THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY
DOESN’T PASS
THROUGH MY TOWN
A Paper
Presented by
Annette D. Melgosa, MA
Associate Librarian at
AIIAS, Philippines
at the
20th Annual Conference of the
Association of Seventh-day
Adventist
Librarians,
July 9-16, 2000
Andrews University
Berrien Springs, Michigan
THE INFORMATION HIGHWAY
DOESN’T PASS
THROUGH OUR TOWN
Computer Technology
began and developed in a handful of wealthy countries. Industry standards in IT serve those
countries very well. However, they
often ignore the conditions in much of the rest of the world.
Within the library
industry, it is no different.
Electronic delivery of journals, web-based research, electronic ILL and
other forms of electronic cooperation between libraries presuppose basic
economic and infrastructure conditions that are not easily attainable in much
of the world. These industry standards
also presuppose an automated library. But
state-of-the-art automated library systems are beyond the reach of many libraries
around the world.
This presentation
will be based on the experience of libraries in the Philippines. Facts will be presented from (1) a survey
of Library Administration students at Adventist International Institute of
Advanced Studies (AIIAS) in the Philippines, and (2) a case study of the AIIAS
library automation project.
(1) Survey: Twenty-five students who are currently
enrolled in an MA in Education with specialization in Library Administration at
AIIAS and who represent 22 SDA schools across the Philippines contributed to
this presentation through their participation in a survey. I will try to share with you the results of
that survey clearly yet with sensitivity.
My utmost respect for the students, their schools and their
administrators, all of whom face enormous challenges, prompts me to share this
presentation with you today. It is my
hope that, in this way, I can begin to make a difference in the way the
profession, and particularly Adventist librarians and educational policy
makers, view their responsibilities for ensuring access to information.
(2) Case Study: AIIAS, an Adventist University located in
the Philippines, is currently involved in automating all of its library
services. AIIAS can only partially serve as an example of the issues faced in a
country such as the Philippines because finances were not a problem. For many institutions in this part of the
world, the financial burden is an insurmountable one. AIIAS did, however, face such things as availability of reliable
electrical installations and Internet connections along with uncertain levels
of local expertise. From this perspective, AIIAS can serve as a case study.
Finally, some
suggestions and possible solutions will be presented. It is my hope that this presentation will raise the awareness of
those who are blessed to come from financially sound economies to the issues
faced by our colleagues elsewhere.
Perhaps by sharing professional concerns with each other, we can continue
to creatively seek solutions to the growing worldwide disparities within our
profession and within our libraries.
BACKGROUND ON THE PHILIPPINES
The Philippines is a
country made up of over 7,100 volcanic islands, which spread along Southeast
Asia’s continental coast between Japan and Indonesia. To the west is the South China Sea and to the east the Philippine
Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The
Philippines lies between 5E and 20E latitude in the Northern Hemisphere. Three island groups make up the country:
Luzon, the largest island in the north (where Manila is located), the Visayan
group of islands in the center of the country, and Mindanao, the second-largest
island, which lies in the south. The Philippines is considered a tropical
country with two seasons...the wet and dry seasons. Temperatures range between
70 and 100 degrees.
Filipinos descend
from the Malay peoples of Malaysia and Indonesia, but many also have Chinese,
Spanish or American ancestors. Official
census figures for the year 2000 are not yet available but the estimated
population of the Philippines taken from the Infoplease website of
Lycos, is 81 million.
Politically, the
Philippines of today rose out of 300 years of Spanish rule and 33 years of
American and Japanese occupation. After
a brief period of democracy in the mid-1900s, they began a period of
dictatorship rule by the late President Ferdinand Marcos that lasted for 21
years until 1986. In 1987, the
Philippines established a constitutional government with an elected president,
vice president, congress and judicial system.
Unlike most other
Asian countries, the Philippines is basically a Christian country. Ninety-one percent of the population is
Christian with 84 percent of those being Catholic. The remainder of the population belongs to Islam, Buddhism or
other religions.
