This paper describes ACNP and NILDE, the two main Italian cooperative systems for access to scientific information. Used by the Italian Astronomical Libraries (IAL), they are two essential channels to access information resources that are otherwise unreachable. At the same time, they allow IAL (Italian Astronomical Libraries) to share their very rich and unique holdings with other research and university libraries

Bonora, Orietta

Brunetti, F.

Filippucci, Gustavo

OA@INAF - Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica

2015Publication Year2020-03-30T10:55:29ZAcceptance in OA@INAFACNP and NILDE: Essential Tools for Access to Scientific ResearchTitleBrunetti, F.; Bonora, Orietta; Filippucci, GustavoAuthorshttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12386/23683HandleASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC CONFERENCE SERIESSeries492NumberLibrary and Information Services in Astronomy VII: Open Science at the Frontiers of LibrarianshipASP Conference Series, Vol. 492A. Holl, S. Lesteven, D. Dietrich, and A. Gasperini, eds.c©2015 Astronomical Society of the PacificACNP and NILDE: Essential Tools for Access to Scientific ResearchFrancesca Brunetti,1 Orietta Bonora,2 and Gustavo Filippucci21INAF – Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory, Florence, Italy2University of Bologna, ItalyAbstract. This paper describes ACNP and NILDE, the two main Italian cooperativesystems for access to scientific information. Used by the Italian Astronomical Libraries(IAL), they are two essential channels to access information resources that are otherwiseunreachable. At the same time, they allow IAL (Italian Astronomical Libraries) to sharetheir very rich and unique holdings with other research and university libraries.1. ACNP and NILDE: aims and characteristics1.1. ACNP (Italian Union Catalogue of Serials)ACNP is a national union catalogue that contains bibliographic descriptions of Italianand international serials, both print and electronic, from libraries throughout Italy.1 TheCatalogue was created in 1972 as a project of the National Research Council (CNR)2,the main Italian research institution, and now it is managed by the University of Bolo-gna and CNR itself.The Catalogue is updated online by each library and includes all subject areas.To facilitate this process, in the 1990s ACNP acquired and stored the entire serialsdatabase from the ISSN International Centre3, an intergovernmental organization thataims to manage the International Serials Data System (ISDS) and which is an auto-matic recording system of serials publications. The ISSN International Centre assignsa standard number, called the International Standard Serial Number, that uniquely iden-tifies serials and this constitutes a valuable working tool for librarians who can use theidentifier to capture bibliographic descriptions of serials not present in the Catalogue.ACNP users can also request the assignment of the ISSN standard number from theItalian ISSN Centre for the Italian journals not included in the Catalogue.In addition to the internal information resources and the complete documenta-tion on periodicals, an archive of analytical entries was created and integrated with theACNP Catalogue. It contains almost nine million articles, most of which are from the1http://www.biblioteche.unibo.it/acnp For a comprehensive review of ACNP referto: http://www.biblioteche.unibo.it/acnp/docs/manuali-e-documentazione/docs/pubblicazioni-e-paper2http://www.cnr.it/sitocnr/home.html3http://www.issn.org/275276 Brunetti, Bonora, and FilippucciISI Current Contents4, and also analytical entries recorded by different bodies, as wellas tables of contents entered directly by librarians. Besides the Catalogue, ACNP pro-vides a register of the participating libraries that contains detailed information abouttheir services including Document Supply.In summary, ACNP allows the user to:• know the bibliographic data of Italian and international periodicals (both printand electronic);• locate the periodicals owned by Italian libraries in the Catalogue and access thefull text of digital documents, as well;• consult the tables of contents of Italian and international periodicals, mainly inthe area of science.1.2. NILDE (Network Inter-Library Document Exchange)NILDE5 is an online software for the service of Document Supply (Mangiaracinaand Tugnoli 2012) and Inter-Library Loan around which a community of libraries hasformed and is prepared to share their bibliographic resources in the spirit of reciprocalcollaboration and, importantly, in a free manner. NILDE is therefore, both a web-basedapplication and a network of libraries that share a particular innovative idea of service.Conceived in 2001 by the Library of the Area of CNR in Bologna, NILDE is currentlyused by over 860 Italian libraries (including recently added libraries from Greece andSpain) and approximately 24,000 registered users from the most important Italian uni-versities, public research, and health institutions.In 13 years of activity, NILDE has processed 1.5 million document requests.NILDE allows the library to:• manage, in an automated way, the procedures linked to Document Supply andInter-Library Loan (DS-ILL);• manage the consignment