College and Research Libraries The Birth of a Network: The Brazilian Struggle Janet Frederick A national plan for university libraries in Brazil recommends a center for cooperative catalog- ing, a standard format for computerized cataloging, and development of an online network of libraries. Problems associated with online network implementation in Brazil, such as computer import restrictions, changes in government agencies, and an historical lack of resource shar- ing, are discussed. The prognosis is positive; the need and motivation are strong. ibrarians in Brazil are seeking to link university libraries via a co- operative cataloging network. During a five-month visit there spent attending a national conference, vis- iting libraries, and, most importantly, talking to librarians at the forefront of technological change, I learned of the Na- tional Plan for University Libraries and of progress toward its implementation. 1 These librarians described the history of computers in Brazil, library automation development, the politics of change, and the attitudes and ideals of those involved. 2 Although progress toward building a net- work continues to be a struggle, expertise and the desire to succeed are evident. Bra- zil's economic situation is but one hurdle; a new spirit of cooperation will be neces- sary to ensure better service and further technological advances. Librarians in Brazil seek technological improvements to upgrade service and bib- liographic control and to increase coopera- tion. In addition, last year the Ministry of Education and Culture approved the crea- tion of a national center for a cooperative cataloging network and the adoption of a standardized format for machine-readable cataloging. In some ways the progress to- ward a shared cataloging network paral- leis that of the United States; in many other ways the Brazilian experience is quite different. Attaining the lofty goal of linking libraries throughout Brazil through technological means, thereby im- proving cooperation and resource shar- ing, will not be easy. Because their coun- try is also engaged in a struggle for more rapid economic development, librarians face an uphill battle. Still, the desire to succeed is strong, and many dedicated in- dividuals are working hard to realize this dream. THE SETTING Brazil is the world's fifth largest country in area and the sixth largest in population (140 million people). The language is Por- tuguese and Catholicism is the predomi- nant religion. Due to the massive importa- tion of Africans for slave labor and the large influx of European and Japanese im- migrants, however, Brazil's cultures and customs are diverse. Brazil is largely urban. The two largest cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, have around twelve and fifteen million inhabit- ants respectively. Brazil is industrializing rapidly; one of the largest industries is au- tomobile manufacturing. Volkswagen do Brasil, for example, exports parts and cars Janet Frederick is Head, Bibliographic Database Management Department, General Library, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131 . 76 to countries throughout the world, includ- ing the United States. Brazil's gross na- tional product ranks among the top ten in the world. In contrast to the modem cities of Brazil with their multinational corporations and sprawling factories, technological ad- vancement has lagged in such areas as the information industry. One reason for slow growth in computerization has been the Informatica legislation that brought coordi- nation of research, development, and pro- duction of electronic components under government control and established a pro- tected microcomputer market. 3 COMPUTERS IN BRAZIL Computers made their debut in the 1950s as Brazilian industry modernized rapidly. The first computers, principally IBM and Burroughs mainframes, were im- ported. By the 1960s Brazilian universities were training engineers in electronics and data processing. Specialists went to the United States or Europe for advanced training and many were frustrated on their return by the absence of a high tech- nology industry in Brazil. According to Peter Evans, "Modernization of Brazilian higher education and of the labor market generated a group of 'frustrated national- ist technicians' with strong personal and ideological interests in the creation of a lo- cal computer industry. '' 4 The 1970s saw advances in the computer area, and from 1969 to 1974 hardware im- ports increased by 600 percent. 5 Brazil saw the need to develop its own computer in- dustry, and in 1972 the government cre- ated CAPRE, the Commission for the Co- ordination of Electronic Processing Activities. CAPRE became a ''powerful regulatory organ capable of generating an industrial policy for the Brazilian indus- try."6 After a challenge to Brazil's import restrictions by multinational computer companies, the government saw the need for a more decisive policy if it were to suc- ceed in this highly competitive field. In 1979, a stronger agency was created: the Special Informatics Secretariat (SEI). SEI became "an aggressive defender of the nationalist line."7 By 1983, local com- puter companies accounted for almost Birth of a Network 77 half the market, and with the advent of the microcomputer, the industry grew even faster. Brazil was able to change its pos- ture from relying on imported computers to importing components and creating do- mestic