Building Digital Collections in the Algerian Context: Assets and Prospects
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Date
2002-06
Authors
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Karen I. MacDonald
Abstract
When we analyze the access behavior of Algerian users of information
and documentation, we see a certain number of dysfunctions leading to
a situation of imbalance between user demand on the one hand and
library and document center access on the other. The delivery mechanisms
of the information suppliers are slow and less e⁄cient, as we
can deduce from surveys and studies, such as those of R. Carlier (1993);
A. Geronimi (1993); Issolah (1992); Akrour (1999); Belhabib (1999); and
Dahmane (2000).l
To compensate for this inadequacy in the local information context,
the CERIST Research Center on Scienti¢c and Technical Information
(www.cerist.dz) is producing and maintaining several bibliographic catalogs
and databases, including the following: The automated National
Bibliography and National Union Catalogs (CAP, CAT, FNT), as well
as the national databases of ‘‘Algerianna’’, ‘‘Algerie Science Information
(ASI)’’ and ‘‘Algerian Scienti¢c Abstracts (ASA)’’.
These catalogs and databases are available via the Internet through
the www.dctd.cerist.dz Website. An example of a search session (in the
National Bibliography) is given in Figs. 1^3:
However, we are not sure if these bibliographic ¢les and catalogs are
used and exploited by local users in an optimum way, especially in light
of the problem of Internet connectivity. Also, we should consider if the
contents of these bibliographic tools are su⁄cient to meet the new users’
needs. During the same search session there is indeed a tendency to require
not only bibliographic information but the possibility of getting
the full content of identi¢ed documents. Also, we must ponder the following
question: Which add-value are these bibliographic tools assigning
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Digital Collections