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DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 342 358 IR 013 834
AUTHOR Balsis, Catherine; Tifft, JeanneTITLE Center for Development Information and Evaluation.
Research and Reference Services, Third AnnualReport.
INSTITUTION Academy for Educational Development, Inc.,Washington, D.C.
PUB DATE Jan 89NOTE 32p.
PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141)
EDRS PRICE NFO1/PCO2 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Annual Reports; Developing.Nations; Foreign
Countries; *Information Centers; *InformationServices; *Organizational Change; Program Evaluation;*Reference Services; Selective Dissemination ofInformation; Special Libraries; Tables (Data); *Users(Information)
IDENTIFIERS Value Added
ABSTRACTThis report on the third year of activities of the
Research and Reference Services (R&RS) of the Academy for EducationalDevelopment focuses on the themes of consolidating and refiningproducts, responding to increased demand, institutionalizing previoussuccess, and organizational change. The activities described include:(1) services and products delivered to specific users or groups ofusers (e.g., Tailored Information Packages, Technical Assistance andTraining, Current Awareness Topical Updates); (2) users of theservices--80% Agency for International Development (AID) and 20%public; (3) trends in AID's use of development information, whichreflects a broad and sophisticated range of purposes for requestinginformation; (4) the REMS mid-project evaluation, which focuses onorganizational problems and issues and recommends a structuralreorganization; and (5) plans for the implementation of thisreorganizational scheme in year four. An appendix provides a diagramof the proposed reorganizations/ structure, which calls for the useof a team approach to answer information needs in the Internationaldevelopment community. (CGD)
***************************rnme*************************************Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.********************************X**************************************
Ut DEPARTNENT OF EDUCATIONOffice or Eoucseanar Reepuce and improuement
EDUCAT/ONAL RESOURCES INFORALATIONCENTER fERIC/
nue document has been reproduced orenecerved from Me person or orearucatton0nWnallna it
1:3 Minor change* Mire been made to Immo,*reoroductron quality
Penns ot grew or morons stated Inmint do not necessenly reprnent officral0E01 oosshoo or who
Research and Reference Services
Third Annual Report
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE NSMATENAL HAS SEEN GRANTED SY
Karen Canova
TO NE EDUCATIONAL RESOURMSINFORMATION CENTER (MC)."
Research and Reference Services
Third Annual Report
Center for Development Information arx1 araluation
Research aixl Reference Services
Third kraal Report
&II:pitted to:Maury BLUM
Chief, Development Infornatica, PPC/CDIE
Fran:Catherine Balsis, Project Director e-
andJeanne Tifft, Program Analyst/Information Dissemination 'Team Leader
4.12°21" January 1989
1
1
1
Table of Contents
I. I.ntrocluction 1
II. Services & Products: Data 3
Charts 9
III. Users 16
IV. Trends in A.I.D.,s Use of Deve lcfmant Information 20
V. R&M Mid-Project Dialuation 22
VI. Plans for Year Four 24
Research and .Reference Services
THIRD ANNUAL REPORT
I. Introduction: Highlights for Year Three
Pour themes dominated the activities of the Researchand Reference Services (R&RS) during FY 1988:
consolidating and refining products;
responding to increased demand;
institutionalizing previous successes;
organizational change.
Building on the knowledge base established in theproducts and services analysis completed in 1987, R&RSfocussed on refining select products and services forspecific user groups. The library began processing publicrequests in semi-monthly batches, thus streamlining itsapproach to public inquiries so as to allow more time forA.I.D. information requests. The research staff devotedsignificant attention to refining tailored informationpackages (TIP/s), the service with greatest added value.Our Current Awareness Updates (CAU/s) added ten newsubjects and over 50 new subscribers. The interlibraryloan service (ILL) continued as the mainstay in non-A.I.D.document delivery, with substantial improvements in
automating how ILL transactions are counted. Small stepstaken to update the library collection and automatecirculation procedures showed some results by increasedA.I.D. usage of library holdings. These and other trendsare more fully described in sections II and III of thisreport.
Related to the cofisolidation effort has been R&RS1enhanced ability to respond to a growing demand forinformation services. Year three service events totalled4,500 more than those recorded during either of the first
two years of the contract. Section II contains furtherexamination of these statistics.
Contributing to the higher numbers has been theinstitutionalization of several user education activitiesdesigned and tested during the previous year: the monthly
2
newsletter Requests and Responses and the InformationSources and Services Workshop we give as a session ofA.I.D.'s Project Design Course. Our former programanalyst, Jeanne Tifft, developed routines and procedureswhich keep these activities relevant and implemented ontime. Such steady attention has paid dividends. Trainingparticipants consistently rate the information workshop asoutstanding, while Requests and Responses is recognized inU.S.A.I.D.s around the world. Both of these activitiesare major factors in CDIE's increasing visibility in theAgency.
