International Network for the
Availability of Scientific Publications
58 St Aldates, Oxford OX1 1ST,
UK
Tel: +44 1865 249909 Fax: +44 1865 251060
E-mail: [email protected]
International Network for the
Availability of Scientific Publications |
||
INASP Newsletter
International Network for the Availability of
Scientific Publications
Number 8, May 1997.
| Newsletter
Editors: Ard Jongsma Neil Pakenham-Walsh (INASP-Health section) Contributors to this issue: Ana Mar’a Cetto, Merle Colglazier, David FitzSimons, Geoffrey Hamilton, Sheila O'Sullivan, Maxwell Oyinloye, Carol Priestley, Diana Rosenberg, Liz Woolley. |
Editorial
address: |
Tel: + 44
(0) 181 997 3274 |
University Libraries in Africa
IAI publishes 3-volume
review
Although much international activity in support of African higher
education has taken place in recent years, libraries have
generally been neglected and are probably in a worse state than
ever before. There is very little information about recent
activities of these libraries; where the information is available
it is rarely made public. In 1995 the International African
Institute (IAI) in London undertook to produce a general overview
of the current status of African university libraries. The
resulting study was published earlier this year and reveals a
gloomy picture of the situation in 18 university libraries in 11
African countries.
Although much international activity in support of African higher
education has taken place in recent years, libraries have
generally been neglected and are probably in a worse state than
ever before. There is very little information about recent
activities of these libraries; where the information is available
it is rarely made public. In order to produce a detailed study of
the current status of African university libraries, in 1995 the
International African Institute (IAI) in London undertook to
review the situation in 18 university libraries in 11 African
countries.
Diana Rosenberg, former Dean of Information Sciences and
Publishing, Moi University, Kenya, co-ordinated the exercise.
Resource persons were commissioned in the 11 countries covered
and librarians, academics, students and funding agencies were
interviewed.
The resulting study - University Libraries in Africa: a Review of
their Current State and Future Potential - reveals a gloomy
picture of libraries, university administrators and donors alike.
It is certain to make even the most experienced professionals in
the field of African library support wonder how much more African
Academia can take.
Decreasing expenditure
With some exceptions (e.g. the University of Botswana and the
private universities in Kenya and Zimbabwe) the amount spent by
universities on books and journals is pitifully low and
decreasing. More than 80% of the average library budget is spent
on staff costs. In a number of libraries, donations - frequently
unwanted - account for 90% to 100% of acquisitions. Virtually all
IT tools are acquired through external support.
The collections are poor, the area worst hit being current
journal subscriptions. Lack of holdings and union lists, lack of
active networks and high postage expenses are the main reasons
that alternatives to large core collections, such as
inter-library loan mechanisms, are sporadic and decreasing in
number.
Benefits and maintenance
bills
CD-ROM technology and E-mail have brought benefits and
maintenance bills. IT and management skills are undeveloped due
to lack of in-service training. Inability to meet users' needs
undermines communication and dialogue with them. The mushrooming
of departmental and faculty libraries has reduced the
accessibility of available materials.
Finally, education systems as a whole do not support reading or
independent learning. Teaching methods in universities often rely
on internal reproduction of notes. Academics no longer undertake
research. In this situation the role of the library is
marginalised.
Individual and
collective action
The recommendations proposed by the study require individual as
well as collective action.
Librarians are urged to concentrate on users' needs, generate
income, co-ordinate the development of information sources
outside the main library and lobby their library's requirements
more aggressively.
Donor agencies are urged to develop co-ordinated information
policies, employ library/information qualified staff on
information projects and help their partners plan towards
self-sustainability.
University administrators are urged to stop neglecting their
libraries, for example by learning from private university
library strategies.
Academics are urged to encourage student-centred learning,
communicate with their libraries and support requests for
funding.
The Review was discussed by African university librarians at the
second Standing Conference of African National and University
Librarians in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (SCANUL-ECS)
held in Lesotho in December 1996. A report of this meeting can be
found elsewhere in this issue.