Economically, the
Philippines experienced growth in the early 1990s but suffered economic
recession along with its Asian neighbors through the late 1990's. It is now in the process of recovery. According to the Human Development Index,
which is published annually in the Human Development Report of the United
Nations, the Philippines currently ranks 77 out of 174 nations. It ranks beside nations such as Ecuador,
Saudi Arabia and Brazil. (The HDI
combines economic factors with other lifestyle factors such as life expectancy
and literacy rates to come up with an index of standard of living. For more information on the HDI, see the
following website: http://www.undp.org/hdro/HDI.html). According to the National Statistics Office
(NSO) of the Philippines, average annual family income in 1997 was P123,168 or
$2,932 (exchange rate of P42 to $1).
Functional literacy
rates in 1994 were 83.8% (NSO, Philippines).
Philippine law requires all children from the age of 7 to 12 to attend
school and although all children do not attend, functional literacy rates in 1994
are comparatively high.
On the positive
side, librarianship in the Philippines is a growing profession. Laws now regulate the profession, specifying
the qualifications of librarians, as well as their responsibilities and legal
obligations. An official association
currently functions as do government-approved degrees and government
examination and licensure. The National
Library of the Philippines, which now contains nearly 1 million volumes, leads
the country in library awareness. A
system of public and academic libraries exists. In fact, the National Library has a network of public libraries
to which they allocate books and other resources.
However, the
situation is not all positive. In
general, there is very little funding for libraries. Schools and even public libraries often suffer from limited
funding for acquisitions and look to donations as alternative sources. Environmental factors such as climate and
infestation mean that buildings, shelving and collections are often in poor
condition.
Automation in
Philippine libraries came late and is still a problem for most. An informal survey of several large
institutional libraries shows that they are struggling to move from either
card-based cataloging or outdated DOS-based systems. Problems range from such things as financial ability to purchase
state-of-the-art systems to converting card catalogs to online ones. The National Library of the Philippines, for
example, is currently working to install a new library system to replace its
old DOS-based system. But even when the
new system is in place, they will continue to face the problem of converting
their card catalog to online form.
Currently only about 10 percent of catalog records are in electronic
format.
ADVENTIST LIBRARIES IN THE PHILIPPINES
In preparation for
this presentation, I administered a written survey to 25 teacher/librarians who
are currently enrolled in the MA in Education/specialization in Library
Administration program at AIIAS. All
are Filipinos. They represent 22
elementary schools, high schools and colleges.
Survey Results
In the Philippines,
elementary school includes grades 1 through 6.
High school begins with grade 7 and finishes with grade 10. College begins with grade 11 and goes to
grade 14. Of the 22 schools
represented, 11 were elementary, 9 were high schools and 2 were colleges.
The schools are
located in all areas of the Philippines.
Five are from the northern island of Luzon, 9 are located on various
islands in the central Philippines, and 8 are in the southernmost island of
Mindanao. Approximately 73 percent of
these schools are located within a city or a town while 27 percent are rural.
The schools also
vary in size. Fourteen percent have less than 200 students, 63 percent have
between 200 and 399 students, 9 percent have between 400 and 500 students and
three schools, or 14 percent, have between 500 and 2000 students. Forty-one percent of schools have 9 or fewer
teachers, while 45 percent have between 10 and 19. Fourteen percent have 20 or more teachers in the school.
Based on the survey,
the average monthly teacher’s salary in the Philippines is $207 (P8,300). Forty-two percent of elementary schools
surveyed charge between $4 and $7 (P180-P300) tuition per month. Twenty-five percent
charge between $9 and $12 (P400 - P500) per month. On the high school level, a full 20 percent only charge between
$5 and $7 (P200-300) per month. Sixty
percent charge between $9 and $21 (P400-900), and only 20 percent charge $24
(P1000) or more per month. Colleges
charge approximately $3.50 (P150) per college credit.