Despite these many successes, however, R&RS staffexperienced both limitations on its creativity anddissatisfaction with organizational communications. Byspring the problem was diagnosed as a structural one andwe employed a short-term consultant to take a hard look atthe R&RS staffing pattern, with an eye to recommendingchanges which would improve our ability to reach serviceobjectives more easily. By the end of the fiscal year,R&RS was planning for a fundamental change in itsstructure, including a revamping of the A.I.D. Library.The reorganization, which emphasizes a team approach toactivities, is pictured in the attached exhibit A, anddiscussed more fully in section V and VI.
3
II. Services and Products
The Doti%
The raw data for FY88 is summarized below in Table 1A Volume and Demand Summary FY88. Each service event is anindividual transaction where R61RS staff delivers a specificservice or product to a specific user or group. Weexperienced a 22% increase in service events over FY87;FY87 service events were in turn 12% more than FY86 serviceevents, as shown in Table 1 B. Comparative Summary.
TABLE 1
A. VOCURE & IMO MARY FY88
TOTAL
CIRC ILL REF CAU TIP TATR SVC EVTS
A11/11 1194 3244 2927 506 421 40 1339
USAIO 020 236 1264 343 4 2667
PUBLIC 1256 20 4099 72 128 12 5587
TOTAL 2450 4494 7262 81842 899 56 16593
TOT TINE (MRS) 622 833 2053 313 4613 190
AV8 UNIT COST COM 0.25 0.2 0.28 0.17 5.13 3.4
8. CONPARAT1VE MARY FY86 - FY88
CIRC ILL REF CAU TIP TATR TOTAL INCREASE
TOT SVC EVT5 FYBO 2450 4004 7262 a1042 199 56 16593 22
TOT SVC EVTS FY81 1459 3171 6313 81680 406 45 13014 12
TOT SVC EVIS 11116 1353 434/ b3650 c2208 11576
NOTES: at nonthly deliveries to 156 subscribers FYINII 140 subscribers rtel
bt Ready Reference only
c: RfOuest database records, reflecting in-depth REferme, TiPs, etc.
KEY
C1RC Library CIRCulation to A10 and public
ILL g InterLibrary Loan articles obtained, boots borrowed
REF g REFerence and docunent delivery services
CM Current Awareness Updates subscriptions delivered monthly
TIP g Tailored Inforsation Packages
TATR Technical Assistance and TRaining activites (Norkshops, Briefings)
Avg Shit Cost g Average, hours spent by RUS staff oft a given service
Most noteworthy is that demand for our Tailored
Information Packages (TIPs) more than doubled from 406 in
FY87 to 899 in FY88. This product incorporates the most
analysis and hence the most time: an average of around 5
hours per product delivery. Technical Assistance and
Training (TATR) largely reflects the 3-hour morning
workshops in Information Sources & Services. Reference in-
cludes both in-depth Reference services recorded in the =Q-
uest database and tallied Ready Reference services. The
times spent on Ready Reference, Circulation, ILLs, and
Current Awareness Updates, are all calculated from an
estimated per-transaction average.
Table 2: 'MRS Monthly & Cumulative Service Events,
FY88, on the following four pages, gives disaggregatedmonth-by-month data for services to each A.I.D. office and
Mission. This table does not discriminate between types of
services, but it does give a sense of demand distribution
throughout the agency. Therefore a brief discussion of
these numbers follows below.
Services to USAIDs consist mostly of TIPs and Current
Awareness Topical Updates. Far and away the heaviest users
were Indonesia, Haiti, and Ecuador. In eath case a Mission-
based Information Advisor (Indonesia) or Development Inform-
ation Center Librarian (Haiti and Ecuador) is both well
aware of what we can do and dependent upon us for meeting
information needs they cannot handle locally. The annual
totals for each Geobureau are remarkably even although the
LAC bureau may be slightiy underserved (AFR 1096; ANE 1103;
LAC 935).
High numbers in various Central Bureaus have various
explanations:
o CDIE consumes large numbers of ILLsl mostly
for R&RS which in turn redistributes them to USAIDs
and others as TIP contents:
o S&T/H consumes Topical Updates for such con-tractors the Reach or Fritsch projects, and ILLs
which result from the Topical Updates;
o the Management bureau usage reflects biblio-
graphies and ILLe we provided to update countrymodules in the M/PM/TD Training Library.
o The increase in services provided PPC/AAthrough the summer reflects bibliographies and ILLs
we provided the Administrator's Task Force in pre-
paration for its "November Report."
