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FromtheIncomingEditor . . . . . . 1UsabilityTesting&ContentAuditingYourLibraryWebsite . . 2TheBenefitsofaLibGuide . . . . . . 6ChronologyofDataProcessing . . . . . . 8InformationTechnologySection . . . . . 11

From the Incoming Editor

HAPPYNEWYEAR! As an incoming newsletter editor, I am thrilled to be part of IFLA’sInformationTechnologySection!Alittlebitaboutmyself.IamamedicallibrarianatMountSinaiHospitalinToronto,Canada,oneof themostculture-richcommunities in theworld.In my visit to Poland last year, I thought IFLA to be akin to my owncommunity,yetboastsawidearrayofdiversityinmanyotheraspects.It ismy hope to facilitate discussion of technological applications in ourworkplacestoenhanceaccesstoinformationinourcommunities. nn MichelleRyu

Welcome to the first 2018 issue ofTILT!Featuredareusabilitytesting,benefitsof LibGuides and a historical recountofdataprocessinginGermany.IFLA WLIC 2018 is coming in August,and the IT Section is in the midst ofplanning a main and some jointsessions. Please feel free to contactany of your Section officers formoreinformation, and to join us at the ITSectionmeetings.I want to thank our contributors forsharing their news, andencourage allmembers (and non-members) tosubmitarticles.Happyreading!JoanWeeEditor

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Usability Testing & Content Auditing your Library Website EdwardLimJunhaoReferenceandResearchServicesLibrarianforBusiness,NewYorkUniversityShanghai,China<edward.lim@nyu.edu> I had the role of User Experience (UX) librarian forabout 17 months in my previous employment atNanyangTechnologicalUniversity,Singapore.Thiswasanewlycreatedposition.OneofthemajorprojectsIwasinvolvedinwastherevampofthelibrary’swebsite.Like most organizations, a Committee for the websiterevamp was formed comprising the Deputy UniversityLibrarian, Deputy Director of Library Technology &Systems,LibraryWebmaster,andthenewUXLibrarian(myself). Our approach was to have a small projectteamsowecouldmovechangesalongfaster.This iswhen the rubbermeets the road: incorporatingeverything that I have learned aboutUXmethods andtechniqueswithourenvironmentandcontext.Something I learntduring thiswebsite revampproject:wecanandshouldaspiretobeasuser-centeredaswecan; however at times, we need to be strategic andpresentwhatwewantouruserstosee.The librarywebsite is a growingorganism that needsmanagementOur initial focus was on the landing page, and the‘second-level’pages.Thesewerethesecondarylandingpages after a user clicks into one of the six categorieslisted on the landing page. Then we discovered thatbecausethelibrarywebsiteislikeanoctopuswithmanytentacles, we had to do a content audit of over 200pages–moreonthatlater.Instead of going out to find out what was not user-friendly about the library website at that point (circaMay2016),we starteddoingwireframesandmockupsof how we wanted the website-landing page to looklike.UXpuristswouldargue that thiswasnotusabilitytesting;Iwasjustexcitedtogetsomeopinionsfromourstudents.EveryusabilitytestingneedsascriptWith a finalizedpapermock-upof the landingpageofthe library website, I completed the script of my firstever usability testing. We adapted from the scriptsharedbySteveKrugonhiswebsite.

Fig 1: Steve Krug’s RocketSurgeryMadeEasy:TheDo-It-Yourself Guide to Findingand Fixing UsabilityProblems

Youcandownload thescriptathiswebsite.As longasyou have clarity onwhat youwould like to achieve inthis short – under 30 minutes – session with yourparticipant,youareontherighttrack.To improvethescript, rehearse itwithyourcolleaguesand test users – and edit accordingly. Communicatingwhat needs to be achieved to your participant isultimately more important than the script itself. Afteryour fifth participant, everything usually becomesclockwork.LibrarywebsitesneedusertestingThere were two segments to our diluted version ofusability testing. The first part involved “X/Oparticipatorydesign”, borrowed from theUniversity ofMichigan’sworkontheirlibrarywebsite.The‘X’meantaskingusers tocrossoutwhat theydidnot findusefulon that paper representation of our new librarywebsite. The ‘O’ meant circling what they felt wasuseful.Wealsoencouragedtheuserstousesmallstripsof sticky notes for writing what they felt should beaddedtothispaperwebsite.This quick exercise with ten undergraduate studentsallowedus to identifywhatourusers feltwereuseful,including misunderstandings of what a particular linkwould have brought them to. Theworrywith a paperrepresentation was that users would not know whatwas behind a link. On hindsight, it was an excellentexercise in finding out whether our users understoodwhatwewantedtocommunicate.

