Comment and opinion
The development of biomedical databases in the Soviet Union Background During the later part of April 1989, I visited Moscow and Leningrad to lecture and conduct demonstrations on the use of computers in medical libraries within the United States. The tour was officially sponsored by Sojuzmedinform, the AllUnion Institute of Medical and Medico-Technical Information. This visit was made in response to an invitation from Dr. Boris Bondarenko, a Soviet cardiologist who had visited the University of Florida as part of a Physicians for Social Responsibility-sponsored tour. In preparation for this visit, I organized a series of fifteen- to thirty-minute lectures on such topics as applications of technology in library settings, personal computers in libraries, the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Regional Medical Library Program, the State University System of Florida's library computer system, and the impact of technological change. Thanks to Compact Cambridge's loan of hardware and software, I was able to perform CD-ROM MEDLINE demonstrations. During the presentations, I was assisted by a scientific translator from Sojuzmedinform. Since I traveled on my own, I had considerable interaction with librarians, computer-support staff, medical information researchers, and a translator. This interaction was the highlight of the visit. Besides being able to disseminate information, I was given the opportunity to view the development of biomedical databases within the Soviet Union.
Library visits While in Moscow, I visited two biomedical libraries (the State Central Scientific Medical Library
196
and the Eye Microsurgery Intersectoral Research and Technology Complex), where databases are being developed. In both settings, the staff was eager to interact and demonstrate in detail their microcomputer-generated databases. The 2,000,000-volume State Central Scientific Medical Library is one of the components of Sojuzmedinform. Under the direction of Dr. Alexander Kiselev of the Ministry of Public Health, this recently organized entity includes the library, a scientific research institute for medical information, and a publishing house. The goal of this consortium is to build national databases and disseminate this information both within and outside the Soviet Union. I spent the equivalent of two full days at the library and was able to talk extensively with Dr. Boris Luganov, the library director, and several of the "architects" of the databases. At present, six biomedical information databases are being developed. Five of the files are incorporated into one retrieval system that is housed in a 120-MB harddrive IBM XT clone. Using Multitech dual floppy-drive microcomputers, the data initially is entered into dBase 3+ files that include a Cyrillic language compiler. dBase 3 + was chosen due to the size of the character fields (256 bytes). Via floppy disks, 100 to 150 documents are loaded into the hard-drive machine. These ASCII files are converted to ISO-2709 format of MICRO CDS/ISIS 2.0. This UNESCO-developed software includes a multilanguage menu (English, French, Spanish, and Russian) and its own program language, which has been used to create combined-sort formats. The database files are journal articles, monographs, dissertations,
government documents, and medical patents. The article database contains items from 140 Russian journals plus selected foreign journals. Access is by author, title, and subject with all articles given an English title. The monograph file has the same access and includes contents in Russian and in English. The government documents file includes documents from the Ministry of Public Health, and other agencies and institutes. As of May 1, 1989, the retrieval system had 55,000 entries with 5,000 added monthly. The 120-MB disk will be filled to capacity in one year. At present, currently received material is being added to the files. A series of checks have been built in to ensure a feasible level of accuracy and quality for the databases. An English/Russian, Russian/ English MeSH database has been constructed with dBase 3+. All terms have been translated and entered into a file that has Russian term, English term, and tree structure access. The file also can be accessed by subheading, and global changes in either Russian or English can be achieved. These databases have been created to augment the dissemination of biomedical information. Via desktop publishing and printing by the attached publishing house, a number of bibliographies are produced. These include a weekly Current Index of Scientific and Medical Literature, an annual Index of Scientific Research at Soviet Institutes, a quarterly Catalog of Medical Dissertations, a monthly list of published medical books, and several pamphlets of literature for physicians. Due to these publications, the State Central Scientific Medical Library's interlibrary loan load has reached 500,000 pages per month. Bull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April 1990
Comment and opinion
The files also are used on a regular basis for searches for the Ministry of Public Health and requested selective dissemination of information searches. At present, access to the combined files on the hard-drive microcomputer is limited to one terminal. Sojuzmedinform hopes to make these databases accessible outside the Soviet Union as a means of generating hard currency or gaining access to other databases. These funds are needed to purchase hardware and expand access to the databases. After speaking at the State Library, I was invited to the Library at the Eye Microsurgery Intersectoral Research and Technology Complex. Under the direction of Dr. Svyatoslav N. Fyodorov, a stateof-the-art eye surgery complex has been developed. During my fivehour stay at the complex, I was given a tour of the various clinics, including the one where patients are placed on a conveyor belt for surgical operations. Since hard currency is accumulated by treating foreign patients, the library has reasonable access to foreign software and hardware. At present, this special library has nine PC clones, one 120-MB harddrive clone, and an IBM XT and AT-in addition to a variety of software packages. A number of library databases are being developed at this institution. These files are a bibliographic catalog of books owned by the library, a general ophthalmology database that includes articles and books on the subject, and a file of international conferences on ophthalmology. These files have the standard author, title, and subject access points. An "equipment, fact-gathering" database of information on ophthalmology has been developed. Data from publications, advertisements, and leaflets are entered into the file. A file of all firms producing equipment also is being maintained. Bull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April 1990
The library has begun to complete phone or mail searches for regional complexes. Future goals include developing a network with direct access for local patrons and the regional eye microsurgery complexes and the acquiring of an integrated online system for the library.