What do these
figures mean? If a school has 10
teachers and 300 students, for example, and they charge $7 (P300) per month,
they would be receiving $2,100 (P90,000) per month but would be paying over
$2,000 (P84,000) in salaries. It is
true that these figures do not include conference or union subsidies. Even so,
it should be obvious that there is not much financial room to maneuver.
Answers to questions
regarding community IT infrastructure show that infrastructure in some locales
is a problem. Nearly 10 percent of the
respondents indicated that they still do not have access to telephone lines in
their communities. Thirty-two percent
of respondents indicated that there were no computer vendors available
locally. And 41percent responded that
there were no Internet providers available locally.
When asked whether
or not their schools had computers, 36 percent either have none or only have 1
or 2. Those with only one or two
computers indicated that these were located in the principal or treasurer’s
offices. Only 32 percent of responses
correspond to computers in the library.
All respondents
answered that they had a school library, though later on, some indicated that
their library was not functioning.
Thirty-six percent of the libraries represented hold between 1-999
volumes, while 27 percent have 1000-4,999 volumes. A further 23 percent have 5000-10,000 volumes and one library, or
5 percent, has above 10,000 volumes. Nine percent did not respond.
When asked how many
volumes had been purchased in the previous three years, over 40 percent of
respondents indicated that they had purchased either no book or had purchased
no more than 99 books within the last three-year period. Fourteen percent either did not respond or
said they did not know. Even assuming
that some of these responses come from teachers rather than librarians, if 100
or more books had been added to the school’s library, I believe most teachers
would be aware of this. Therefore, it
is probably safe to combine the two groups. Doing so shows that 54 percent of
schools purchased less than 100 books over a three-year period. Combined with the fact that of the
respondents, 18 declared themselves to be either the librarian or one of the
school administrators yet only 3 knew what the library budget was, it is safe
to say that money is not being spent on the libraries in SDA schools in the
Philippines.
Respondents also had
the opportunity to give comments.
Several concerns were voiced repeatedly. Three respondents specifically indicated that they had a poor,
out-of-date collection. Six indicated
that the building and collection were their primary concerns while 7 indicated
that automation is not their first priority.
Ten indicated that they could not automate because they lacked
computers, finances or administrative support. (It should be stated here
that 5 indicated
that they had good administrative support.)
Sixteen respondents indicated that they do not currently have Internet
in their schools. But from the
comments provided, it is clear that budget, building, collection and time
limitations were the major concerns.
Issues Facing SDA
Libraries in the Philippines
From the questionnaire, we can summarize that the main issues facing SDA libraries in the Philippines are:
· Lack of understanding on the part of school administration of the importance of the library’s role in the school
· Many librarians have no library training
· Many librarians are also full-time teachers and their time is limited
· Few libraries have a designated library budget that is respected
· Limited access to books and computer supplies
AUTOMATION AT THE ADVENTIST INTERNATIONAL
INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES (AIIAS)
The Adventist International Institute of
Advanced Studies is an international Seventh-day Adventist university. It was set up to serve the needs of the
church throughout Asia. It belongs to
no division. Instead it belongs to the
General Conference and is the only General Conference educational institution
outside of North America. It is located
in the Philippines for three basic reasons: (1) English is one of the official
languages of the Philippines and English is the operational language of AIIAS;
(2) the Philippines is a Christian country providing freedom to operate a
church-owned university; (3) the economic situation of the Philippines is
comparable with that of the nations that AIIAS seeks to serve.
AIIAS is a young institution. The campus is approximately 10 years
old. It is located 30 miles south of
Manila. It is made up of the
Theological Seminary and the School of Graduate Studies. Unique in that its primary purpose is to
serve the graduate needs of the church for the entire Asia region, it offers
master and doctoral-level degrees in the areas of theology, business, education
and public health. Its mission means
that its operational setup is also unique.