Table 2
RARS MONTHLY I COPULATIVE SERVICE EVENTS, FY80
OCT
NOV
DEC
JAN
NAR
APR
NAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
GROUP
TOTAL
SEP FY 88
FEB
AFR BUREAU
0i
00
00
00
46
03
14
AFRIAA
22
23
74
32
32
22
34
AFR/IP
35
65
84
34
44
54
55
AFP/PD
10
10
10
00
41
01
9
APR/TR
10
17
12
14
10
12
10
10
14
11
19
13
152
AFRICCIA
00
00
00
00
00
00
0
BURUNDI (BUJUMBURA)
00
00
01
00
00
00
1
CAMEROON (YNIM)
66
36
16
85
65
65
71
UNIMA (11MUUL)
32
23
22
32
76
22
36
GHANA (ACCRA)
00
00
00
00
11
01
3
GUINEA (COWRY)
93
61
20
00
00
10
22
GUINEA-BISSAU (BISSAU)
00
00
01
00
00
00
1
IVORY COAST (ADIDJAN)
00
20
15
10
00
10
019
LIIERIA (MONROVIA)
52
45
32
33
22
01
32
NIGERIA (LAGOS)
00
00
00
00
00
00
0
RWANDA (KIGALI)
32
22
22
23
22
22
26
SIERRA LEONE (FREM)
00
00
00
00
00
00
0
TOGO (LONE)
00
00
00
00
00
00
0
ZAIRE (KINSHASA)
11
I1
13
13
34
41
235
AFR/EA
10
00
00
00
00
00
1
DJIIOUTI (DJIBOUTI)
00
00
00
00
00
00
0
ETHIOPIA (ADDIS AIM)
111111
1111
11
12
KENYA (NAIROII)
33
53
24
02
33
22
32
SOMALIA (MOGADISHU)
31
22
13
27
25
11
30
SUDAN (KWARTOUN)
00
00
00
24
21
01
028
TANZANIA (DAR ES SALAM)
00
10
00
01
10
10
4
UOANDA (KAMPALA)
00
00
10
01
01
00
3
AFRiSA
12
11
I1
00
01
00
8
WNW (IAMORONE)
00
00
00
10
05
12
9
LESOTHO (MASERU)
10
11
00
00
10
00
4
SALMI (LILONINE)
I1
10
21
01
00
00
7
NOIANSIOUE (MAPUTO)
00
00
01
00
00
00
1
SIMLA, (NIAIANE)
00
03
00
81
00
07
19
ZAMA (LUSAKA)
00
10
00
00
10
00
2
IMAM (HARARE)
1I
14
43
82
64
21
37
REDSOIESA (NAIRN!)
32
43
32
96
65
23
48
REDGOACA COMM
76
3B
64
65
327
32
80
AFR/SNA
14
10
00
203162
130
1110311AFAI0 (OUAGAIOUGOU)
77
77
78
77
77
77
85
CAPE VOW (PRAIA)
11111111
111
213
CNA, (IPIJAIENA)
11
I1
2I
41
21
12
18
NALI (IMMO)
31
21
31
3I
I1
t2
20
MOUNITANIA (NOUAKCHOTT)
12
12
11
1I
11
13
16
NIIER (NIAMEY)
66
76
56
66
65
66
71
SENESAL (DAKAR)
2I
02
10
I2
00
11
11
SWOTS. AFR, BUR.
87
81
84
86
111
74
119
90
97
126
72
79
10%
6
MRS
NONTHLV b C
UMULATIVE
SERVICE
EVENTS,
FV88
OCT
NOV
IEC
JAN
FEB
NAN
APR
NU
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
8101P
TOTAL
FY
88
ANE
IIREAU
(TALLY) 0 0 1 0 1 8 0 0 0 1 2 0 13
ANE/AA
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2
ANE/OP 3 7 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 2 20
ANE/P1 2 2 0 0 1 7 4 4 1 0 1 2 24
ANE/TR 2 4 14 12 6 11 4 5 5 4 22 5 94
ANE/E
0, 0 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
Min
(CA1R0)
12 8 7 4 8 12 5 7 7 11
10 8 99
ANEtEA 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
!BURMA
(RAISON)
1111111111 1 1 12
FIJI
(SUVA) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
INDONESIA
(JAKARTA)
12
25 44
18
17
10
17
18
14
28 11
14
236
PHILIPPINES
(11ANILA)
8 6 1 10 8 7 6 10 9 1 6 6 92
TNAILANO
(IANOKOK)
8 5 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 1 16 3 45
ANE/NENA 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
JORDAN
(AMNAN) 0 4 7 4 4 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 23
NOROCCO
(RAOAT) 6 2 4 1 1 3 2 i 2 4 1 0 32
ORAN
(MUSCAT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2
PORTUGAL
CLEM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TUNISIA
(TUNIS) 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3
MEN
(SANA) 7 9 8 6 21
26 6 8 6 7 6 6 116
ANE/SA 1 1 1 3 2 4 2 1 1 2 1 1 21
AFGHANISTAN
(KANO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2
ONINADON1
(MA) 5 5 5 6 8 0 3 5 4 7 3 6 65
INDIA
(NEU
DELHI) 1 1 2 2 1 0 0 2 2 0 1 3 15
NEPAL
(KATHMANDU) 2 3 3 11 4 15 3 2 3 2 3 19
70
PAKISTAN
(ISLAMANAD) 6 6 6 8 7 7 6 10
10
21 6 6 99
HAMAR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
KARACHI
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SRI
LANKA
(COLOMBO) 1 7 0 2 2 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 16
SUBTOTAL
ANE
BUR,
77
98
123
93 96
121
64
04
70
100
92
85
1103
1 1
7
MRS
NONTNLY
i CUNULATIVE
SERVICE
ENDITT4
FY88
OCT
NOV
DEC
JAM
FE1
NAR
APR
NAY
JUN
JUL
A116
STOUP
TOTAL
SEP
FY 88
LAC
NREAU
(TALLY) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 I 0 3
LAC/AA 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
