28 International Information Systems: Services and Products: INIS

Shalini Lihitkar Waghmare

 

I.  Objectives

 

•    The objectives of this module are: to explain the history of INIS, its structuring, collection, products and publications, and services. The module will also cover India’s role in INIS and its activities and services for scientists requiring nuclear information in India.

 

 

 

II.   Learning Outcome

 

After studying this module, you will learn about the International Nuclear Information system (INIS), its history, Restructuring, Collection, Products and services. INIS a cooperative, decentralized computerized abstracting and indexing system providing worldwide coverage of the literature on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. You will be informed about the history, collection, activities and services of INIS. INIS maintains, in co-operation with its members, a database with currently over 3.3 million bibliographic references and a collection of 300,000 unique full-text publications. You will also be able to know the importance of INIS and its services in Nuclear Sciences for research community. Lastly, you will be acquainted with India’s participation in  INIS.

 

 

 

III.   Module Structure

 

1.  Introduction

2.  History

3.  INIS Description

3.1  INIS Restructuring

4.  INIS Collection

5.  INIS Products and Publications

6.  INIS Services

6.1  Outreach and promotion

6.2  Capacity building (Training and distance learning)

6.2.1  INIS Training Seminars

6.2.2  INIS Distance Learning Program

6.2.3  Technical Co-operation Assistance

6.2.3.1  Regional Training

6.2.3.2  Fellowships and Scientific Visits

7.  INIS in India

8.    Summary

9.  References

 

 

 

 

1.  Introduction

 

The International Nuclear Information System (INIS) is the world’s leading information system on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. INIS is operated by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Vienna started functioning in 1970. INIS covers all aspects of the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, from nuclear reactors, reactor safety and nuclear fusion to applications of radiation and radioisotopes in medicine, agriculture or industry. Many other related topics, like environmental, legal and social aspects associated with nuclear energy, as well as economic and environmental aspects of non- nuclear energy sources are also covered.

 

INIS maintains, in co-operation with its members, a database with currently over 3.3 million bibliographic references and a collection of 300,000 unique full-text publications, which has been in operation since 1970 with127 countries and 24 international organizations are INIS Members at present.

 

INIS is not only having conventional literature which is commercially available through regular distribution channels, such as books and magazines, INIS also makes available other forms of literature such as scientific and technical reports, patent documentation, conference proceedings, doctoral thesis and some legal documents, commonly referred to as non- conventional or grey literature and which are difficult to obtain elsewhere. The INIS collection is freely available online since April 2009, providing easy access to  reliable nuclear information on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, and making nuclear knowledge readily available worldwide.

 

2.  History

 

INIS represents a wealth of experience and an extensive pool of information in the nuclear field. The first INIS output products, the printed Atom index and associated magnetic tapes, were issued in April 1970. INIS has since grown into one of the most successful and comprehensive information systems on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.

 

Year Development
1966 International system proposed
1967 INIS Secretariat established
1969 IAEA Board of Governors approved the system
1970 First products generated in printed and electronic forms

INIS membership comprises 39 Member States and 11 international organizations First training course held
1971 INIS Thesaurus developed and adopted for documents indexing
1973 Full subject scope covered
1976 Abstracts added to references
1977 100 000 NCL full texts on microfiche available
1978 INIS Database accessible on traditional online system
1979 French INIS Thesaurus completed
1981 Russian INIS Thesaurus completed
1982 German INIS Thesaurus completed
1983 INIS Multilingual Dictionary (English-French-German-Russian) completed
1985 First definition of Membership Arrangements distributed

250 000 NCL full texts on microfiche available
1986 One million database references available
1990 Expert system for indexing quality control implemented Input preparation software FIBRE introduced
1991 INIS Database available on CD-ROM
1992 Expansion of subject scope to include the environmental and economic aspects of

non-nuclear energy sources
1993 Routine receipt of input to the system by electronic mail
1994 Definition of membership arrangements