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The second segment was an elaboration of the firstsegment.Wecraftedsixtasksforouruserstocomplete.Task DescriptionA You are a student, and you have to call for a

projectmeetingwithfourofyourgroupmates.There will be plenty of discussion, and youprefera largescreen,whicheveryonecanrefertoduringthemeeting.Book a facility space at your library that canholdthismeeting.

B You need a particular book title for yourresearch. You have done your search and arecertainourLibrarydoesnothaveacopyofthebook.PutinarequesttotheLibraryforthebookyouneed.

C Duringa lecture,yourprofessormentionedthelibraryhasusefulguidesthatlistrecommendeddatabases for different disciplines. Thesedatabases will help you find good qualityarticlesforyourupcomingassignment.Findtheseguides.

D YouhavetriedGoogleandOneSearch*andthemajorbusinessdatabases,butyouarehavingahard time finding statistics on small businessesinSingapore.Gethelpfromalibrarian.

E Youhaveborrowedsomebooks,whichareduesoon. Youhavenot finishedreading themandwouldliketohavethemforalongerperiod.Renewyourbooksonline.

F You are working on a research project andrequiremanybooks,however,youdonotknowhowmanyyoucanborrowandforhowlong.Lookfortherequiredinformation.

These scenarios reflected the areas of our website,which we felt were used heavily, or we wanted ouruserstofindeasily.*OneSearchreferstoourLibrary’sdiscoverysearchboxlocatedonthewebsite.

First,we readoutword-for-wordwhat the taskswere,and presented a printout of what was read, so thatusers could refer to it anytime. This is crucial forkeepingthemfocusedontheirgiventasks.Drawingfromwhatarealusabilitytestingwouldentail,we also requested the users think aloud as theywentalong with the tasks. The ‘think aloud’ process isextremely valuable for us to successfully extract thethoughtsoftheparticipants.Tobetterunderstandwhatthinking aloud entails, Steve Krug has also uploaded avideo demonstrating this thinking aloud process. Istronglyrecommendyouwatchthismorethanonce.Because we only had the paper representation of ourlibrarywebsiteatthispoint,weaskedthattheyaffixatiny colored dot sticker to indicate where they wouldclick. We informed our participants upfront that theyshould limit their ‘clicks’ to the paper representation,andnottouseourLibrary’ssearchboxforthetasks.

Fig2:Examplesofthecompletedactivitysheetbyoneoftheusers;thecirclesdrawncamefromthe“X/Oparticipatorydesign”segment.Thegreendotstickersindicatedwheretheuser‘clicked’afterunderstandingeachscenario–theletternexttoeachdotcorrespondedwithaspecifictask.

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The results from this first usability testing informedusabout what we had done right, and what could beimprovedupon.Saveyouruser’stimewithacontentauditThiswastheleastattractivepartofthelibrary’swebsiteUX project. It involved collating an exhaustive list ofweb pages our Library website had – over 200 webpages–andassessingeachandeveryone.Ourchallengewasnotaboutratingthewebpages.Weused a simplified version of a rubric developed byMichael Schofield. Our real challenge was commun-icatingtomycolleagueswhowereresponsibleforthesewebpages.Oneof thedepartments inourLibrarywasresponsibleforover60webpages!Theywere stressedoutby thetimelineoftheproject,aswellastheirheavyworkloadin this project. We had to persuade and assure themthat this was necessary and beneficial to their work –users would be better able to find information at thepoint of need, reducing the number of ‘standard’enquiriestheyreceive,suchasborrowingprivileges.Wealsoreducedthenumberofwebpagesfromover200toabout 80 webpages by removing or mergingunnecessaryorrepetitivecontent.I felt that one of the best decisions wemade for thisprojectwas to hire a student assistantwho had somecopywriting experience. More importantly, he wasinterested in doing copywriting and editing work overhis summerbreak.Besidesprovidingperspectiveasanactual user of our library, he looked at the content ofeverysinglepageofourLibrarywebsite.Asmembersofthewebsiterevampcommittee,weworkedwithhimtomaintain a consistent style and structure for our webpages,basedonhowweenvisionedthecontenttobe.Our student copywriter communicated with thestakeholders, offered suggestions on shortening thetext and style of the language. Our colleagues wereoften thankful for his assistance, and found him as acredible voice – because he was our user, and not alibrarian in a website revamp committee! When hementionedsomethingdidn’tmakesenseortheamount