The 361 page study is published in three volumes and costs UK
£50. The first volume covers the analyses, whereas the second
and third contain the 18 case studies. Indispensable reading for
anyone active in the field of library development in Africa.
| About INASP INASP is a co-operative network of partners aiming to improve world-wide access to information. It has three immediate objectives: INASP is a project of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) initiated with the support of the European Commission and UNESCO. Chairman: K-I. Hillerud Director: Carol Priestley Address: INASP P.O. Box 2564 London W5 1ZD UK Tel: + 44 (0) 181 997 3274 Fax: + 44 (0) 181 810 9795 E-mail: [email protected] Oxford office: 27 Park End Street Oxford OX1 1HU UK |
News from INASP INASP activity 1 April 1996 - 31 March 1997 With the INASP board members meeting late last month in Oxford, the time arrived to take stock of activities in 1996. Director Carol Priestley reports on project developments in the 5th year of INASP. There have been several major developments in the past year. The most significant change is probably the opening of an independent INASP office in Oxford. A room in 27 Park End Street in Oxford - residence of among others the African Books Collective and the Bellagio Publishing Network - was chosen to accommodate two INASP staff desks. From June 1997 INASP will, for the first time, have a full time director. Pru Watts-Russell, Programme Officer, continues to take responsibility for our work with partner institutions. Dr Neil Pakenham-Walsh manages INASP-Health. For database maintenance, Newsletter production and support with the management of special programmes several staff are employed on a consultancy basis. INASP-SAREC On 1 July 1996 INASP was appointed as the co-ordinator of the Sida Department of Research Co-operation (SAREC) Library and Book Support Programme. This includes substantial support to university libraries in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Under the INASP-SAREC programme INASP has been asked to organise a Workshop on Statistics for Librarians (see elsewhere in this issue). INASP-Eritrea In December 1996 the University of Asmara, Eritrea commissioned INASP to undertake procurement of publications and related library equipment on its behalf. This has resulted in a two-year contract covering management and disbursement of funds provided among others by Sida, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italian Co-operation, Swiss Development Assistance and USAID. A similar, though smaller, contract has been prepared by the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. From the British Overseas Development Administration INASP has recently received a contract to undertake the co-ordination of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADAE) Working Group on Books and Learning Materials. INASP continues to be a lively organisation that has consolidated its place at the centre of the dialogue on information provision for less developed regions of the world. |
Vietnamese Union Catalogue
established
First step towards a national science information exchange
system
Dwindling resources require closer collaboration between
libraries, not least where the same expensive science journals
are eating away large chunks of the budgets of several libraries
in one country. In Vietnam, a number of attempts have been made
since 1989 to link the various science information collections in
the country. An IFLA project has helped the Vietnamese realise
their ambitions.
A severe shortage of funds for the acquisition of foreign
scientific and technical periodicals has in recent years forced
the leading libraries of Vietnam to enter a dialogue on the
opportunities for resource sharing. Many collections of books and
periodicals in the country were poor and not regularly updated.
There were significant gaps in collections. What was available
was hard to access or even locate. Vietnamese libraries felt
incapable of responding to the information needs of their
changing society.
| Vietnam Comparable in size to Britain and Ireland together and bordering China, Laos and Cambodia, Vietnam is a country of some 330 thousand square kilometres. More than three-quarters of its 74 million population live in rural areas. Although Vietnam ranks among the poorest countries in the world, its development index of 0.54 compares favourably with other countries in the region. Following the adoption in 1986 of the plan for social and economic reform known as 'Doi Moi', the economy of Vietnam is being transformed from a centrally planned to a market-based system. The government of Vietnam recognises the importance of science and technology development in general, and access to scientific information in particular, as a moving force in the country's development. The National System of Scientific and Technological Information (NSSTI) is a nationwide network of science information and documentation centres. It consists of over 350 units, attached to national and local governments, universities, hospitals, etc. The National Centre for Scientific and Technological Information and Documentation (NACESTID) with its Central Library for Science and Technology plays a leading role in this national system. There are more than 100 university and higher school libraries throughout the country with average stocks of some 100,000 books and 80 periodical titles. Few institutions have very large collections. The Vietnamese Teachers' Higher School, Hanoi University and Hanoi Polytechnic Institute each hold over 500,000 book titles and 2,000 - 3,000 (not necessarily current) journal titles each. |
Hurdles
Inter-library loan is the most commonly used method for surviving
budget cuts by sharing resources among documentation centres.
However, a reliable loan system could not until now be
established in Vietnam. Most libraries carry only single copies
of their books and journals, the security of materials despatched
by mail cannot be sufficiently guaranteed, the transportation
costs are too high and, perhaps most importantly, a central
database covering the country's information stock was never
available. The last of these hurdles was the first to be removed
paving the road to a national information exchange system.