LACIIP 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
LAC/OR 4 2 2 3 6 2 1 0 0 0 22 3 45
LAC/CAP 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 I 0 7
COSTA
RICA
(SAN
JOSE) 1 3 7 17 3 5 3 2 1 2 6 2 52
EISM.VMOR
(IAN
SALVANR)
4 5 7 11 9 7 4 5 12
10 6 6 86
NATENALA(NATENALA
CITY) 0 2 8 3 5 5 4 10 1 9 2 1 10
NININAS
(TEIMMANA)
2 2 5 I 5 11 I 1 3 1 2 1 35
PANAMA
(PANANA
CITY) 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
ROCAP(IUATEIVLACITY)
I 1 2 I 1 0 1 4 3 1 2 9 26
NUN/CA
(TEINIMALPA)
1 3 I 1 1 0 1 1 3 2 6 1 21
LAC/CAR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2
BELIZE
(IELIZE
CITY) 7 6 5 3 4 5 4 3 3 6 7 8 61
NITINICAN
R.
(STANTON) 9 2 2 1 4 1 2 2 I 1 5 1 31
8IENAAA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
HAITI
(PORT
AU
PRINCE)
6 8 7 23 7 21 5 5 33 6 10 8 139
JANAICA
(KINGSTON)
1 3 3 4 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 3 38
100(1AMIA108)
0 3 8 1 2 0 0 2 2 1 2 0 21
LACISAN 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18LIVIA
(LA
PAZ) 2 3 2 2 7 6 18
11 6 6 6 7 76
BRAZIL
(NASILIA)
0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 I 0 2 5
COLIMA
(IOWA) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ECUADOR
(QUITO) 6 14
25 26
10 8 7 15 24
13
II 2 161
N(IICO
ME
TR
O
CITY) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 I
PEN
(LINA) 4 3 3 3 5 6 3 5 4 3 4 3 46
URUGUAY
(NONTEVIOED)
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 3 4 2 1 20
SUPOTAL
LAC
BUR.
53 64
90
102
73
80
60
80
106
69
18
58
935
12
ORS NONTNLY A CUMULATIVE SERVICE EVENTS, FYBS 6881W
TOTAL
JAN FEB NAR APR NAY JUN JUL A08 SEP FY Be
CENTRAL BUREAUS
OCT NOV DEC
A/AID 0 0 0
PPC BOREN (TALLY) 0 8 3
PPC/AA 3 2 1
PPC/COIE 153 106 132
PPC/OC 0 2 0
PPC/EA 1 1 0
PPC/11F1 0 0 0
PPCIPI 0 1 1
PPC/PDPR 3 0 1
PPC/1110
SUBTOTAL PPC BUR. 160 123 141
SAT BUREAU tTALLY1 0 2 2
16T/AA 0 0 0
SIT/A8 9 11 17
14T/ED 1 1 0
2 0 0
SAT/POR 1 8 5
$INN 60 36 23
SIT/IT 0 0 0
WIN 1 0 1
SIT/PDP 5 2 2
SAUD 6 5 7
SUMTOTAL $8IT IOR. 85 65 55
FVA 4 6 8
8C 0 0 0
18111 1 2 1
LEO 0 0 0
A 13 6 16
orDA A 1 0
PRE 6 0 1
IA 2 2 2
OIFAI 0 1 0
PIC 0 0 0
SCI 0 10 6
TIP 0 0 1
SUBTOTAL OTHER CENT. BUR. 26 28 36
OTHER AID 212 225 271
TOTAL AID MUSTERS 702 684 800
NON-AID REQUESTERS 370 376 364
MAL EVENTS 1072 1060 1164
EST TINE SPENT 107 203 179
REV TINESP 378 661 552
TOTAL rue SPENT 485 864 731
0 0 17 1 7 1 0 1 0 27
0 0 15 2 0 1 3 0 2 34
0 0 0 14 36 55 111 145 32 399
87 13 117 97 109 t20 69 12 77 1252
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 7
3 2 11 1 9 1 27 14 3 75
0
97 102 169 118 163 182 213 255 116 1839
0 0 0 11 2 0 8 0 1 26
0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
19 23 9 12 17 10 6 20 19 172
0 0 2 1 1 2 8 0 0 16
5 1 1 2 3 3 2 2 2 23
3 1 3 1 2 3 11 18 2 58
41 32 68 57 58 78 62 67 51 640
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1 4 4 1 1 3 5 2 0 23
0 0 7 3 0 4 14 26 24 87
6 13 34 12 10 5 6 4 11 119
82 74 133 98 92 108 114 139 110 1155
7 12 9 4 6 6 7 5 5 79
0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3
6 2 7 5 2 8 3 8 4 49
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
VI 44 74 59 60 102 114 76 3, 622
0 0 0 2 0 0 t 0 1 5
2 1 5 6 9 1 18 12 4 65
0 0 3 1 2 0 3 2 2 20
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 6 7 4 5 0 7 5 3 60
1 0 2 1 0 0 0 5 1 11
42 65 107 04 85 117 153 114 59 916
345 356 358 374 329 462 402 288 336 3958
847 877 1042 917 913 1142 un 10511 843 11002
571 428 569 566 543 576 485 375 364 5387
1418 1305 1611 1413 1456 1718 1662 1433 1207 16589
185 192 221 289 219 260 261 231. 190 2550
390 468 595 535 649 406 533 512 317 6076M.MMIMMOri...1.14.11WW
vs 660 in 823 so 666 794 751 587 8626
10400.t.z)3 BEST COPY AVM
Charts
9
The following sequence of ten charts illustrates theflow of each service throughout FY88, beginning with anoverview below in Chart 1: R&RS Service Events FY88. Thefirst two months of FY89 are included to demonstrate thatthe downward trend at the end of FY88 is only cyclical andthat demand continues to increase.
