Universal Availability Of Publications Research Articles

The IFLA UAP and UBC Programmes: A Lasting Impact on Information Services in the Global Society

The paper describes the development and impact of two of IFLA's core programmes, Universal Bibliographic Control (UBC) and Universal Availability of Publications (UAP). Initiated in the 1970s, both programmes were brought to a close in 2003. UBC was built on the principle that each country was responsible for the identification and description of publications in its own territory, following an international standard for bibliographic description. The programme also played a key role in the development of a universal machine-readable format for the exchange of bibliographic information. UAP articulated the ideal that a publication should be available to anyone, at any time and in any place. To this end it initiated a series of practical activities to enhance access to publications, including the International Interlending Voucher Scheme. The paper considers the administrative and financial structures of the programmes, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. It concludes that both programmes have left a legacy of standards, programmes and publications that will stand the test of time.

Interlending and document supply: a review of recent literature XXXVIII

This review of the literature in interlending and document supply looks this time at recent published material in the areas of standards, ILL systems, unmediated document supply, distance education and the concept of universal availability of publications. Articles on the various faces of electronic publishing and electronic document delivery abound, and these are also reviewed.

Universal availability of publications and its importance to human development, regeneration and growth

Discusses the fact that access to published information is essential to human development. This applies to social, cultural, economic, political and spiritual dimensions. Information needs to be accurate, timely and relevant Information provision is not a cheap function to manage. The library is unique in providing access to a wide range of published information in the content of which it has no economic interest. Communities need access to information, some has real commercial worth but much has no obvious marketable value. The value of information is determined by its value to the user. Anyone searching for economic growth or regeneration needs information of highly variable nature and value. The essence of regeneration is that a community is changing direction, not merely trying to revitalise the past. The information needs of anyone in this situation are many and varied and will require material from areas of knowledge not previously required. The essential role of any library is to be a neutral provider of access. This neutrality marks it out from other organisations. Co‐operation among library providers to ensure maximum access for all clients in the community is essential. Failure to develop a wide range of library services for communities seeking regeneration will seriously hamper their growth and change.

International co-operation: the role of the IFLA Offices for UAP and International Lending

The IFLA Programme for UAP (Universal Availability of Publications) is one of the core programmes within IFLA and is particularly concerned with document supply and interloans activities. Briefly notes three aspects of its work: practical support for libraries actively involved in international lending; collecting and disseminating information in the field; and conducting research projects. Projects include: the IFLA Voucher Scheme, as an alternative payment method for interloans and which currently involves over 150 libraries in 30 countries; the IFLA Twinning Database, as a focus for libraries interested in forming twinning links with other libraries; involvement in the COPEARMS Project (Co-ordinating Project for Electronic Authors’ Rights Management Systems) for the development of Electronic Rights Management Systems (ERMS); involvement in the Copy Smart project, aimed at developing an industrial low cost solution for implementing IPR management based on the CITED model; and work undertaken as part of the SEDODEL (SEcure DOcument DELivery for blind and partially sighted people) project. Concludes that the IFLA Programme for UAP is gradually eroding many of the barriers preventing widespread availability of publications but still faces problems, particularly those involving new technologies and developing

International Bibliographic Control and Resource Sharing:

This article reports on the 1993 activities of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) in the areas of bibliographic control and resource sharing through two of its core programmes: Universal Bibliographic Control and International MARC (UBCIM) and Universal Availability of Publications (UAP).

Workshop on the universal availability of publications in francophone West Africa

Describes a workshop on the universal availability of publications (UAP) in francophone West Africa held at the National Library, Côte d’Ivoire, with participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. The meeting was organized by the Bibliothèque Nationale in Abidjan, the (International Federation of Library Associations) IFLA regional office in Dakar and the IFLA UAP programme; and generous funding was provided by Unesco. Aims included raising awareness of the importance of availability, increasing co‐operation and providing an insight into the scope offered by new technology.

