Hello colleagues

The European Information Association recently wrote to the Secretariat
General of the Commission about the proposal to supply EDCs (European
Documentation Centres) with a CD-ROM version of the Official Journal and
to cease their paper subscription.  I understand EDCs have now received
a letter about this.

EIA committee member Helen Browning from Leicester EDC drafted the
following letter making a plea for the continuation of the paper version
and a reply was duly received from Mr Carlo Trojan from the SG (also
attached).

The EIA committee would be most interested in further comments you may
have about this and the implications for your service.  We also thought
it might be useful for you to see Mr Trojan's reply.

Best wishes

Catherine


EIA LETTER TO MR CARLO TROJAN

Mr Carlo Trojan
Secretariat-General of the European Commission
Rue de la Loi 200
B-1049 Brussels
BELGIUM


12 July 1999


Dear Mr Trojan          

Potential Changes to the Official Journal L & C Subscriptions

The European Information Association would like to express its concern
regarding the possibility that the Official Journal L and C series might
be supplied to European Documentation Centres (EDCs) in a CD-ROM format
rather than in paper.  At the moment such a move is 'encouraged' but we
believe that it is likely that this will be enforced in the near future.
A summary of the reasons for our concern is as follows:

 - Volatility of the electronic environment
It is essential, if EDCs are to fulfil their aim of being archives of
material for their region, that they can provide access to material of
20 years ago as easily as that of today.  Indeed, such material from the
Official Journal is in constant demand in EDCs.  CD-ROMs are seen by
many information technology experts as a transient technology and likely
to be superseded in a matter of years.  A CD-ROM of the Official Journal
might be readable on PCs today but not in 10 years time and that is
therefore not acceptable for an EDC.

- Accessibility to the information
It has not been made clear in any of the information that we have been
sent, if the CD-ROM could be networked.  If, as with many other EUR-OP
and Eurostat electronic products, this is not the case, this will cause
EDCs severe problems.  The Official Journal is the item most widely
consulted in EDCs - by members of the public, students, academics and
other information relays, such Euro Info Centres.  To have access to the
material by only one person at a time would make use of the Official
Journal virtually impossible.

If the CD-ROM can be networked, there will still be problems, however.
Many academic institutions have restrictions on non-institution members
using the computer facilities for network security reasons and so
members of the public will not be able to access the Official Journal at
all.  There are also the inevitable network crash problems and the lack
of speed of networks as the number of users of electronic information
increases steadily. Again, the 'new technology' will severely hinder
access to European information which the paper version would supply.

The above concerns are shared by many EDC librarians, as revealed on the
Eurodoc electronic mail discussion list and in conversation at a variety
of European information events.  We would urge that the OPOCE
Interinstitutional Management Committee reconsiders its position on this
matter.

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us.


MR TROJAN'S REPLY TO EIA

Dear Mrs Webb

Thank you for bringing the points you put forward on behalf of the EDC
network concerning the proposed transfer of OJ L&C subscriptions from
paper to CD-ROM to my attention.  The role played by the European
Documentation Centres (EDCs) in making EU information available in the
academic world is very much appreciated, as is the importance of
ensuring that the EDC collections can be as widely used in 20 or 50
years' time as they are at present.

It is true that the move to electronic products is encouraged by the
European Union Institutions, since the production and dissemination
costs are considerably lower than for paper.  It is also possible to
search for specific information using CD-ROMS and/or Web-interface
databases more easily, quickly and reliably, than using paper
collections, with minimal storage and maintenance costs.  However it is
also clear that a well kept paper (or microfiche) collection presents a
number of advantages, particularly those mentioned in your letter,
namely archive longevity and physical access to third parties.  The EU
Institutions, in supporting the EDC network, have to balance the
advantages and constraints of the different supports available, to
ensure a long-lived collection at a reasonable cost.

Regarding the use of the OJ L&C monthly CD-ROM in a Local Area Network
(LAN), in fact the CD-ROM currently proposed can be networked, provided
a fee is paid for use of the search engine software.  Alternatively,
EDCs are free to download the raw data files in the Portable Document
file (pdf) format from the CD-ROM into their servers and index these
using their own search engines, without incurring licence fees.

You are right to point out the volatility of the electronic environment
but there could be ways of addressing this issue other than through
supplying paper subscriptions ad infinitum.  One possibility could be
that the Office for Official Publications, in its role as information
producer and disseminator, commits itself, in the course of time, not to
withdraw any documents from its Official Journal electronic repository
and to guarantee access to such a repository, suitable for most standard
contemporary operating systems.

Considering the long term implications of such a commitment and all the
changes taking place with the new Parliament and the new Commission, I
think this matter should be discussed again at the level of the
Management Committee of the Office for Official Publications, possibly
in October 1999.

Yours sincerely

Carlo TROJAN


EIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIAEIA

Catherine Webb, EIA Manager and Eurotalk list owner
European Information Association
Central Library
St Peter's Square
Manchester, M2 5PD
UK
Tel: +44 (0)161 228 3691
Fax: +44 (0)161 236 6547
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Website: www.eia.org.uk

"Developing, co-ordinating and improving access to EU information"

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