25th April 1986
International Organization Information / Research: 1986
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Prepared for Union of International Associations (Executive Council, 25th April 1986)
See also searchable PDF version (original titles, sub-headings, order and typography); also reports 1959-2006
Document also in segmented format in the Kairos indexed database
Organization profiles / networks
Yearbook of International Organizations: Since the last report in June 1985, the volumes 1, 2 and 3 of the 1985/86 edition have been produced. Volumes 1 and 2 were completed on schedule without the benefit of the new computer system which was in the process of being installed.
Volume 3 was delayed in the expectation that it could be produced on the new system. This proved impossible in the time available so a hybrid approach was used. This involved both the old system and the new system and permitted unwanted entries in Volume 3 (discussed during the last meeting) to be excluded with much greater facility.
Sales by Saur of the 3 volumes continue to be satisfactory from the publishers viewpoint. A reprint of 400 copies of Volume 1 was in fact required to satisfy orders early this year.
Editorial work on the 1986/87 edition of Volume 1 is nearly completed. It is being done entirely on the new computer system. This has created some problems and delays in adapting the flow of work whilst testing the new procedures but most problems seem to have been resolved satisfactorily. The final procedures have in fact been tested through the production of the Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential (discussed below) .
It is expected that the editorial work on Volumes 2 and 3 will proceed according to the normal schedule with production of Volume 2 in June/July and Volume 3 in September/October. They will be entirely done using the new computer system.
The main modifications to the Yearbook series as a result of the switch to the new computer system are as follows:
(a) Entry numbers of organizations will in future be indicated by an additional letter in front of the current format A3375. The latter number will now appear as AA3375. Much thought was given to this change in order to reach a compromise between computer advantages, editorial continuity and user continuity. This appears to be the best solution. Its main advantage is that it enables each organization to carry a genuinely permanent number between editions (important for both physical files and computer files, as well as the link between organization and calendar files) as well as permitting the organizations to be switched between sections of the printed Yearbook if they become more or less international.
(b) In order to move further towards a computer-level link between the organization and calendar files, a cosmetic change will be made to the entries to introduce an "Events" paragraph which will permit information to be extracted from the entry and compared with meeting records.
(c) An automatic system of cross-checking of names of organizations cited in a given entry will be introduced. This will save both editorial time and reduce space requirements in the printed volume. ·
(d) The quality of address labels has now been considerably improved as may be seen from the attached example (Annex 1) • This is due to the use of the new laser printer.
The main issues confronting the continuing work on the Yearbook series are as follows:
(a) Space: It is now an established fact that a number of sections have to be excluded from the Volume 1 each time it is produced. Whilst this may be admissable for the minor sections, it severely affects the image of the Yearbook as supposedly covering the complete range of international bodies. The large section on internationallyoriented national organizations must continue to be omitted. With the 1600 page limit set by the publisher because of binding problems, any new information added must now be compensated by the removal of other information (or yet another section). Hopefully the publisher will accept the need to switch to a 2-volume version of Volume 1. This does however have major marketing implications because of the consequent increase in the cost of an already expensive publication. One temporary measure is to incorporate more of the information into Volume 3, the smallest of the 3 volumes. This is currently under discussion, but does of course have marketing implications.
(b) Cost: This question has been discussed a number of times. Clearly the current price represents a viable marketing formula. It is however also clear that the price renders the Yearbook series inaccessible to many. A reduced cost formula was implemented during a 1985 mailing to organizations. This will entitle certain organizations to acquire the Yearbook at a discount.
(c) Other directories: The only directory of similar scope to Volume 1 is the Gale Encyclopedia of Associations (vol.4) which is now produced on a regular annual basis, despite Saur's initial reassurances to the contrary. It is worth noting that Gale Research has recently been taken over by a conglomerate, Thompson International. It is not clear whether this will have implications for the future. Of particular interest in the case of the Gale directory is that it is also made available online through Lockheed Dialog.
(d) online access: The possibility of offering Yearbook information online has been discussed during past meetings. The decision was taken not to do so for the moment because of the dangers of copying. It is also true that with the new computer system it may be more appropriate to offer people a call-in or telex-in service. This possibility is under continual review. (e) Laser-disk: A possible alternative to online access is currently under investigation, namely distribution of laser disks containing the contents of the Yearbook for access using microcomputers. This is considered to be a major breakthrough in the distribution of directory-type information. The question of copying remains a problem however.
World problems / Strategic potential
Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential: It was originally agreed that this would appear as Volume 4 of the Yearbook series. The publisher requested that it remain an independent series because it will not appear on an annual basis as is the case with the Yearbook series. Hence the new title. The contract implies that it will be produced every 2 years, but this will of course depend on the success of the current edition.
Editorial work on this publication was completed on April 17th. The remaining work involves assembly of the pages which should be despatched to the printer by April 28th. It is now expected that the publication will be available in June.