Interlending and document supply: a review of recent literature – XXVII

Reviews the recently published literature on access versus acquisitions; electronic document delivery and electronic publishing; resource sharing. Considers developments in the Universal Availability of Publications concept, and looks at the interlending of non‐print material, especially music. Also reviews copyright, national interlending codes and training.

The Current State of UAP (Universal Availability of Publications): Better, Worse, or Much the Same?

The universal availability of publications is at the heart of librarianship. In the last ten years the UAP Programme has done much to promote the concept, and useful research has been carried out. Political changes have eroded ideological barriers in some parts of the world, but other barriers have appeared in their place as some states have disintegrated. The cessation of centralized funding in Eastern Europe has affected publishing as well as library budgets; some libraries no longer benefit from legal deposit. Charging for interlibrary supply has become more common, although libraries often cannot keep the revenue earned. The voucher scheme for international interlibrary supply devised by the UAP Programme would help by taking the currency element out of many transactions. Technology opens up the possibility of much better access, whether by the use of CD-ROMs of full text or by online transmission, but since it requires equipment for access and may be costly it could widen the gap between rich and poor. Problems of copyright have also to be solved; the CITED project may alleviate these. Most of the barriers to UAP are outside the control of libraries. The commercial sector is playing a greater part in document supply. Cooperation between libraries has been slow to develop. Overall, there have been improvements in availability but a good deal of action is still needed.

Europe Divided or United? Networking and Document Supply, now and in the Future

The tendency to talk about Europe as a single unit needs to be modified in the light of different revels of development in both eastern and western parts of the continent. Information is an international commodity which knows no barriers and one essential method of communicating it is published materials of all kinds. No country can hope to be self-sufficient in provision of materials and cooperation is essential to meet the needs of users. This is one of the foundations of the concept of Universal Availability of Publications (UAP) promoted by IFLA. Although research shows that the majority of document supply requests are for Western European language journals in science and technology, other materials are also important. Because of the language factor, most Eastern European countries will always be net borrowers in international terms as most of their languages are not read extensively outside their own borders (...)

Training Opportunities for Interlibrary Loan and Document Supply Staff

UNESCO commissioned the IFLA Program for the Universal Availability of Publications to examine the problems associated with training staffin the field of interlibrary loan and document supply. As part of the study, a survey was conducted of training opportunities offered by library associations and library schools to identify areas that are important for training and those that are actually taught. Wide variation in opportunities emerged even between different countries with advanced library systems. There was also a considerable discrepancy between topics taught and those considered important by practitioners of interlibrary loan. Lack of skills and materials was one of the major problems for trainers, as is the fact that others failed to perceive the importance of this aspect of information work

Universal Availability of Non-book Materials in Australia

A study of how the principles of UAP (Universal Availability of Publications) have been applied to non-book materials and their availability in Australia is presented. The author considers in detail the principal elements of UAP : publication, bibliographic organization, retention and interlending. The recently developed concept of the distributed National Collection is seen to be helpful in achieving many of the aims of UAP. The Australian Bibliographic Network (ABN), a cooperative online shared cataloguing facility which includes non-print records, will likewise help to increase awareness of what is available. Barries to UAP are identified : copyright, and neighbouring rights, the non identification of AV publishers, and the obsolescence of formats.

Universal Availability of Publications in the developing world

Introduces the Universal Availability of Publications (UAP) programme of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and identifies barriers to UAP in developing countries in general, and in Nigeria in particular.

Universal Availability of Publications:

The paper examines briefly the concept of Universal Availability of Publications and emphasizes that its goals are achievable in Nigeria through a well-exceuted interlibrary lending scheme. The operational level of interlibrary lending scheme in Nigeria is discussed. Factors affecting an effective operation of the scheme are pointed out and suggestions for a way out made. The paper finally concludes that universal availability of publications, wherever and whenever they are published, is necessary for a country wishing to take a plunge into high technology and that this quest can be satisfied through an effective interlibrary lending scheme in Nigeria.