Currently AIIAS maintains and operates not only its central campus in
the Philippines but also Distance Learning Centers throughout Asia. Distance Learning Centers are located in
places such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and Japan, to
name only a few. Currently AIIAS has
500+ students studying in its Distance Learning Centers and 150 students
studying on its central campus.
In 1998 AIIAS administration requested the
librarians to prepare a funding proposal for library automation to be submitted
to the Board. The proposal was
submitted and approved and funding became available in the second half of
1999. Serious work toward automation
began in July of 1999 and a new integrated library automation system was
installed in February 2000.
It should be emphasized here that finances
were not a constraining issue for AIIAS.
The automation project has sufficient funding. In this regard, AIIAS cannot serve as an example for other
institutions in similar settings. Most
institutions in similar settings do not have a budget for automation. That is the main limiting factor. Having said this, however, there are a
number of other concerns that institutions in developing countries face and
AIIAS faced most of them and can serve to highlight these problems.
Electrical Infrastructure
Electrical output is unpredictable. This results in frequent brownouts as well
as fluctuating levels of electricity.
While AIIAS is not in a remote location, neither is it in the capital city. It is located in one of the provinces and
suffers the inconveniences of province life.
The specific problems we face are:
• Brownouts. Brownouts in the Philippines are still a frequent occurrence. Particularly during peak hours, when levels of consumption are higher than levels of production, brownouts can occur and may last several hours.
Solution: AIIAS installed its own
generator. Again this is an expensive
option not available to many institutions.
The generator starts a few seconds after a brownout has occurred. The library has put individual UPSs on all
of its computers to cover this short down time. In addition, we have installed software on the UPS that is
attached to the server, which will shut down the server properly if the UPS
battery runs out.
• Fluctuating electricity. Next to AIIAS there is a large factory. Production levels at the factory affect electricity coming through the lines. If the factory is operating at full levels of production, voltage is affected. Normal power is supplied at 220 volts. And computer equipment is built to handle variations between 200 and 240 volts. However, when the factory is operating at full capacity, power reaching AIIAS may be lower than 200. If the factory cuts production suddenly or switches to its generator, voltage can soar far above 240.
Solution: We have only arrived at a partial
solution. The individual UPSs should
protect the equipment against power dips and spikes. However, because UPS switches are mechanical in nature, it takes
a fraction of a second to switch over to battery-operated power. This means that occasionally a dip or spike
can slip past the UPS and hit the computer.
(We recently lost two hard drives because of this.)
• Electrical installation. Methods for wiring differ from country to country and from location to location. On the AIIAS campus, the wiring is a two-wire method in which both wires are live and there is no neutral. Computers are manufactured for the 3-wire system and often have a much shorter life when plugged into the two-wire system.
Solution: The library chose to rewire the
area where the network was to be installed.
All networked computers are on the new 3-wire line.
Climate
The climatic conditions of a tropical country
are particularly hard on electronic equipment.
Constant high levels of humidity mixed with constant mid to high range
temperatures cause computer failure. We
have the example of a computer purchased in 1998 for the library. Six months later, it failed. When the computer technician opened it, he
discovered that the cause of the failure was a rusted motherboard. Dehumidifiers are not readily available in
the Philippines, probably because you cannot survive unless you have the
windows open, which defeats the purpose of the dehumidifier. The only solution therefore is 24-hour air
conditioning. This is not an option for
financially struggling institutions that cannot afford high electric rates.
Solution:
The library installed central air conditioning in the area where the
computer network is located. We
purchased the air conditioning unit through a surplus outlet and our own
electricians installed it. This reduced
cost by about half. However, we must
live with the high electric bills.
Hardware
There are three main problems with hardware
in a developing country. The three are
availability, quality, and support.
• Availability. Some hardware is not available. For example, one of the requirements of our library system was tape backup. We struggled with this because we could not find tape backups in the Philippines large enough to handle the system and the database.
