Objectives and characteristics

The basic objective of this subprogramme is to provide access to catalogues of the biggest Czech libraries, and thus also to their holdings, over the Internet. When implemented, VISK 5 will allow a full access to catalogues and holdings of participating libraries not only for on-site but also for off-site clients. The possibility of ordering documents online from off-site holdings and improvements in the quality of interlibrary loan services will put all clients on an equal footing irrespective of where they are, and will give equal access to information irrespective of where it is physically located. Another objective of the subprogramme is to generate a large number of good-quality bibliographic records that will be made available to other libraries.

VISK 5 is primarily intended for the following libraries:

• libraries with large holdings (over 200,000 volumes) that are essential for interlibrary loan service and/or the preservation and availability of the national cultural heritage

• libraries with intensive cataloguing activities in the past and at present that will guarantee a good-quality outcome of retrospective conversion that will meet the recommendations published in Minimal Level Records for Union Catalogues: UNIMARC

The libraries that meet the above specifications include the National Library of the Czech Republic, Moravian Library, all state research libraries and central special libraries, the Library of the National Museum, The Library of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, the Library of the Parliament, and some other libraries with major holdings.

The basic conditions for the allocation of financial resources are:

• size and importance of holdings
• high level of cataloguing in the past and at present, observance of standards, experience in automation
• willingness to share the resulting bibliographic records free-of-charge with CASLIN - the Union Catalogue of the Czech Republic
• willingness to make primary documents available through the interlibrary loan service
• the use of existing bibliographic records and adding the library's own records to those already in CASLIN - the union catalogue of the CR, rather generating duplicate records of the same documents
• willingness to cooperate in the development and maintenance of authority records
• willingness to participate in the information system for the retrospective conversion of catalogues (coordination, interim progress reports)

In view of the above criteria and experience from other countries, retrospective conversion of the National Library catalogues should enjoy the highest priority because

• it has the biggest and the most important holdings
• its has always had the highest level of cataloguing
• it already provides the largest number of records to CASLIN - Union Catalogue of the CR
• it has a decisive importance for interlibrary loan service, including international interlibrary service
• it is responsible for the Czech National Bibliography
• it is the centre of name and subject authorities
• it has developed well-defined methods of retrospective conversion, it also has information system for its management, and it has extensive practical experience in this field as well as in coordination cooperation between several institutions