Universal Availability of Publications - A Bibliography

Universal Availability of Publications - A Bibliography

PHILOSOPHIES OF INTERLENDING IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES

A study of the reasons why public libraries in the Province of Ontario, Canada, participate in interlending reveals two philosophies. Some librarians and writers believe that interlending is a part of the library community's obligation for universal availability of publications. Others see it as elitist, spending an undue share of resources on a small user group, and as inequitable, putting an unfair burden on large libraries. Clear formulations of the rationale and financial basis for interlending are needed.

UNIVERSAL AVAILABILITY OF PUBLICATIONS AND MUSIC

Universal Availability of Publications (UAP) presents special problems for music scores, which have received little attention to date in publications on the IFLA Programme. Some of these problems pose particular difficulties and are given general consideration: bibliographic peculiarities, format, publishing patterns and the international nature of the material involved. The nature of use is seen as being particularly important with factors such as a user's requirements for performance or study purposes, and the library's need to preserve or bind material, sometimes in conflict with UAP. A review of the current situation highlights a variety of national patterns of supply and provision presently in operation, few of which can be seen as adequate. General trends in music availability are discussed based on a number of recurrent themes arising from the national studies: developments in central and distributed methods of provision; perspectives on different categories of material; co‐operative against central acquisition; economic factors; new technology and the influence of publishers. General improvements in access and availability are dependent on those involved adopting a higher profile and recognizing all requirements of specialist materials.

Universal Availability of Publications (UAP)

Universal Availability of Publications (UAP)

International Co-operation between Art Libraries II: Charity Begins at Home – a National Dimension of the Universal Availability of Art Publications

Universal Availability of Publications - and of art publications - can only be achieved by efficient national exercise of certain functions: publishing, distribution - and, by libraries, acquisition, retention, and interlibrary supply. Improved availability is needed in most countries if availability in general is not to decline, and, especially when resources are in short supply, this is most likely to be achieved by combining the best or most appropriate elements of different systems but also through either centralization and/or strong coordination.

The universal availability of art publications: a global context

‘Universal Availability of Publications’ (UAP) and the universal availability of art publications should be considered in the context of ‘one world’, a world in which we all share responsibility for our fellow human beings. In this context both librarianship and art, and thus art librarianship also, should be seen as services rendered to humankind at large. IFLA’s UAP programme has been conceived as a service, intended to supply genuine human needs, and art librarians, who are constantly frustrated in their efforts to serve users of art libraries by the limitations to the availability of art documentation, can readily identify a need for ‘Universal Availability of Art Publications’. Nevertheless, a worldwide programme of this nature is in danger, first, of being pursued for its own sake (or for the sake of ‘needs’ which are imagined, over-emphasised, or misconceived), and second, of reinforcing cultural imperialism. Safeguards include acceptance of the necessity to proceed step by step in pursuit of a success which can never be complete; the fact that UAP is founded on local collections developed to meet local needs; recognition of the imbalance in the production of publications in different parts of the world; and recognition of the importance of unpublished documentation and of ‘publications’ which do not as yet exist. A greater emphasis on increasing the availability, and generating the production, of publications from countries which publish relatively little, is proposed. A fourth safeguard ought to derive from the professional ethics and grass-roots experience of librarians, who serve and identify with library users, actual and potential. The pursuit of universal availability of art publications should be based on realistic assessment of what is feasible, and on local, regional, and national resources, with all possible encouragement being given to developing countries to document their own arts. Art librarians may be paying too little attention to the needs of users and, especially, of non-users of art libraries, and should be aware of the barriers to availability which can result from the prevalence of a narrow, elitist conception of ‘Art’ and from the provision of library services primarily for an elite. Without neglecting the service of scholarship, the art library profession should try to shift the balance of its commitment towards the provision of a service for everyone, everywhere, so that our interpretation and pursuit of the ‘Universal Availability of Art Publications’ truly reflects a vision of our whole world’s heritage and practice ‘of divers arts’.This is the text of a paper presented to the Section of Art Libraries, at the 1985 IFLA Council in Chicago.

Universal Availability of Publications - A Bibliography

Universal Availability of Publications - A Bibliography