Solution: We finally decided to use a
different form of backup. We chose to
back up to hard drives. This was
possible only because we have knowledgeable technical support on campus. The process involved writing script and
logarithms to bypass the normal backup script and to set up the schedules for
the backups to hard drives. We then installed three hard disks internally in
the server. One contains the operating
system and the backup of the library database.
The second contains the library system and database, and the third
mirrors the operating system, library system and database. In this way, should one hard disk fail, we
can switch to the
mirror with minimal down time. We then purchased three removable hard
drives that are used to hold copies of the daily, weekly and monthly backups.
• Quality. Unfortunately, computer equipment in countries that do not have strong consumer rights laws are often suspect, and computers or components can sometimes be defective. It is therefore imperative not only to purchase reputable name brands but to purchase from reputable suppliers as well. This can help to minimize risk of hardware failure.
Solution:
We purchased from a supplier who has an excellent reputation for
after-purchase support and servicing.
We also chose to purchase branded components and to have the supplier
build the computers for us. In this
way, we had some guarantees as to what was inside and yet we saved a bit of
money by not buying branded computers.
This has not entirely freed us from technical difficulties...we’ve had
two hard drive failures so far. However
the supplier did honor the warrantees on the drives and replaced them at no
cost.
• Support. In many rural areas of the world, support is hard to find. Unfortunately, computer expertise is limited to cities. If you are not located in a city, there is no support. 800 numbers are non-existent. This means that you must try to maintain in-house technical support. Church salaries and membership policies for church employment limit the pool of available experts.
Solution:
AIIAS has an excellent computer technician. However, personnel changes in the computer department occurred
right at the beginning of implementation of the library system and threatened
to derail the entire project. We were
lucky. Other schools may not be so
fortunate.
Software
Availability of library systems is often
limited in developing countries. Most
companies offering mid to large range systems (here I’m talking about systems
ranging from $20,000 on up) do not choose to invest in countries where the
market is small or uncertain. Of course
small systems are available for purchase directly through the Internet (here I
refer to systems that are free or that cost up to $5,000). However, these systems rarely offer local
support, (something that may be important where expertise is low and hardware
casualty is high).
Solution:
Our library chose to go with a system that was locally supported because
we were looking for a mid-range system. This decision limited our options
substantially. Even so, we are glad we
chose to give importance to local support.
Our system’s Asian headquarters are in Singapore. We are only an email away from them. They contracted local support to a company
in Manila. They require that we have
software installed on the server that allows them to have remote access. If there is a problem, either their
representative in Manila or Regional HQ will work on the problem through remote
connection. If they cannot solve the
problem in this way, the local Manila representative will visit on site. So far we have had no complaints in the area
of support.
Internet
• Availability. Again, Internet is not yet widespread throughout the world. Major cities have Internet providers, but outside of city centers, many areas of the world are still unconnected. This is due in part to national infrastructure problems such as lack of phone lines in some areas. I am not necessarily talking here about remote locations. AIIAS is located 30 miles from the capital city of the Philippines. We are located on one of the main roads that run south from Manila and we are in a large town. Yet it was less than two years ago that an Internet provider set up business in the area. Before then, we had to contract with an Internet provider located in Manila. That meant long distance phone charges each time we connected. Even when a local Internet provider did become available, service was slow and unreliable.
• Speed. There are not enough cables and systems linking developing countries with the rest of the world. This means that all Internet traffic leaves the country through one or two exit points. Another problem is that leased lines and fiber optic cabling are still prohibitively expensive. Most people who are fortunate enough to have Internet still operate with normal phone lines. In summary, Internet browsing is slow, expensive and often impractical.
Solution:
AIIAS has chosen to go with a satellite connection. We recently purchased a satellite contract
with the only Internet Satellite company in the Philippines. They have installed a satellite dish on
campus to which our campus-wide computer network is connected. The problem is that the system is still new
and virtually
untested in the Philippines. We occasionally lose our connection to the
satellite. It is also expensive. Hopefully, these problems will work
themselves out over time.
