The description given here of the Telematics for Libraries site is based on the facilities which were available towards the end of 1998. While most of the links are still active, the context of R&D in the area of libraries has evolved considerably this year as a result of the launch of the IST programme. Indeed, the current work programme and the related calls now address not only libraries but museums, galleries and archives in the wider context of Digital Heritage and Cultural Content. The new Digicult site <http://www.echo.lu/digicult/> is now closely interlinked to the Telematics for Libraries site and will increasingly become the starting point for library interests too. Additional details of the Digicult site will be presented in a future issue of Exploit Interactive.
The Telematics Applications programme is one of the 19 specific programmes which are supported under the European Union's Fourth RTD Framework Programme (1994-1998). Coordinated by the EC's DG XIII C and E, it aims to promote the competitiveness of European industry, help improve the efficiency of services of public interest, and stimulate job creation through the development of new telematics systems and services.
Supporting activities in the field of research and technological development, the programme is closely related to the IT (Information Technologies) programme and the ACTS programme (Advanced Communications Technologies and Services). Together these three programmes are providing the building blocks for Europe's Information Society.
The EU's institutions and, in particular, DG XIII's activities in the area of R&D and the Information Society are promoted and supported through a number of web servers including:
Telematics for Libraries is one of the 13 sectors of the Telematics Applications Programme and builds on the results of the Libraries component of the Third Framework Programme. Covering three areas of action, it funds research and technological development in the field of library networking and related services. It aims at standardising and harmonising libraries systems, providing for continuity in addressing local systems and services. The long-term objectives of the Libraries Programme are to modernise library services and create an effective libraries infrastructure in Europe based on the use of new technologies and co-operation.
The Telematics for Libraries's web site has a dual purpose:
 Figure 1: Telematics for Libraries Home Page |
The web site is therefore structured into five main areas of interest covering programme information and related events, completed, current and new projects, support activities such as concerted actions and workshops, studies published by the Commission and background documents with links to external resources. Among the background areas covered are national policies for libraries in the Information Society, music resources in the library context, library management systems, journals on libraries and information science, general and technical resources related to library technology, distance learning, services for children, smart cards and multilingual tools and services for librarians. There are also special sections on the emerging scene in Central and Eastern Europe, on public libraries in the Information Society and on preparations for a Green Paper on the Role of Libraries in the Information Society.
The main English-language section is supplemented by supporting pages in French, German, Italian and Spanish which provide translations of key documents as well as news, information and links to external web sites covering items of interest in the various languages.
For ease of access to all the above topics and many more, an A-Z site index is available.
The site is regularly updated and enriched with new documents and new links. An average of about 10 documents are edited each day. This can however extend top to 40 or 50 when we undertake revisions of the project synopses of which there are now more than 100. Evidence of this work is reflected in our What's New section. Most of the updates are made on the basis of information received from users, National Focal Points (i.e. representatives in the Member States) and project participants. Since the site first came on line in 1994, accesses have steadily increased to well over 25,000 per month with some 200 individual visitors every day. Currently, on the basis of country-coded accesses, our most frequent visitors are from Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain.
The News Page, introduced last January, is one of the more frequently accessed pages on the Libraries site. Practically every day, it presents items of general interest to the world of library networking and the information society. We also frequently add to our list of events.
Those interested in receiving news by email of the more important additions and modifications to our pages should complete the questionnaire provided on the 'Keep me Informed' page shown in Figure 2. [1]
 Figure 2: Sign up for email notification |
The programme's activities are focused on applying technology to the creation of new library services. They include a very wide range of projects dealing with bibliographic services, digital imaging, library management, distance learning, multimedia and web-based access (including services for universities, the blind, for children and, indeed, for citizens from all walks of life) and a number of support actions covering public libraries, copyright, networking, national bibliographic services and music information. Typically, activities co-funded by the Commission are managed by partners from several Member States consisting of libraries, networking specialists, software houses, publishers, research departments and universities.
While the programme is still supporting a considerable number of projects under the current Fourth Framework Programme, priorities have already been defined for the Fifth Framework in which libraries will principally be involved in the Multimedia Content and Tools area of the User-Friendly Information Society programme. This will provide a basis for extending tools and services developed for libraries to other cultural institutions such as museums and archives. In addition to the Telematics for Libraries site, information in regard to Digital Heritage and Cultural Content under Key Action 3 of the IST programme is now available at http://www.echo.lu/digicult/
Since dissemination plays an important role in the programme, in addition to information on the web, promotion of the programme is accomplished through activities such as workshops, conferences, publicity material and CD-ROMs. All our projects are also encouraged to participate directly in disseminating results of their work through their own web sites which can usually be found from links in the individual project synopses.
The small team working on Telematics for Libraries at the European Commission is based in Luxembourg, in the Euroforum building on the southern outskirts of the city. Additional support is provided by a team of external experts who, among other things, participate actively in developing the web site.
 Figure 3: Home for some of the Telematics for Libraries Team in Luxembourg |
We are constantly trying to enhance the content and the
quality of our information and the way in which it is displayed. We are
extremely grateful for many useful comments we receive almost every day from
users across the globe and welcome further suggestions on possible improvements
and additions. These should be sent to Ian Pigott: ian.pigott@lux.dg13.cec.be. And remember you can also help by posting
our homepage on your site and in your presentations: it's not hard to remember -
http://www.echo.lu/libs/
If you have any comments on this article, please contact the editors (exploit-editor@ukoln.ac.uk).
For citation purposes:
Telematics for
Libraries Web Development Team, "A Closer Look at the Telematics for
Libraries Web Site," Exploit Interactive, issue 1, 10 April 1999
URL: <http://www.exploit-lib.org/issue1/telematics/>
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