China Academic Library And Information System Research Articles

China Academic Library and Information System: An Academic Library Consortium in China

Since its inception in 1998, China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS) has become the most important academic library consortium in China. CALIS is centrally funded and organized in a tiered structure. It currently consists of thirteen management or information centers and seventy member libraries' 700,000 students. After more than a year of development in information infrastructure, a CALIS resource-sharing network is gradually taking shape.

Evaluating CALIS interlibrary loan and document delivery: the MML plan

Purpose – This paper aims to report on the methodology and findings of the China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS) Model Member Libraries (MML) plan which evaluated the success of interlibrary loan and document delivery (ILL/DD) services among 71 CALIS member libraries. Design/methodology/approach – CALIS constructed an evaluation instrument consisting of a set of primary and secondary performance indicators, which were used to assess participating libraries in a number of areas such as the number of bibliographic holdings contributed to the union catalog, the number of qualified professional staff dedicated to ILL/DD, the amount of training provided for library staff and end-users, request volume, fill rate, turnaround time and user satisfaction. Findings – CALIS has implemented the evaluation with the purpose of better understanding ILL/DD service among its member libraries. The evaluation has achieved the expected targets and improved service performance as originally planned. The performance measures provide a basis for the MML to compare their ILL/DD service performance with another similar institution. Originality/value – According to the evaluation, the major objectives of MML on ILL/DD service are summarized.

Construction of a one-stop document supply service platform

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed overview of the China Academic Library and Information system (CALIS) document supply service platform (CDSSP) – its historical development, network structure and future development plans – and discuss how its members make use of and benefit from its various components. Design/methodology/approach – The authors provide a first-person account based on their professional positions at the CALIS Administrative Center. Findings – CDSSP comprises five application systems including a unified authentication system, Saas-based interlibrary loan (ILL) and document delivery (DD) service system, ILL central scheduling and settlement system, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) service system and a service integration interface system. These systems work together to meet the needs of member libraries, other information service institutions, and their end users. CDSSP is widely used by more than 1,100 libraries based on a cloud service strategy. Each year more than 100,000 ILL and DD transactions are processed by this platform. Originality/value – The development of CDSSP makes it becomes true for CALIS to provide one stop information retrieval and supply service. At the same time, it promotes the resource sharing among member libraries to a great degree.

From union catalogue to fusion catalogue

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect The Chinese University of Hong Kong Library's catalogue evolution as a result of electronic resources cataloguing and how collaborative cataloguing could be implemented in the context of Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach – The paper outlines the challenges faced by The Chinese University of Hong Kong Library and the need to find alternative way to catalogue e-books come in large batches. It describes in particular the cataloguing of Chinese e-books in collaboration with the China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS). Findings – Different cataloguing data set are inevitably blended into the library catalogue to be used by users. Still, collaboration is feasible when libraries are ready to make compromise and accept variances in the library catalogue. Originality/value – The Chinese University of Hong Kong Library is the first library in Hong Kong to work collaboratively with CALIS to batch convert its records for cataloguing of Chinese e-books. The paper is useful for librarians exploring new source for Chinese cataloguing or collaborative initiatives with libraries in China.

The Role of Information Technology in Academic Libraries' Resource Sharing in Western China

This essay examines the work of China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS), an academic library community that has established resource sharing in a network environment. More specifically, it examines CALIS's work in the developed Eastern and the underdeveloped Western regions in China and considers how CALIS has used information technology to narrow the gap between academic library communities in these distinct regions. It also attempts to promote professional understanding about academic libraries in China's Western region, especially around the ways in which these libraries have used information technology and digital databases of local culture to help transform communities across their regions.

CALIS: interlibrary loan and document delivery services in China

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS), an academic library consortium which promotes resource sharing among Chinese academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a case study approach based on their professional experience at the CALIS Administrative Center in Beijing. Findings – CALIS has a bright future and it is hoped that CALIS ILL and document delivery services will be expanded to all kinds of academic libraries in China, and help them meet their users ' information needs. Originality/value – The paper provides insights into the current state of interlending in China.

Regional consortia for e‐resources: a case study of deals in the South China Region

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the current situation and the social and economic benefits from the consortia acquisitions of electronic resources by the China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS) South China Regional Centre and to recommend improvements for consortia acquisitions.Design/methodology/approachAnalyses of price and usage made within the CALIS South China region of databases from a range of suppliers including EBSCO, LexisNexis and Springer are presented.FindingsThe electronic resource acquisitions by the CALIS South China Regional Centre have yielded remarkable social and economic benefits as the range of electronic collections has been expanded and enriched, benefits have accrued, money has been saved and it has proved to be of benefit to users; however, there is room for improvement. During the last three years, the total usage of the South China Consortia has increased but the usage of the member libraries in the consortia is unbalanced and there are big gaps among the member libraries. The single download/search cost of the e‐resources has been gradually decreasing but the cost of the e‐resources purchased by the South China region consortia is higher than that of the national consortia; hence, there is a need for further reductions.Originality/valueThe study is the first of its kind ever conducted in China. The findings of this paper will be helpful in improving electronic resource consortia acquisitions in the South China region.

