COMPUTER-AIDED MANAGEMENT OF REQUESTS FOR PHOTOCOPIES RECEIVED BY A DOCUMENTATION CENTRE : ANNUAL REPORT AND STATISTICAL INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS.
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
Each of these sections has its detailed contents front page.
1. Abstract - Introduction
2. Document provision service activities and libraries statistics
3. Photocopy requests data characteristics, their preparation and definition for computer capture
4. Software description and execution
5. Bibliometric data statistical analysis methods
6. Results and interpretation of data
7. Conclusions
8. Abbreviations
9. Bibliography
10. Tables of illustrations
11. Listings - Appendix
12. Acknowledgements
13. Microfiches attached
ABSTRACT This dissertation describes a method for studying, by computer, requests to information centres and libraries for technical literature. Details of the requests, such as periodical title, date of publication, source of supply, language, etc. are stored, counted, ranked and compared to allow annual assessment to be made of factors influencing the spread between various types of requests. In addition, facultative registering of a) authors and title of documents offers both the editing of bibliographies and the generation of permuted indexes for information retrieval ; and of b) requests circulation transactions allows the follow-up of documents supply activities. New computer programmes have been developed for these purposes and are explained. Besides dealing with the simple details of the requests, the programmes also permit very widespread examination of bibliometric characteristics of medical publications, cover-to-cover and ad hoc translations, low used periodicals, Japanese and Soviet Union literature, etc. These programmes proved successful applications in Belgium both at Royal Library and Colgate-Palmolive and are considered to be of use to information centres and libraries to improve their performance and effectiveness.
1. INTRODUCTION
Scientists need a rapid and efficient document supply service to assist in their work. This is provided by a library network that regularly uses updated catalogues for that purpose. The situation in Belgium is such that supply has often to be obtained from abroad. This causes delays, payment difficulties and disappointments. In order to satisfy users' demands better, libraries should regulate their acquisitions so that requests are met at home. Statistical analysis of the usage of library holdings would allow closer supervision to be made of the library collections and this permits users' demands to be met more fully. Such statistical analysis has had to be made manually upto the present but it is too time-consuming and gives incomplete results. A computerized system is far more comprehensive. Two examples of such computerisation of requests for library documents form the basis of this study. These were developed at :
a) the Belgian Translation Centre (CBT), a section of the National Centre for Scientific and Technical Documentation at the Royal Library (RL), Brussels, for publications in difficult languages ; b) the Technical Information Centre (TIC) of Colgate-Palmolive (Re-search and Development•) Inc. (CP), Milmort, for professional li-terature. They provide suitable contrast since they concern different aspects of information requests and since the former is for public use and the latter is private. The study at CBT was carried out during the period 1967 to the present. Computerisation began in 1975 but manual results are available for the earlier period. At CP, the study began in 1978 when the computerisation was initiated. Only preliminary data are available for this latter source. The computers available at RL and CP greatly facilitate the provision of statistical analyses of results obtained in this study. Computer programmes at both places are so arranged they operate complementarily ; this is discussed in detail in section 4.