INIS Mission Statement revised Spanish INIS Thesaurus completed
1995 INIS Multilingual Dictionary (English-French-German-Russian-Spanish)

completed
1996 INIS Web Site launched

500 000 NCL full texts on microfiche available
1997 Two million database references available

New electronic technology implemented, and INIS NCL full texts available on CD- ROM; Start of electronic document delivery service

INIS computer based training package on CD-ROM released
1998 INIS Database on Internet launched

INIS Data Processing System launched (all processing done on-line)
2000 INIS Web services launched

INIS Distance Learning Program on Internet launched Definition of membership arrangements revised
2004 INIS2 – a regional portal site – opened at the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI)

INIS given new role in nuclear knowledge preservation and management Computer-assisted indexing (CAI) system started in the INIS Secretariat Two and a half million database references available
2005 INIS 35th anniversary (1970-2005)
2006 INIS membership comprises 116 Member States and 22 international organizations

INIS Multilingual Dictionary (Arabic-English-Chinese-French-German-Russian- Spanish) completed

INIS Database includes 2.7 million bibliographic references and about 700 000 full-text documents
2008 Three million bibliographic references available on the INIS database

INIS Database Open Access Pilot Project launched in seven countries
2009 Opening of the access to the INIS Database on the Internet
2010 INIS 40th Anniversary (1970-2010)

INIS membership comprises 123 Member States and 24 international organizations INIS launches a new website
2011 INIS web-based popular topics replace topical CD-ROMs

INIS launches new Google-based web search of its collection

On 1 September INIS moved to Google-based search and retired old INIS online database
2012 INIS, together with the IAEA Library and the Systems Development and Support Group become part of a newly formed Nuclear Information Section (NIS)

INIS implemented a mobile version of its website

 

Table 1: Major developments in INIS

 

 

3.  INIS Description

 

The International Nuclear Information System (INIS)hosts one of the world’s largest collections of published information on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. It offers online access to a unique collection of non-conventional literature. INIS is operated by the IAEA in collaboration with over 150 members.

 

The International Nuclear Information System (INIS) is a decentralized information system operated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria in co- operation with its Member States and co-operating international organizations. It is the world´s leading information system on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. INIS maintains a database of over 3 million bibliographic references and announces the availability of scientific literature published world-wide on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. It also maintains a collection of full text documents that would be difficult to obtain elsewhere.

 

3.  1 INIS Restructuring

 

The Director General of the IAEA approved the overall restructuring of the Department of Nuclear Energy (NE) on 20 January 2012. This included the creation of the Nuclear Information Section (NIS) and the establishment of a separate Nuclear Knowledge Management Section.

 

The newly created Nuclear Information Section consists of:

 

•    INIS Unit

•    IAEA Library Unit

•    Systems Development and Support Group

 

This restructuring and creation of NIS provides an opportunity for further enhancement of existing information products and services, and the introduction of new ones – all geared towards the goal of higher organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

 

4.  INIS Collection

 

Participants of the INIS comprise member states of the IAEA and some international organisation. The scope and subject matter of INIS is peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology; other aspects of nuclear energy and nuclear documentation. Input is received from participating countries and international organizations.

 

•    INIS is having 3.3 million bibliographic records. It offers online access to a unique set of non conventional literature (NCL) of over 280,000 full-text documents, such as scientific and technical reports, conference proceedings, patents and theses, not available through commercial channels.

 

•    Leading reference collection for scientific literature published worldwide  on  the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology

 

•    Comprehensive international coverage of scientific and technical literature carried out by INIS Members and the INIS Secretariat

 

•    over 3.4 million bibliographic citations and abstracts of journal articles, scientific and technical reports, conference papers, books, patents, theses, laws, regulations and standards, and web documents, covering publications in 63 languages; all records include keywords and most have an abstract in English

 

•    Includes a unique online collection of over 350 000 full-text documents: scientific and technical reports, conference proceedings, patents, theses, and preprints. This “grey” non-conventional literature (NCL) is not easily available from other sources

 

•    Average annual increase of over 100 000 records.

