8th Interlending and Document Supply International Conference, Canberra Australia 28-31 October 2003
 



Programa de Comutação Bibliográfica - Comut

Ricardo Rodrigues

Abstract | Paper in [PDF] Portable Document Format (PDF)
Presentation in Microsoft® PowerPoint® format

Established in 1980 by the Ministries of Education and of Science and Technology, the Programa de Comutação Bibliográfica-Comut [Bibliographic Delivery] allows the acquisition of copies of technico-scientific documents (article of journals, theses, annals of congress and so forth) acquired and stored in a cooperative and consortium way at 218 libraries (called Base-Libraries) belonging to university and research Brazilian institutions. It also allows the acquisition of copies of documents which are available at overseas libraries (with which the Program signs contract of services) and of full text documents (as online journals) available through Internet, the access of which is only possible by use of a password or payment.

About 1,500 Brazilian teaching and research institutions request copies of documents by means of Comut. The potential public in Brazil is estimated to be 3,800,000 people (university students, researchers, teachers, and other professionals). Soon the number of users will be greater, because Comut is expanding its services to other countries, mainly to Iberoamerican and Portuguese speaking countries.

Comut charges from the users only the costs of production of copies (photocopies or digitization) and shipment (by mail, fax or electronic mail). The requesters acquire at the Program Office "Comut Electronic Bonus" and automatically transfer them to the Base-Libraries, as a way of payment, at the moment they request copies. Later on the Base-Libraries change these Comut Electronic Bonuses for money at the Program Management Office. This procedure helps to keep payment concentrated on one only institution (Comut Management) which receives the money from all requesters and then transfer it to the suppliers of copies. This procedure simplifies and lower the accounting and financial process. The "Comut Electronic Bonuses" can be acquired by different ways, including by credit cards and other service cards similar to telephone cards.

The operations of requesting copies are entirely automated through Internet and can be also done directly by the users without assistance from a library. In order to find the Base-Libraries which have the documents requested, Comut utilizes collective catalogues of documents. The main catalogue is the Collective Catalogue of Serial Publications which indicates collections of 531 Brazilian libraries, including Comut's 218 Base-Libraries. Another is the catalogue of Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations which allows to localize, at the main libraries of the Country, about 190,000 theses submitted.

All the operations of the Program are monitored by Management of Comut, assuring good quality of services offered. Annual plans are also included for training of participants in addition to programs of marketing and publicising of services.

 

 

 
  National Library of Australia Australian Library and Information Association International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions