Conference Notes

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Speakers:
Fischer-Galati
Hollender
Miletic-Vejzovic
Roth
Kocojowa
Pindlowa
Anderson
Mitchell
Schaffner
Glinski
Sliwinska
Sitarska
Hurych
Zverevitch
Dimchev
Ploszajski
Rykazewska-
Wiorogorska
Jankowska

Summary Remarks

Conference notes written by Hilary McLellan

Dr. Robert M. Hayes, University of California at Los Angeles, presented a paper entitled "The History of Library Automation and Library Science in the United States." Hayes started with several anecdotes, including one about a presentation that he made to an audience in the Washington, D.C. area a number of years ago. At this talk, Hayes said that he reflected on changes in his perceptions of how people use information. Hayes told the audience that he had started by thinking that people use information to make decisions, but he had concluded instead that people use information to justify decisions they had already made. There was a powerful reaction from a substantial portion of the audienceóa collective gasp. Hayes later learned that there were a substantial number of people from the CIA in the audience.

Hayes continued his talk by laying out a fascinating model of four periods of the history of library automation and library science in the U.S., including his predictions for the future (1997-2002). Apparently this is the second time he has made predictions about the future of this field; according to Hayes, his previous predictions mostly proved correct. We'll see about the current batch of predictions!

Here is Hayes' model for four successive periods in time since 1948:

Period 1: 1948-1964

Period 2: 1964-1980

Period 3: 1980-1997

Period 4: 1997-2002

Hayes discussed each of these periods in terms of several "contexts," including:

Social, Economic & Political Context
Commercial, Industrial, & Consumer Context
Information Technologies
Publishing
Libraries
Library Services
Library Internal Operations.

Hayes commented that he can't overemphasize the importance of the intelligence community and its information needs in the development of the library field. Thus it seems that the Cold War propelled not only military spending but library and information science innovation.

Hayes mentioned that Vannavar Bush's article "As We May Think," published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1948, was an important landmark for thinking about modern library science, because this visionary paper laid out many of the most important innovations that have since come to pass. The article is a touchstone for looking back on the period since 1948, and for looking forward to the future still to come. Hayes speculated that the past two decades have been among the most important stretches of time in human civilization over the past two millennia because of the magnitude of innovation that has taken place during this exciting span of time.

Period 1: 1948-1964

Social, Economic and Political	Military intelligence, Cold War, Sputnik, science information, economic hegemony of the U.S.
Commercial, Industrial, and Consumer	Internal accounting, low amount of data, limited use of management information, no significant use of external information.
Information Technologies	Key-operated accounting machines, punch cards, main-frames, limited I-O, upper-case only print.
Publishing	Traditional print publishing, manual composition, beginning impact of xerography.
Libraries	Library Services & Construction Act, National Libraries (LC, NLM, NAL), growth of library cooperation.
Library Services	Book-form catalogs, experiments in database development, experiments in information retrieval.
Library Internal Operations	Almost nothing operational, initial experiments (punched cards)

Period 2: 1964-1980

Social, Economic and Political	Vietnam War, terrorism, information economy, economic growth of Germany and Japan.
Commercial, Industrial, and Consumer	Moderate amounts of data, centralized management information, low use of external information.
Information Technologies	Main frames, Grosch's Law*, Network Development (UCLA/WDPC,ARPANET).
Publishing	Computer photo-composition, commercial database services.
Libraries	State network development, Regional medical library network, OCLC, RLG/RLIN.
Library Services	MARC, online catalogs, access to data, interlibrary lending.
Library Internal Operations	Development of modules, first commercial retrospective conversion.

*Grosch's Law, put forward by H.R.J. Grosch, was that "Computer power goes up at the square of the cost." Grosch's Law was influential during this period, but it later proved incorrect.

Period 3: 1980-1997

Social, Economic and Political	End of the Cold War, collapse of communism, social and economic turmoil.
Commercial, Industrial, and Consumer	Massive amounts of data, distributed management information, high use of external information.
Information Technologies	Microprocessors, Moore's Law*, telecom/computer integration, dramatic increases in I-O.
Publishing	Growth of electronic publishing, growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web.
Libraries	Economic pressures, cost of journals, growth in services, growth in use of electronic media.
Library Services	Universal OPACs, CD-ROM LANs, access to the Internet and the World Wide Web.
Library Internal Operations	Integrated library systems, multi-font, multi-language international development.

*Moore's Law, developed by Dr. Gordon Moore, one of the founders of Intel, states that computers will double in capacity every 18 months.