1 R&RS Service Events FY88
OciNoiescatinFebkieri 87
ayJunjui88
epOctNov
.111 ILL del EMI Ref EJ CAU Lib Ciro
US TIP CD TATR Public
Public BM !Wady Rot I Lib We only
The volume peaks of January, March, and early summer(June and July) are also probably cyclical. It is import-ant to note that the "workhorses" of our information ser-vices to A.I.D. are Reference and ILL, consistently thegreatest number of events each month. With Library Circu-lation, these services are also subject to greater volumevariation from month to month than either Tailored Inform-ation Packages (TIP) or Current Awareness Updates (CAU).Since we cannot regulate the intake of these service re-quests, they are the areas where we need to create the mostefficiencies through automation and process organization.
14
10
The comparison of service times (or "billable hours")and service events shown below in Chart 2: Where Value isAdded illustrates the dramatic difference between them.
2. Where Value Is Added:Comparison of Service Times & Events
Service Times
REF 24%
TIP 53%
CIRC 7%
TATR 2%
ILL 25%
CIRC 15%
TATR 0%TIP 5%
REF 44% CAU 11%
Service Events
pacOsMe at annual totals
84% of all service events is accounted for by Refer-ence/ ILLs, and Circulation. Yet together they accountfor only 41% of service time. Tailored Information Pack-ages (TIPS), however, only 5% of all service events, takenearly all the remaining service time (53%). TIPs containhighly filtered DIS searches, bibliographies created to-order, and publications, documents, or other materials se-lected to meet a requester's specific information need.This added value makes them highly visibl, to the groupusing them and highly promotable through "Requests & Re-sponses." Nevertheless we must not lose sight of the factthat Reference services, nearly half (44%) of all serviceevents/ are fundamental to every other service and have thewidest impact. Maintaining their reliability, consistency,accuracy, and efficiency, is therefore also fundamental.
15
11
Our InterLibrary Loan (ILL) document delivery service.counts numbers of titles requested, both books borrowedfrom other libraries, and photocopies of journal articlesobtained thrugh the OCLC online system. Chart 3 A belowsuggests a monthly average of around 300 -- a dozen a day.This is extremely high for any library, but ischaracteristic of the drink-by-drink demand-driven acquisi-tion necessary when resources are insufficient for anadequate serials collection. Additionally, about 10% ofthe titles A.I.D. requests are not obtainable through OCLC,representing "grey" literature we still need to identifyand obtain through other means.
Until June, ILL transactions were counted manually.In July, DIHF intern Carlos Borro installed a program ob-tained by Jim Harold to count and sort requests automa-tically. Changing to this system, and adding in unreportedtransactions from the- previous month, caused the sharppeaks of July and August.
600
500
400
300
200
100
0Oat Nair Dm Jan Fb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sop
81, SS
3a. ILL Volume FY 88
t_ _1
Thru Jun*: deliveredFrani Juts: requested
Chart 3 B on the following page shows that fully 25%of all ILL transactions were for CDIE. Most of those werefor ROW, most of which in turn were included in TIPS,often for USAIDs. Thus, the Geobureau demand for thisservice is actually much higher than the 24% that thischart shows for requests they have made directly.
6
3b. ILL Demand FY88
Other PPC14% -
The high SIM demand is to be expected for tworeasons: it is a research staff and their offices arenearby. "Other PPC" mainly reflects work for the Adminis-trator's Task Force, and "Mgmt" our contributions to theTraining Modules for M/PM/TD Training Library.
Reference Services alone account for 44% of all ourservice events, as we have already seen in Chart 2. Themonthly volume shown in Chart 4 A records a steady increasein A.I.D. use of our Reference Services through the firsthalf of the fiscal year. The annual overall trend also re-mains up.
