IAEA: Supporting Access to Nuclear Information

Supporting Access to Nuclear Information

More than 3.7 million bibliographic records on the peaceful uses of nuclear technologies
are at users’ palms, thanks to IAEA apps.
(Photo: D.Calma/IAEA)

2014-11-06 | With over 3.7 million bibliographic records, the IAEA hosts of one of the world's largest collections of published information on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. Continuously working to make this collection easier to access and of greater value to its users, the IAEA’s International Nuclear Information System (INIS) liaison officers met in Vienna to address recent developments and future challenges and opportunities.
“For the last 44 years, INIS has been supporting scientists, researchers and engineers from around the world to share their research results, learn from each other and exchange ideas on better, safer, and more secure uses of nuclear science and technology,” said Alexander Bychkov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy. “Nevertheless,” he added, “running a complex system such as INIS requires constant feedback.”
Representatives from over 50 Member States and seven international organizations attended the 37th Consultative Meeting of INIS Liaison Officers, held on 14-15 October. They reviewed INIS activities, its effectiveness and its use since 2012, as well as discussed its future. Speakers from Argentina, China, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the USA, as well as representatives from organisations such as CERN, presented information on their INIS operations. The meeting concluded with a set of recommendations.
INIS offers free online access to a unique collection of non-conventional literature. Over the past two years, new search features were introduced to leverage the increased use of mobile devices. In August 2013, an innovative free app called NE News was released, giving users quick access to the newsletters, brochures and social media channels of the Department of Nuclear Energy. Initially launched for iPads, the app was made available for iPhone and Android devices in February 2014, with privileged access to the powerful and user-friendly INIS Collection Search (ICS).
“We are striving to ensure that the ICS remains a useful and valuable global resource,” said Dobrica Savic, Head of the IAEA Nuclear Information Section. “Ongoing projects such as entering the entire 3.7 bibliographic records into Google Scholar and Google’s index will help us achieve this goal.”
The success of current efforts to bring this collection of nuclear related publications closer to its global audience is reflected in INIS’ increasing web usage. From January to April 2014, the ICS achieved more than 1 million pageviews. Also, in October alone, over 140 000 users searched the INIS Collection and there were more than 320 000 pageviews.
The 4th International Nuclear Library Network (INLN) Members Meeting also took place on 15 October in Vienna. Participants from 14 member countries and representatives from 6 countries which are not yet members reviewed the activities of the INLN, particularly the flow of Requests for Information between the IAEA Library and INLN members. Discussions focused on the achievements in 2013 of the INLN Web Coordination Group (WCG) and on trends in nuclear information management as evident from the Network’s statistics. The INLN Practical Arrangement and the INLN Directory and Benchmarking Directory, developed by the INLN’s coordinating library, were distributed to members, marking the opening of their consultation period. An INLN roadmap was agreed upon and both documents are expected to be ratified by the end of 2014.
Background:

The International Nuclear Information System (INIS) is a collaborative international information system operated by the IAEA. Maintained in cooperation with over 150 Member States and 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 3.7 million bibliographic references and a collection of full text documents that would be difficult to obtain elsewhere. The information shared on this platform is essential to governments, academic, research and business communities.
The International Nuclear Library Network (INLN) is a global nuclear knowledge management initiative aimed at strengthening international cooperation. It has 37 members from 28 countries.