of library jargon in it (think interlibrary loan, intra-library transfer, document delivery, archives, closedstacks, etc.), we nodded in acceptance. We werefortunatetohavesuchanexcellentstudentassistantinthisproject.Manyofourusers(evenfellowlibrarians)aresearchingon Google for a particular web page on our Librarywebsite. Jakob Nielsen (from the famed NielsenNorman Group and a leader in UX) concluded that“usersspendmostoftheirtimeonothersites”–thisisencapsulated in what is known as Jakob’s Law ofInternet User Experience. We need to assume thatlibrarywebsitesarenoexception to this, andusersdonotstayonourwebpagesforlong.In the spirit of A/B testing, we also had two almostidenticalpaperrepresentationsoftherevampedlibrarywebsite.Theonlydifferencewas in themiddle sectionof thewebsitewith thesix colorboxes.Wewanted totestourlanguageandwhatitcommunicated:weusednounsforoneandverbsfortheother.Forexample,oneboxwasdescribedas ‘Spaces&Equipment’; theotherwas‘Bookspacesorequipment’.

A B

Useofnounsonly Useofverbstogetherwithnouns

Fig 3:A/B testing themiddle section of themockupwebsitewith minor variations in the language used for the links(which also served as a caption for the images

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LibrarywebsitesrequiremoreusertestingForthesecondroundofusabilitytesting,again,wedidnotfollowconventionalUXbestpracticesbecauseitwasdoneafter we had revamped the library website. It was stillrelevant becausewewere going to keep to the same sixtasks,withtheuserscompletingitontheactualwebsite.We got participants to install a – a browser plugin – ontheir personal computers sowe could receive a video ofthescreen recording.Because itwasconducted remotelywithout supervision, users could potentially go off-trackduringthesession,andwehada lot lesscontrolovertheprocess. However, it meant they were using their owncomputers, with their own browsers, in a ‘natural’environment.Recruitingparticipantswassignificantlymoredifficult thistimeaswehad topersuade them to complete it at theirown time (recordings showed they were often pastmidnight)andhavingto installapluginthatpeoplewereuncomfortablewith–ascreenrecorder.Therewasmuchexcitementaftertheuserscompletedourusability sessions. Unfortunately, the hard work was justright ahead– transcribing the recordings into text. Thereare suggestions from some that there is no need totranscribecompletely,butjusttakenoteswhilelistening.Ifound having the full transcription valuable, because Icouldquotethemandwithperiodictimemarkers,Icouldjump to a particular section after searching for theword/phrase. It can be an enormous undertaking – itusuallytakesabout10timesasmuchtimetotranscribeaminute of recording. Get as much help, from studentassistants to colleagues, as youcan. It canbehelpful tooforyourownlearningifyouworkontranscribingthefirstfewtimes.With screen recordings, the results are richer in termsofcontextandactivity.Wefounditmoredifficulttopresentasnapshotorsummaryofthefindings,versusresultsfromthefirstroundofpaperprototypingandaudiorecordings.Eventually, I created a highlights reel that had clips ofdifferentusersperformingaparticulartask.You would want to have a written report and/orpresentation summarizing the findings from the usabilitysessions,andpresentalistoftopusabilityproblems–justonetothreepointsthatrequirefollow-upaction. DealingwithwhatyourusersareexperiencingIn our case, we discovered something tangential to ourLibrary website, which we might have overlooked – theUniversitywebsitehascentralizedFAQsection.Usershadreliedon itastheywentaboutthetasks,andtherewere

