ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


372 / C&RL News

Vargas Fou ndation shaping B razilian 
bibliographic utility

B y  R ic h a rd  F. Phillips

H ead, Cataloging D epartm ent 
University o f  C olorado at B ou lder

Projeto Bibliodata represents a quiet revolution.

L ocated in Rio de Janeiro, the Fundação Getúlio Vargas is Brazil’s major economic research facility. It monitors the leading indi
o f Brazil’s enormous and complex economy

lishes statistics showing performance in regard to 
cost of living, inflation, and employment; and ad­
vises government and business sectors on such 
matters. It is one of the most respected voices in 
Brazil.

Brazilians have the expression 
“jeito ,” which translates loosely as 
“find ing a way to get a difficult 
task done. ” Bibliodata is an 
example.

But there is another side to the Vargas that is 
impressive and important. Quietly, over the past 
decade, the Vargas has worked with libraries 
around Brazil to create the framework for a na­
tional bibliographic utility, called Projeto B ib­
liodata, which now has over 60 member libraries 
and is expanding rapidly. It offers centralized coop­
erative cataloging as its main technical service and 
produces cards and labels, thus revolutionizing the 
efficiency of processing in Brazil’s research librar­

c
;

ies. Public service features include author/subject/ 
title searching with a number o f qualifiers (such as 

atdorate, s language, and format) as well as boolean 
 pulimib­ters.

The membership of Bibliodata spans the Brazil­
ian states. Its most active members are from the 
southern regions and include the Biblioteca 
Nacional in Rio, the Universidade Estadual de 
Campinas in São Paulo, and the Universidade de 
Brasília in the nation’s capital. However, there are 
also libraries from Brazil’s distant northeast and 
center, including such notable thinktanks as the 
Fundação Joaquim Nabuco and the Fundação 
Gilberto Freyre, both in Recife, and the Universi­
dade Federal de Goias.

Brazilians have the expression “jeito,” which 
translates loosely as “finding a way to get a difficult 
task done.” Bibliodata is an example. Telecommu­
nications in Brazil are unreliable and expensive. 
For that reason, members are choosing not to 
maintain dedicated lines into Bibliodata; instead, 
the Vargas has developed software that allows 
members to catalog onto floppy disks for loading 
into the centralized database. A microfiche union 
catalog is produced, which is consulted by member 
libraries for cataloging copy.

The Vargas stays on a tight schedule for process­
ing all cataloging transactions, producing catalog 
cards and labels weekly for shipment by mail. The 
microcfiche union catalog is updated monthly for



June 1 9 9 1  /  373

member libraries. Authority files on microfiche are 
also updated monthly. These “jeito” activities keep 
Bibliodata and its members busy. Last summer the 
database was approaching 500,000 bibliographic 
records and growing quickly.

The Vargas also mounts other data on B ib­
liodata. One database called Resete offers timely 
information on the Brazilian economy and trends 
in relation to agriculture, industry, and commerce. 
Demographic indicators allow researchers to study 
the nation’s population. The data, produced by the 
Vargas Foundation, is regularly reviewed and up­
dated.

The future is uncertain for Bibliodata and the 
Vargas. Inflation in Brazil for the period o f Septem­
ber 11-O ctober 9 ,1 9 9 0 , was estimated at 12%, al­
lowing projections o f about 150% inflation since 
the new government took control in March 1990.1 
That figure represents a sharp drop from the ap­
proximately 600% rate of inflation the previous 
year. The change is due to the strict austerity 
measures of the Collor government, including a 
total freeze on all commodity prices and salaries 
across the nation. Government agencies are facing 
25% cuts in their budgets. The situation is exacer­
bated by heavy dependency on oil from the Persian

Gulf, which places great pressure on Brazil’s shaky 
but favorable trade balances.

The Vargas is not immune to economic stresses, 
having experienced labor walkouts recently. 
Money for research, system development, and 
equipment needs will be hard to find.2 Member 
libraries are in similar situations. Many would like 
to offer online services to their users, but face cost 
restrictions that make use o f Bibliodata for refer­
ence and interlibrary loan limited if not impossible.

N evertheless, B ibliod ata is an impressive 
achievement and offers efficiencies in information 
technology. As such projects are further developed 
and electronic links are established within Latin 
America and beyond, the significance of Bibliodata 
will be more obvious. Already plans are being 
discussed for tape exchanges with the Library of 
Congress as well as a number of European agen­
cies. ■  ■

'“Management Alert,” Business L atin A m erica‚ 
October 15, 1990, 332.

interview  with Eugenio De Court, director of 
Projeto Bibliodata, in Rio de Janeiro on June 14, 
1990.



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