Period 4: 1997-2002

Social, Economic and Political	Explosion of the information economy, continuing population growth, continuing social & economic turmoil in developing countries.
Commercial, Industrial, and Consumer	Restoration of "middle management," recentralization of management information, growing use of external information.
Information Technologies	Parallel processing, Moore's Law continues in software development, increasing growth of distributed digital telecommunications.
Publishing	Replacement of journal issues by article document delivery*, continued growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web in entertainment.
Libraries	Continued role in preservation of all media & access to all, growth in acquisition and use of electronic media.
Library Services	Growth in bibliographic instruction & consultation role in selection in access to the Internet & the WWW.
Library Internal Operations	Growth of "outsourcing" of technical services, growth of international bibliographic database cover.

*Not a comparable shift for monographs to electronic format.

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Summary Remarks

Key Themes of the Conference

Democracy (What is it? What are the implications for librarians and information professionals? What are the roles of a library in a democratic society? How do we build democratic institutions and practices? What are the relations between the economy and democracy, education and democracy, access to information and democracy?)
Multiple roles for the library: information access, continuing education, center of culture, political indoctrination, community meeting hall, window on the world, guidepost to democracy.
Librarians: new skills, new roles, new specialties, new relationships with clients, new opportunities are in the works as part of the transition to democracy.
Digitization of information.
Active versus passive use of information.
Centralization versus decentralization.
Standardization versus non-standardization of cataloguing and information archiving.
Library automation.
Complementarity and redundancy of information formats (text, audio, images, digital video; electronic, print, microfiche, etc.).
Language as a resource and an artifact (i.e., a noise factor) in communication.
Classification systems that provide a "lingua franca" for classifying and navigating information.
Cultural influences and constraints.
Funding options, including entrepreneurial strategies, grants, etc.
Lessons that can be learned from western experience (U.S., U.K., Canada, Sweden, etc.).
The role of professional organizations as educational and change agents.