Summary
To summarize, AIIAS has automated in spite of
problems such as:
· Electrical infrastructure
· Climate
· Risks in hardware availability and reliability
· Limited software options
· Limited Internet options
These are real issues in most developing
countries. And they are issues that,
even with money (which in many cases will not be available), can often only be
partially resolved. Even before IT,
when libraries relied entirely upon hard copies of books and journals, it was
difficult for most libraries in developing countries to keep pace with their
more affluent partners in the west due to financial restraints. Remember the tuition and salary figures I
quoted earlier? Added to these financial restraints (which have gotten no
better), libraries now have to cope with national or local infrastructure
problems that make automation difficult, and in some places, impossible.
SOLUTIONS
There is one question I would like to raise
today. Only one. If some of our SDA libraries cannot
participate in automation and in computer technology, then where does that leave
them in an industry where online access is becoming the standard? You know what I’m talking about. We are already facing the issue. Some journals and indexes are already
ceasing to publish in hard copy. If a
library does not have access to Internet or even to computers, how will it cope
in the future?
I’ve asked you the question. I do not have the answer. I have some
ideas. And I hope that as I share these
ideas, some of you will analyze them and challenge them. Many of you are IT experts. I am not. But I am faced with the problems and I am
bringing them to you, my colleagues and friends.
Two ideas have occurred to me. They may seem “bigger than life” to some of
you. But “bigger than life” ideas
adopted by a few individuals who refuse to give up on them have frequently
changed the world. So here they are:
Consortia
The first one is based upon the model of
consortia that has developed here in the US.
I am not sure, but perhaps the idea can be applied cross-culturally and
put to good use in other parts of the world.
Web based systems today mean that remote libraries can link through one
piece of software for much less than individual systems would cost. The AIIAS library system, for example, has
the capability of linking any number of
“branch libraries” together without purchasing the whole system for each
library. Only branch licenses need to
be purchased.
Perhaps rather than expecting every
institution to have its own full-fledged IT system, we should think in terms of
consolidating. By setting up
centralized units (at major SDA universities or institutions) and providing
them with the software, the licenses for full text databases and the expertise
to keep things running, the church could spread its limited resources. Smaller institutions could join the
consortium for a fee.
Infrastructure issues would need to be looked
at on an individual country basis, but in the same way that the church was able
to carry out a program of mass installation of satellite dishes all around the
world for its satellite evangelism, it seems to me that if the will were there,
we could also find solutions to our computer infrastructure problems around the
world.
Centralized Selection and Purchase
A second idea is one for smaller institutions
(such as local schools) that would never be able to afford even a consortium
fee. If the Educational Departments of
every Division were to assign someone to look into smaller systems (free - up
to $3,000) and to select one or two that would best meet the needs of the schools
in their areas, I am sure that a negotiated bulk purchase price would reduce
the cost of the software to one that is affordable for most.
CONCLUSION
Our libraries around the world need
help. Of course financial help is
always welcome. And a certain amount is
necessary if anything is to be done.
But that is not the way to provide lasting, long-term assistance. Adventist libraries around the world
(including many school libraries right here in North America) need this
organization to offer its voice and its expertise in order to help them find
the necessary solutions. ASDAL is
the voice of Seventh-day Adventist Librarians.
It seems to me that we have not only the opportunity, but also the
obligation to play a vital role in alerting the church to these issues within
our profession.
Perhaps it is time for us to work towards a
link with the General Conference, the divisions and unions so we can act in an
advisory capacity. I don’t know if we
could offer an advisory service or set up regional liaison committees whose job
it would be to offer our corporate advice to the church. I do not know. But I do know that ASDAL is probably the best chance SDA
libraries have to finding long-term answers to these difficult questions.
APPENDIX
Survey Form Administered to 25 Librarians
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Name: |
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Position:
(Teacher/Librarian/Both/ Administrator/etc.) |
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Name of School: |
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