broken links and outdated information on the FAQanswers.Wealsoneededtofurtherculllibraryjargonfromourwebpages, startingwith our enquiry and feedback form. Theusability sessions demonstrated that users did not knowwhichoptiontopick,orhadpickedthewrongoption,evenafterfindingthecontactusform.Lastly, there was a bigger task that was outside of thescopeof ourwebsite project – building a consistent lookand feel across the different “library platforms”. Byplatforms, Imean our librarywebsite, our library guides,ourfacilitiesbookingsystem,aswellasourblogplatform.Our usability participants were getting lost in thesedifferentplatforms,andbecausetheylookedquitedistinctfromeachother.Theywereunabletonavigateeasilyfromonetoanother.KeepingyourwebaddressshortandinformativeItiscrucialtoensurethatyourwebaddressbeasshortaspossible, while being informative. I am specificallyreferring to the portion after www.mylibrary.edu orwww.mylibrary.org. Is yours a complicated“/library/borrow/lending/privileges-basic-table/“? Thatneeds tobe fixed immediatelyafter your contentaudit–once you know what the content of a web page willcontain. For example, you have a web page for youropening hours. Do not hide it behind sub-folders andname it “mylibrary.org / Pages / ASD / OpHrs.aspx” –reduce it to “mylibrary.org / opening-hours”. Always gowith lowercase, anduse hyphens to replace the space inwords.Also,pleasedonotuselibraryjargonlike‘ILL’forawebpageoninterlibraryloan–resistthetemptation!Thiswill improve your discoverability (i.e. search engineoptimization); as well as provide a signal to users as towhatexactlythepageisabout.Personally,thiswasalsotherainbowattheendofthetediouscontentauditexercise.ReferencesChapman,S.&Wilson,E.(2010).X/Oparticipatorydesign.Retrievedfromwww.lib.umich.edu/files/services/usability/LibWebsite_PD.pdfKrug,S.(2009).Rocketsurgerymadeeasy:thedo-it-yourselfguidetofindingandfixingusability.Berkeley,Calif.:NewRiders.Krug,S.(n.d.)Downloadsfordon’tmakemethinkandrocketsurgerymadeeasy.Retrievedfromwww.sensible.com/downloads-rsme.htmlNielson,J.(2017).Jakob’slawofinternetuserexperience[Video].Retrievedfromwww.nngroup.com/videos/jakobs-law-internet-ux/PeachpitTV.(2010).Rocketsurgerymadeeasybystevekrug:Usabilitydemo[Video].Retrievedfromwww.youtube.com/watch?v=QckIzHC99XcSchofield,M.(2015).Corecontentaudit.Retrievedfromlibux.co/core-content-audit/nn

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The Benefits of a LibGuide JosephM.YapExpert-Manager,ReferenceDepartment,NazarbayevUniversityLibrary,Astana,RepublicofKazakhstan<joseph.yap@nu.edu.kz>IntroductionLibrariesareincreasinglyexpectedtocreateandshareinformationinatimelyandcost-efficientmannerduetobudgetandstaffingcuts.Thetraditionalwayofmarketinglibraryservicesinvolvescreatingbrochuresthatmaynot be the most economical or environmentally friendly method. As user demographic changes and astechnologyevolves,librariesareexpectedtoprovideinformationattimeofneed.LibGuidesisacontentmanagementsystem(CMS)fromSpringshare(2017)andisbeingusedbymorethan5,700librariesin80countries.Rodriguez(2015)reportedthat4,800librariesareusingLibGuideswhichmeansa19%increaseinaspanoftwoyears.LibGuideshasbecomeapopularplatformtopromotelibraryresourcesaswellassharethesubjectexpertiseoftheliaisinglibrarians.TheNazarbayevUniversityLibraryhasbeenusingLibGuidesversion 2 for about a year. Currently, it hasmore than fifty published guides that are categorized by generalpurpose,school,courseguideandtopicguide.BenefitsTheUniversityofPittsburg(2017)reportedanumberofbenefitsofusingLibGuidestocomplementstudents’learning.Sincetheguidesareorganizedinasubject-specificmannerandavailableonline,studentscanaccessthematerialsattheirownpace.AnotheradvantagetousingLibGuidesistheabilitytoupdatethecontentalmostimmediatelyasinformationchanges.SubjectLibrariansasOwnersoftheGuidesAtNazarbayevUniversity Library,a subject librarian isassigned toeachschoolor center to supportwith theirinformationneeds.Subjectlibrariansareresponsibleforcreating,maintainingandpromotingtheirownguides.Each librarianworks independently and thinks of a topic related to their subject specialization. Librarians areinstructedtofollowanexistingguidelineortemplate.Forexample,librariansarerequiredtouploadaphotointheirprofilestohelppatronsbefamiliarizedwiththeirlibrarians.Inaddition,librariansreceiveemailremindersonhowtocurateandupdateassets.Anassetisa“contentobject”whichcanbeaddedtoenhanceaguide,suchasahyperlink,mediaincludingphotograph,document,file,bookfromacatalogoranRSSfeed.Assetsshouldbemanagedcarefullyasdeletinganassetmayaffectguidesthatcontain the same asset. Subject librarians should also be cautiouswith taggingmetadata, adding images andcustomizingdesign.Creatingyour firstguide isa funexperience.Beforeyourguide ispublished, it is important tomakesure thatyour content is user-friendly andaccessible. Key checkpointswould include closed captioning for your videos,functional links,clearand informativeheadingsandtext, includingavoidingtheuseof jargon.Martinez (2017)fromO’NeillLibrary,BostonCollegeinMassachusetts,haspreparedanexcellentintroductiontoLibGuides.YoumayvisithisLibGuideformoreinformation.

