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The Role of KazgosINTI in Formation of National Information Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Agriculture
KEMBAEV Beket, SMIRNOVA N. and SADVAKASOVA S. Kazakh State Research Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, Almaty, KAZAKHSTAN

The problem of saturation of the market with foodstuffs and support of agriculture is of top priority in economy of Kazakhstan. So the Program of small business development and support and Republican and branch scientific and technical programs are aimed to tackle this problem.

The Kazakh State Research Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (KazgosINTI) in 1997 surveyed the situation with information provision of these programs. 85.5% of researchers are to confine themselves to reading abstracts in abstract journals generally because of unavailability of original foreign literature and poor knowledge of foreign languages.

The analysis showed a catastrophic reduction of input flow of scientific and technical literature and documentation, including these on agricultural and related subjects, to the stocks of the leading libraries of the Republic. So, in 1996 as compared to 1991 the total volume of acquisition of the specialized Republican Scientific Agricultural Library (RSAL) was reduced by 9.5 times. The situation is aggravated by a significant decrease in the number of regional agricultural libraries.

The republican target scientific and technical program "The development of the public system of scientific and technical information of the Republic of Kazakhstan" has positively changed the current situation in the field of information provision. At present the central libraries of the Republic generate electronic catalogs of acquisitions intended to be transferred to KazgosINTI for further scientific processing of domestic and foreign of scientific and technical information flows.

Agricultural and related subjects are reflected in the multi-subject factographic and documentary databases (DB), about 50% of research publications of agricultural organizations are presented in the automated DB "New technologies" in KazgosINTI. KazgosINTI also generates 5 agricultural DBs: "Farming and forestry", "Animal husbandry", "Veterinary", "Mechanization and electrification of agricultural production" and "Food and processing industry", edits Bulletin and abstract collections of research publications of series "Food industry. Agriculture and forestry. Fishery", Abstract Journal of series "Agriculture and forestry. Food industry". During 1994-1998 about 3851 published scientific papers and technical documents of Kazakhstan authors in the field of agriculture were included in the Abstract Journal.

The problems of agriculture are also reflected in the Abstract Collection "Deposited scientific papers", scientific Collection "Science news in Kazakhstan", information lists about scientific and technical developments and production experience. The staff of the Institute and its regional centers in cooperation with the leading scientists of agricultural universities prepare analytical and review information on actual problems in agriculture of Kazakhstan. KazgosINTI in 1999 became a participant of the International Information AGRIS and CARIS Network. In the frame of AGRIS/CARIS project it is anticipated to create an informational center with the tasks as follows:

  • introduction of modern automated technologies into the process of preparation and transfer of the Kazakhstan scientific and information products to the International community in English;
  • training of scientists and specialists of the Republic in using AGRIS/CARIS databases;
  • organization of quick access of the users to the required information;
  • organization of information service to provide data on the results of scientific research and advanced foreign agricultural technologies in the Kazakh language for Kazakhstan scientists and specialists.