17
12
13
But A.I,n. demand never surpassed public demand.Chart 4 B sugyests the relentless public pressure on theLibrary Reference staff. Fully 88% of all FY 88 ReferenceService events are Ready Reference and Quick DIS checkstaking 5 minutes or less per transaction. They average 525per month answered in the library, of which 54.7% were forpublic patrons. To improve our services to A.I.D. with ourpresent resources, it is imperative that we control publicaccess to R&RS services.
Current Awareness Updates are monthly bibliographieson specific topics run automatically against several exter-nal databases, photocopied, and distributed to sUbscrib-ere. The data in Table 3 below shows that they garnered anincreasing number of subscribers during the year, mostlyvia word-of-mouth. About 2/3 of the subscribers are withUSAIDe. When Ruth Mara, who originated the service, leftR&RS in August to become an A.I.D. direct hire, PARS Pro-gram Analyst Jeanne Tifft took it over as a component ofthe Information Dissemination aspect of our reorganization.
NO NM AMEX Milt COW IMES, MIAMI NOUNT1111
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WA Of 121 131 05 146 06 02 154 134 al 06 04 06 UA 01
18
14
Library circulation also increased in FY88. Chart 5below shows circulation to A.I.D. staff finally surpassingcirculation to public requesters (via ILL loans to otherlibraries) in June, possibly attributable to improvementsin the library collection and to increased awareness inA.I.D. Curiously, the lowest number of A.I.D. transactionsoccurred in March, which was otherwise one of the peakmonths noted in Chart 1.
200
180
100
0Oat NOY Dm Jan Fab Mar Apr May Jim Jul Aug flap
f 87 I es
5. A.I.D. Library Circulation
-- --1"- Public
Tailored Information Packages (TIPs) evolved during1986 and have since became our distinctive value-addedproduct. Inherently flexible and responsive to changinginformation needs, they are likely to remain so.
This year Research Assistant Elizabeth Temple broughtorder and system to producing duplicate TIPs in response torequests for them inspired by our monthly bulletin Requgsts& gespongep. These duplicates have averaged around 10 permonth since March, so the more-than-doubled demand for TIPsin the past year noted in Table 1 can be attributed largelyto requests for original TIPs.
Nevertheless, the increasing numbers of TIPS deliv-ered annually, against the decreasing percentage of totalannual service time spent producing them, indicate a remark-able increase in product efficiency over the past twoyears. This is illustrated in Chart 6 below.
1 9
15
1000
800
600
400
200
0
6. Tailored Information PackagesVolume & Efficiency FY86 - FY88
Packages Delivered Percent of total time
1986 1987 1988
TIPs delivered \ Pct of total time
60
50
40
30
20
10
We began enclosing a user feedback form in each TIPsent out since mid-August. Early returns indicate a highlevel of satisfaction, but closer analysis will not be pos-sible until we are further into FY 89. In addition, weplan to solicit anecdotal impact information from request-ers who give permission to do so on that form.
Technical Assistance and Training (TATR) activitiesemphasized the training aspect, consisting mainly of the 3-hour morning workshop R&RS staff now give as a session ofthe A.I.D. Project Design course, plus major briefingsgiven A.I.D. staff groups. We began the year intending toidentify an R&RS market share of technical assistance in-volving A.I.D. information collections, managers, and acti-vities, but increasing demand for the services we were al-ready providing absorbed all our capacities.
20
III. Ms=
A. I. Danct the Public
Our staff service time vas generally divided betweenA.I.D. and the public 80% / 20% during FY88, as seen inChart 7 A: User-Time Distribution.
The percentage of total time spent on services toAID/W and the public each increased over FY87, with acorresponding drop of 10% for direct services to USAIDs.However, many AID/W requests are in fact for USAID end-users. Further, we will demonstrate below that serviceevents to USAIDs are on the increase. More disturbing isthe 4% increase in the percentage of time spent on thepublic, a direct result of open access to the Library andto our Reference services.
Another way to lookat this relationship isillustrated in the ad-joining Chart where theupward trend in publicdemand is clear, as isthe increasing A.I.D.demand for our Referenceservices since FY 87.
7b. Public and AID Service EventsReference and Mar/ Circulation
IN ruaftt =Paton, I=1,Asosa Mock.
21
16
A.I.D. and USAIDs
17
Chart 8: R&RS Service Volume FY 88 shows our FY88services according to three broad user categories -- thepublic, A.I.D. geobureaus (including USAIDs) and A.I.D.central bureaus. Its profile corresponds, as it should, tothat for service events in Chart 1.
What is worth noting is that the January peak is hereseen to be attributable entirely to Public demand; it isthe March and June peaks that reflect A.I.D. demand. Fur-ther, geobureau demand is relatively constant throughoutthe year, while there are sharp month-to-month variationsin services to the Central bureaus and the Public.
