Automated Information Retrieval System “St. Petersburg”: from Local Data Base to the Web Resource.

Recent adoption of information technologies has been instrumental in providing access to local electronic mass-data, meeting user demand for information on history, culture and art in Russia. The importance of Saint Petersburg with its unique role in Russian and world culture requires special approaches both to analysis and exploitation of analytical findings. This defines the unique nature of the database developed in the National Library of Russia. Initially intended as a basis for current bibliography of city studies, the database has evolved as an independent general information resource.

The database contains general bibliographic and factual information about the city obtained from document content analysis and currently represented in 100 thousand records. The IRS incorporates the following subsystems:

• Publications about Saint Petersburg since 1989 (books, papers and journal articles);

• Saint Petersburg in newspaper publications;

• Saint Petersburg in retrospect.

The database “Saint Petersburg” was a pioneering computer-based system operated by the National Library of Russia. It was established in the early 80s, during the first Perestroika years with their natural public interest in national history where information had long been inaccessible, and, of course, a sparking interest in the history of Petersburg, then still Leningrad. One consequence was unprecedented burst of Petersburg studies. Almost simultaneously there emerged the social organisation Petersburg Institute and its educational branch Petersburg University with three departments (child, youth and adult), and the Association of Saint Petersburg Explorers representing the city's main research institutions. Extensive educational and research activities are carried in the system of continuous education led by the City Palace of Creative Work for Juniors. There is annual Petersburg Readings representing current achievements in Petersburg studies, along with municipal readings in local lore for high-school students.

Studies in past and present of Petersburg involve a feedback relationship. On the one hand, the “Saint Petersburg” database is focused on users information requirements, and on the other, their findings become the subject of research for database creators. The “Saint Petersburg” database was conceptualised from specific information requirements of our information product users. The conception started from the following principles:

• maximum coverage of city-related documents;
• comprehensive analysis of printed sources;
• detailed local content listing starting from textual analysis;
• primary focus on research publications;
• thesaurus support by combined subject headings, descriptors and keywords;
• provision of multi-aspect document and data retrieval.

Documents are selected in comprehensive analysis of printed sources. These include, firstly, NLR legal deposit copies, and then current general and special bibliographies produced by key information centres.

Omitting selection details, notice our interpretation of the basic principle, namely available local research information in the document analysed. This means that, while analysing any material related to any subject of Saint Petersburg's past or present, only texts containing local realities are eventually selected. It is the presence of Petersburg substratum (background, details) that governs database selection decisions. The fact of birth or residence in the city, even though confirmed by other sources, is not always sufficient for including to database. As for description of individual persons in general publications, only immediate relation to Saint Petersburg will count. The city's special quality as the scene of many events of national history, and the place where almost every well-known scientist, author and artist lived, studied or visited obeying the call of duty (or following the dictates of the heart), requires carefully balanced and well-justified judgement in creating information products. Thus among multiple publications dealing with such Petersburg characters as Pushkin, Dostoevsky or Akhmatova, we will only select those directly related to their residence there or its representation in their work. For instance, from the paper in the journal Voprosy filosofii (N 11, 1991) discussing the wandering theme in Mandelshtam's work, we will only select the two pages concerning the image of Petersburg in the “Egyptian Stamp”, and from the publication on A. S. Pushkin's christening circumstances and his heavenly patron one page annotated as: Of Alexander Column Consecration ceremony (Aug 30, 1834) (The Pushkin Age and Christian Civilisation. SPb., 1994. Iss. 4).

A major objective of the AIRS “Saint Petersburg” is the most complete possible coverage of publications about the city. This is why the coverage has been extended: from slightly over 100 titles in the initial phase to 700 to date. This is governed by the specific nature of information about Saint Petersburg, distributed over a range of sources seemingly irrelevant for local studies. The coverage has been and is being extended largely with research publications. Some appear to have nothing to do with local lore, like Archives for Pathology, Atomic Energy, Biochemistry, Optics and Spectroscopy, etc. This deliberate list of non-humanitarian journals is to demonstrate the value for scholarly discourse of non-popular publications, otherwise unlikely to attract the attention of general or local historian, in order to exceed the user's information expectations. In this context, the explorer will not omit a discussion of Hermitage fire services in the journal Fire Service (1993. N 11/12) or the use of electronic equipment for restoration work in Peterhoff Reserve Museum in Petersburg Journal of Electronics (1993. N 3).

In the course of database development the approach to content analysis of research or popular sources shifted in favour of the former, with special emphasis on source studies, published archives, memoirs, diaries. These document types require careful selection and detailed analysis.

As an example we refer to the following published file from Russian State Naval Archives:

Admiral A. V. Kolchak and the loss of the battleship Empress Maria /Introd. article, edited and commented by A. E. Ioffe,
L. I. Spiridonova // Russkoe proshloe: Hist.-doc. alm. – 1994. – B. 5. – P. 62-76. – Content list: N 11. Letter of
A. V. Timireeva to A. V. Kolchak.

The question is of Black Sea Fleet battle action during World War I. One may wonder whether it relates to Petersburg studies at all. And yet textual analysis indicates that one item, namely a letter of Kolchak's civil wife Anna Timireeva, can be useful to a “Saint Petersburg” database user because it describes in great detail the conditions in Petrograd during World War I (in 1916), concluding with the author's address: 32 Shpalernaia St. As a result, scholarly discourse is enriched with an address never mentioned in previous publications about A. V. Kolchak. This is a research source of undoubted importance both for studies in the Admiral's biography, and in the history of Shpalernaia Street and house No. 32 in particular.