 

 

5.  INIS Products and Publications

 

•    INIS Atom Index: a semi-monthly journal with semi-annual and annual cumulative indexes. Derived from the INIS database. It is an abstracts journal containing indexes to authors, report numbers, corporate names, subjects and conferences.

 

•    INIS Reference Series: a set of documents containing rules, standards, formats, coder and authority lists used by the participants in the decentralized INIS program. The series is an essential tool for users, such as cataloguers, indexers, abstractors or searchers. The series has been published by the IAEA since 1969.

 

 

•    IAEA-INIS/ETDE Thesaurus: “A thesaurus is a terminological control device used in translating from the natural language of documents, indexers or users into a more constrained ‘system language’ (document language, information language)”. It is also “a controlled and dynamic vocabulary of semantically and generically related terms which covers a specific domain of knowledge”. The INIS/ETDE Thesaurus is a major tool for describing nuclear information and knowledge in a structured form. The Thesaurus is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Russian, and Spanish languages. It is of great assistance in multilingual and semantic searches. Over the years the INIS/ETDE Thesaurus has evolved as a result of systematic study and it contains over 30 000 terms.

 

6.  INIS Services

 

6.1  Outreach and promotion

 

Outreach and promotion of INIS is undertaken jointly by the INIS Secretariat in Vienna and INIS Liaison Officers in Member States. Its aim is to increase awareness of the INIS, its products and services, and to highlight the benefits for current and potential users. INIS Member States are responsible for organizing promotional activities in their countries while the INIS Secretariat assists by providing promotional and information materials. Activities include:

 

•    Promotion   at  IAEA  and   other   nuclear   conferences,   meetings,   symposia   and exhibitions with online and/or other demonstrations;

•    Publishing articles in professional journals;

•    INIS advertising in professional journals;

•    Provision of promotional materials to hosts;

•    Preparation and distribution of brochures, information sheets, and other promotional tools;

•    INIS entries published in directories world-wide.

 

6.2  Capacity building (Training and distance learning)

 

The INIS Training Program is designed to meet a number of objectives:

 

•    Establishment and improvement of a national information infrastructure in Member States

•    Transfer of modern information technology

•    Fostering exchange of scientific and technical information

•    High quality and coverage of the INIS Database

•    Maximum utilization of INIS output products

•    Responsiveness to Member States’ needs Currently the INIS Training Program comprises:

 

6.2.1  INIS Training Seminars

 

INIS Training Seminars are generally held usually every other year in Vienna. The seminars are funded and staffed by INIS and emphasize INIS input skills and use of INIS output products. All aspects of INIS operations are addressed in the training events organized by the IAEA for INIS members, including selection criteria, abstracting, descriptive cataloguing, indexing, retrieval, marketing and promotion. The training events are aimed at assisting INIS Members in training personnel newly involved in input preparation and utilization of output products.

 

6.2.2  INIS Distance Learning Program

 

The INIS Distance Learning Program provides comprehensive instructions about input preparation in both: Bibliographic Description and Subject Analysis, and usage of the INIS database. The program is available free on CD-ROM, for individualized, self-paced study addressed to the staff of the INIS Centres.

 

6.2.3  Technical Co-operation Assistance

 

Through the IAEA Department of Technical Co-operation, the INIS Secretariat provides assistance to developing countries participating in INIS in establishing and operating information systems on nuclear energy.

 

6.2.3.1  Regional Training

 

Regional Training is sponsored by the IAEA Technical Co-operation Department in conjunction with the INIS Secretariat. It is generally related to Technical Co-operation Projects and is hosted by a Member State in the Region.