A review of the major projects constituting the China Academic Digital Library

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an overview for the main project details of the China Academic Digital Library (CADL) with focused introduction on China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS), China Academic Digital Library and Information System (CADLIS), China‐America Digital Academic Library (CADAL) and China Academic Humanities and Social Sciences Library (CASHL).Design/methodology/approachThe paper first gives a literary review on CADL and then analyzes the existed and existing problems of China digital library construction using graphical presentation and tabular comparison.FindingsAfter reviewing CADL and the major related projects developed in the last decade, it is shown that the digital library (DL) construction effort in China is divided into three phases: concept introduction phase, technical exploration phase, and application deployment phase. The first phase of CADL gave a solid preparation in terms of concept introduction while the DL soon began to be recognized and accepted as a practical proposal among industries. In the second phase, various potential technologies for DL realization were substantially investigated, tested, and implemented. The related projects cover subjects including DL architecture, information retrieval, information description, digitization, e‐Book, Digital Rights Management, etc. During the last phase, standards, protocols and specifications that help DL to interoperate with one another were widely discussed and deployed.Originality/valueThis paper expatiates on the background, development and future trend of the CADL project for the first time in the literature. It is concluded that researchers and the public from China as well as other countries thus may benefit from both positive and improvable DL construction experiences.

Exploring the services provided by CALIS: meeting the needs of member libraries

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to summarize the different kinds of services China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS) developed and provided, in order to promote the general, detailed and specific levels of assistance to member libraries and other information institutions.Design/methodology/approachThis paper focuses on six kinds of services to meet the needs of CALIS members, including “cooperated database purchasing”, “union catalog”, “interlibrary loan and document delivery”, “virtual reference”, “digital library model designing” and “training” services.FindingsThe statistics show that these services definitely facilitate resource sharing among libraries. On the other hand, more efforts should be made to make these services go from strength to strength.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough many attempts have been made, CALIS is still faced with the challenge to develop and provide services to a higher level.Practical implicationsWith the passage of time, the services provided attracted much attention. More and more academic libraries participated in CALIS. By now, CALIS is extending its services to more than 700 Chinese universities.Originality/valueThe insight into its services improves the understanding of the role CALIS played in China. At the same time, experiences and benefits obtained may be used as a demonstration for other consortia.

Current situation and future development of CALIS

China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS), funded primarily by the Chinese Government, is a nationwide academic library consortium in China. As one of the two public service systems in “Project 211”, in China's ninth five‐year plan, CALIS plays a multiple resource‐sharing role among the participating libraries. During past five years, CALIS has established a three‐tiered coordination and management network comprising national information centers, regional information centers and member libraries. In addition, a number of resources have been developed or imported which have made considerable improvements to the service to Chinese higher education and also accelerated the growth of CALIS. The target for CALIS is to build the China Academic Digital Library within the next five years. Currently, CALIS is doing research on the strategies and development of digital library systems, with cooperation and coordination from member libraries. With the development of “digital service environment”, “public service platform”, “imported and self‐built resources”, “service network”, etc. the digital library and information system will be established. The extension of digital library consortium resources and services will thus operate in a digital, networked environment. This paper provides information about the background, initiatives and the strategic plan of CALIS, illustrating how it operates and what it provides.

The Development of Digital Libraries in China and the USA

Describes the development of the Digital Library Initiatives, the project’s experimental centers, and several information resource sharing networks in America and compares them with the development of the China Digital Library Project (CDLP), the China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS), and related initiatives. Comparisons are made between the two countries’ approaches to organization and coordination of their respective digital library projects and the related developments in networking, information resources, and information technology. Also discusses the existing problems and coping strategies for digital library projects in China.

Building a national or international China bibliographic utility

Today, Chinese libraries are in urgent need of a national bibliographic utility resembling the OCLC union catalog for cooperative cataloging and resource sharing. Three options are presently available for Chinese libraries: purchasing bibliographic records from the National Library of China (NLC), joining the China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS) Union Cataloguing Center, and contributing records to OCLC WorldCat. This paper analyzes the problems associated with each option. To implement the third option, Chinese catalogers will have to meet the three requirements set forth by OCLC: adding Pinyin, DDC (Dewey decimal classification) or LCC (Library of Congress classification), and LCSH (Library of Congress subject headings) or MeSH (National Library of Medicine subject headings) data to each contributed record. Impact and implementation are also discussed.

The Development of Cataloging in China

SUMMARY With a long history, cataloging has evolved with changes in society, economy, and technology in China. This paper presents Chinese cataloging history in four parts, with emphasis on the last two parts: the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and the development of cataloging after 1979 when China opened its doors to the world. Particularly important has been the rapid growth of online cataloging in recent years. The China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS), as a successful online cataloging model, is emphasized. Through investigation of the entire history of Chinese cataloging, three distinct features can be stated: (1) Standardization–switching from the Chinese traditional way to aligning with international standards, (2) Cooperation–from decentralized and self-supporting systems to sharing systems, (3) Computerization and networking–from manual operation to computer-based online operation. At the end of this paper, a set of means by which to enhance online cataloging and resource sharing is suggested.