our geographic isolation from colleagues and publishers who are based in Europe and North America. These problems are accentuated within the specialised scientific areas. However, when it comes to obtaining relevant bibliographic research materials, our problems are negligible when compared to those of many of our colleagues in developing countries.

During the past two years the International Relations Committee, Physics Astronomy Mathematics and Computer Science Division (PAM) of the Special Libraries Association (US) has been working with the Australian Libraries and Information Association in the formation of PAM Asia Pacific Forum (PAM-APF). The aims of PAM-APF are:

• To foster information exchange amongst colleagues; and
• To ensure that publishers are aware of technological weaknesses in the Developing World, especially in the Asia-Pacific Region.

The infrastructure for this Forum has now been established, as indicated in Stage 1 below. From this point onward, we need to start utilising the PAM-APF network and so provide the necessary support that has been proposed, for our colleagues in developing countries. This will be discussed under Stage 2.

Stage 1

The lists of libraries to be contacted were compiled from The World of Learning with some additional ones added from Web sites.

The methods used to advertise the Forum were through announcements: at conferences and meetings; over electronic discussion lists; but mainly through the distribution of approximately 600 letters which were distributed to libraries through Asia, Australasia and then Latin America and Caribbean. These letters invited librarians with an interest in the relevant subjects to join PAM-APF.

Included with the letter was a questionnaire covering two main topics?

• the level of computer and Internet access the recipients had; and
• their interest in joining a library consortium.

The distribution of these letters was undertaken in 2 parts.
In November 1998, approximately 425 letters were distributed throughout Asia and Australasia; and in February 1999, another 132 letters were distributed throughout the Latin America and Caribbean.

By Mid-December 1998 there had been sufficient interest expressed to establish the online discussion list, pam-apf. At the end of April were 46 responses had been received to the questionnaire and 90 participants from 23 countries had joined the discussion list.

Also during 1998 a web site for PAM-APF was established at http://msowww.anu.edu.au/library/pam/project.htm In April 1999, Chinese translations of these pages were mounted on the Zhejiang University Libraries: http://lib.zju.edu.cn/cpam0.html. It is hoped that Spanish translations will also be available in the near future.

The full figures and details gathered from the questionnaires were presented by Christina Louis at the PAM Roundtable session of the 90th SLA Conference, Minneapolis, June 5-11, 1999.

Stage 2

Background
As we are continually being told, the publishing industry is constantly changing. But what impact is this really having on colleagues and their libraries in developing countries? Some of them have not been able to afford to buy any monographs for a number of years[1], and the number of current subscriptions to journals is minimal. What difference will the change of format have? How can we provide tangible assistance to these colleagues?

Perhaps it is relevant to begin by looking at the basic formats of journals and books and the current changes that are happening.

Journal publications are of concern to us all. At one extreme we have the scenarios as depicted in The journal as an overlay on preprint databases (Smith, A. 1999)[2] and The Deconstructed Journal -a new model for Academic Publishing (Smith, John W.T. 1999).[3] The explanation given by the first of these papers provides a clear summation of what has happened since the development of electronic publishing, especially the impact of the preprint databases (I will not go into detail about this paper, but just provide the diagram, as an endnote 4, which Smith states depicts the current situation.) The second article provides a model of how the author perceives that publishing can evolve. However, neither of these authors has given any consideration what-so-ever to those whose online access is limited in any way.

At the other extreme we have the commercial publishers, such as Elsevier, who are providing a very stable, online archive of material as well as paper versions of the journals. But this is happening at significant financial cost to us, their clients. And so once again access is limited for those for whom there are financial restrictions.

But globalisation is also hitting the publishers whom, in turn, are "swallowing" each other more and more often to form huge companies. This factor, combined with the change from the paper to electronic media, has instigated the new copyright situation that has evolved. Publishers think that they have the authority to force clients to accept limiting conditions to a much greater extent than the individual, smaller publishers would have dared in the past.

Although librarians always have regarded publishers as their partners rather than opponents, information specialists nowadays need a strong lobby to make publishers hear our opinions and concerns and to let them know we aren't individual players either. The more we work coherently towards the same goals, the louder we will be able to shout! This is therefore one of the primary reasons for the establishment of PAM-APF.

Some future directions for PAM-APF

After the collapse of the USSR, many libraries in North America established 'twinning' arrangements with libraries from the former Republic. This aid consisted of providing the Tables of Contents (TOC) of journal issues to their 'partner' or 'twinned' library and has been considered a most successful venture. Should a similar arrangement be attempted for libraries in the Asian and Latin America Regions? With whom can they form such partnerships - when all libraries are having their funds cut?

It is all very well for libraries, or other bodies acting on behalf of libraries, to negotiate with publishers and form consortia. The financial restrictions that are now coming into play in developed countries are forcing these libraries to reconsider how and why bibliographic information is received. But, in fact, the financial benefits that publishers are providing to these consortia are minimal. Can PAM-APF assist libraries to form international consortia? What will be the problems we will face? There is a limit to the amount of voluntary time that people can give to organise such a group. So it will need financial assistance. Where can we turn for such assistance? Other issues that are being addressed, but still need further assistance include:

• Establishment of the necessary infrastructure, hardware and software required to support the new bibliographic sources;
• Support for our colleagues to 'train the trainers';
• Encouragment and assistance colleagues to become aware of developments as they happen.

The PAM-APF Focus Session will provide us with the opportunity to meet in person, discuss these issues and any others that are raised in the next few months.

At the time this paper was written, PAM-APF had only been established for six months. It will be another three months before this Focus Session will take place. Many more changes and opportunities will present themselves during that time, for us all to assist each other. The pam-apf discussion list can now provide us with the vehicle for further communications.

Endnotes

1 Gomez, M.E., News from Mexico, pam-apf discussion list 6 May 1999
2 Smith, Arthur, The journal as an overlay on preprint databases, April 14, 1999
3 Smith, John W.T., The Deconstructed Journal - a new model for Academic Publishing, Learned Publishing, Vol.12, No2 April 1999
4

Biographical

Since 1991, Jeanette Regan has been the librarian at the Astronomy Branch Library (ANU). Jeanette has instigated the establishment of scientific library communication networks at both the local, national and international levels. She has published papers in international conference proceedings, in Australian library publications and chaired open forums at international conferences.

Christina Louis joined the Indian Institute of Astrophysics Library at Bangalore in the year 1979. She has been working as assistant librarian for the last ten years. With the background of a science degree and a post-graduate degree in Library Science, she is involved in building up the astronomy collection of the library, and also in automating the library. Currently Christina is not only involved in establishing a network of astronomy libraries in India but also she is also an active participant in the PAM-APF, as a member of its working group. She has published few papers in Indian as well as international journals.