products. The informatics debate continues. The dilemma hinges on the lack of resources to address pressing problems of illiteracy, in- adequate housing, and unemployment. Still, the country cannot afford to be with- out modern technology. As Cavan Mc- Carthy observes, automated information systems ''are not only products of indus- trialised societies, they are also tools which in themselves promote industriali- sation. " 8 Moreover, Brazilian computers often cost two to three times as much as the U.S. equivalents, and complications abound due to the independent develop- ment of systems and software and the lack of standards and guidelines. Victor Ro- senberg notes that although the govern- ment of a developing country must appear independent of more powerful countries, the truth is that countries are becoming more interdependent in areas of technol- ogy.9 Thus, changes in government agen- cies, industries, and import laws related to automation and information science have had a negative impact on library automa- tion. COMPUTERS IN LIBRARIES Development of automated library sys- tems has occurred independently, in most cases without guidelines or standards. In some instances institutions automated li- brary functions simply because time was available on the local mainframe. Mc- Carthy's study of library automation in Brazil (conducted between 1980 and 1984) included direct information on thirty-one institutions and indirect data on twelve others that reportedly had automated some functions. 10 He found that 40 per- cent of the institutions surveyed acknowl- edged having been influenced by another system; another 40 percent developed their systems independently. Import re- strictions have certainly interfered with installations of turnkey systems or even widespread use of software programs de- veloped for library operations. However, 78 College & Research Libraries there are other factors that contribute to isolated development of automated li- brary systems. Thirty-one schools offer bachelor's de- grees in library science; five, master's de- grees; and one, the University of Brasilia, a doctoral degree. Because of the prolifera- tion of library science programs, most li- brarians can and do stay in one place throughout their careers. Communication and exchange of ideas between librarians have been difficult in the past. Distances are great between metropolitan areas in Brazil, and there have been few national conferences. Until the present decade, very little knowledge regarding library au- tomation was shared. All this is changing. In 1980 the Brazilian Institute for Infor- mation in Science and Technology (IBICT), the body responsible for assign- ing ISSNs and publishing the national union catalog of serials, was charged with coordinating library automation activities in the country. In 1981, the Second Semi- nar on University Libraries included a symposium on automated systems, and in 1984 two national seminars were devoted to library automation. In early 1987 I visited fifteen libraries throughout Brazil and talked with numer- ous librarians. I was able to learn of prob- lems with developing and continuing au- tomated library systems. Many of the larger university libraries have automated at least cataloging activities, and special li- braries have automated other functions as well. For the most part, only special li- braries can afford to use online retrieval systems such as Dialog. Telecommunica- tion capability has only recently been available in Brazil, since the introduction of INTERDATA (international network) in 1982 and RENPAC (domestic network) in 1984. One of the first (1972) and most impres- sive systems is that of the Data Processing Center of the Federal Senate, PRODA- SEN, which includes SCION, the Na- tional Congressional Information System. SCION contains a bibliographic database (BIPE, Bibliotecas e Peri6dicos), an authority file (AUTR) for personal and corporate names, and a controlled vocabulary data- base (VCBS) as an online thesaurus. The January 1989 system handles acquisition records, cata- loging, circulation, and online public ac- cess. As of March 1987, the BIPE database contained more than 100,000 mono- graphic titles and more than 100,000 peri- odical articles. Other governmental and specialized bibliographic databases in Brazil include BINAGRE (National Library of Agricul- ture), BIREME (Regional Medical Library, Sao Paulo), CAMARA (Federal Chamber of Deputies), CENAGRI (National Center for Documentary Information in Agricul- ture), CIMEC (Center for Informatics of the Ministry of Education and Culture), CIN (Nuclear Information Center), IPEN (Institute for Energy and Nuclear Re- search), ELECTROBRAS (Brazilian Elec- trical Generating Company), and PETRO- BRAS (Brazilian Petroleum Company). Two public libraries have automated some activities: the Public Library of Sao Paulo (using a DOBIS-like system), and the library in Sao Bernardo do Campo, which developed its own integrated sys- tem called TAUBIPE (Total Automation of Public and Special Libraries). 