Rapporti; 2

The use of new information technologies in Italian libraries and their impact on services. M.C. Cavagnis Sotgiu, M. Cupellaro, A. Paci, A. Sattin, C. Scognamiglio (Ed.). Roma, Associazione italiana biblioteche, 1992. 46 p. ISSN 1121-1482. L. 20.000 (soci L. 15.000) (in Italian)

The situation has changed dramatically since Lib. 2 (1986). 46 bibliographic databases have been identified with over 20,000 record each. Cataloguing standards (ISBD, RICA) are thoroughly widespread. MARC and UNIMARC axchange formats are much less widely used than SBN, which is very similary to MARC. In-house formats are very common. record exchange is still rare, with exception of libraries SBN. The national Bibliography, though available in several forms and formats, is scarcely used for cataloguing. Some original solutions have been developed by local library groups. Downloaded cataloguing is also provided by some commercial organizations (book suppliers or software vendors). Computer diffusion has encouraged cooperation developments, both in the SBN environment and in local library networks. Integrated softwares are most common. They are mostly commercial packages, but in-house solutions are not infrequent. Microcomputers have strongly encouraged widespreading of automation. Among larges systems, only SBN shows a significant and steady diffusion. Most products emphasize traditional housekeeping and cataloguing services, with little attention to new management functions such as MIS or end-user interfaces and services in general. This is a field where major efforts have to be expected by several libraries in the near future.