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Key Themes

Summary Remarks

Conference Speakers

	Dr. Stephen Fischer-Galati, Editor of the East European Quarterly, reported that before the recent shift to democracy in Eastern Europe, the only archive that mattered was the archive of the Communist Party. This orientation placed tremendous constraints on the information that could beóand wasópreserved and archived. Now, in order to make the transition to democracy, eastern Europeans must have access to a broad array of information. Here, libraries can play a key role.
	Dr. Henryk Hollender of the University of Warsaw pointed out that traditional textsóin printed formóare read differently in different cities across the world, colored by the background and cultural contexts of the people in different locations. According to Hollender, the same is true of electronic texts. The text on a World Wide Web page may be accessible globally, but writers and designers must keep in mind that the global audience is far from homogeneous. Electronic text does not automatically come alive because it is put out on the Internet; writers and designers must make it live for diverse audiences. Related to this, Hollender pointed out that the Polish part of the Internet is being developed by computer scientists and computer hobbyists, not knowledge workers and information experts. He argued that knowledge workers, librarians, and related professionals should have a role to play in determining how and what information should be presented on the Polish portion of the IInternet as well as all the rest of it. Design of the Internet should not be restricted to a limited group of experts; other knowledgeable voices should be heard. Hollender suggested that some traditional controls of text such as edition number should be utilized so that important distinctions are not lost in this new publishing realm. Hollender pointed out that there is a high degree of functional illiteracy in Poland (and elsewhere), so the Internet should feature information in audio form to serve this audience, in addition to the text format which is the most wide-spread. This approach can perhaps help to capture more of the context, thus bringing information to life for more people. Finally, Hollender commented that it's easier to automate the library than it is to implement quality control in higher education, another reason to highlight the role of libraries in the transition to a global, digital, democratic world.
	Laila Miletic-Vejzovic of Washington State University, reported on the university libraries in Croatia and how these libraries are managing change. Miletic-Vejzovic's thesis is that central to any democracy, and perhaps crucial to a society trying to throw off the habits acquired during a long period of rigid government censorship, is its ability to guarantee its citizens the right to utilize informationóand knowledgeóto the fullest extent. Information use depends on a synergy among three elements: creation, publication, and dissemination. Universities are perhaps the main creators of information; publishers exist to give it usable form; and university libraries have a central part in its organization and dissemination. This triad nicely unites the leadership responsibilities for information use in an emerging democracy. Miletic-Vejzovic's presentation examined the role of each of these three elements in regard to information access, technology, intellectual property rights, bibliographic standards, interlibrary loans, collection development, funding., etc. Miletic-Vejzovic, an expatriate from Croatia, reported that Croatia has fairly well-developed information infrastructure by Central and Eastern European standards. Even back in 1991, during the fiercest fighting, the Croatian Academic Network (CARNet) was established by the Ministry of Science and Technology, who realized the importance of information transfer within the global context, and the need for information in creating a new democracy. Most notably, CARNet has ensured that Croatia enters the 21st century with the fully developed communication infrastructure, "capable" of using the information as a tool in restructuring for democracy. The assumption would be that with this advanced information infrastructure in place, restructuring for democracy is gaining momentum. Unfortunately, such has not yet proven to be the case because the necessary intellectual climate has not yet evolved; a siege-mentality has dominated the newly independent nation and shows no signs of weakening. The President of Croatia, Franjo Tudjman, is an autocrat, the intellectuals have been silenced, and the universities are ruled by government officials. Therefore, that "capability" has not been entirely utilized to the extent it should be, to be employed as a tool in restructuring for democracy. The access to information is yet to become open and free. Most people cannot afford access to the Internet because the telecommunications costs remain high, although they may have the computer technology in their homes once access becomes more affordable. The Soros Foundation has provided some support for the most independent media but overall there has been a great deal of government harassment of the media and attempts to maintain control over media. Concerning publishing in Croatia and how it has changed since independence: some publishing companies have moved from government ownership into private hands, and Croatian publishers have lost the larger market of former Yugoslavia. Miletic-Vejzovic reports that unfortunately the publishing industry in Croatia does not consider the requests of librarians. The National and University Library (NUL) in Zagreb has moved into its new building; it is truly breath-takingly beautiful, and it has been designed to meet all requirements of a modern library and information center. In addition to the university of Zagreb, there are three other major university libraries, in Osijek, Rijeka, and Split. According to Miletic-Vejzovic, there should be more collaboration and coordination of library collection development between these various libraries and others throughout Croatia than currently exists. Furthermore, there is a conflict between the library school professors who train librarians and the actual practioners, who believe there should be more emphasis on practice rather than theory in the training of new librarians. According to Miletic-Vejzovic, she has come to agree with both sides of this argument; both points of view contain some validity. Miletic-Vejzovic points out that the notion of democracy is unfortunately distorted in most former communist and socialist countries which all suffer from the same disease, i.e., they have kept the worst parts of communism, and adopted the worst parts of capitalism. For now, access to information is yet to become open and free. Miletic-Vejzovic emphasizes, "Democracy cannot be taken for granted--its principles are complex, and must be protected every single day."
	"The new library created in Dubrovnik, Croatia, to replace the one destroyed in the fighting a few years ago, is tiny, but it is computer-linked to all the libraries in the world. It has few books or journals of its own and needs no large acres of shelves to satisfy its readers, who, in fact,do not need to go near the place at all if they have the necessary technology in their own homes. It is not so very different, in fact, from the Open University in Great Britain, which is, for its students, only a conceptual space, not a physical one. Such organizations are increasingly "virtual"; you can describe what they do but cannot see them. What, then, is this thing called an organization? The word seems to be more of a verb these days than a noun,a means of organizing instead of a thing or a body. And how do we manage something we cannot see or people whom we never meet? For many a manager, these new organizations are something to be kept as far away as possible for as long as possible. Most of us prefer to walk backward into the future, a posture which may be uncomfortable but which at least allows us to keep on looking at familiar things as long as we can." Quoted from Charles Handy (1997). "Unimagined Futures." In Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith, & Richard Beckhard (Editors). The Organization of the Future. San Francisco,CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.ISBN 0-7879-0303-5. pp. 378-379. Handy's future-oriented description of the new Dubrovnik library complements Laila Miletic-Vejzovic's discussion of conditions in Croatia. Handy's vision also reinforces some ideas presented at the beginning of Globenet 1997 by Dr. Evans Roth of the University of Tennessee, who was one of many people who helped behind the scenes to get Globenet 1997 off to a successful start. (Thanks, Dr. Roth!) Roth described two other libraries in Eastern Europe that have suffered destruction: the library at the University of Chechnya in Groznyy, Chechnya, and the library at the University of Tirana,in Tirana, Albania. The library at the University of Chechnya was destroyed in the war for Chechnya's autonomy from Russia. And the library at the University of Tirana was trashed by a small destructive group of Albanians from among the many enraged Albanians whose lives were disrupted by the sudden crash of a pyramid scheme into which they had naively invested their life savings and their hopes for the future, only to find out --- the hard way --- that it was a scam. Roth pointed out that, "These libraries have the opportunity to rebuild from scratch, and perhaps become better." Perhaps these libraries, when they are rebuilt, can embody the hopes of the people in these countries for a better future, linked to a global network of information and increasingly democratic institutions, as Handy has described.