11 Several university libraries have auto- mated systems for various functions. The Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro has implemented serials control, ,the Univer- sity of Brasilia and the University of Sao Paulo have automated cataloging and ac- quisitions, and the Catholic University of Pernambuco has online indexing of peri- odical articles, to name a few. The Univer- sity of Sao Paulo's system, SIBI (Inte- grated System for Libraries), is currently the largest cataloging database in Brazil. Developed in 1981 to handle bibliographic records for 42 libraries at four campuses, they planned to have over 700,000 mono- graphic titles and 32,000 periodicals en- tered into the system by June 1987. Many librarians in Brazil feel a need for cooperative development of library auto- mation but see it hindered by these inde- pendently developed systems, which lack standards. Nice Figueiredo states, "These initial systems in Brazil were isolated, with few possibilities for continuity and were implemented to satisfy local needs only, with restricted performance." 12 A common complaint is that even the li- braries of the senate and chamber of depu- ties, located in the same building, have separate, incompatible systems. Never- theless, work is progressing toward the development of a framework for an online network for Brazilian libraries, as the fol- lowing brief history and discussion of · plans will show. SISTEMA BIBLIODATA-CALCO In 1972, Alice Principe Barbosa pro- posed the Brazilian MARC format, called CALCO ("Catalogac;ao Legivel por Computador-Machine-Readable Cata- loging''), in her master's thesis. 13 CALCO was based on the Library of Congress MARC II format. Barbosa had been direc- tor of the Cataloging Interchange Service (SIC), under the auspices of the Depart- ment of Public Service Administration (DASP). SIC was founded in 1942 by Ly- gia de Queiroz Sambaquy, then director of the Brazilian Institute for Bibliography and Documentation (IBBD), after her visit to the U.S. Library of Congress, where she was impressed with the cooperative cata- loging program. Through SIC, libraries in Brazil contributed cataloging data and re- ceived free catalog cards. Cards were also made available to other libraries. From 1972 the CALCO format was stud- ied and revised by the Ministry of Educa- tion and Culture at the urging of the Na- tional Library. Jannice de Mello Monte-Mor was director of the National Library at that time and, upon her retire- ment in 1979, further work on the CALCO format was discontinued because the new director had no interest in the project. Around the same time IBBD became IBICT and, due to organizational changes, work on the CALCO format was suspended. Nevertheless, by 1978 two manuals on the CALCO format were available: one produced by the National Library for bib- liographic data input and the other b~ IBICT for bibliographic data interchange. 4 In the late 1970s, the Getulio Vargas Foun- dation (FGV) in Rio de Janeiro began us- ing the CALCO format, contracting with other libraries to computerize their cata- loging activities. The National Library joined FGV for computerized cataloging, and thus cooperative cataloging was rein- Birth of a Network 79 stituted in Brazil. A shared cataloging database was born, and national stan- dards began to be implemented. Twenty-seven libraries have since con- tracted with the FGV for cataloging ser- vices and products. Currently libraries en- ter cataloging onto floppy disks. The disks are sent to FGV, and the libraries receive catalog cards, spine labels, and other items in return. Libraries also receive monthly the BIBLIODATA database (about 160,000 titles) on microfiche for searching prior to cataloging. Future plans include adding music and audiovisual for- mats, an authority file, and telecommuni- cation access for online searching and cat- aloging. THE NATIONAL PLAN At the Fifth Seminar for University Li- braries held in Porto Alegre in January 1987, the main topic was the National Plan for University Libraries (PNBu), whose goals included the promotion of'' comput- erization of technical and administrative procedures within university libraries.'' The objectives listed were (a) To develop a network for exchanging of bib- liographic and documentary data with an ex- tensive data bank . . . (b) Maintaining a center which shall supply information concerning li- brary automation ... (c) Encouraging devel- opment of suitable software for achieving auto- mation of all library functions; and (d) Supporting adoption of the CALCO interchange format . . . and ensuring compati- bility with international standards. 15 During the previous year, representa- tives from the major federal university li- braries had visited FGV and the Univer- sity of Sao Paulo (USP) to look at both cataloging systems. The USP system was considered a viable database due to its size. There had been little quality control in the SIBI database, however, and a great many entries had been duplicated. BIB- LIODATA, on the other hand, has main- tained extremely high standards of data input, to the point of offering the partici- pating libraries authority work done by the staff at FGV' s central library. At the Porto Alegre conference, a work- ing group of representatives from the uni- versity libraries was formed to make rec- 80 College & Research Libraries ommendations to the government regard- ing implementation of the steps in the na- tional plan. 16 They recommended that the CALCO format be adopted by university libraries and that FGV be the central net- work office. By June 1987, a great deal of discussion was underway about coordina- tion, contracts, and costs. One of the main problems is coopera- tion. Brazilian librarians are not used to this concept. For example, interlibrary loan is virtually non-existent in Brazil. Murilo da Cunha states that as use of on- line databases increases so will resource sharing; but currently document delivery is the only measurable type of interlibrary loan that occurs. 