(01) The present report is one issue in a series of Technical Assistance Reports to the Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) in Bangladesh. The Reports are produced by consultants under UNDP/FAO Project BGD 83-010 (TA to the IDA/WB financed Second Agricultural Research Project). The present report deals with advice regarding background literature for FRI.
(02) Report No 6 in this series, called “Manpower, training and documentation in fisheries research”, describes in chapter 5 how FRI's documentation system could best be set up, and recommends (and describes) the development of a modern library. In short, a central Institute library (“Library and Documentation Cell”) is advised at FRI's Headquarters in Mymensingh, that at the same time functions as library for FARS. In the other stations of FRI (RFRS, BFRS and MFTRS) branch libraries were foreseen, equiped with specialized literature related to the research programmes of the station concerned.
The central library will procure all necessary books, periodicals, and other reading materials and documents, and subscribe to the journals needed for the whole of FRI. The central library will then feed the station libraries by providing:
Estimates of costs for the central library were also presented in Report No 6:
| - for equipment for documentation services | US$ 30,000 |
| - for computer terminal | US$ 5,000 |
| - for international books (yearly) | US$ 1,500 |
| - for intern. periodicals (yearly) | US$ 2,500 |
| - for national books and periodicals | Tk 20,000 |
| - for requesting/sending reprints | Tk 20,000 |
These costs are not including the costs for updating the library with books and periodicals, as proposed in the present report. For these costs donations have to be sought, as has been suggested in the various chapters. These costs amount to:
| - for books | US$ 20,000 |
| - for periodicals | US$ 20,000 |
(03) This Report No 15 identifies the literature needed to start up the central and branch libraries. For this purpose, it is assumed that no literature is present already. There are books and reprints in both FARS and RFRS, but they are old and do not at all reflect the needs of the research programmes as laid down in FRI's research masterplan (Report No 10 in this series). The books and journals advised in the present report for procurement/subscription are expected to cover all basic needs for reference purposes. They should be acquired at one time; FRI has already approached FAO for a special grant to make this acquisition possible.
(04) Normally, scientists receive their written information from three different sources:
All three sources are covered in the present report. With regard to books and periodicals itemized lists are provided. For reprints this is not possible, but a specimen “request for reprints card” is presented, with which this most important source of information can be acquired.
The lists were prepared by the FAO-research planning advisor, and were distributed in draft to the FRI-management. The comments and additions provided by the Director FRI, Additional Director FRI, CSO FARS, and CSO BFRS were included in this final edition of the report.