	Professor Dr. hab. Maria Kocojowa, of the Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland, pointed out very perceptively that "Democracy has many faces." As Kocojowa pointed out, under Communism, the countries of eastern Europe were referred to as "people's democracies." Now there is a different face of democracy, based on the model of representative democracy from countries such as the U.S. and the U.K. Under the 'ancient regime' of Communism, science libraries were constrained more by lack of capital than politics --- scientific knowledge was part of the acceptable archive of knowledge described earlier by Fischer-Galati. But the humanities and social science collections lacked funding for political reasons too. Kocojowa pointed out that under the current system --- the "new" democratic system --- "Access to information is most readily available to people who speak this language [English]." So language is a major factor in gaining access to information, along with technology and political freedom. The new face of democracy calls for equal access to information resources. But in Poland, there is a fundamental problem that interferes with this ideal of equal access. As Kocojowa explained, sharing resources between schools is a problem because some must pay for resources while others receive them for free. Kocojowa suggested that perhaps simple laws can solve the problem. Perhaps! This is one vivid indication of the complexity of the library systems that are trying to move into a more democratic future --- and the complexity of the contexts within which these libraries operate. Kocojowa wisely pointed out, "It is necessary to properly understand the principles of democracy" --- in order to move in that direction!
	Dr. Dr. hab. Wanda Pindlowa, of the Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland, reported on "Democracy in Libraries - What does it mean?" Pindlowa reviewed some important historical context. Pindlowa pointed out that since the 1970s, fewer scholars in Poland and other eastern European countries have held international stature than was the case previously. And before World War II, librarians came from the same class and cultural background; now there is greater diversity of background for those going into the library field. Pindlowa suggested that a goal of librarians in eastern Europe should be to make their library systems compatible with European Union practices. As Pindlowa wisely emphasized, economic development is more a process of accumulated practices (and knowledge) rather than merely obtaining capital for funding. Related to this, Pindlowa made the following suggestions: Establish joint information system committees. Identify European Union sites where library systems have been tested. Establish communications channels between librarians, government officials, and others. Establish web sites in Poland that act as general information and access points for people in this field.
	Gordon Anderson, of the Slavic Studies Program at the University of Kansas, discussed "Slavic Area Studies, Research Libraries, and the Democratic Transformation of Central Europe." As Anderson explained, libraries everywhere are strapped for money and resources, but this is especially true of the eastern European libraries making the transition from communist era budgets to the demands of gearing up for capitalism, modernism, and other related phenomena. Anderson provided a valuable overview of programs and agencies that support libraries in Eastern Europe. The Soros Foundation provides some funding for a regional library program in eastern Europe. This program funds magazine and journal subscriptions, as well as back issues. There is also funding for professionals to attend conferences. IREX provides funding and support for exchanges, consulting, archives, and resources. The Mortonson Project at the University of Illinois. The Congressional Research Service (USA), with support from the Ford Foundation and other sources, works with the parliaments of different countries and their librarians. This agency provides support for getting internet access. The Canadian Parliament is active too. Librarians and Slavic Departments at research universities have provided support; this is truly a global profession. The Slavic Studies Program at the University of Kansas is one such program.
	Joan S. Mitchell, of OCLC Forest Press, Library of Congress, made the valuable point that we don't need to reinvent knowledge organization tools in coming to terms with the Internet --- well-tested tools such as the Dewey Decimal classification system are already available, field-tested and refined over a number of years. Mitchell made another very interesting point: classification can be used as a "multilingual switching tool" since classification systems such as Dewey Decimal have been widely translated into different languages. These classification systems provide a sort of "lingua franca" for classifying and navigating information --- one that is flexible and adaptable as well as comprehensive. Mitchell gave an example of this flexibility: the topic "pizza" is normally classified under Meat and Cheese, but in Italian, "pizza" is classified under "bread and bread-like pies." As this example indicates, cultural adaptations are possible within the Dewey Decimal classification system. Mitchell explained that the Dewey Decimal system is updated regularly and a "Dewey for Windows Update Disc" (CD-ROM) is periodically sent out with these updates, including: news and changed entries (monthly); LCSH/DDC (biweekly); and application notes (as needed). This CD-ROM features links and cross-listings not only with the Library of Congress classification system, but with other classification systems, especially in the medical area. This includes: OCLC Research Projects; Scorpion Project (http://www.purl.org/scorpion or http://www.purl.org/oclc/review1996); Dewey Extended Concept Trees, and WordSmith. Mitchell recommends that information professionals need to promote a resource such as Dewey Decimal not just as a library shelving system but as a powerful and flexible library classification and knowledge-organizing system that can be adapted to new purposes as the Internet emerges as a knowledge access resource.
	Brad Schaffner, of the Watson Library, University of Kansas, pointed out that there are some important issues fundamental to the internet, from a librarian's point of view, that need to be given attention. One important issue is that information on the World Wide Web may be ephemeral---it is posted and then removed without a permanent record that is available to librarians seeking to index and help people access information. And the "vanity press" tendency of much of the information presented on the World Wide Web makes it difficult for researchers to assess the value and reliability of this information, posing a problem that will have to be dealt with in some fashion. There is currently a trend toward converting many academic journals from text to electronic form. Librarians need to make arrangements to preserve and archive electronic journals so that they remain available to library patrons. Schaffner articulated the wonderful metaphor of having patrons "purchase cyber paper" (i.e., digital or virtual copies of "pages" of electronic text) just as they now must purchase photocopies of print-based documents. Schaffner also