Observations At both of these libraries, the staff's interest in interacting with and willingness to share information, both positive and negative, with a Western medical librarian is one by-product of glasnost. Due to similar professional interests and experiences, I was able to speak the same language as my counterparts. At the other institutions visited, the staff was eager to learn about the use of computers in biomedical libraries, although many of these individuals expressed frustration about the lack of technology in their settings. With the reorganization under Sojuzmedinform, the means of access to Soviet biomedical information has been restructured and enhanced. At present, access is limited to one terminal or print products; the hardware size will be exhausted in one year. Despite the limited resources, comprehensive files for current Soviet biomedical materials have been developed. Due to the unreliability of the phone system, telecommunications access to databases within Moscow for the various Soviet republics is not feasible. Possibilities include the production and distribution of CD-ROM databases or satellite communication to a network of regional libraries. For the State Library, the overall limiting factor is not logistical but financial. The lack of hard currency to purchase hardware could limit access to databases. One of the goals of the present governmental reform is to reassign priorities in the Soviet economy
with decreased emphasis on military spending. This could have a major positive impact on Sojuzmedinform and the dissemination of biomedical information both within and outside the Soviet Union. At the Eye Microsurgery Intersectoral Research and Technology Complex, a series of specialized databases have been developed. Being limited to ophthlmology, the scope of the files is not as broad as those developed by the State Library. The complex's achievements and growth are an example of successful restructuring within the Soviet Union. By being part of a global ophthalmology institute, the complex's library is in a position to further its automation. Staff at this library recognize the need to have a mechanism for greater patron access, both locally and within the regional ophthalmology complexes. With access to hard currency, the required hardware and software can be purchased. In order to best use the funds, staff will need to undertake long-term planning to define overall objectives and required strategies for achieving the goals. At both libraries, the staff expressed enthusiasm for their work. While recognizing the problems caused by access, hardware, and telecommunications limitations, the staff exhibited justifiable pride about the databases that had been constructed. These files have increased access to biomedical literature within the Soviet Union. If the hardware and access problems are solved, another quantum leap for the dissemination of the literature will be achieved. By Leonard Rhine Chairman, Technical Services Health Science Center Library University of Florida Box J-206 Gainesville, Florida 32610-0206
197
The development of biomedical databases in the Soviet Union Background During the later part of April 1989, I visited Moscow and Leningrad to lecture and conduct demonstrations on the use of computers in medical libraries within the United States. The tour was officially sponsored by Sojuzmedinform, the AllUnion Institute of Medical and Medico-Technical Information. This visit was made in response to an invitation from Dr. Boris Bondarenko, a Soviet cardiologist who had visited the University of Florida as part of a Physicians for Social Responsibility-sponsored tour. In preparation for this visit, I organized a series of fifteen- to thirty-minute lectures on such topics as applications of technology in library settings, personal computers in libraries, the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Regional Medical Library Program, the State University System of Florida's library computer system, and the impact of technological change. Thanks to Compact Cambridge's loan of hardware and software, I was able to perform CD-ROM MEDLINE demonstrations. During the presentations, I was assisted by a scientific translator from Sojuzmedinform. Since I traveled on my own, I had considerable interaction with librarians, computer-support staff, medical information researchers, and a translator. This interaction was the highlight of the visit. Besides being able to disseminate information, I was given the opportunity to view the development of biomedical databases within the Soviet Union.
