International Training Program on "INFORMATION": STIMULATE= Scientific
and Technological Information Management in Universities and
Libraries: an Active Training Environment (Edition 7)
http://www.vub.ac.be/BIBLIO/itp/
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The program is planned to take place mainly in Brussels, Belgium,
for 3 months from May 2 to July 27, 2007

Language used is English.

Our motto is "Helping educators and innovators to advance knowledge
and to enrich lives"

Context and evolution of the program:
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The initiative has been approved by the Flemish Interuniversity Council
(VLIR) and is sponsored by the Belgian Government (the directorate named
DGOS since December 2002). This fits in a series of similar international
training activities that have been organized since 1991, named MIST 1, 2,
3, KNOW-HOW, and STIMULATE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

This initiative is aimed primarily at persons with a university degree
(Bachelor or Master), who work in universities, information and
documentation centres, and libraries, including of course university
libraries, and who have a few years of practical experience.

The term Active Training Environment in the title of the training program
reflects our wish to create an environment in which each participant is
stimulated to get involved actively, supported by the lecturers and the
infrastructure provided by the training program. This fits well into the
general, worldwide trend away from "teaching" to "learning management".

Aim / goal of the training program:
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The main aim and goal of this International Training Program is to offer a
stimulating learning environment to the participants. These are young
scientists and professionals who have a function as information
intermediary in the area of science and technology, so as to sharpen their
skills in collecting, storing, retrieving, presenting and managing
information. This can be of great benefit to the teaching and research
activities going on in their institute and to the further development of
their organisation and region.

This initiative corresponds well with the basic, general aim of all VLIR
the International Training Programs: to train young scientists and
professionals from developing countries in a domain that is relevant for
the further development of the country, and to stimulate the participants
to transfer their increased knowledge and skills to their colleagues and
other stakeholders in their home country.

More specific objectives of the training program:
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-- to provide participants with a clearer view on the importance of
information in general and for their environment in particular, and on how
to manage information:
summarised: "Management in libraries and information centres"

-- to learn the participants to cope with modern technology, in view of the
increasing importance of ICT;
summarised: "Information and communication technology for libraries and
information centres"
-- to guide them in retrieving information that is publicly accessible on
an international scale:
summarised: "Information retrieval/searching"
and
-- to learn them to store, organise, present, manage, publish information
resources at personal, institutional, regional or national level:
summarised: "Information architecture"

After being actively involved in this International Training Program, every
participant will have improved the ability

-- to appreciate and explain the importance of access to information for
their organisation

-- to present information to users and potential users, using appropriate
information technology

-- to train interested persons in the use and management of information,
using appropriate presentation techniques

-- to contribute to the planning of the (further) development of an
information service

-- to communicate through the Internet with users of information,
information providers, colleagues,…

-- to apply quantitative methods in decision making related to information
systems and services

-- to retrieve information from the Internet

-- to store information for later retrieval and access by potential users,
using information technology

Contents of the program:
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3 months means about 10 weeks or about 50 days.

During about 3 days per week for 10 weeks = 30 days, the participants will
be guided by professors and other experts.

During the other 2 days per week for 10 weeks = 20 days, they will work on
tasks=assignments as individuals or in groups, and their reports will be
presented and discussed afterwards again guided by professors and other
experts.

The sessions are organised in such a way that
--the first month = introduction level,
--the second month = intermediate level, and
--the third month = more advanced level.
Thanks to this approach and organisation, it may make sense to participate
exceptionally during only one or two of the three months, depending on
expertise. However, the available scholarships are granted only to persons
who will participate for the full three months.

To start with, the participants are offered an orientation tour of the
University and the University Library. Then some of the following subjects
are covered. Of course, due to the limited available time, not all the
mentioned subjects can be discussed in each training program, but a
SELECTION will be made by the organisers. The concrete content of each
training program depends on the availability of suitable expert lecturers
from Belgium and from abroad during the period of the training program. As
soon as possible, the concrete schedule is made available through the WWW
site of the program.

1. Management in libraries and information centers:

Statistics to support decision making for information science and for
library management.
Business plans for libraries and information centers.
Using spreadsheets in the management of libraries and information centers.
Collection development.
Consortia of libraries for the acquisition of electronic journals and
databases.
Scientific writing methods.
ISBD = International Standard Bibliographic Description.
Formats for computer-based cataloguing; MARC formats.
National libraries and national bibliographies.
Knowledge organisation: subject classification schemes; thesaurus systems,
ontologies.
Citation analysis.
Assessing the influence of scientific journals; citations and impact factors.
The bibliometric laws.
Scientometrics.
Architecture of libraries and information centers.
Orientation of information users; relations with information users.
Interlibrary lending and co-operation; document delivery.
Development of a national or regional information network.
The information society.
Cultural aspects of the information society and information technology
transfer.
Copyright; information security; trans-border data flow.
Writing a project proposal (for instance related to the establishment of an
information network).
Conservation/preservation of printed documents.
Conservation/preservation of digital documents.
Informetric aspects of the Internet.
Artificial intelligence and knowledge representation in information science.
Electronic journals: implementation in a library.
Integration of e-learning environments and library services.
Libraries involvement in scientific publishing.
International co-operation projects.