suggested that in the emerging age of digital documents, librarians will need to archive and provide information in complementary formats, such as electronic and microfiche versions. However, this redundancy of information formats is likely to be more expensive, calling for new problem-solving! In response to this comment, Joan Mitchell pointed out that publishers are finding that by putting a copy of a book on the World Wide Web they can actually increase the sales of the print version. This seems to be similar to the phenomenon of book excerpts published in magazines as a promotional strategy. In a similar vein, computer industry analyst Esther Dyson has coined the phrase "the aftermarket" to describe the phenomenon of placing sample material on the World Wide Web so that people will be in a better position to decide if they want to buy more of the product or related consulting services. (Note: The current legal case filed by White House advisor Sidney Blumenthal charging libel against Matt Drudge, the publisher of the Drudge Report website which features U.S. political news and gossip sets an important precedent. And this is surely not an isolated case. It suggests that if information is important enough, there will be legal and market forces and mechanisms that ensure accuracy in the digital arena just as in print publishing. But this is an area where work needs to be done to develop policies and tools. The Electronic Freedom Foundation is examining these issues, i.e., the issues involved in setting a balance between freedom of speech and information accuracy. And other groups are examining this issue. As Brad Schaffner seems to suggest, librarians and other information professionals need to become involved in these explorations of the implications for a very new medium, the World Wide Web.)
	Dr. Wieslaw Glinski, of the University of Warsaw, discussed some important ideas for conceptualizing computer use in libraries and elsewhere. Glinski contrasted passive and active use of computers. For example, the way that bank tellers employ computers is fairly passive, following a predetermined route through a set of procedures. But the use of computers to find information relevant to an open-ended topic is an active use of computers. Searching the World Wide Web or some other database calls for more active problem-solving and exploration. Glinski also explained how in a world that is increasingly networked, "the network is the computer" and "the computer is the network." An individual computer networked to other computers becomes an access point for the information resources of the entire network; that is the logic underlying the World Wide Web. Glinski discussed libraries in the context of individual countries, such as Poland and the other countries of eastern europe. One important issue is library automation. This is part of a larger issue of determining how to go about modernizing libraries as part of the transformation to a new form of government and a new context of greater freedom of access to information. There is also the issue of whether or not to standardize the library cataloging system to bring it into better alignment with the global information infrastructure, and how to proceed with standardization if this option is chosen. Another issue that emerges in the new political order is centralization versus decentralization: how much should the control and standardization of libraries be directed from a central governing body and how much should it be locally determined? Which option is best suited to the context of a particular country and a particular infrastructure of libraries and university libraries? Beyond all of these issues in and of themselves, there are the implications for the training of library professionals. This training must inculcate in students an understanding of the meaning of the information age and the possibilities and challenges that this offers to the library profession.
	Maria Sliwinska, of the International Centre of Information Management Systems and Services (ICIMSS) in Torun, Poland, described the ICIMSS, which is a school for training librarians and information professionals. Like many other conference speakers, Sliwinska highlighted the theme of democracy. On an historical note, she commented, "Democracy did not help protect us [the Polish people] from invaders." This comment offers important insight into the historical context that Poland brings to bear upon its current transition from Communism to democracy. It also demonstrates the broad range of concerns in the minds of the Polish people as they embark upon a dramatic transformation in government, ideology, and aspirations for the future. Sliwinska reported that the ICIMSS has chosen to use English as its language of instruction. The ICIMSS was targeted to serve regional librarians in Poland. However, some students have been accepted from Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and other countries. Next year there will be students from Latvia, Lithuania, and Tajikistan. The Centre has received funding in the form of Mellon Foundation grants. And based on Sliwinska's comments, the Centre's motto seems to be: "Without well-prepared people, technology is useless." The program features an internship program so that students get hands-on experience as well as classroom training. Sliwinska reported that the ICIMSS has organized art exhibits for local artists, thereby helping the artists and their communities and carrying out the the role of library as center of culture.
	Professor Dr. hab. Anna Sitarska, of the University of Bialystok, in Bialystok, Poland, raised some very interesting issues. She asked an earlier speaker, Dr. Robert Hayes, this question: "Is it possible to make this jump to democracy via computers and computer networks?" Once again, the theme of democracy emerges at center stage! Sitarska explained that the program at Bialystok is fairly new; it's a branch of the University of Warsaw. Sitarska explained that after next year's election in Poland, it may be possible that special library councils will be established with librarians as their leaders, under Struder Projects I and II. These are regional development projects for several rural outlying districts in Poland that are facing problems with unemployment and lack of adequate jobs. The planned regional development projects will offer training in computers and foreign language literacy. Librarians can play an important leadership role in communities where the strongest barriers to accepting change are mental barriers. Sitarska reported that people in these districts say they don't believe in democracy in their communities. These people want the local government to solve their problems, but there is no money for the local government to work with. (Hence, the regional development initiatives.) Sitarska raised the issue of what this implies for the transition to democracy. Sitarska asked: "What can you devise to communicate the reality [of democracy]?" This is indeed a thought-provoking question, one that vividly communicates both the scope and the subtlety of change in mindsets and institutions in order for democracy to take hold.
