The goals of the enquiry are threefold:

• It should give the BeZIG and WG-LIB an overview of the present state of affairs concerning the automated library management systems in use, the cataloguing practice and the Z39.50 implementation in Belgian libraries.
• By probing the opinions, expectations and potential engagements of libraries regarding a co-operative action to implement the Z39.50 protocol in Belgium, the enquiry should enable BeZIG and WG-LIB to define priorities, set out a realistic course and inform and advise the existing library consultative bodies about it.
• By addressing a large number of libraries and documentation centres in Belgium it will bring the existence and mission of WG-LIB to the fore and create some awareness with respect to future developments in the Belgian library landscape.

WG-LIB is representing the libraries of the BelNET institutions. It is therefor appropriate that these libraries will be asked to answer the enquiry.

A concerted action for the implementation of Z39.50 should eventually lead to a wider availability of catalogue data. Since many Belgian libraries already aim at this wider availability by contributing their data to the union catalogues Antilope and CCB, all of these libraries have therefor been selected to receive the enquiry.

Besides the libraries of both groups BeZIG identified a number of other important libraries.

In all some 215 libraries have been selected. Please find here the complete list.

As a consequence of the above selection criteria, (BelNET institution and/or dataprovider for Antilope and CCB), public libraries have not been considered for the enquiry. This does not mean that these and other libraries will not be able to profit from the results of the concerted action. If a library, not mentioned in the list, is willing to answer the enquiry, it can obtain here the questionnaire in PDF-format.

The enquiry consists of three parts and a technical annex.

• Part 1 identifies the library and needs to be filled in by all responding libraries.
• Part 2 deals with technical issues related to the library management system (section 1), the cataloguing practice (section 2) and the Z39.50 implementation (section 3). Please follow the guidelines to fill in those parts that are relevant to your library.
• Part 3 concerns the opinions, intentions and potential engagements of libraries and can be answered by all libraries.
• The Technical Annex should be answered by libraries that use or plan to use the Z39.50 library access protocol.

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