of the documents electronically across a secure webinterface with a dedicated server, or by fax or ordinary mail, in compliance withthe permitted uses;• offer the users of the library a personalized service of Document Supply6;• obtain a report that is detailed and always updated with the exchanges carriedout between the libraries, with the possibility of measuring and comparing theperformances of the various libraries or of the same library over time;• automatically obtain the quality indicators “fill-rate” and “turnaround time”;4http://thomsonreuters.com/current-contents-connect/5https://nilde.bo.cnr.it/index.php. For a comprehensive review of NILDE refer to: https://sites.google.com/site/nildeworld/approfondire-nilde/pubblicazioni6Using the OpenURL protocol, implemented by NILDE, you can connect the most widely used biblio-graphic databases to NILDE, so that the user gets the automatic compilation of bibliographic citations inthe NILDE request form.ACNP and NILDE 277• be a part of a network based on the sharing of good practices, tools, and policiesfor the continuous enhancement of the services of Document Supply and Inter-Library Loan (DS-ILL).Within a few years, a community of libraries has grown around NILDE to sharetheir bibliographic resources on the basis of mutual collaboration. The growth of theNILDE network has proved how great the need was in Italy for the adoption of stan-dardized processes by implementation of best practices for ILL services.2. DataThe following data helps us to understand the dimensions of growth of ACNP andNILDE.2.1. ACNPCurrently, about 2,000 Italian libraries of different types are included in the Catalogue.The most represented belong to academic and research areas, but private, health, associ-ations, foundations, public, and ecclesiastical libraries are represented too. About 1,200of these actively collaborate by entering and updating data online. The titles recordedin the Catalogue total over 195,000 and holdings records total over one million.Figure 1. Journals in ACNP.2.2. NILDEThere were 89 libraries participating in the network in 2003, and now they are 869 inMay 2014. Of these, 730 (84.4%) belong to the ACNP at the same time.The exchange of documents — mostly journal articles and parts or excerpts frombooks — is increasing in frequency, as shown in Fig. 2. In 2012 and in 2013, theyexceeded 200,000 transactions per year.Since 2002, NILDE exchanged nearly 1.5 million requests for documents. Theexchange of documents follows the trend shown in Fig. 3, and marks a high level ofgrowth in the efficiency of the service.278 Brunetti, Bonora, and Filippucci3. Models of functioning and financing3.1. FunctioningThe organizational models of ACNP and NILDE are similar and quite innovative in theItalian context. They point towards strong participation between the libraries associatedwith the services they provide. Both systems include user committees that are electedby the member libraries participating in activities through the establishment of workinggroups that represent specific needs. The respective committees also collect the needsof the target communities, offer new developments, and interact with the systems’ Ad-ministrators.The libraries that are associated with the two systems are required to accept andcomply with the rules of conduct laid down by the respective system’s guidelines andregulations. These include a set of organizational criteria that are intended to facilitateand support collaboration within the community of work and the system’s Administra-tors.ACNP constituent bodies are represented by the Administrator and, from 2012,by the ACNP Libraries Committee (CBA). The ACNP Administrator has planned andFigure 2. Document exchanges within NILDE 2003 – April 2014 (source NILDE).ACNP and NILDE 279developed the software for the online management of the Catalogue since 1993, andlater became the manager of the service as well.The ACNP Libraries Committee remains in office for three years, and is composedof 18 members that represent the different types of participating libraries. It has the taskof monitoring and analysing issues related to the activities of ACNP, offering solutions,participating actively in the development of the services, and making suggestions toimprove the service.7NILDE is based on a strong bottom-up approach. The NILDE Administrator (theCNR Research Area Library of Bologna) acts as a functional leader. From 2007, theNILDE Subscriber Assembly (ASN) — formed by the participating libraries — selects,by vote, a member for the NILDE Library Committee (CBN). CBN members and theAdministrator collaborate by organizing open and dynamical working groups for prob-7Linee guida per la cooperazione nel Catalogo Italiano dei Periodici (ACNP), http://www.biblioteche.unibo.it/acnp/Linee%20guida%20di%20ACNPFigure 3. Average time for processing requests in NILDE 2003–2014 (sourceNILDE).280 Brunetti, Bonora, and Filippuccilem solving8. The Committee has a term of three years and consists of 14 membersrepresenting the various types of libraries participating in the network. The Committeeis a link with the users of the service and participates in communications with membersthrough conferences/workshops and social networks, and