National Parliamentary Library of Georgia Progress Report 2001

7, Gudiashvili st. Tbilisi,  380007  Georgia

ELAG Contact Person:
Mr. Giorgi Bakhia (Leading Specialist) , giorgi_bakhia@usa.net , phone:+995 32 987550 , fax:+995 32 998095, +995 32 291052

Institution Type: National Library

Mission Statement
The mission of the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia is to make available its’ resources to everyone and to meet the information needs of the Parliament and citizens of Georgia, to take care of its’ unique collections and to save them for the future generations.

current acquisition - use and user studies, current bibliographic information sources studies, demand of legal copies, purchase, accessioning; retrospective acquisition - conducting desiderata catalogue, purchase, book exchange, accessioning.

2. Computer networks and Internet connectivity:

Intranet Connection - 10/100 Mb/s.
Number of PC in Library - 80.  IBM Compatible i486, Pentium, Pentium II, Pentium III. 
Servers - 2
Connected to Internet - 39 
Network Laser Printers -2, Color Laser Printer with Postscript Level 2, more than 10 Laser printer HP LaserJet 1100, Scanners, Hubs, Cabels etc.
OS: (Windows 98/NT/2000) CDS/ISIS, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Georgian Standard Keyboard Drivers and Fonts, Far, Doctor Web, Citrix MetaFrame, NetMan, Internet explorer, Netscape, etc.

3. Library automation 

Library Automation Association in Georgia (LAAG) studies, promotes and implements modern achievements in information technology as well as international standards in the libraries of Georgia. Due to the Regional Libraries Project LAAG is intended to implement ProCite and Reference Web Poster software at the regional libraries of Georgia. 

Modules of an Integrated Library System (ILS) that will be implemented at GeoLibNet and National Parliamentary Library are the following:

•  Acquisition &Financial Accounting

• Serials Control

• Cataloguing & Authority Control

• Online Public Access Catalogues-Union Catalogues

• Web Gateway & Intranet

• Circulation  

• InterLibrary Loan

• Information Delivery

• National Digital Library

• System Administration

• Report Writer

Training staff and public: As most of Library stuff do not know how to use computers and Internet,  we are using 3 options for training staff: IATP Internet Center and their trainers, AIS courses and automation division’s staff are training the members of other divisions in the automation division’s computer class and at the other divisions workplaces as well.
Public is being trained by IATP trainers and the staff of the appropriate divisions of the NPLG.

National Parliamentary Library together with the Library Association of Georgia has published first issue of library journal - “Georgian Library”.  Users instructions and other documentation will be periodically published. Since not everyone will have Internet access immediately, starting a printed newsletter would provide information about activities and projects in various libraries to the broadest possible audience. Also National  Parliamentary Library is Publishing Newspaper "Georgian Book".

For enabling the regional libraries in Kutaisi, Poti, Zugdidi, and Telavi to receive information from the NPLG electronically, Our Library installed in each of them one server Pentium II with built-in modem, one printer and two computers Pentium II, creating small LANs and connecting them with LAN of NPLG and Internet by telephone lines with Tbilisi phone numbers. To ensure unimpeded work under unstable power this computers are supplied  with UPSes. 

Librarians in Georgia are poised to take the next steps in library automation. These are major steps that include providing Internet access for the public and, just as importantly, increasing the participation of more libraries in building a national union catalog. National Parliamentary Library is going to purchase of a commercial integrated library system. The National Parliament Library of Georgia has made the most progress in this area, and planning should focus on building on their expertise and databases.

4. Electronic Catalogues and Databases at the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia

1. Electronic Catalogues and Databases of Owned Collections.

1.1. - Electronic Catalogue of Georgian Books (1991-1999), created in accordance with ISBD(M) and UNIMARC.

1.2. - Electronic catalogue of Georgian dissertation synopses(1991-1999),  created in accordance with ISBD(M) and UNIMARC.

1.3. - Databases of Georgian Books 1988, 1989, 1990 

These databases are created on the basis of records from the Georgian Book Chamber's Chronicles. Before 1991, the automation department of NPLG was not familiar with  international standards UNIMARC and ISBD (M).

All the above mentioned electronic catalogues and data bases, especially the electronic catalogue  Georgian Books (1991-1999), have gaps.  However, implementation of the first phase of the Georgian Library Network and creation of a collective online cataloguing center will help to fill the gaps.

1.4. - Georgian Book - experimental database of Georgian books with bibliographic descriptions in English Language, created in 1993 as a step towards OCLC.  Then we had assistance from the Russian State Public Library of Scientific and Technical Literature. A second attempt was undertaken by professor Hayes in 1997, which also was not successful, due to the lack of funding.

1.5. - Database of analytical bibliography of the newspaper "Sakartvelos Respublica" -- analytical database of articles from the main Georgian newspaper from 1993 up to the present. It satisfies UNIMARC and ISBD(S) requirements.

1.6. - "Codex" -- full-text database of Georgian laws, president's decrees and government resolutions from 1990 up to the present. This database was purchased in 1997 specially for the Business and Law Information Reading Room, which was established thanks to the help of the Embassy of France. It is updated once every two weeks and is very popular among clients.