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TheNazarbayevUniversityLibraryportalisalsopoweredthroughLibGuides.InformationsuchasAskaLibrarian,subject librarians, library welcome and services for undergraduate students topped the list of most viewedguides from January toNovember2017.However, they areonly producedaspart of the library’s operationalguideundertheLibGuideplatform.Thetopiconcitationstylesandtoolsprovedtobeoneofthemostviewedguides,followedbyaguideonGoogleandGoogleScholarAdvancedSearch.TheNazarbayevUniversityLibraryisstillinitsinitialphaseofintroducingtheLibGuidestoallitspatrons.TherearestillalotofthingstoofferandourlibrariansareworkinghardtopromotetheseLibGuides.Wecontinuetoencourageallpatronstosuggestorrecommendtopicstobedevelopedandsharedwiththeacademiccommu-nityatNazarbayevUniversity.

Fig1:SampleLibGuide

ReferencesMartinez,J.(2017).IntroductiontoLibGuides:TheBasics.Retrievedfromhttps://libguides.bc.edu/libguidesintro/thebasicsRodriguez,M.(2015).ToInfinity(Well,LibGuides2.0)AndBeyond,Retrievedfromhttp://litablog.org/2015/02/libguides/Springshare.(2017).LibGuides.Retrievedfromhttps://www.springshare.com/libguides/UniversityofPittsburg.(2017).LibGuides@Pitt-AFacultyResource:WhatisaLibGuide?Retrievedfromhttp://pitt.libguides.com/facultynn

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Chronology of Data Processing HelgaSchwarzGermany< helga.schwarz@t-online.de>

Thepre-electronictimeJust two years before I started my professionaleducation in 1955, the CEO of IBM guessed that theworld’s need for computers would perhaps be fivecomputers!Iamconvincedthatnoneofmyteachersatthe Free University in Berlin had ever heard the word“computer”norcouldtheyimaginewhatsuchabigbutsillythingcouldbeusedfor.Nolibrariancouldhaveanyknowledgeorexpertise indataprocessing;theyallhadobtainedtheirlibraryeducationbeforeWorldWarII.AlthoughintheUnitedStatestheuseofpunchedcards– for circulationaswell as for cataloguing -was inusesince the 1940s, in Germany it was only in the mid-1950s that some libraries started to manage theircirculation with punched cards. In 1954, the newlyopened central public library in Berlin, the AmericaMemorial Library (AmerikaGedenkbibliothek), adoptedthe Wayne County Library System in the U.S. Thecirculation systemwas labor intensivewith no sight ofcomputers. The edge-punched cards had to be“needled” everymorning before the library openedbystaffincludingmyselfduringmypracticum.However,atthattime,thiswasthestate-of-the-arttechniqueandallemployeeswereproudtoworkinthatlibrary.ThebeginningofdataprocessingChanges took place rapidlywhen computers arrived atuniversities. University libraries began to think aboutusingcomputers.Couldlibrariansperhapsconsiderthatautomating the circulation system might be easier,because libraries could benefit from using programsdeveloped for banks? Banks, which had implementedcomputers earlier, required only three numbers tooperate: theaccount, the sumofmoneyand thedate.Similarly,librariesneededonlythecallnumber,theusernumberandthebookcheckoutdateandduedate.Butthis was only circulation. Cataloguing was regardedthroughouttheprofessionforbeingtoocomplicatedforautomation.Wasn’t ittruethat librariansneededthreeyears of education to learn all the rules? Nearly allacademic libraries in Germany followed the ‘PrussianInstructions’ of 1899 as cataloguing rules withsophisticated grammatical regulations for headings.How could a machine ever keep up with this task?

Additionally, there were no data formats for input andoutput of programs; data had to be manually punchedontocardsorpapertapes,orbigmagnetictapesfedintoacomputer.In 1961, the Chair of IFLA’s Cataloguing Section, EvaVerona,publisheda ‘StatementofPrinciples’whichwasthe first standard that allowed computers to processcataloguinginformation.Itinitiatedaworldwideeffortofdeveloping national rules according to these principles.The efforts to create new cataloguing rules and dataformats based on the statement began in Germany aswell.An early user of data processing in Germany was theDeutsche Bibliothek, our national library in the FederalRepublicofGermany(BRD).In1966thislibrarypresentedthe first monthly booklet of the national bibliography(DeutscheBibliographie)producedbyelectronicdevices.Wow! Librarians rubbed their eyes. I myself was veryenthusiastic.WhileIwasasololibrarianinadepartmentlibrary of the University of Arts in Berlin, I had amathematical/sciencehigh schoolexam (Abitur in1955)and it was clear that I became passionate aboutelectronicdataprocessingandlookingforachangeinmycareer. I started to learn programming through eveningcourses and in 1971, I had not only a certificate inFORTRAN programming but also became capable ofpunchingprogramdataontopunchedcards.Remember,therewerenomonitorscreensthen.ThechaotictimesDuring theendof the1960s, theUniversityofKonstanzproduced their first computer-based library catalogue.The production took 177 hours and during this time nootherprogramcouldbeexecutedonthiscomputer.Theuniversities inBochumandRegensburgalsomadegreatefforts tomeet this new challenge. They developed thefirst simple data formats. By then the PrussianInstructionswereobsolete;however,newruleswerenotready for use. The Statement of Principles and the newpublished ISBD formed the backbone of the newcataloguingprograms.