monitors the actions of thenetwork that support the adoption of best practices and surveys.3.2. FinancingACNP and NILDE have chosen a similar pattern of financing. The operation, develop-ment, maintenance, and technological equipment are supported by the libraries/instituti-ons participating in the services. Without such an indispensable contribution, the twosystems could not exist. There is no public funding dedicated to the two systems. Sub-scriptions to the two systems are as an individual library or an organization/institution.The model permits support for the service by libraries paying an annual fee to coveradministrative costs calculated in proportion to the number of participating libraries.The main feature of this model is to create a very tight bond between the suppliers andusers of the services.4. Two integrated servicesFrom 2002, ACNP and NILDE have been collaborating and integrating their servicesand policies. By following the main steps of their partnership gives us a sense of theirmutual growth. At the beginning of 2002, by searching in the ACNP catalogue, itwas possible to determine the library that could provide the information resource withNILDE. Nowadays, there is a reciprocal connection between ACNP and NILDE. FromNILDE, using the ISSN, we can identify the library in ACNP and also request theresource. This ensures efficiency in managing transactions and saves considerable timefor both the operator and the end user (library to individual researcher).Many other aspects of the services benefit by this integration. It provides economicbenefits: ACNP and NILDE give some discounts in annual fees to the libraries that sub-scribe to both services. The integration between the two systems has produced a cleareconomic advantage for the participating libraries, as they are guaranteed a discount of10%, which is applied to all the libraries/institutions that have joined in the previousyear in both systems. Additionally, social meetings9 and educational workshops,10 con-tribute to strengthen the projects and the sense of community. In fact ACNP and NILDEcan be considered a real ecosystem. Libraries and librarians collaborate with each otherin an interconnected manner, providing end users with increasingly sophisticated anddynamic services. This ecosystem, which is an open system, makes its services avail-able to the wider environment of scientific research and is one of the main actors in thescientific information system.8For Rules and Regulations see: https://nilde.bo.cnr.it/learn.php?inc=rules9https://sites.google.com/site/nildeworld/approfondire-nilde/convegni10https://nilde.bo.cnr.it/ACNPworkshop/ for ACNP and NILDE, a milestone in the reflection onthe main aspects related to the development of electronic periodicals;ACNP and NILDE 2815. The role of ACNP and NILDE in the Italian contextACNP and NILDE and their users communities represent the most important networkfor Italian libraries to share resources, services, and professional practices. Formed asa cooperative system, it works to provide access to scientific information that is oftenhampered by high costs and by restrictive policies in budgets. The organizations areconsidered by the libraries as a meeting point, a place for exchanges of best practices,and solutions to problems.From 2000, ACNP and NILDE have been supporting networks and different pro-jects for library cooperation. They enhance library cooperation by giving users thepossibility to make their services more integrated. They provide more visibility to theseresources, thereby making them more accessible.Among them, we mention the experience of the Italian astronomical libraries(IAL), which have had their holdings merged into one sub-catalogue called ACNP AS-TRONOMICO11: this derived sub-catalogue contains all the journal holdings of theItalian astronomy libraries. We mention also BIBLIOSAN,12 which is the network ofthe National Health System and BESS,13 the electronic library of Social Sciences andEconomics of the Piedmont region. These projects belong to different disciplines andwere developed in response to similar needs: to unify, to enhance services and pro-fessional practices, and to make documents accessible. A new project ALPE (LicenseArchive for Electronic Journals), created to support librarians and help them adhereto the license clauses for Document Delivery (DD) and Inter-Library Loan (ILL) ofelectronic resources, is also moving in the same direction.6. How Italian astronomical libraries use ACNP and NILDEBefore we analyze how our libraries are using specific tools for ILL and DD services, itis important to remember that traditionally, in Italy, most of the information resourcesof astronomy, including monographs and journals (print and online), were found in thelibraries of astronomical observatories, rather than in university libraries. The relation-ship between the astronomical libraries with ACNP and NILDE is connected with therecent administrative developments in Italian astronomy. The changes in the organi-zation of the Italian astronomical institutions were reflected in Astronomical libraries.Until 2002, each Italian Observatory was an independent research institution, with dis-tinct history, heritage, dimension, and