	Jitka Hurych, of Northern Illinois University, discussed "Academic Libraries in the Czech Republic: Problems and Challenges." The academic libraries in the Czech Republic have some distinctive challenges. For example, at the Charles University, a major university established in 1348 by King Charles I, there is no central library so students and faculty have grown accustomed to using the national library. But the national library cannot support this demand indefinitely, in addition to its other mandated functions (storage of books, providing a meeting hall, etc.). Hurych reported that Czech librarians are still struggling with the concept of the reference librarian, which is a new concept for them. Another new concept is the notion of evaluating libraries from the point of view of the user. And there is a strong tradition of closed stacks. Hurych reports that although Czech librarians have expressed a desire for exchange forums to learn about new practices, library organizations are still weak in the Czech Republic. However, library journals are starting to report on ergonomics and other contextual issues that librarians need to take into consideration. Hurych made the important point that "When there is no public understanding, the library lags behind." This suggests that not only librarians but library users must be educated and acculturated to using a modern library and comprehending the great potential resource that libraries offer.
	Victor V. Zverevitch, of the European University at St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia, described this fairly new non-governmental institution of higher education that offers specialized post-graduate programs in the fields of the humanities and social sciences. The MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Soros Foundation, and other Western foundations have provided support for this university which has as its goal to help renovate Russian scholarship and education by developing a combination of both Russian and Western academic traditions that meets international educational standards. The St. Petersburg Government and the Legislative Assembly provided support in the form of a long-term lease on a building in the city center together with funds allocated for the building's maintenance. However, the sources of support are barely adequate and the university staff is taking initiative to try to raise additional money. Indeed, any advice on writing grants and seeking out sources of funding would be appreciated! Russian is the language of instruction at the European University at St. Petersburg. English is the second working language at the university. Zverevitch reports that the university library, his bailiwick, is arranged according to the Dewey Decimal System.
	Dr. Alexander Dimchev, of the University of Sofia in Bulgaria, discussed "Bulgarian Libraries and the Implementation of New Information Technologies." Dimchev reported that the libraries in Bulgaria are getting some support from the Soros Foundation as they seek to implement new information technologies. However, obtaining additional funding as well as advice on how to pursue funding options is a very high priority. Dimchev asked, Is there any mechanism for writing grants, in addition to asking for grants; for example, to ask for matching funds?
	Dr. Grzegorz Ploszajski, of the Warsaw University of Technology, described an initiative by a group of technical universities in Poland to convert over to the US MARC system and carry out other innovations that will permit greater standardization, compatibility, and collaboration. Ploszajski highlighted several initiatives: Transformation to US MARC in technical universities in Poland. JEP Tempus Project. Using WAIS Open Access This initiative will make it possible for librarians to search groups of catalogues and show the records that are selected in the US MARC format. There is a training component: participants spend one or two weeks in a cooperating library in western Europe. Ploszajski reports that the US MARC application has been widely accepted. Furthermore, it has been easy and inexpensive to implement. Ploszajski emphasized that this initiative has demonstrated cooperation between the libraries at different institutions, which is an important development in and of itself. Ploszajski reports that about 60 libraries in Poland are participating. They will exchange data on how things proceed for a period of several years to come. The data will be entered in a common database at the main library of Warsaw.
	Mrs. Bugomila Rykaczewska-Wiorogorska, of the Warsaw University Computer Center, discussed the capabilities of this computer center in supporting international information initiatives. It is important to note that the support of the Warsaw University Computer Center was critical to the success of Globenet 1997. Every day this computer center serves about 4,000 people. Rykaczewska-Wiorogorska emphasized the need for new tools as well as standards. In her talk, she highlighted a new video-conferencing studio that has been online at the computer center for about a month. One critical problem concerning all telecommunications services at the Warsaw University Computer Center and other institutions in eastern Europe is the high cost of connectivity. This is a critical problem that impedes access to electronic information and capabilities for eastern European universities, libraries, and other institutions --- and the people they serve.
	Dr. Maria Anna Jankowska, of the University of Idaho, reported on "Technology and Democracy in Central European Libraries." Jankowska pointed out that the fall of the Soviet Union coincided with the rise of the Internet and the World Wide Web. According to Jankowska, "The Internet is becoming a powerful communication and access tool. I believe that the Internet is the most democratic communication tool of the twentieth century." One problem that Jankowska identified is that people in countries such as Poland come from a tradition of distrusting public information. Concommitantly, there is a lack of social consciousness about the importance and value of information. In eastern Europe, this is a significant barrier to fully harnessing the resources of the internet in the service of democracy and a market economy. But things are changing. For example, today, the statistical offices of eastern European countries must use international standards in collecting and reporting data. Jankowska posed a very important question: "Are libraries ready to absorb the demand for access to the Internet? At present, 63 Polish libraries have home pages. It's interesting to note that these home pages don't use the Internet to present virtual resources that are potentially available to the public. Instead, they use the Internet to show staff, buildings, collections, etc. (Note: This may be related to Glinski's differentiation between active and passive information.) Jankowska pointed out that the Internet permits people to bypass the librarian, but clients need training in how to navigate the 'Net. She also emphasized the need for training for librarians to teach them new skills and acculturate them to new approaches to carrying out their work. And, Jankowska recommended that librarians need to exchange professional information, which can be presented via listservs and online journals as well as other forums such as professional conferences and workshops. Significantly, Jankowska predicted that there will be a big demand for new specialties resulting from changes in library school training that are starting to be initiated in eastern Europe.