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Those were the wild times! We had no standardizedrules, data formats or devices for input or output orcharacter set, and nobody had any experience. Buteveryone was trying something! In many cases, itbecame clear that itwasmore successful for librariansto think like software engineers, than for softwareengineerstothinklikelibrarians.TheInstituteforLibraryTechniquesIn1969, theneed for standardsand research in libraryautomationwastheprimaryreasonforestablishingtheInstitute for Library Techniques, Arbeitsstelle fürBibliothekstechnik (ABT), in Berlin. I came in contactwiththisinstitutionin1971,justwhenIhadfinishedmyprogramming course as FORTRAN programmer and –luckily–allprogramsinthat institutionwerewritteninFORTRAN.IgotthejobofdevelopingadataformatforcataloguingtogetherwithaveryskilledprogrammeratABT.In the same year a group of German librarians hadvisited Ohio College Library Center (now OCLC),includinga librarian fromABT.The librariancamebackfull of ideas and resolution to implement a similarsystem in Germany. The idea of shared cataloguingbegantoinfiltratethelibrarycommunity.IntheGermanacademic libraries, however, the idea of cooperationwas not popular. They were not accustomed to usingrecordsfromother libraries,thinkingonlytheirrecordshadsufficientquality.Buttheadvantageofusingsharedrecordswasobvious,sincealibrarycouldsavetimeandmanpower by adding their holding information to anexisting system. After a failed effort to establish ashared cataloguing system for monographs foracademiclibrariesinBerlin,thePrussianStateLibraryinBerlin proposed to the ABT to create a unified serialscataloguing, because it was difficult to keep their twoprintedcataloguesforserials(Germanandotherserials)up-to-date.TheGermanSerialsDatabaseTheABTagreedtotakeonthisprojectandwecreatedacustomized data format for serials and a program forproducing bibliographic entries. We had to face theproblems concerning the automation of serialscataloguing. For example, bibliographic records forserials (and holdings records also) were frequentlychanging, because of splits andmergers of the serials.Fortunately, our talented software engineer developeda database, which was probably one of the mostadvanced in the world with a data format that wasmuchmoresophisticatedthanMARC.Wewereableto

link records of different files by ID number and not byheading - which would have caused many errors. Weproducedanentryconsistingofrecordsfromthreefiles:authority, bibliographic information and holdingsinformation. Essentially, we needed authority files tomake shared cataloguing a success. There was atremendous need for an authority file for corporatebodies, because handling of such data was unknown inGermanyasthePrussianInstructionsdidnotknowthem.This was our first project and the start to sharedcataloguing. The two big university libraries in Berlin(Free University and Technical University) joined theproject,followedbytheuniversitylibraryinSaarbrücken.The German Serials Database = Zeitschriftendatenbank(ZDB) was born. Despite many difficulties in 1973, weproduced the first printed serials catalogues for ourparticipatinglibraries.The interaction between all componentswas great. Thedata format regulated the rules and vice versa. Theauthority files simplified cataloguing and their existencecreated the need for integrated library systems. AstandardizedcharactersetwasdevelopedbyourGermanstandardizationorganizationDIN. Iwas involved in thatwork,whichlaterbecameanISOStandard.TheABTdidnothave itsowncomputeruntil 1974.OurlibraryappliedtotheGermanResearchFoundation(DFG)to finance a computer with 456-Kilobyte storage. TheDFG had assumed this machine would be far too big,although we had already about 100,000 records. Theproject grew rapidly as more libraries from all parts ofWesternGermany joinedour initiative. In1975, theABTsucceeded in acquiring its own computer, a SiemensUnidata7.740.Having no online connection or screens, thecommunicationwith somany librarieswas difficult. Theinternet arrivedmore than 20 years later. The ABT andtheparticipatinglibrariesusedthepostofficetosendlotsofprintouts,otherpapersandmagnetic tapes.Thedataarrived at the ABT on a multitude of data carriers:punchedpapertape,floppydisc,magnetictapea.s.o.andmanydatacameonpaperformsandhadtobetypedin.They all had to be converted intomagnetic disc. It wasnecessary after some time to implement abibliographiceditorial office to guarantee the quality of thebibliographic records and to set up rules about who isallowedtohavewritingaccesstothedata.ThiseditorialofficebecameadepartmentofthePrussianStateLibrary,whichwasourclosestpartner.