With regard to the objective of detailed local content listing, database creators provide indexing both by title and annotation, and, more importantly, by textual analysis. For example: Andreeva V. I. Studies in the Work of Architect G. Bosse: (Private residences in Petersburg ) // Peterburgskie chtenia-95: Proc. Res. Conf. 22-26 May 1995/ Ass. of Saint Petersburg Explorers et al. – St. P., 1995. – P. 101-104.

While analysing the document, the bibliographer assigns the index “architecture” and, after selecting from the bibliographic record the thesaurus terms “Bosset G.E.” and “private residences”, and analysing the content, supplies terms like “interior design”, architectural styles preferred by the architect, and all the addresses mentioned in the publication based on archival data. This record will contain 16 addresses but in general the number is unlimited.

The thesaurus has been continuously updated in the process of database development. To date it contains over six thousand keywords, descriptors and subject headings. Indexing involves manual translation of semantic information to verbal units in a subjective process. However, every new term is checked by IRS editor.

The thesaurus is thus extended gradually, for instance, with terms essential for local studies and difficult to apply in traditional retrieval procedures, like “everyday life” (with subheadings: - military service, - nobility, - authors, - Royal court, - factory workers, - students, etc.), “house chapels”, “apartment houses”, “Rossica”, “urban phenomenon”, “ethnic groups”, etc.

Of special importance for the IRS “Saint Petersburg” focusing on this museum city are the terms representing decorative design: “lanterns”, “balconies”, “brackets”, “fountains”, “fences”. Particular attention is drawn to objects of decorative and applied arts in terms of manufacturing or domestic use in Saint Petersburg, and elements of interior design like “furniture”, “clocks”, “fireplaces”, “bronzes”, etc.

There is no point in going through the advantages of automated information retrieval, but efficient use of information resource is by no means improved by adequate co-ordinate indexing thesaurus alone. Other important factors governing efficient information query fulfilment are the enhancement and detailisation of existing document data. Thus in the course of analysis the bibliographer will add, for instance, a real or second personal name, or life chronology (for persons), street address, formal name of an institution or organisation, church, monument. By way of example consider an article about Petersburg artist photographer S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky:

Garanina S., Prokudin S. M. Jun. A Prominent Figure in Photography: In Memory of S. M. Prokudin-Gorsky // Photography. – 1994. – N 4. – P. 29-30: ill.

Giving every detail of his photo-studio in Bolshaia Podiacheskaia Street, the authors omitted the house number. The bibliographer used pre-revolutionary “All Petersburg” directories to refined the address, entering it in the thesaurus.

The NLR provides document and data retrieval by author, person, theme, subject, topography and chronology, with local research data delivery both in electronic and printed format, depending on each specific query. Quick service is known as a major requirement for any information retrieval system. Our requirements for this information resource inevitably affected development rates. To avoid source reduction and facilitate document input for books and journal articles, the “Saint Petersburg in newspaper publications” Project was designed and initiated in 1991.

With increased flow of newspaper publications, annual newspaper reviews in the database include up to 10-12 thousand records. In fact, the newspaper database amounted to a chronicle of post-Perestroika Petersburg. Every month almost 40 records of central and local newspapers are added. Database entries reflect political, business and cultural aspects of megapolitan public life.

The “Saint Petersburg in retrospect” database is derived from NLR's unique retrospective card file on Saint Petersburg architecture containing over 40 000 bibliographic records. They cover books, journal articles and papers, picture books, selected newspaper articles since 1794 both in Russian and foreign languages. There is about 2 000 records in it to date.

Our choice of AIRS “Saint Petersburg” software is PPP CDS/ISIS, providing off-line bibliographic services. User-friendly service is very problematic as CDS/ISIS interface prohibits individual use without expert staff assistance.

Short-term system development involves, in our opinion, solution of AIRS “Saint Petersburg” access issues, and information delivery on the Internet. Conversion of our information product to RUSMARC communications format is therefore very urgent today. Work is already in progress, to provide eventual database access both for in-house and external users.

Mangutova Svetlana Dmitrievna – the leader of the group of literature and art of the informational-bibliographic department of the National Library of Russia.

The National Library of Russia is a major international depository. The Library was founded by Catherine II with the dual purpose of preserving Russia’s national book heritage and providing library services for the general public. Among the Library members were eminent figures of Russian statehood and scholarship like A.S. Stroganov, A.N. Olenin, I.A. Krylov, A.I. Ermolaev, A.Kh. Vostokov, M.A. Korf, A.F. Bychkov, V.V. Stasov, V.I. Sobolshchikov, N.M. Shilder, etc. largely contributing to the prestige of its national collections and increasing role in the Russian community. The Library holds some of the most valued pieces of Russian manuscript heritage, including the earliest known Russian manuscript book Ostromir Gospel (1056-1057), the Lavrenty Chronicle (1377) and multiple other rarities. Today, the collections comprise over 31 mil items, including one sixth in foreign languages. Each year more than half a million new accessions are added to the treasures: text and picture books, graphics, periodicals and newspapers. The Library is a legal depository for all publications produced in Russia. In 1992 the library was formally confirmed the status of the National Library of Russia.