This publication has been subject to a number of delays. Some of them have been due to difficulties in completing the editorial work, especially in checking for errors. Some of the delays have been due to the switch to the new computer system whose operation has been tested out on all the editorial work for this publmication. Finally delays have also been caused by the use of a new procedure permitting all introductory matter for publications to be prepared in-house and converted to film in Brussels. In effect the UIA how has complete control of its typesetting possibilities. Unfortunately this took more time than was foreseen to make the procedure operational.
The contents of this publication are listed in Annex 2. A summary of the number of entries for each section is given in Annex 3. The contents are described in Annex 4 from the introduction to the volume. It is expected that the total number of pages will be about 1450.
Main issues with respect to this new publication are as follows:
(a) Marketing: Clearly it is agreed with Saur that they are responsible for the marketing of this publication. It is also clear the UIA should contribute in every way possible to the success of the promotional exercise. In particular work will be required on mailing lists, sales leaflets and free copy distribution.
(b) Future editions: The original agreement was for an edition every 2 years. It is important that planning for the next edition should be undertaken so as to be well prepared for the work involved, given the detailed nature of the work and the probability (if the publication is a success) that Saur will not give much prior notice if a new edition is required.
(c) Research community implications: The publication, as with the previous edition, can be used to open the door to many contacts in the research community, especially via the United Nations University which has been implicated in its production.
The work on the Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential has highlighted the presence of new categories of information which the UIA could usefully explore. Of particular interest is the information on strategies adopted or advocated by international organizations. The UIA now hasd w working list of over 7000 strategies, many of them interrelated by cross-references.
Meetings scheduled / Conference organization / Associate Membership
International Congress Calendar (quarterly): The report on the editorial and publishing aspects of this publication are made separately. This publication is now produced from the new computer system and no longer passes via the Brussels service bureau. Some problems have been experienced with the first production run but these have been resolved. Further improvements in the editorial procedures are expected as familiarity with the system is acquired. Steps are being taken to integrate the calendar files with those of the organizations in order to facilitate searches and use of the information by editors of both publications.
By-products / CD-ROM / Online
Guides to International Organization: No new publications in this series are currently planned.
In the light of the cost of the UIA directories, further investigation is required of the possibilities of producing low-priced extracts of data from the data base.
Associations review / journal
Transnational Associations / Associations transnationales (bimonthly)
[NB: Versions of the UIA periodical: La Vie Internationale, 1912-21; Bulletin des associations internationals, 1943-44; Bulletin mensuel, 1951-53; International Associations, 1954-76; Transnational Associations, 1977-2001]
Collaborative projects / External relations
IERD Series: This series, edited by the Institute of Cultural Affairs International (Brussels) has resulted in the production of a Directory of Rural Developement Practitioners (vol. 1) with a second volume: Voices of Rural Practitioners in process of being printed. A third volume is scheduled.
These publications continue to be advertised by Saur with those of the UIA. No further efforts to associate the IERD series with those of the UIA appear to be necessary at this time.
Legal status / Statutes
International Association Statutes: As described on the occasion of the last meeting, most of the editorial work for this publication has been done. No work on the publication has however been done since that time because of the commitments to other publications. It is hoped that work on the first edition of this publication can be completed over the summer period, especially in the light of the recent Council of Europe Convention.
Research / Statistics
Research publications No new research publications as such have been produced. The new Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential does however contain some new work as well as making it possible to make use of much work done by the UIA during its participation in the United Nations University's Goals, Processes and Indicators of Development project (1978-82).
Project proposals
Multinational Enterprises Directory: This planned initiative, postponed on a number of occasions, no longer appears especially interesting, given the amount of work that would be required to make it viable.
New areas of investigation: Partly arising out of the work on the Encyclopedia, there is the fundamental long-term question for the UIA of moving beyond simple generation of descriptive text entries. As that publication illustrates, there is a need to develop alternatives ways of presenting information both to increase access to it and to improve the quality of the feedback from organizations. Possibilities include further work on:
- Mapping networks (e.g; to produce a "problem atlas") usinq the information on cross-references between problems and orqanizations
- Computer conferencing (integrated with the data base) following on from the experiments done by the UIA in 1979
- Use of "expert systems" in relation to the data base
- Distrbution of information on laser disks Given the dynamism of the information society, the UIA needs to take care not to become locked into a particular mode of dependencies which may rapidly cease to be economically viable. Thought needs to be given to the present implications of the areas in which the UIA could usefully be active in 10-15 years time.
Secretariat / Administration / Human resources
Consolidation: With the production of the Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential and the succesful adaptation of the Yearbook and Calendar series to the new computer system, it is important to recognize the abnormal nature of the production effort over the past two years. During that period, in addition to the 3 volumes of the Yearbook each year, 4 volumes in the series of Guides to International Organization have been produced together with the Encyclopedia itself. Together these make a total of some 12,000 pages, not including the quarterly Calendar.