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Key Themes

Summary Remarks

Remarks Made in Summary of the Conference
Dr. Robert M. Hayes, University of California at Los Angeles

This has been a remarkably rich experience, with a total of 23 papers presented in a two-day period! With respect to the objectives of the Conference, as reflected in its title Information and Restructuring for Democracy, the majority of them were focused on the information aspects, although a few of the papers did consider the democracy aspects.

In particular, thirteen of the papers (those by Anderson, Dimchev, Goncharov, Hayes, Hollander, Hurych, Lindquist, Mitchell, Ploszajski, Shraiberg, Siwek, Schaffner, and Zverevitch) talked about various topics involved in the combination of libraries with information technologies. Use of the Decimal Classification System for access to information was discussed by Mitchell. The process in development of automation in libraries was discussed in several papers (Dimchev, Goncharov, Ploszajaski, Shraiberg, and Zverevitch) as was the impact of support by the Mellon Foundation and the Soros Regional Library Program (by Anderson). The development of national databases was discussed by Siwek. Approaches to inter-library cooperation were discussed by Lindquist and Ploszajski. The history of experience in the United States in these respects was reviewed by Hayes.

Throughout these presentations, the effect of the World Wide Web and of electronic publication was a continuing theme. Words of caution were presented about the effects of electronic publication (Hollander and Schaffner), but most of the discussion focused on the positive aspects, especially in the sharing of bibliographic records (Ploszajski) and in providing balance between the information rich and poor (Jankowska). In some of the discussion of the World Wide Web, it was recognized that the current growth of it is primarily in the areas of commercial interests (advertising and junk E-Mail) and amusement (games and pornography). Indeed, the overwhelming magnitude of low quality material in comparison with the real substantive information is sufficient to warrant coining a new word, cacomation in contrast to information (by analogy with cacophony in contrast to euphony) to describe the situation.

