| As in the case with Bolivia, CIRMA purchased the computer equipment provided by the grant. I brought the Ariel software program with me. It took less time to request and receive from the OCLC Resource Sharing Division, the holdings symbol for CIRMA to be added to the LAPTOC database participants thanks to the establishment of the OCLC Group Access Capability membership for the Latin Americanist Research Resources Project earlier this spring. Timing was tighter for adding the additional data into the LAPTOC database due to the UT-LANIC programmer's vacation schedule but this was still achieved in a timely enough fashion so that work on site in Antigua was not delayed. |  |
Once on site in Antigua, my objectives were to: review the partner agreement document with Dr. Tani Adams, Director of CIRMA, and Francisco Ralón, Director of the CIRMA Library, for Dr. Adams' signature; train designated CIRMA Library staff in inputting table of contents records; oversee selection of journals for the database, add assigned journal titles into the database; and check that the grant computer equipment was in place and then install Ariel.
Agreement: In general, Dr. Adams and Mr. Ralón were agreeable to the points contained in the agreement. Dr. Adams expressed some concern about Section VI in the agreement. Though it currently waives the $1500.00 participants' fee for the duration of the grant, it also commits CIRMA to possibly paying the fee at a future date. I explained that section needed to be in the agreement to ensure future operating funds in case no future outside funding appears after the run of the grant. Dr. Adams understood that possibility and asked only for a change of verbs in Spanish that she thought made the section more understandable.
Training: Mr. Ralón and four of his staff participated in the training sessions. I provided them with a preliminary overview of the Project and a demonstration of the database. I started their training by inputting a journal issue and explaining various points in the training manual as I worked. Afterwards, Mr. Ralón and staff individually input one journal issue apiece (while we sat as a group) to get a sense of the inputting process themselves, and so I could make further comments on inputting practices. This also allowed them to ask more questions about certain fields and practices. From there, the staff worked individually on inputting a separate issue so that I could review their work on my own. Several CIRMA Library staff are well trained in various aspects of cataloging, MARC tagging, and serials check-in so that they quickly learned how to input the table of contents records. Additionally, most of them are proficient in English and should not be challenged with using English terms in the web template for data entry. They will probably be able to do the work rapidly. Mr. Ralón anticipated that he would probably assign some additional staff and that all would include table of contents entry as part of their regular duties.
Journal Selection: Mr. Ralón submitted a preliminary list of journals received at the CIRMA Library which I used to make the first title assignments. The list included some 128 titles and indicated which are received via active subscription. Guatemalan journals are naturally in the majority with fewer numbers for other countries, including only 1 current title from Panama, and none from Belize. In general, I chose a representation of Guatemalan titles for a variety of disciplines while also selecting the smaller numbers of active subscriptions for the other countries. The preliminary title assignments required some adjustments after my arrival at CIRMA when we discovered 3 titles had actually ceased publication, and another title consisted of a group of posters whose format made it unsuitable for database entry and document delivery. I worked with Mr. Ralón to replace these titles with some others from his list and updated the CIRMA title assignments.
 |
Rather than then adding an additional number of journals, I determined it would be best to have Mr. Ralón continue this process. We discussed criteria for ongoing journal selection that he will be able to pursue. The preliminary title list he provided requires further inventory to determine what titles are currently received that the list does not note as active. Mr. Ralón wants to further determine which of the many journal titles received on exchange arrive in a suitable fashion (ongoing, regular receipt) that makes them as secure as those titles received by subscription so he can also add them at a future date. |
Mr. Ralón explained that the library uses acquisition agents in other countries but with mixed results, hence the current lack of journal titles for Belize, and only one from Panama. Mr. Ralón indicated that it is a priority to resolve the lack of materials from these countries. In general, Mr. Ralón is very familiar with the journals in the CIRMA Library that will be valuable additions to LAPTOC. Despite acquisition holdups, the library does have exceptional coverage of Central American serials, and should be able to add retroactively from their holdings.
Computer equipment: All of the computer equipment was supplied from Guatemala City, and in place for my arrival. Most of the week the equipment functioned without problem. There was one slight problem when the Ariel software program was installed that had to do with how the computer was configured for online access. The computer technician in residence quickly determined the problem and took appropriate measures to correct it. At this point, Internet access in the library is limited to the computer supplied by the grant, and Mr. Ralón's computer. In our initial communications describing CIRMA's connections, Mr. Ralón anticipated that by July 2000, all computers at CIRMA would have direct Internet access via a dedicated line. Installation of this is behind schedule but is expected to take place in October 2000. In our discussions, Mr. Ralón was agreeable to the prospect of external funding for Internet access for the Library that the Project can provide. Since Mr. Ralón participated in an Ariel demonstration session in the last year, my attempts to describe how the program functions went very smoothly. He was already reading the Ariel homepage material and printing it out for future reference during my visit.
Conclusion
This site visit benefited from my experiences in Bolivia. I am more familiar with the details that need to be in place so that I can complete my objectives. Since the CIRMA Library staff are accustomed to traditional library workflow, they quickly grasped the Project's objectives and procedures. The Library Director, Francisco Ralón, has a US Library Science degree, and has worked in a variety of academic and special libraries in Guatemala and Panama for thirty years. He will be able to provide ongoing leadership in overseeing that his staff accomplish the table of contents data entry. One question that did arise during my visit was with regard to publicity. Dr. Adams and Mr. Ralón wanted to be sure that CIRMA's participation in the Project is well broadcast. I explained that the Advisory Committee and other project electronic discussion groups will be aware of CIRMA's status as our Central American partner, and that we intend to eventually publish a brochure in Spanish for distribution in Latin America that will list CIRMA among the participants. We should also look at developing other initiatives to inform the scholarly community about recent project/grant progress.
Gayle Williams
ARL Coordinator of Latin American Partnerships