2. Information and communication technology for libraries and information
centers:

Microcomputer systems: evolution of hardware.
Disks for computers.
CD-ROM.
CD-ROM in a local area network.
CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW.
Microcomputer operating systems.
Microcomputer systems: applications software.
Text editing; word processing; desktop publishing.
Presentation of data, using a microcomputer.
Creating charts to present information.
Image processing; graphics file formats; photo/image editing.
Multimedia / Hypermedia.
Data communication; computer networks; Internet.
Internet services.
Client-server systems.
Electronic mail.
World-Wide Web; hypertext and hypermedia.
Data-communications networks and librarians.
Selecting and procuring a computer system; writing a proposal for a
computer implementation.
Providing access to information through public Internet workstations.
Methods for access to databases through Internet: telnet, http/WWW, Z39.50
and ISO239.50, Open Archives Initiative - Metadata Harvesting Protocol.

3. Information retrieval/searching:

Introductory concepts about information.
Internet-based information resources: introduction.
Bibliographic databases.
The information industry and the information market.
Online information retrieval and database searching; search tactics and
strategies.
Internet search engines.
Information available free of charge; open access.
Online access databases about journal articles.
Electronic newsletters and journals.
Computer-network based interest groups.
Patent information.
Online systems versus CD-ROM.
Citation searching.
Theoretical and quantitative aspects of information retrieval.
Evaluating the quality of information sources.
Evaluation of information retrieval strategies and systems.

4. Information architecture:

Basic, fundamental, theoretical concepts.
Software packages for local storage and retrieval of bibliographic information.
Introduction to the ISIS software package family for information storage
and retrieval.
The application of ISIS: searching, editing data in a database, output of
selected data to file or printer; developing a database structure; indexing
data for fast retrieval; ISIS for Windows; WINISIS; history and future of
ISIS; programming in ISIS.
Formats: MARC; application of MARC in ISIS.
Databases (and ISIS in particular) through the WWW.
Downloading of information and record format conversion.
Relational databases.
Library automation.
Online Public Access Catalogues (OPACs).
Archives and records management.
Archives in the domain of science and technology.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS): an introduction.
Developing a web site; HTML, CSS, XML, XSL; intranets; developing an intranet.
Evaluating web sites.
Dynamic web pages.
Developing co-operative community WWW sites; Web contents management systems.
Setting up an electronic newsletter.
Extensions of the classical WWW. (Client-based and server-based).

Study visits:
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In addition to the courses taking place at the university campus, study
visits are organised.
A selection from the following possible visits is made:
--to the Royal (National) Library, in Brussels, Belgium
--to the European Patent Office in Brussels, Belgium
--to the Information Service of the Geology Department of the Royal Museum
on Africa, in Tervuren near Brussels, Belgium
--to the inter-university postgraduate school on information and library
science at the University of Antwerp, Belgium
--to the library of the University of Antwerp, Belgium
--to the human sciences library of the University of Antwerp in old Antwerp
city, Belgium
--to the old central library and to the modern science and technology
library of the KUL (university) in Leuven, Belgium
--to the VLIZ marine science information and documentation centre near the
sea coast in Oostende / Ostend, Belgium
--to the library of the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerpen
/ Antwerp, Belgium
--to the central library of the University of Gent / Ghent, Belgium
--to the Documentation Department of the KIT (the Royal Tropical
Institute), and to the high school on libraries, documentation and
information, both in Amsterdam, Nederland / The Netherlands
--to the headquarters of IFLA and to the National, Royal Library in Den
Haag / The Hague, in Nederland / The Netherlands
--to the Institute for Social Studies (ISS) in Den Haag / The Hague, in
Nederland / The Netherlands

More culturally oriented guided visits are also organised; these may
include trips to the old cities of Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, Amsterdam,
Paris, and to the North Sea coast.

Soon after the start of the program, each participant presents to the other
participants and to interested lecturers his/her interests, working
environment, planning, tasks, experience. This is organised with printed
posters in a small poster exhibition with time allotted for stimulating and
ice-breaking discussions.

At the end of the course, each participant completes a presentation
supported by slides managed on computer, with constructive comments on the
training program experienced and with concrete recommendations to the
organisers of this training program and to the director of their own
organisation.

About half of the time, the participants are guided by experts who are
invited to the university. They use the other half time to solve problems,
to make exercises, to use microcomputers and the Internet, to prepare
discussions, for self study...

Besides the formal, guided course activities, the participants have access
like any regular student at our university
--to several rooms equipped with microcomputers connected to the Internet,
--to the university library which offers printed material, CD-ROMs and PCs
with Internet access,
--to the university restaurant and to sport facilities at low student prices.

At the end of the program all participants obtain a certificate stating
that they have indeed participated, with a reference to the full detailed
overview of the program contents on the WWW site of the program.
Several substantial parts of the program are followed by an evaluation by
the responsible expert of the knowledge and skills acquired by each
participant; this can lead to a certificate of active and successful
participation.

Participants should of course bring a notebook or laptop computer, if they
have one available.
Ideally they should buy or rent a personal notebook computer as soon as
they arrive, assisted by the program organisers.

More information and details:
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STIMULATE 7, 2007
http://www.vub.ac.be/BIBLIO/itp/stimulate7/index.html
pnieuwen@...

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BIBLIOS: Boletín - Bulletin
Bibliotecología y Ciencias de la Información para Latinoamérica y el Mundo
Librarianship and Information Science for Latin America and the World
http://www.bibliosperu.com
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