This effort has been possible by taking many short cuts and postponing activities such as the following: - Instruction and procedures manuals for the 50-odd programmes which have been developed - Rationalization and tidying up of parts of the computer system - Adaptation of a number of programmes to render them more accessible - Clarification of addressing/mailing procedures - Exploration of data extraction possibilities, especially with a view to providing new services - Testing out other possibilities of software packages obtained for specific purposes - Investigation of merits of external links via modem - Adaptation of procedures for contacting organizations A consolidation phase is necessary to determine the best way of making use of the sophisticated facilities now available at the UIA.
Computer-related infrastructure
Introduction: The detailed description of the computerised information system and its justification was described for the last meeting.
Printing World Award: Computaprint (UK), who produce the film for the 3 volumes from the magnetic tapes supplied by UIA, were so convinced of the quality of their own work for UIA that the Yearbook series was submitted for an award. Computaprint have recently indicated that they have been confidentially informed that the Yearbook series won the first Printing World Award (1986) for the most innovative application of computers in typesetting.
The award will be presented for the first time on June 25th and has been sponsored as a Bicentenary Award of Her Majesty's Stationery Office (UK). Apparently the award is quite prestigious and will be of great advantage to the promotional efforts of Computaprint. It can of course be used by Saur and UIA for promotional purposes but it should be remebered that the award is in fact for the production technique and not for the content.
Description of hardware elements
(a) Workstations (editorial and keyboarding) :IBM PC compatible, 2 disk drives, 512 k RAM (min), some with 8087 co-processor, some with local printer. AZERTY Keyboards. (Price, depending on configuration: ca 100,000 BF per unit). At present 10 workstations of this type have been installed: 3 for data entry, corrections and minor editorial work 1 for calendar entry and corrections 1 for calendar operations; shared with IAPCO and MAI l for diverse editorial and other operations l for use with the printer and tape machine l as file server (see below) 2 for editorial work In addition to these 10 workstations, the NCR unit acquired earlier is used for some word processing operations but has not been fully integrtated into the network because of compatibility problems (noted below)
(b) File server (system management) : XT version of workstation,512K RAM, with 1 floppy drive and 1 lOmB drive. (Price: ca 200,000 BF). The XT is not currently used as file server since it has been needed to supplement the memory capacity required during manipulation of large files.
(c) Main memory: Novell 76 mB ( 76 million characters) hard disk, access time ca 35 ms (Price: ca 830,000 BF). This unit has functioned very satisfactorily (until this week). There is concern about the need for a backup unit should this device fail and take time to repair (epecially in the midt of a production run).
(d) Tape unit: Thorn EMI streamer tape interfacing with PC for memory backup and file transfer to sservice bureau (7 11 and 10" tapes) (Price: ca 450,000 BF). Thi unit ha functioned atifactorily.
(e) Network: Novell Netware operating system with omninet transporter cards in each workstation to permit linkage via Omninet twisted pair cable. (Price: 120,000 BF, operating system; 30,000 BF per workstation, transporter cards).
(f) Local printers: Hewlett Packard Thinkjet, low noise printers for selected (editorial) workstations (Price: 40,000 BF per unit). Only one such unit has been installed so far; it may however be necessary to install one or two more for editorial purposes.
(g) High speed/quality printer: Hewlett Packard Laserjet (Price: 320,000 BF). This unit functions very satisfactorily and is used for proofs, address labels, personalized letters and many kinds of list for editorial purposes.
(h) Modem: (Acoustic) modem to link via telephone system to other computers (Price: ca 16,000 BF). This unit has not yet been installed but is under investigation, especially as an indirect means of promoting the activities of the UIA in the USA.
(i) Integration into network of existing NCR. This machine has been upgraded to function as a DOS machine like the other workstations. There are however 3 obstacles to full compatibility in the network: (a) extension of memory to 512K (Price: ca. 40,000); (b) purchase of a generic version of the Revelation software (Price: ca. 45,000); (c) interface with the network (Price: ca.30,000). No information is however available as to whether this last step will guarantee full compatibility. Other ways of using the unit are therefore being explored.
Software:
(a) The database software package finally selected is called Revelation. Its principal feature is the ability to handle a very large number of variable length text records whilst permitting normal data base operations on them. The network version installed is capable of handling 10 workstations simultaneously. It is appropriate to note that Revelation is rated by the computer industry as the most powerful data base software available for microcomputers, especially in a network environment (b) The network operating system is mentioned above under point (e).
(c) Workstation operations are considerably facilitated by keyswap software and a number of small .routines.
(d) Some word processing, especially for correspondence, preparation of introductory texts for directories, tables, etc is done using Wordstar.
(e) The major investment in software has been the work subcontracted to ICAI (Brussels) to adapt Revelation to the requirements of the operations for the various publications. This work has proved quite satisfactory although the relationship with the subcontractors has been strained at different times. Work in progress includes: - Volume 2 preparation - Volume 3 preparation - Adaptation of organization entries to calendar link - Adapatation of organization entries to cross-reference checking
(f) Additional software for a variety of tasks is purchased or developed as required.
(g) It is important to note that the Revelation software permits the development by the UIA of a variety of applications without the need to consult outside services. This is particularly important in deriving full benefit from the database, especially for non-standard searches and lists of information.
[See Annexes in PDF format]
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