 

6.2.3.2  Fellowships and Scientific Visits

 

Fellowships and scientific visits are also sponsored by the IAEA Technical Co-operation Department in conjunction with INIS. A Fellowship is designed for junior staff members in Member States, generally has two to three month duration in a single geographic area, and constitutes on-the-job training. A Scientific Visit is designed for senior staff in a Member State and has duration of one to three weeks in more than one location.

 

7.  INIS in India

 

India has been actively participating in INIS from the very beginning. The Library and Information Services Division of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay, is the National Centre responsible for INIS activities in India. BARC is a Government research institute in the field of nuclear science and technology under the Department of Atomic Energy, India. The Centre has been quite successful in collecting information on the subject, sending the same to the centralized processing unit and the receiving and passing on the output the users in the country. From Indian centre, total number of 54554records have been input from 1970-Sep 2013. The average number of records input in the last five years are 1967, except in the year 2013. More than 2000 records have been input from the year 2011 onwards. Collection of literature in the centre is from various sources of the country which includes conferences, journals (print/online/open sources), books/monographs and technical reports.

 

7.1  Activities

 

Some of the activities of the INIS inputting Centre, India are:

 

•    INIS DVDs  service Area Network (LAN) and online INIS through online getaway of BARC,

•    Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI),

•    Demo-Cum-Training on INIS Database,

•    Distribute of INIS Brochures and promotional materials at conferences/symposia in India,

•    Conducting  training  programmes  on  setting  up  INIS  Inputting  Centers  in  other member countries,

•    Document  Delivery  Service,  for  example,  countries  like  Brazil,  Canada,  France, Korea are regular requesters

•    Development of INIS supporting software tools:

•    INIS  Libsoft  (for  converting  DVD  Rom  bibliographic  data  to  MS  Excel sheets), and

•    Libdata:  a  software  tool  (Winfibre  matrix  file  support  with  features  like reverse author name with affiliation, insert  automatic country code in tag).

•    Arranging  INIS  Database  demonstration  at  various  conferences/symposium/poster presentation,

•    Nuclear News Collection: This involves selection of nuclear and Department of Atomic energy related news from subscribed newspapers, their digitalisation in order to provide the scientists and engineers in the BARC campus through LAN as a current awarness service (CAS), and

•    SIRB-Scientific Information Resource Bulletin: A Monthly News Bulletin published as  an promotional activity of  subscribed  and  open  Database  including  INIS, conference proceedings, journals, and other digital resources within the centre.

 

8.    Summary

 

INIS is the world´s leading information system on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. INIS maintains a database of over 3.3 million bibliographic references and announces the availability of scientific literature published world-wide on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. It also maintains a collection of full text documents that would be difficult to obtain elsewhere. Currently the INIS database on Internet contains over 3.3 million bibliographic references. Bibliographic metadata is often supplemented by an English abstract. Full-text documents represent around 10% of the collection. This unique set of non- conventional or grey literature is also fully searchable. INIS offers news and information, such as special events, presentations, training, newsletters or information materials, from INIS Centres around the world.

 

 

 

 

9.  References

  1. “http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_Nuclear_Information_Syste m&oldid=543516003” Retrieved on 2-6-2013.
  2. “INIS research database available on-line”. Stanford.edu. 2009-04-14. Retrieved 30- 05-2013.
  3. “International Nuclear Information System“. UNESCO. Retrieved on 5-5 -2013.
  4. “Nuclear information system on the web”. iGovernment.in. 2009-04-09. Retrieved – on 30-05-2013.
  5. http://www.iaea.org/ Retrieved on 2-6-2013.
  6. http://www.iaea.org/inis/products-services/publications/index.html Retrieved on 2-6-2013.
  7. http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/2010/inis-faqs.html Retrieved on 12-10-2013.
  8. Information Sources, Systems and Programmes-2. Course material of IGNOU School of Social Sciences. Unit -8.pp.81.,1994, New Delhi.
  9. Video about INIS in the 70’s Retrieved on 2-6-2013 www.iaea.org/inis Retrieved on 2-6-2013.