17 With regard to sharing cataloging, some librarians remark that their library will be providing cataloging for other libraries, but that they will find little in the database for their own use. This sort of skepticism is understandable in light of the fact that online shared cata- loging is a relatively new concept in Brazil. Professor da Cunha, director of the Uni- versity of Brasilia Library and Library School, believes that university libraries in Brazil must join together to achieve their service objectives. According to him, in 1979 there were three million uncataloged books in university libraries; by sharing cataloging via an online network, the processing time and cost will decrease considerably. 18 Economic necessity often spawns resource sharing, and this is cer- tainly a factor motivating Brazilian librari- ans as they look toward online network- ing for help. BEGINNINGS OF A NETWORK: UNITED STATES/BRAZIL Online library networking can be de- fined as ''a group of libraries linked to- gether in a computer and telecommunica- tions system for the purpose of particigating in a common system or ser- vice.'' Certain conditions must exist for networking to succeed. Among the seven listed by Glyn Evans, three exist in Brazil today and a fourth is in development. Economic pressures and the labor- intensive nature of library services, which combine to form one of the conditions nec- essary for networking, are of prime impor- January 1989 tance to Brazilian librarians. Budgets are small and cataloging work is extensive. For example, most periodicals are ana- lyzed because indexes are not available. A great deal of detail goes into cataloging ac- tivities: AACR2 rules and ISBD standards are rigorously applied; authority work is extensive because Brazilian names are complicated. 20 The existence of technical standards, such as the MARC formats, is another condition Evans mentions. The CALCO format is operational and is, in fact, being used by 27 or more libraries sharing the BIBLIODATA system. It has also served as a guide for formats developed indepen- dently at other institutions. Some revision is still being done, notably the addition of new formats and enhancements for biblio- graphic interchange. IBICT began devel- opment of a standard format for biblio- graphic and cataloging interchange called "FORMATO IBICT (Intercambio Biblio- grafico e Catalografico)" in 1981:21 Another factor motivating online net- working is the societal need for timely in- formation. As a developing country, Bra- zil requires access to up-to-date sources of data. According to Rosenberg, "The im- porting of information is critical to na- tional development and [to] the ultimate reduction of dependence on foreign re- sources."22 Evans' fourth condition has to do with the development of online computing and telecommunications. As reported above, Brazil's telecommunications network, RENP AC, began in 1984. A consortium of university libraries would be more likely to afford the costs of RENP AC and INTER- DATA by using a group contract that of- fered discounts for increased usage. But exactly how the university libraries plan to interconnect, or how the Getulio Vargas Foundation can link the libraries to their computer, had not been determined by June 1987. The remaining three items listed by Evans have to do with the volume and va- riety of published material in the United States and the decrease in computing costs. The publishing industry is small in Brazil, and foreign books are expensive and difficult to acquire. However, periodi- cal indexing and other massive data files are needed for access to information. Computing costs, as reported above, are generally higher than in the United States. But the cost of not sharing resources is greater. The conditions outlined above may not be the primary motivations for Brazilian librarians, but they are helping in efforts toward the cooperative develop- ment of a network. At the 1979 Indianapolis Conference on Networks for Networkers, Norman Stevens discussed the fundamental con- cepts of a network. These concepts can be compared to Evans' conditions. More sig- nificantly, however, Stevens pointed out that II the actual developments in the oper- ation of networks ... have shaped the concepts and not the reverse." 23 The de- sign of Brazil's operational network will not imitate development in another coun- try but, rather, will reflect its own history. There are about 850 institutions of higher education in Brazil, 22 of which are federal universities. Twenty-seven li- braries, including the National Library and two federal universities, were using the BIBLIODATA system by June 1987. If the remaining federal university libraries were to participate, FGV could certainly be considered a national bibliographic utility. The development of networks in the United States may serve as an example. OCLC went online in 1971, BALLOTS (now RLIN) in 1972, and WLN in 1975. These bibliographic utilities began as net- works to serve local needs. OCLC, for ex- ample, started at Ohio College Library Center as a statewide network for Ohio. BALLOTS was created to serve Stanford Birth of a Network 81 Libraries and was later acquired by theRe- search Libraries Group (RLG), and be- came RLIN (Research Libraries