II. Practical Paradoxes and Problems

3. Developing the Parliamentary Library

The legislator is becoming increasingly in need of an increasing amount of useful, documented and analyzed information.

The major source for such information in most parliaments of the world is the parliamentary library. The parliamentary library is a specialized library serving a particular client, who is the MP, as well as the group of researchers and assistants who help him. It also performs an archival role in storing parliamentary documents.

It is necessary to get in contact with the MPs at the beginning of each legislative session to introduce them to the library's services. The legislative body's library is considered part of any communication and public information system in a country. The legislative library may have direct links with the national public libraries, or it may be part of them because of its central role in the information system. It is also considered an important center for researchers from many fields; and the state's keeper of parliamentary memory.

Other parties who benefit from the services of the legislative library are all the media interested in knowing and following-up on the different parliamentary activities.

The parliamentary library aims at mobilizing information sources, in all their forms and origins, for the service of MPs. These include the collection of material regarding the sources of information and data in parliamentary action, irrespective of their forms and origins, the exhaustive enumeration of all the types of information services and the monitors of information and data as well as directing clients and beneficiaries towards the appropriate sources for the information they need.

In order to achieve this, the library should keep guides and indices and data orienting and monitoring systems regarding the studies, research, theses and reports it possesses. It should also keep a record of the government and international projects linked to parliamentary action, and the names of experts who can be called upon to prepare specialized reports or advice, as well as the lists of directorates and apparatuses with which cooperation in providing services can be achieved, in addition to all the relevant conferences and meeting and symposia.

MPs have a role in the administration of the library since parliamentary libraries are within the sphere of the legislative power. Some of these libraries fall directly under the supervision of the MPs through a special committee called "The Library Committee". In other instances, supervision takes the form of cooperation and continuous dialogue between the members of parliament and the management of the library regarding its services and the improvement of its performance.

Information is contained in libraries under a variety of forms such as various kinds of books, translations, official publications, periodicals (magazines, newspapers, newsletters…), reports and research, academic and scientific theses, analytical indices, parliamentary documents, original sources (such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, books of facts, statistical abstracts…). The organization of the library's possessions is usually in line with its administrative and organizational structures. The parliamentary library in composed of two elements: Directory and guiding services regarding the information contained, and the information itself. Therefore its services are divided into: Directory or guidance services which answer inquiries and assist MPs in their dealing with the library and what it offers, the updated provision of information, the selective transmission of information, the internal acquaintance service, lending and photographing services.

The role of the library is not limited to collection, preparation and transmission of services, but also includes recommendations regarding the facts collected from the numerical databases and other data from official and semi official sources such as ministries and government directories and centers of research and scientific groups and organization, as well as, from professional associations, institutions, universities and centers of learning. This is why it is necessary for the library to establish strong links with parliamentary research. The library becomes a center of enlightenment regarding information whose aim is to serve MPs. This explains the need to establish a directorate for research services to be part of the library or linked to it.

In the modern age, it has become necessary to create institutions for information and data exchange to provide the most up to date methods of analysis (particularly in legal matters) to MPs and enable them to use the current technological means. It has become necessary for every parliamentary library to have a web page on the Internet. The following is a description of two models of parliamentary libraries, in India and Egypt as regards organizational structure and services provided by the library to support MPs.

The Indian Parliament adopts the system of merged research information and library units. The latter, plus the computer system were merged into a united organizational structure called: "Library and Reference, Research, Documentation and Information Service - LARRDIS". (xiii)

The idea of merging these units does not mean installing them geographically in the same place within parliament, but uniting them. Structurally and organizationally, even if they cannot be in one place for one reason or another. The aim lying behind the principle of unity is to coordinate the abovementioned services to facilitate the work of MPs and the response to their information needs.

This organizational structure includes branch units such as the library, the directorate of references, that of research and documentation and that of information. Other branch units perform particular technical tasks, such as the microfilm unit, the translation unit, the publication unit. It is set out in the following way:

Most of units of the library fall within the Indian Parliament's building. Others are in adjacent offices and rooms. The library produces a weekly newsletter describing its new acquisitions in order to inform the MPs about them.