1.7. Electronic Catalogues and Databases for Foreign Publications

This electronic catalogue contains bibliographic records of various materials on law, economics and business, most of which were donated by the US Embassy, Soros Foundation, Eurasia Foundation, World Vision International, World Bank, UNESCO, UNRISD, and others. They are available for readers in open stacks in the Law and Business Information Reading Room, and in the Technical Literature Reading Room of the there is a permanent exhibition of some of the items.

The National Parliamentary Library of Georgia is the depository library for publications of UNESCO, UNRISD, and World Bank.

1.8. Data Bases of legal and accounting firms

Databases of photographic images, containing information on the activities and leadership of legal and accounting firms in Georgia and also their contact information.  This database is very popular in the Business and Law Reading Room.

2. Electronic Catalogues and Databases of Accessible collections

2.1. Union electronic index of subscription through "Soiuzpechat" (1980-1990).

It contains records of the subscriptions of the four biggest libraries of Georgia and TechInformi -- the Georgian Institute of Technical and Scientific Information. It used software of the Library of Natural Sciences of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and it of the TechInformi's ES mainframe. In 1989 all the indexes were converted into micro CDS/ISIS, and a package of applied programs was developed to allow subscription in the micro CDS/ISIS environment.

2.2. Union electronic catalogue of foreign periodicals in social sciences (1984-1990)

Union indexes and catalogues of foreign periodicals starting from 1984 [13] to 1990.  In 1988 on the basis of the electronic catalogue a printed union catalogue of foreign publications was issued.

2.3. Union catalogue of foreign books (1995).

Union catalogue of foreign books in English created in 1995 contains about 3,500 records, and its structure also meets UNIMARC requirements (not updated since).

Electronic catalogue of the Parliamentary Research Service of the Parliament of Georgia in ProCite software, electronic catalogue of USIS information center collection in DataTreck software, as well as new acquisitions of the national Library and the Central Library of Tbilisi State University were used it the creation of the catalogue. For this purpose special programs-converters from USMARK into UNIMARC and from UNIMARK into CDS/ISIS were written. However, these efforts of our specialist did not find financial support.

2.4.Georgian Books in Print.

This database contains records of books, published in Georgia in all languages. Some of the records include the weigh of the editions. It is maintained by the Library Automation Association in Georgia. It was last updated on May 3, 1998. Transliterated lists in English are placed on the Internet at the address http://georgia.net.ge/laag/.

Maintenance of the database will be the responsibility of the National ISBN center after the implementation of the first phase of the Georgian Library Network and creation of the collective online cataloguing center.

2.5. Electronic catalogues and Databases accessible at no charge through the Internet, thanks to the IREX-IATP project (from February 1998).

In 1996, thanks to a grant from the Eurasia Foundation, the Library Automation Association of Georgia organized a computer class for training of librarians and document delivery service in the administrative building of the National Library of Georgia.  Five computers in this class and two computers in the Business and Law Information Reading Room were given for use to readers and IREX-IATP project participants for free access to the Internet.

Open access to the electronic catalogues and databases in our library has proved that both the librarians and the users prefer them to the traditional card catalogues and indexes.

http://georgia.net.ge/laag - Document Delivery Service created by Library Automation Association in  Georgia (LAAG).

http://www.nplg.gov.ge/ic - recorded current news from the national TV and Radio

http://www.nplg.gov.ge/ec - Electronic Catalogues of Georgian books

http://www.nplg.gov.ge/authors - Online database of Georgian Authors

http://www.geres.ge - Georgian Resources on the Web. Directory of Georigan Web Resources.

Problems: 1. National Parliamentary Library of Georgia has no Web site, that prevents from more effective use of its services. The State Book Chamber has no Web site that could present this organization for busyness partners and facilitate the contact, 2. The electronic production of the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia (bibliographic databases and catalogues) is placed for local access and operates under obsolete technologies (MS-DOS, etc.), 3. Georgian language terminology in the domain of library and information science is not enough advanced and no comprehensive multilingual (English-Russian-Georgian) dictionary exist.

National Parliamentary Library is Working on solving of this problems. We have a project to create our Library's Web site and make some of our databases available online, also Accepting new concepts and creating own national library terminology is one of the basic role of the national libraries because they should represent the leader in development of librarianship and whole library system in each country. 
The Consortium, National Parliamentary Library of Georgia together with 3 library associations and Linguistic Institute of Georgian Academy of Science will revise database of English-Russian–Georgian Dictionary in library and information science, which became already obsolete since 1990. The project will involve main libraries, corresponding departments at universities, and already existing working groups in the field of library and information science terminology in our country. Every specialist has possibility to participate in the revision process and there will be created a field in the database for all received comments.
Finally, terminology related aspects will be discussed during the 2 days workshop.

As a sequel to the grant the Library Automation Association in Georgia translated into Georgian language ISBD(G), ISBD(M), ISBD(A), ISBD(S), ISBD(NBM), ISBD(ER) and UNIMARC(Authorities). See: http://www.osgf.ge/laag/project.htm  

Thanks to the grant of Soros Foundation, LAAG is conducting Computerization of Regional Libraries Project matching to the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia - US Embassy Grant and IATP/IREX.

Reported by Giorgi Bakhia <giorgi_bakhia@usa.net>

Tbilisi, 12 May 2001