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TheGermanLibraryInstituteDBI,nationalandinter-nationalcooperationIn 1978, the ABT and another library institutionamalgamated to formtheGermanLibrary InstituteDBIwhichstartedmanyprojectsrelatedtodataprocessing,basedontheprogramsoftheZDB.Oneofthegoalsofthe DBI was to strengthen international cooperation.TheDBI invitedmany librarians fromaround theworldtoshareourprojects.Atthetime,theDBIbecameoneofthehotspotsfordevelopingnewapplicationsindataprocessingforlibraries.During the same period, new cataloguing rules andnational databases were created in Italy, Austria,EasternGermanyandlaterinFranceandSwitzerland.In1977, I started to get involved with IFLA, whichstrengthened in 1986,when I became the chair ofmylibraryassociationinGermany.Inthe1970s,theBRD,theEastGermanDDRandAustriaimplementedcommonrules,dataformatsandcharactersets.Although theEastGermangovernmentpreventedtheir librarians from communicating with colleagues intheBRDanddidnotallowtheirlibrariestoparticipateintheZDB, therewascooperationconcerningcataloguingrules.We played off the cushion through colleagues inAustria-consideredaneutralcountry-andwasabletocommunicate progress on cooperative cataloguingactivities.We also arrangedminimal communication atannualIFLACongresses.From 1980 onwards, in several states of the FederalRepublic, regional bibliographic utilities set up. Thesebibliographicutilitieswereresponsibleformaintainingashared catalogue in their region. Although ZDB hadbecome an indispensable tool of serials cataloguing inGermany, cataloguers found having two different dataformats difficult to work with, as monographcataloguingwasdoneregionally,andserialscataloguingwas done nationally. Library companies offeredintegrated library systems and libraries wanted to usethem formonographsand serials. Interfaceshad tobecreated. Times became harder for the DBI. But therewas also progress. In the 1980s, monitor screensbecameavailable.In1986,ZDBwasaccessibleonlinebyourpartneringlibraries.

StartofanewchallengeIn1989,theZDBhadbecometoogreattobemanagedbyoursmallteamandDBIacquiredacommercialenterprisethatofferedapowerful integrated library system to runZDB.IgotanewpositionattheIbero-AmericanInstitute,a research institute with a big library dedicated toliterature and culture of Latin America. Although thisinstitutewasratherfamous,itwasold-fashionedastheystill used the Prussian Instructions from 1899, had nocomputers and were producing catalog cards bytypewriter. Itwas clear they had to bemodernized andwere seeking for a person with expertise. I began toconverttheentireorganizationfromdoormantodirectorand,togetherwithanengineeringcompanysucceededinimplementing a modern integrated library system. TheInternet, personal computers and moderncommunication had arrived. After four years, the newsystemwas runningwell. In the following period, I wasresponsible for maintenance, communication, datasecurityandkeepingthesystemuptodate.In2000, I retired,but thenextdayopeneda smallone-womancompanyfordistributionoflibrarysoftware.Iranthisbusinessfor9years.AfterIclosedit,Ibegantowritemy PhD thesis (Dissertation) about the fate of theGerman Library Institute (which had been closedmeanwhile).Thefuture–maybeWhatwillbethenextbigthinginlibraryland?Willtherebe descriptive cataloguing any longer? Expert systemsmay scan the bibliographic data stored in a chip,integrated in themediaandproducebibliographicdata.Doweneedsubjectcataloguinginfuturewhenallmediaare accessible full-text online, web crawlers can searchbigdataandnotonlyretrievemedia,butarecapableofanalyzingtheircontextandmeaning?Userswillnolongerneed to switch on a computer or smartphone, sincesearchresultscouldappearoneye-glasses,ordisplayonclothing and other wearable devices. Your personalsystemwillknowwhatyouwantandwhatyouneedevenbefore you search. Impossible? No, companies havelibraries that offer SDI, Selective Dissemination ofInformation. A librarian is necessary to perform this.Perhaps the librarian will be replaced by artificialintelligence. What is the role of libraries in thisenvironment?IFLAshouldpickupthesequestions.Iamabig fanof IFLAandhopetobeable toworkonsomeofthese topics in the IFLA IT Section. nn