A special department exists in the library called "The Directorate of Services to MPs", this department provides research and information services when MPs request them in the required form and within the requested time limit. Such services include: providing published information and services to members, the collection and classification of data, statistics and information upon a written request presented by the MP, the preparation of summarized remarks over the questions and issues raised by the MP, the preparation of a short summary on the history and development of legislations under focus, the preparation of studies, background papers, summaries and newsletters on the major issues raised in the public sessions and their provision in special boxes available before the new sessions or sources of briefing, and finally answering specific questions addressed to the library by MPs.

A special "Bureau for MPs Information Requsts" provides this last service. MPs have to fill special forms provided by this bureau to specify what they are requesting. There are specialized researchers who assist the MP in defining his exact requirement so that information regarding the answers can be gathered most promptly and satisfactorily. A professional supervisor looks over the work of these researchers to make sure that they are dealing properly with the MPs and to assess MP's responses with regard to this research service.

In general, researchers rely on the subjects, primary sources in gathering the information required by MPs. They prepare a brief summary in answer to a question. They can also provide data, statistics and tables or the appropriate comments and analysis regarding the subject. This fast research service has proved its worth in the functioning of the Indian Parliament and the support of MPs in parliamentary discussions. As a consequence, demand for its services increased on behalf of MP from 150 requests in the year 1950 to about 700 in 1970, to over seven thousand in the year 1997.

This directorate usually works and receives questions when parliament is in session and in between parliament's sessions. However, it is much more active during sessions and while MPs are actually meeting.

The answers to MPs questions are translated to the language used by them which was specified on the request forms.

This directorate also prepares files in big boxes including the books and reports related to the major subjects on the parliament's agenda, which are available for reference inside the library and cannot be borrowed for outside use.

An auxiliary service provides photocopying parts of this material if required for very minimal sums of money.

There is a computer center that handles MPs requests of library and research information. This center includes a number of computers with the necessary programmings and varied databases which members can access and use in an electronic fashion.

The library introduced statistics, information and the contents of variety books and reports into these bases and linked them to terminals available in the library rooms and other parts of the parliament, and its major offices. This enables the largest number of MPs to get access and use this information. The database of the computer includes a number of major programmings most important of which is: the index of discussions and parliamentary questions, the legislative base presented by MPs and the government, the biographies of members of both houses of parliament, the decisions of the Head of State and Prime Minister and ministers, the electoral process, at the federal and provincial levels, the internal parliamentary elections, the story of legislations and the periods and phases through which each legislation went through, statistical data and table on the economic, agricultural, commercial, industrial and other spheres of development, the index of library contents of books, periodicals, reports and research.

Since 1993, the computer center has been developed along with its databases to make it directly available to parliamentary reporters thus facilitating their task of press coverage of parliamentary action. In addition, the computer center in the Indian Parliament was linked to the legislative councils in the administrative districts and provinces and municipal councils. The Indian satellite made this like possible.

The microfilm unit was created to document, store and retrieve the possessions of the main library, particularly its rare possessions. This unit was supplied with the necessary equipment and installations to enable it to photograph all the records regarding parliamentary discussions and keep records of the reports and activities of MPs in the different regional and international parliamentary conferences. It also includes the rare documents.

An audiovisual unit was created to provide sound communication and screening of the various library possessions and to be made accessible to MPs. In addition, the action of parliament is filmed and transmitted. This also happens when important political occasions take place such as the speech of the President in parliament’s opening session. Question hour discussions are also filmed as well as some sessions of the important committees. This unit tapes these films into videocassettes and keeps them in the library and enables MPs to have copies of them at cost price. A periodical is published and distributed to inform MPs about the possessions of the library in this regard.

This service was created to provide MPs and committees and directorates of research with copies of the research and reports and files they require. It also copies books and documents which the MPs require for a small fee.

This service was created to collect and print the parliament’s agenda so that MPs know what is to be discussed in the sessions.

This service is equally important for MPs and parliamentary researchers. It collects press clippings from major newspapers especially the major commentaries, files and important news to parliament. Afterwards, these clippings are kept and indexed. Brief summaries of the clippings are distributed to the various technical and research directories of parliament.