2000
1500
1000
500
8. R&RS Service Volume FY 88
0Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
1 87 1 es
Central Bureaus sXM Geobureaus ED Public
22
Geobureau service events examined alone, in Chart 9 Abelow, show considerable variation from month to month andfrom bureau to bureau. There are modest semi-annual peaksin December and, surprisingly, in July. Little demand con-sistency between geobureaus is evident -- an increase ordecrease in one is not necessarily echoed by the others.
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0Oct Nov Deo Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep
i 87 88
9a. Geobureau Service Events
EJ LACANE
1.111 AFR
Most remarkable, how-ever, is the magnitude ofthe increase in serviceevents since FY87 shownin the adjoining Chart 9 8.Much of this increase isin TIPS, which, as we havealready seen, more thandoubled this year.
23
9b. Geobureau Service EventsFY ft and FY 813
11111
MO AFR WA\ AMR I= LAC
1,8
800
600
400
200
01984 1985 1986
Service Events
Source: REQuest DB only; TIPs & REF
10. Info Services to USAIDsUSDA (FY 84-85) AED R&RS (FY 86-88)
1987 1988
Finally, Chart 10 above, Info Services to USAIDs,documents a steady growth in services to USAIDs, our pri-maty user group, both over the life of our project andcompared to the earlier USDA services.
Counting only therecorded in the REQuestfrom under 300 annually88, an average increasechart does not includeUpdates or ILIA, whicheven greater.
TIPs and major Reference Servicesdatabase, USAID services have grownin FY 84 to over 700 annually in FYof around 13% per year. And thisCurrent Awareness Service Topicalwould make the FY86 - FY88 growth
24
19
20
Iv. Trends in A.I.D, s use ot Doirstlgpment Informatioq
At the beginning of the Research & Reference Servicesproject, typical A.I.D. requests for information tended tobe either known-title requests (for example* a specific pro-ject paper or publication) or a straightforward DIS searchfor whatever was available there on a specific topic.These early requests often seemed to reflect an impulsiveor incidental interest on the requester's part. Generic"information" was most often interpreted by both A.I.o.users and DI as a DIS printout.
Today, the A.I.D. requests we receive indicate a muchmore sophisticated and aware use of information. Our typi-cal A.I.D. requests now reflect a central programmatic con-cern of an agency group (office or Mission) which has takenthe trouble to think through its information need and com-municates it with the expectation that we can help. Some-times we receive several concurrent requests from differentgroups addressing different aspects of the same problem.
Individuals still make requests too, of course, butnow usually state a purpose. We receive more and moreknown-title requests for DIS or external materials, butuser awareness of these titles is often due to ourefforts. Generic "information" is now understood to meanany combination of reference service, document delivery, orselected printed materials, from any relevant sources,which will meet the needs of the requester's situation.
The subjects of A.I.D. information requests we re-ceived during FYSS ranged through the gamut of currentA.I.D. concerns. They included, to name just a few, var-ious aspects of child survival, microenterprise, decentral-ization of government and services, drug awareness, indi-genous institution building, debt-equity swaps, urban-ization, export promotion, and forestry.
The subject of an information need is not the onlyguidance we elicit from a TIP requester. Just as importantis our knowing what use the requester hopes to make of theinformation we provide, and our user training activitiesemphasize this. The range of purposes now cited by ourA.I.D. requesters when they ask for a TIP substantiates themore sophisticated information use we see in A.I.D. Onewould expect users conducting research to ask forliterature searches, and USAID libraries to ask for biblio-graphies for collection development. In addition, re-questers actively engaged in program planning, redesign,strategy development, and policy dialogue, all seek ourinput. Requesters moving to new assignments, handling newsubject or sector areas, exploring new lines of research,or otherwise needing to broaden a knowledge base, seek our
2 1
services. Missions supporting a local institution, whether
government ministry or private AM, ask for bibliographies
of materials obtainable to help accomplish that institu-
tion's goals, such as manuals or instructional films. We
now seem to be considered an authoritative source for lists
of active projects or completed evaluations in specific
areas. This is important because it reflects increased
confidence in the comprehensiveness of the DIS and because
it highlights how critical that comprehensiveness is to
MS credibility in providing that service.
26
22
V. BARE2114:12/2111ELEYAlmiqi2n
As required by our contract, R&RS conducted amid-project evaluation during this past year. Because themany accomplishments of the Research and ReferenceServices had been documented in other reports and studies,and affirmed by our own Advisory Committee, we asked theevaluator (Sarah Kadec) to focus on organizationalproblems and issues. Her analysis confirmed that theincreased demand for services was straining projectresources and staff, as well as the organizationalstructure itself. The staff felt overburdened withrequests, isolated from the people they served, andlimited by cumbersome communication patterns. Through aseries of staff interviews and meetings with projectmanagement, several key objectives emerged for areorganization of R&RS staff:
create a systematic approach toand developing new information sources;
strengthen the tie betweenresources and services;
identifying
information
support both the development professionals andinformation professionals on the staff;
facilitate increased interaction with A.I.D.'sregional bureaus;
streamline management and foster horizontalcommunication patterns.