Library visits While in Moscow, I visited two biomedical libraries (the State Central Scientific Medical Library
196
and the Eye Microsurgery Intersectoral Research and Technology Complex), where databases are being developed. In both settings, the staff was eager to interact and demonstrate in detail their microcomputer-generated databases. The 2,000,000-volume State Central Scientific Medical Library is one of the components of Sojuzmedinform. Under the direction of Dr. Alexander Kiselev of the Ministry of Public Health, this recently organized entity includes the library, a scientific research institute for medical information, and a publishing house. The goal of this consortium is to build national databases and disseminate this information both within and outside the Soviet Union. I spent the equivalent of two full days at the library and was able to talk extensively with Dr. Boris Luganov, the library director, and several of the "architects" of the databases. At present, six biomedical information databases are being developed. Five of the files are incorporated into one retrieval system that is housed in a 120-MB harddrive IBM XT clone. Using Multitech dual floppy-drive microcomputers, the data initially is entered into dBase 3+ files that include a Cyrillic language compiler. dBase 3 + was chosen due to the size of the character fields (256 bytes). Via floppy disks, 100 to 150 documents are loaded into the hard-drive machine. These ASCII files are converted to ISO-2709 format of MICRO CDS/ISIS 2.0. This UNESCO-developed software includes a multilanguage menu (English, French, Spanish, and Russian) and its own program language, which has been used to create combined-sort formats. The database files are journal articles, monographs, dissertations,
government documents, and medical patents. The article database contains items from 140 Russian journals plus selected foreign journals. Access is by author, title, and subject with all articles given an English title. The monograph file has the same access and includes contents in Russian and in English. The government documents file includes documents from the Ministry of Public Health, and other agencies and institutes. As of May 1, 1989, the retrieval system had 55,000 entries with 5,000 added monthly. The 120-MB disk will be filled to capacity in one year. At present, currently received material is being added to the files. A series of checks have been built in to ensure a feasible level of accuracy and quality for the databases. An English/Russian, Russian/ English MeSH database has been constructed with dBase 3+. All terms have been translated and entered into a file that has Russian term, English term, and tree structure access. The file also can be accessed by subheading, and global changes in either Russian or English can be achieved. These databases have been created to augment the dissemination of biomedical information. Via desktop publishing and printing by the attached publishing house, a number of bibliographies are produced. These include a weekly Current Index of Scientific and Medical Literature, an annual Index of Scientific Research at Soviet Institutes, a quarterly Catalog of Medical Dissertations, a monthly list of published medical books, and several pamphlets of literature for physicians. Due to these publications, the State Central Scientific Medical Library's interlibrary loan load has reached 500,000 pages per month. Bull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April 1990
Comment and opinion
The files also are used on a regular basis for searches for the Ministry of Public Health and requested selective dissemination of information searches. At present, access to the combined files on the hard-drive microcomputer is limited to one terminal. Sojuzmedinform hopes to make these databases accessible outside the Soviet Union as a means of generating hard currency or gaining access to other databases. These funds are needed to purchase hardware and expand access to the databases. After speaking at the State Library, I was invited to the Library at the Eye Microsurgery Intersectoral Research and Technology Complex. Under the direction of Dr. Svyatoslav N. Fyodorov, a stateof-the-art eye surgery complex has been developed. During my fivehour stay at the complex, I was given a tour of the various clinics, including the one where patients are placed on a conveyor belt for surgical operations. Since hard currency is accumulated by treating foreign patients, the library has reasonable access to foreign software and hardware. At present, this special library has nine PC clones, one 120-MB harddrive clone, and an IBM XT and AT-in addition to a variety of software packages. A number of library databases are being developed at this institution. These files are a bibliographic catalog of books owned by the library, a general ophthalmology database that includes articles and books on the subject, and a file of international conferences on ophthalmology. These files have the standard author, title, and subject access points. An "equipment, fact-gathering" database of information on ophthalmology has been developed. Data from publications, advertisements, and leaflets are entered into the file. A file of all firms producing equipment also is being maintained. Bull Med Libr Assoc 78(2) April 1990
The library has begun to complete phone or mail searches for regional complexes. Future goals include developing a network with direct access for local patrons and the regional eye microsurgery complexes and the acquiring of an integrated online system for the library.
Observations At both of these libraries, the staff's interest in interacting with and willingness to share information, both positive and negative, with a Western medical librarian is one by-product of glasnost. Due to similar professional interests and experiences, I was able to speak the same language as my counterparts. At the other institutions visited, the staff was eager to learn about the use of computers in biomedical libraries, although many of these individuals expressed frustration about the lack of technology in their settings. With the reorganization under Sojuzmedinform, the means of access to Soviet biomedical information has been restructured and enhanced. At present, access is limited to one terminal or print products; the hardware size will be exhausted in one year. Despite the limited resources, comprehensive files for current Soviet biomedical materials have been developed. Due to the unreliability of the phone system, telecommunications access to databases within Moscow for the various Soviet republics is not feasible. Possibilities include the production and distribution of CD-ROM databases or satellite communication to a network of regional libraries. For the State Library, the overall limiting factor is not logistical but financial. The lack of hard currency to purchase hardware could limit access to databases. One of the goals of the present governmental reform is to reassign priorities in the Soviet economy
with decreased emphasis on military spending. This could have a major positive impact on Sojuzmedinform and the dissemination of biomedical information both within and outside the Soviet Union. At the Eye Microsurgery Intersectoral Research and Technology Complex, a series of specialized databases have been developed. Being limited to ophthlmology, the scope of the files is not as broad as those developed by the State Library. The complex's achievements and growth are an example of successful restructuring within the Soviet Union. By being part of a global ophthalmology institute, the complex's library is in a position to further its automation. Staff at this library recognize the need to have a mechanism for greater patron access, both locally and within the regional ophthalmology complexes. With access to hard currency, the required hardware and software can be purchased. In order to best use the funds, staff will need to undertake long-term planning to define overall objectives and required strategies for achieving the goals. At both libraries, the staff expressed enthusiasm for their work. While recognizing the problems caused by access, hardware, and telecommunications limitations, the staff exhibited justifiable pride about the databases that had been constructed. These files have increased access to biomedical literature within the Soviet Union. If the hardware and access problems are solved, another quantum leap for the dissemination of the literature will be achieved. By Leonard Rhine Chairman, Technical Services Health Science Center Library University of Florida Box J-206 Gainesville, Florida 32610-0206
197