This department publishes a number of summaries, reports, research, background papers, analyses and newsletters which are important for parliamentary action. This is one of the most important information and research activities provided for MPs to support them in parliamentary discussions.
This directorate provides other services, most important of which is the preparation of reports and summaries regarding the issues raised in international conferences in which MPs participate as well as background papers and facts regarding the countries they visit and the representatives they meet. It also gives suggestions on the issues that MPs tackle with the international public opinion and media.

This bureau is the link with the local and international written and audiovisual media. It strengthens parliament’s link with such media and with the government’s institutions as well. This bureau publishes reports and announces declarations and press briefings and makes parliamentary information available to the media.
In addition, an electronic information network – service has been made available to MPs, including web pages containing facts about the various parliamentary activities. These are made immediately available to MPs and include the major activities that take place in parliament and at committee levels as well. Internal CCTV cameras also cover the bureau of the leader of parliament and a number of important spots in the parliament building such as the reference room in the library, the resting hall for MPs, the major rooms, and hospitality halls. Some of these places are filmed and transmitted on wide screens and can be seen in various parts of parliament.

The Egyptian People’s Council Library was created in 1924. At that time, the Egyptian Parliament included both the Senate and House of Parliament. Each of these houses had it own library. Later, the two libraries merged to form the “Nation (Umma) Library”. This was in 1957. In 1971, the name was changed to “The Library of the People's Council”. As of 1989, a sector of information encompassing the library and other directorates was created (xvi). The process of development of the library took place in two stages. The first stage came about in 1975, where modern systems were introduced to indexing and classification. The library since then began performing the huge task of analyzing all documents regarding the Egyptian Parliaments (with varying names) from 1866 to date. Everything was put on microfilms and indices were prepared for it.

The second stage started with the early nineties. It was characterized by the use of information technology such as recording the Egyptian facts since 1883 on microfilms, as well as the official government newspaper (Al Jarida Al Rasmiah) since its inception in 1958. The Library also started collecting some periodicals and daily newspapers and storing them on microfilms and Microfish sections.. Presently, the preparation of a study to introduce computers and database items has been completed. The following items will be introduced: Database for books with bibliographic material for every book together with an objective analysis in the form of a summary with the possibility of retrieval by subject, author and the date of publishing, Moreover, a database on the press archive, a data base on information files, one on the services of internal and external lending will be added to it.

The contents of the Egyptian parliament library. exceed 7000 subjects and 300 periodicals, in addition to the press archive which is an objective collection of press clippings from Egyptian magazines and some Arab newspapers , the United Nations publications and the international agencies linked to it. In addition, it includes the publications of the Organization of African Unity, the Arab League, the International agreements and conventions plus local and international statistics on various subjects and information files over the most important local and international issues in the area, as well as academic theses in law, economics and politics.

The Library has been supplied with a number of personal computers and end user terminals linked to the basic network of parliament. An internal network linking all the sectors of information action has been attached to the principal parliamentary network and was also connected to the Internet since 1997.

The Egyptian Parliament’s Library also includes a new and important unit which is that of the general directorate of research services. This department prepares information and scientific files on various political, legal, economic and social issues on the national and international levels. It produces the scientific level of research in two forms: An exhaustive file including all the various elements of the legal, economic and social subjects on the national and international levels as well as a condensed summary of the most important points dealt with by subject of research. The file including the scientific material remains always open for updating with new material depending on new discoveries and latest information so that it will be ready to perform its mission properly as and when it is required to do so.

In brief, the activities of the Egyptian People's Council Library include: Internal and external borrowing facilities, photography, current coverage, selective transmission of information, preparation of objective bibliographic lists, short filming, press archive (press clippings), presentation of the articles in periodicals, Internet services, sources services, information films on the most important local and international issues. A list of the current coverage is published including the most recent books, publications and periodicals stored in the Library.

The Egyptian People's Council has introduced a plan to modernize its library and the work in it, by providing it with the most recent technology, programs and applications, enabling it to further modernize its organizational structure and provide training for the staff. The first stage will modernize the administrative apparatus and the second will tackle the actual library facilities and the information and research services.