Beyond those focusing specifically on the integration of technology into libraries, seven papers discussed issues and approaches related to education (Burke, Glinski, Hurych, Kocojowa, Kozlowski, Rykaczewska-Wiorogorska and Sliwinska) -- of librarians, of academic users, and of business persons. Of special significance was the recognition of the need to re-create a flow of high quality scholarship throughout Central and Eastern Europe, a flow interrupted by the effects of wars and restrictions on scholars.

Six papers considered issues related to public policy and, especially, to democratic development (Anderson, Fischer-Galati, Hayes, Miletic-Vejzovic, Pindlowa, Sitarska, ). Anderson, Fischer-Galati, and Hayes all commented on the role of the Cold War and related governmental policies with respect to the entire range of concerns, including Eastern European studies themselves. Miletic-Vejzovic commented on the stultifying effect of restrictive government policies even when the information infrastructure is good and functioning well. Pindlowa commented on the effects of library policies and practices on meeting the objectives of democratic development. Sitarska focused on the needs in small communities and local regions in promoting real self-government.

Throughout the Conference and especially in those papers that focused on government policy and the goal of democracy, an underlying question was asked, first by Fischer-Galati: What is meant by democratic? Simply to provide a basis for considering and debating that question, the following is presented as a definition, with an associated commentary. The definition is embodied in the answer to another question: "To what extent, in what ways, and by what means do the people in general and the individual person in specific control the forces of power?" To the extent that control is distributed, it is democratic; to the extent it is centralized, it is authoritarian. There is thus a spectrum from democratic to autocratic.

Note that I have said the "forces" of power. I do so because there are different kinds of power that must be recognized - those of the state, of course, but also those of the economy and of the flow of information, and perhaps others as well. Note that information has by some been equated with power and rightly so, since control of the flow of information is central to the exercise of any, other kind of power.

Given this definition, one means of building democracy is to assure that the forces over different kinds of power are themselves distributed rather than centralized. In this respect, the greatest error of communism was in putting direct control over all of the forces of power into the same hands.

Of course, the great value of private ownership rather than public ownership is that it distributes the force of economic power by distributing the ownership of economic goods. The great value of a market-based economy is that it distributes the power of economic decision-making to the people, through voting by their pocketbooks, rather than in a centralized economic authority. In the same vein, distribution of political power - from the state to the region to the community to the town hall - has the value of bringing control closer to the people and to the individual. In this respect, the writing of Jane Jacobs are especially germane; she argues on the economic and political importance of the city, referring to The Wealth of Cities as a direct analogy to Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations.

Having said all of that I must also say that there are limits to the extent that power can be, will be, or most importantly, should be distributed. There are economies of scale in both economics and politics. And power, once gained, always grows. Monopoly, whether economic or political, becomes the objective of those with power, whatever their initial motivations may have been. Therefore, once a reasonable level of distribution has been achieved, I cannot expect more nor, frankly, do I want more. The power of the mob is as evil as that of the Tsar.

Underlying all of this is what to me is a fundamentally more important question: "To what extent, in what ways, and by what means do the forces of power control the people in general and the individual person in specific?" I think this may properly be considered as part of the definition of democratic and it lays bare the real concern of the democrat. Once an appropriate level of representative government and means for election have been established, once the ability to be an independent entrepreneur has been created, once the ability for the individual to create and distribute information has been realized, there is little more that needs to be done in control of the forces of power. But the impact of those forces on the people and the individual person is a far more dangerous and insidious thing.

In this frame of reference, then, the role of information in restructuring for democracy is three-fold. First, control of the flow of information is one of the forces of power. If we are to further the objective of restructuring for democracy, we must establish means for distributing that power. Public and academic libraries have had an historical role in providing means for that distribution, as primary tools in education and in preserving and providing access to information. Today, the Internet and the World Wide Web add greatly to the tools of the library in serving those functions; that's why the librarian is so excited about their potential.

Second, if political power is to be distributed, the people and the individual must have information on which to base their decisions. If economic power is to be distributed, the independent entrepreneur must have information with which to compete against the forces of economic power.

Third, information is crucial if the people in general and the individual are to be protected from the forces of power. Jefferson said, "Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppression of the body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day."

These three provide a context in which to view this Conference, in terms of its identified objective, Information and Restructuring for Democracy. I wish I had the time and the wisdom to review the several papers for the contribution each makes to this context. But I must leave that to the reader of them.

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