Informa- tion Network). WLN, first called Washington Library Network, was de- signed by Boeing for the Washington State Library. It is now the Western Li- brary Network. The phenomenal growth of OCLC1 from 100,000 database records in 1971 to over five million within fewer than ten years, might serve as an example to Brazilian li- brarians. Whatever concerns early mem- bers of OCLC had about computerized, shared cataloging were quickly dispelled when the benefits of lower costs, faster processing, and access to an enormous na- tional union catalog were realized. SUMMARY The way has been paved. In late 1987, the FGV came under the auspices of the federal Ministry of Education and Cul- ture. This change can improve financial support, but can also encourage coopera- tion among the federal universities. At the beginning of the present decade, it was noted that "we [the United States] are in the midst of a library revolution as a result of computer-based networking and none of us can predict all of the impacts as change begets chanpe in the evolution of network service.' ' 2 Brazil is now in the midst of a similar library revolution. But many of the problems faced by librarians in a developing country are so different from those encountered in the United States that the outcome-the resultant network-will assuredly operate in dis- tinct and perhaps unusual ways to some U.S. eyes. REFERENCES AND NOTES i. This article is a result of a Research Allocation Grant award by the University of New Mexico in 1986-87 to study library automation in Brazil. 2. The librarians interviewed in Brazil are extraordinarily accommodating people. I wish to thank them all for their hospitality. Especially helpful were Jannice Monte-Mor and Lydia Sambaquy of the Getulio Vargas Foundation, Nice Figueiredo of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Murilo Bastos da Cunha of the University of Brasilia, Dinah Poblacion of the University of Sao Paulo, and Cavan McCarthy of the Catholic University of Pernambuco. 3. Nice Figueiredo, "The Application of Micro-computers in Libraries: A Case Study on Brazil," in The Application of Micro-computers in Information, Documentation and Libraries (Elsevier, North Hol- land, 1987), p.543-48. 82 College & Research Libraries January 1989 4. Peter B. Evans, "State, Capital, and the Transformatton of Dependence: The Brazilian Computer · Case," World Development 14:791-808 Ouly 1986). 5. Ibid ., p .794. 6. Ibid., p.793. 7. Ibid ., p.796 . 8. Cavan M. McCarthy, "Problems of Library and Information System Automation in Brazil," Jour- nal of Information Science 7:149-58 (Dec. 1983). 9. Victor Rosenberg, "Information Policies of Developing Countries: The Case of Brazil," Journal of the American Society for Information Science 33:203-7 Ouly 1982). 10. Cavan McCarthy, The Introduction of Automated Library and Information Services in a Newly Indus- trialised Country: A Case Study of Brazilian Experience (Halifax, Nova Scotia: Dalhousie University, 1986). 11. Janet Frederick, "The Computerization of a Public Library in a Developing Country: Sao Bernardo do Campo, S.P., Brazil," (submitted for publication, 1987). 12. Figueiredo, "The Application of Micro-computers," p .545 . 13. Alice Principe Barbosa, Projecto CALCO: adapta<;ao de MARC II para implanta<;ao de uma central de processamento de cataloga<;ao cooperativa. (Rio de Janeiro, Master's Thesis, 1972). 14. Sistema BIBLIODATA-CALCO (Rio de Janeiro, Funda<;ao Getulio Vargas, 1982); Jannice Monte- Mor, Unpublished history of Sistema BffiLIODATA-CALCO (Rio de Janeiro, FGV, 1985); Mc- Carthy, Introduction of Automated Library and Information Services, p.154-55. 15. National Plan for University Libraries (PNBu) Directive no. 287 (Brasilia, SESu/BIBL./DOC PLAN/86-001, 1986). 16. Janet Frederick, "University Libraries in Brazil to Share Cataloging," College & Research Libraries News 48:201-04 (Apr. 1987). 17. Murilo Bastos da Cunha, "Effects of Data Bases on Brazilian Libraries," (Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Michigan, 1982). 18. Murilo Bastos da Cunha, "Rede de dados bibliograficos no Brasil: uma necessidade real," paper presented at the Fifth National Seminar of University Libraries Oan. 12-14, 1987) Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 19. Glyn T. Evans, ''On-line Library Networking: A Bibliographic Essay,'' Bulletin of the American Soci- ety for Information Science 5:11-14 Oune 1979). 20. Brazilians change their names, spell them differently at various times, and names are often a mix~ ture of Portuguese and another nationality. 21. "Formato ffiiCT," Ciencia da Informa9ao 14:175-80 (July/Dec. 1985). 22. Rosenberg, "Information Policies," p.204. 23. Norman D. Stevens, "An Historical Perspective on the Concept of Networks: Some Preliminary Considerations," in Networks for Networkers (New York: Neal-Schuman, 1980), p.45. 24. Barbara Evans Markuson, "Revolution and Evolution: Critical Issues in Library Network Devel- opment," in Networks for Networkers (New York: Neal-Schuman, 1980), p.5 . In the past, reading instruction has been limited to the lower elementary grades. But because of the widespread criticism of the inability of college students to read, there are indications that in the years just ahead reading instruction will be part of the instructional program of all schools from first grade through college. -Mildred Hawksworth Lowell, ''Reading and the Training School Library ijune 1941), p.229