ABDOS-Tagung, 2005, Bern

EBSEES

Jenny Brine BA, MCILIP, PhDLancaster University LibraryUK

Europäische Bibliographie zur Osteuropaforschung

European Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies

Bibliographie européenne des travaux sur l'ex-URSSet l'Europe de l'Est

EBSEES

History Participation Publication Statistics Use made of it Options for the future

EBSEES

Originated in: Travaux et publications parus en français en …… sur la

Russie et l’URSS [1963-1974] which appeared in Cahiers du Monde Russe et Soviétique

Soviet, East European and Slavonic Studies in Britain ….: a bibliography [1971-1974] which appeared as a supplement to ABSEES: Abstracts Soviet and East European Series

EBSEES

Vol 1, 1975 published 1977 3961 entries Tom Hnik and Paul Valois (UK) Mme Aymard and Mme Armand (France) Covered France, UK, included some

German and Austrian material

EBSEES

Other countries started to contribute: Vol 3 1977 West Germany Vol 6 1980 Austria, Belgium and the

Netherlands Vol 9-10 1983-84 Finland Vol 21 1995 Switzerland

EBSEES

Vol. 2 1976 published 1979 1-2 published by University of Birmingham Later volumes published in Paris - Institute

d’Études Slaves & École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales

Publication of printed volumes ceased with vol 21, 1995

EBSEES

Use of ISO transliteration Own classification scheme Typeset from contributors’ cards vols 1-6. Vol 7 1981 onwards computer produced &

indexed using ISIS Vol 15 1989 onwards most contributors

entering data on ISIS

EBSEES: website 1 “Old EBSEES”

Extensive discussions from early 1990s Experiments with ABSEES mid-1990s In the end, hosted by MSH in Grenoble 1998 went public Later moved to MSH Paris

EBSEES: website 1 “Old EBSEES”

Based on ISIS software Unsophisticated searching facilities Contains data for 1990-2000 75,4000 entries Closed 2004

EBSEES - Website 2 - “New EBSEES”

Also hosted by MSH Custom-made data collection and retrieval

software Uses ABSEES Subject Headings, which are based

on LCSH ISO transliteration - but - LC for subject headings Unicode

EBSEES - Organisation 1

Country contributors - very varied arrangements French team’s central role MSH hosts websites and provides software

support Mailing list hosted by [UK] jiscmail

EBSEES: Organisation 2

Website has interfaces in English French and German

Online input screens - password protected Data constantly updated Search screen flexible Data output

EBSEES: Organisation 3

Finance at present: Each country pays for own contributors MSH pays for software development and hosts

website & servers No funding from EU or other European

institutions EBSEES available free-of-charge over the web

EBSEES: Total Citations by Year1971-2000Total: 188,887

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

1971

1973

1975

1977

1979

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

EBSEES:Statistics for 2001 onwards

Number of records in “new” database growing steadily - now nearly 5000

Germany 1300+ Austria 1000, just starting on journals 2001-04 France 900+ Switzerland 500+ UK 300+, mainly theses, some journal articles Netherlands 130+ Belgium 32+ Finland 4+

EBSEES: Statistics: comments & comparisons 1

How well has EBSEES done? ABSEES: 1990-2005 62,000 entries EBSEES: 1990-2005 92,000 entries Most countries did not start contributing data for

2001 onwards until 2003/2004

EBSEES: Statistics: comments & comparisons 2

But how many entries should EBSEES have? Old database 7500 year on average, new only

around 1000 a year so far. For comparison, BIDS/IBSS adds 2000 a week

EBSEES: The users

Sales - Printed volumes - between 330 and 382 a year, to libraries in all parts of the world

Use of websites: no data In the service of science and scholars: anecdotal evidence

EBSEES: value to scholars

Austrian Association of Slavists now relies on EBSEES instead of producing own bibliography

Exhaustive bibliography of Basile Kerblay for CMRS greatly facilitated by EBSEES

Russian scholar working on Annenskij - a great deal of émigré material found through EBSEES

Entries on Ukraine fed into annual bibliography in Bulletin de l’Association française des études ukrainiennes

EBSEES: value to scholars

UK scholar working on linguistic minorities in Austria - found a great deal of material in EBSEES

EBSEES: Options for the future

Abandon EBSEES Continue independently Merge with ABSEES/EBSCO

EBSEES: Abandon??? Slide 1

Many of countries covered now part of EU Wide range of other databases cover our area Very far behind already Software development Insufficient use, not well known

EBSEES: ABANDON??? Slide 2

Retirement of French leadership Need replacement/additional contributors

to get up-to-date or even keep going Need a secure financial base

EBSEES: Work with EBSCO???Advantages Slide 1

Sophisticated search software Technical assistance Searchable using SFX, Metalib, etc Search alongside other databases

EBSEES: Work with EBSCO??? Advantages: slide 2

Possibly digitise printed volumes Possibly merge old & new EBSEES databases Possibly merge with ABSEES Marketing Ensure our work is actually used

EBSEES: Work with EBSCO ????Disadvantages

Loss of autonomy Ownership of data Negotiations with EBSCO Financial issues

EBSEES: Work with EBSCO ????Disadvantages

Transliteration problems Language issues Old classification incompatible with

ABSEES

EBSEES: Continue independently 1

MSH willing to continue to host WEBSEES MSH willing to fund 1 half post Centre d’Études Slaves/CNRS willing to host EBSEES,

may provide some staff Software development largely completed Sufficient contributors for some countries

EBSEES: Continue independently 2

Subject headings working Contributors now familiar with input

screens Worthwhile amount of data now amassed Past investment of time and money

beginning to pay off

EBSEES: Continue independently: Desiderata 1

MSH guarantees on hosting & software Firm financial footing Identify UNIQUE SELLING POINTS Marketing and publicity

EBSEES: Continue independently: Desiderata 2

List of subject headings available to users as well as compilers

Journals lists available to users and compilers Facilities to count & analyse use of EBSEES Improvements in data entry and search screens

EBSEES: Thanks

École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales - hosts since vol. 3 (1977)

Maison des Sciences de l’Homme - hosting the database, technical support

L’Équipe française Swiss National Library