scientific activity. Now, twelve Observatories andfive research Institutions have been merged to form the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica– INAF (National Institute for Astrophysics).The Italian astronomical libraries have been working as a network for 90 yearsnow, sharing information resources, services, and work practices. Since the creation ofINAF, they have formalized their union, becoming members of Servizio Biblioteche eArchivi Storici dell’INAF (INAF Library and Historical Archives Service). At the startof INAF, most of the astronomical libraries had been using ACNP and have had entered11http://acnp.unibo.it/catalogo/astro12http://acnp.unibo.it/catalogo/sanita13http://acnp.unibo.it/catalogo/bess282 Brunetti, Bonora, and Filippucciall their holdings into ACNP ASTRONOMICO (Italian Astronomy Libraries SerialsCatalogue).This sub-catalogue, derived from ACNP, is accessible from the webpages of eachINAF library and from the webpage of INAF Library and Historical Archives Service.Containing 2,689 journals and 95 online resources, it represents one of the first attemptsto share all the information resources across the astronomical libraries. The “history”of the relationship between IAL and NILDE is similar to that with ACNP. At the begin-ning, every single library subscribed to NILDE separately, then, after the start of INAFLibrary and Historical Archives Service, IAL subscribes to NILDE as one institution.The analysis of global NILDE exchanges permit us to say something about theuse of ACNP and NILDE by IAL. First, the exchanges are not currently high but areprogressively increasing. In 2011, IAL exchanged 480 articles; in 2012, the numberwas 537 and in 2013, it was 568. Second, IAL are working more as suppliers. Mostof the articles which IAL is supplying to the other libraries belong to the Engineering,Physics, Astronomy, and Earth Sciences categories. Engineering (SPIE collection usedin technological research) is the main category for lending. Third, borrowing representsa little more than half of the quantity of exchanges. Physics and Earth Sciences articlesare the most requested categories here.Among Italian astronomical libraries, ACNP and NILDE are the most importantchannels for requesting DD of non-astronomical subjects (such as Physics and Geo-physics). They allow libraries to locate and furnish information not easily accessible tothe astronomers.For astronomical papers, the primary sources that fulfill the needs of the astronom-ers are the web resources like the ADS and arXiv.org. But NILDE offers the users of thelibrary a personalized service of Document Supply: using the OpenURL protocol, im-plemented by NILDE, the user can link NILDE with ADS (Figure 4) and automaticallycompiles the bibliographic citations for the user in the NILDE request form.Figure 4. NILDE OpenURL Protocol in ADSNILDE is also a tool for journal subscription, renewal, and cancellation. Throughthe reports generated by NILDE, it is possible to know the exchanges made by eachsingle IAL and of INAF as a whole. A function that allows for the analysis of trendsin sharing resources is planned for the future. For IAL, the cost of both services is notACNP and NILDE 283high: annual institutional subscription costs are 2,000 euros for ACNP and 1,000 eurosfor NILDE. The benefits certainly outweigh the costs.7. ConclusionsAre ACNP and NILDE important for IAL? Yes, for many reasons. They make acces-sible the holdings of IAL to all the other libraries. They allow libraries to locate andfurnish information not easily accessible to the astronomers. Finally, they represent ameans for the collaboration and for sharing resources between libraries.ReferencesMangiaracina, S., Tugnoli, A. 2012, Interlending & Document Supply, 40, (2), 88F. Brunetti, F. Martines, and C. Toniolo (Photo: E. Isaksson)

ACNP and NILDE: Essential Tools for Access to Scientific Research

<p>ACNP (The Italian Union Serial Catalogue), containing  more than 190,000 journals in various disciplines, and NILDE (Network Inter Library Document  Exchange), an online service that facilitates more than 800 libraries  to request and supply documents in a reciprocal manner, are two services based on similar management models linked with their users.                <br>
ACNP and NILDE and their user communities in cooperation form the most important network for Italian libraries to share resources, services and professional practices and this represents a cooperation system working for the real access to scientific information which is hampered by high costs and restrictive policies.<br>
The present talk illustrates both communities, focusing attention on the informational needs of the astronomical community.</p

Francesca Brunetti (1419394)

Orietta Bonora (5241886)

Gustavo Filippucci (5241883)

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ACNP and NILDE : essential tools for access to scientific research

ACNP and NILDE :  essential tools for access to scientific research

Acnp and Nilde : essential tools for access to scientific research

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ACNP and NILDE: Essential Tools for Access to Scientific Research

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