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The Information Technology (IT) Section promotes andadvances the application of information and computingtechnologies to library and information services in allsocieties, through activities related to best practices andstandards, education and training, research, and themarketplace. The scope covers IT for creation, organization,storage, maintenance, access, retrieval, and transfer ofinformation and documents for all types of libraries andinformation centers; IT for the operation of libraries andinformation centers; and, related management and policyissues. Of primary importance are applications of IT forsupporting access to and delivery of information. In recentyears, the use of technology in libraries has expanded tomachinelearningandAI,robotics,digitalhumanities,anddataanalytics.

Thesectionmeetsannuallyatthe IFLACongress; inbetweencongresses, members collaborate with other Sections onprogramsandworkshops.TheITSectionisoneofthelargestin IFLAwithover300members fromnearly 80 countries, alltypesof libraries,anda rangeofdisciplines.Wewelcomeallmembers(http://www.ifla.org/membership).

The IT Section website (http://www.ifla.org/it) has news onactivities,minutes,publications,andmembershipdetails.TheIFLA-ITemail listprovidesa forum formembers toexchangeideas and experiences in the use of information andcommunication technologies in libraries (subscription athttp://infoserv.inist.fr/wwsympa.fcgi/info/ifla-it).TheTrends&IssuesinLibraryTechnology(TILT)newsletterispublishedtwiceayearinJanuaryandJuly.

PrimaryContactsChairMayChang,UniversityofCincinnati,UnitedStatesmay.chang@uc.eduSecretaryMariaKadesjö,NationalLibraryofSweden,Swedenmaria.kadesjo@kb.se

InformationCoordinatorMariadelaPeña,FundaciónI.E.Library,Spainmaria.delapena@ie.edu

StandingCommitteeMembers2017-2021• AhmedAbdelilahBachr,EcoledesSciencesdel'Information,Morocco;abachr@esi.ac.ma

• AstridVerheusen,KoninklijkeBibliotheek,Netherlands;• astrid.verheusen@kb.nl• EdmundBalnaves,ProsentientSystems,Australia;• ejb@prosentient.com.au• ElenaSánchezNogales,BibliotecaNacionaldeEspaña,Spain;elena.sanchez@bne.es

• JianyongZhang,NationalScienceandTechnologyLibraryofChina,China;zhangjy@nstl.gov.cn

• NthabisengKotsokoane,MonashUniversity,SouthAfricaCampus.SouthAfrica;nthabiseng.kotsokoane@monash.edu

• PeterLeinen,DeutscheNationalbibliothek,Germany;• p.leinen@dnb.de• SogobaSouleymane,UniversityofSégou,Mali;• sogoba.souleymane@gmail.comStandingCommitteeMembers2015-2019• AlmudenaCaballosVillar,BibliotecadelaUniversidadComputensedeMadrid,Spain;acaballo@ucm.es

• ÁlvaroSandoval,ChileanNationalLibraryofCongress,Chile;alsandoval@bcn.cl

• EvvivaWeinraubLajoie,NorthwesternUniversity,UnitedStates;evviva.weinraub@northwestern.edu

• LedaBultrini,ARPALazio,Italy;leda.bultrini@gmail.com• LiChunming,TheNationalLibraryofChina,China;licm@nlc.gov.cn

• LynnKleinveldt,CapePeninsulaUniversityofTechnology,SouthAfrica;lynn.kleinveldt@gmail.com

• NgoziBlessingUkachi,UniversityofLagos,Nigeria;nukachi@unilag.edu.ng

• ShawkySalem,AlexandriaUniversityACML,Egypt;chairman@acml-egypt.com

• YoussefSalah,BibliothecaAlexandrina,Egypt;youssef.salah@bibalex.org

Convenors2017–2019• BigDataSIG:WouterKlapwijk,StellenboschUniversity,SouthAfrica;Wklap@sun.ac.za

• LinkedDataSIG:EvvivaWeinraubLajoie,NorthwesternUniversity,UnitedStates;evviva.weinraub@northwestern.edu

CorrespondingMembers• HeikeCardoso,UniversityTübingen,Germany;hcardoso@live.de

• HelgaSchwarz,Germany;helga.schwarz@t-online.de• KazuoTakehana,NationalDietLibrary,Japan; k-takeha@ndl.go.jp

• JoanWee,SingaporeInstituteofTechnology,Singapore;joan.wee@singaporetech.edu.sg

Trends & Issues in Library Technology IFLA Section Newsletter January 2018