The new organizational structure, as shown in
exhibit A attached, addresses those objectives. Itemphasizes a team approach to RTIRS activities, organizingfunctions into four categories: resources, technicalservices, dissemination, and response teams -- one foreach geographic region. Each regional team member willalso be responsible for a sector, thereby reflecting boththe geographical and substantive work of the Agency.
The recommended reorganization redefined the Libraryas an information center/reading room, with a self-serviceA.I.D. reference section for the public. Additionalservices to support R&RS staff, A.I.D. employees, andcontractors would include on-line searching, a small,
well-defined collection, and interlibrary loans. It wasalso suggested that as the library became more of an
information center, an active outreach and disseminationprogram should develop including the effective use of Room3659 NS.
27
23
Following submission of the mid-project evaluation,RIMS prepared a concepts paper for CDIE which furtherdefined this transformation of the library into an activedevelopment information resource center. It was suggestedthat the historical portion of the hard copy collectioncould be stored off-site, thereby opening space for asmall, up-to-date development collection, a reading room,an audiovisual area and a seminar/conference. area. Fourprogram categories were proposed for the new Center:central clearinghouse on development informationactivities, resources and gervices; current awareness forA.I.D. employees; outreach to the U.S. and internationaldevelopment community; and user training, guidance andtechnical assistance.
By the beginning of the new fiscal year (FY89), CDIEmanagement approved the concept and authorized MS to laythe groundwork for this change. Through the consultingassistance of Nancy Cylke, we initiated a thorough weedingof the library collection and explored options andalternatives for off-site storage.
VI. Plans for Year Four
24
The R&RS reorganization provides a structure withinwhich to implement continued improvements in accessingresources, increasing sensitivity to Agency informationneeds, and contributing to the further integration of CDIEand the strengthening of its leadership role in theinternational development community.
Region Response Teams: These three groups will nowbe responsible not only for answering requests from theirclient bureaus but also for understanding proactively whatupcoming information needs are likely to be. Thus acloser programmatic relationship between MRS activitiesand A.I.D.'s major concerns should emerge in the comingyear.
Information Resources Team: This group willsystematically address inefficiencies, gaps, and lapses inR&RS' ability to tap relevant development informationsources by: (1) improving relevance, utility, andmanagement of serials collection; (2) structuring. A.I.D.input to library acquisitions, including serials; (3)activating exchange agreements with other developmentinstitutions; (4) identifying and opening channels to"gray" literature; (5) rationalizing the librarycollection with other A.I.D. collections, whether projector office based (Reach, Vector Biology, WASH, Fritsch,WID, 3659 NS, etc.) and laying groundwork and campaigningfor a union catalog.
Technical Services Team: This group will worktoward improved acquisitions and management of the libraryholdings. They will develop plans and makerecommendations for better automation support andautomation integration within the library.
Information Dissemination Team: This team will worktoward spreading the impact of RAPS work as widely aspossible; and intensifying the development informationdialogue between CDIE and A.I.D. and between CDIE and theinternational development community. Specific activitieswill include improved and expanded Current AwarenessServices, including a type designed for upper management;a Library New Acquisitions bulletin; a new product typefor disseminating the content of selected TIPs; and astandard product catalog designed specifically for deskofficers. Additionally, special programs and productswill be designed with other informationcollections, groups of A.I.D. information users, and CDIEworkshops and seminars.
29
25
Underlying all of these objectives and activitieswill be the continuing efforts to revamp and reorganizethe library. At present, we anticipate completing theweeding exercise by the end of February, and establishingthe self-sufficient A.I.D. Information Reference Center inMarch. If all paperwork is in place, the historicalcollection can be consolidated and moved off-site at thesame tim- If additional resources for equipment andfurniture are made available, the other areas of theproposed resource center can be set up by June.
30
UM MN OM NM MN MI MI Ill. NMI MN OM II. MB an OM MEI 1E1 OilExhibit A
PRASE I REORGANRATIW
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Admn. Asst./Proj. Sooty.
Resources Teams Response Teams**
tallan Technical Servicqg Illansinathan &Lau lan
-Information -Tech. Services -Info. Dissemination -Information -Information -Information
Resources Spec. Specialist (TO Specialist (T1.) Analyst (IL) Analyst (TL) Analyst (T1.)
(TI)*
-Reference Spec. -Tech. Services ,-Program Asst. -Informetion -Information -Information
Specialist Analyst Analyst Analyst
-Interns-Reception, -Informstion -Info. Specialist -Information -Information -Information
Orientation, Referral Clerk (1 part-time or
sh tore consul ti)
Analyst Analyst Analyst
-Short-term Consult.
(A.I.O. Info. Room)
-Systems Specialist
(pert-time)
-Interns-program
swoon
notes
(Tl) represents team Wader. **Each member of a regional team will be
assignmS a sector focus.
31.32