Information technology
The last Vietnamese union catalogue on available foreign science
and technology periodicals was produced in 1990. In the same
period information technology started its introduction into
Vietnamese libraries. The National Centre for Scientific and
Technological Information and Documentation (NACESTID) therefore
proposed to create an updated, computerised version of the
catalogue. Initially the idea fell through due to a shortage of
funds, but in 1992 the centre's library formulated the idea more
concisely and submitted a proposal for funding to IFLA's ALP
Programme. The project was approved in 1994 and Sida (Sweden)
contributed to the funding.
Staff at the NACESTID library were trained for the task and the
necessary equipment was installed. Because of its widespread use
throughout the country CDS-ISIS was used to construct the
databases and lengthy discussions about their structure and
contents resulted in an agreed format which is largely similar to
the international standard. Subsequently, a survey covering 120
libraries was carried out to establish the current status of
foreign periodical stocks in the country.
The results of the survey and working visits revealed that only
very little foreign currency from government and funders had made
its way beyond the Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi city boundaries since
1990 (the last year for which data had been available). The gap
between rural and urban Vietnam had increased further.
In 1995 two workshops - one in Hanoi and one in Ho Chi Minh City
- were organised to discuss the plans with those involved in the
development and updating of the database. Some suggestions on the
compilation of hard-copies of regional, provincial and
sector-specific union catalogues were adopted during these
workshops. A manual was produced and tested on a group of
NACESTID library staff. The manual has been translated into
English in order to facilitate future regional co-operation.
The database has become one of the most advanced and largest
projects of computerised science information retrieval in
Vietnam. Due to the unequal computer capacity of the
participating libraries, data editing and processing has until
now been performed mainly by staff of the NACESTID library on the
basis of periodically submitted forms. In the future
participating libraries themselves will be able to input, edit
and process their own data on-line. The system is technically
ready for the move to national networking.
And what did it all cost? The total project expenditure was US$
21,201. IFLA and Sida provided 12,500. NACESTID covered the
remainder.
| The
NACESTID address is: 24 Ly Thuong Kiet St. Hanoi Vietnam Tel: + 84 (0) 4 826 3491 Fax: + 84 (0) 4 826 3127 |
The final report for the
project (IFLA/ALP 215) gives a detailed description of the
database structure and technical details on the way CDS-ISIS was
used to establish the database. Since a manual in English was
also produced, others interested in embarking on a similar
venture might want to consider calling in advice from the
NACESTID project consortium.
Chief of the project team is Mr Vu Van Son,
Director of the Central Library for Science and Technology and
Deputy Director of NACESTID.
Workshop on library
statistics
Following up one of the recommendations of the Review of
African University Libraries published earlier this year by the
International African Institute in London, the Swedish
development agency Sida has asked INASP to organise a workshop on
the collection and use of library statistics for African
university librarians.
Librarians have long recognised the need for adequate and
accurate management of information. In the current atmosphere of
diminishing resources, the need for hard, objective evidence for
planning and for supporting arguments has become even more
crucial. Statistical reporting is part and parcel of reporting on
performance; views and impressions have to be confirmed with
facts.
In the past two decades methods and standards for the collection
of library data have been under almost constant review. However,
African university libraries seem to have remained on the
sidelines of these debates. The recently published University
Libraries in Africa: a Review of their Current State and Future
Potential (which is described earlier in this issue) underscored
the urgent need for action to improve the collection of library
statistics. During the research visits carried out for the study,
it showed that many of the statistics requested were not
available, not collected regularly, inaccurate, estimated or
simply lost. Statistics were rarely used for decision making or
lobbying. The report recommended that post-professional training
in the area of statistics be organised for university librarians.
The Swedish development agency Sida picked up the issue. INASP
has been commissioned to organise the workshop for the librarians
of those universities that receive support through its library
support programme. Dr Stephen Town, University of Cranfield has
been invited to be lead resource person.
The workshop will bring 15 librarians from Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe together for 5 days to be
trained in the definition, collection and use of library
statistics. The Director of the Central Library for Science and
Technology, Vietnam and the Librarian of Peradenya University,
Sri Lanka will also participate. Case studies from specific
university libraries will be presented and participants will
carry out practical exercises on computerised methods of
collection and analysis as well as interpretation and use of
statistical data.
Photo: Computerised methods of collection and analysis
(Photo: Diana Rosenberg)
Based on the consensus reached by the workshop participants, two
publications will be produced and distributed to all university
libraries in Africa: a Master Questionnaire with the details of
core data to be collected and a guide to this questionnaire with
a definition of the data and guidance on counting procedures,
together with examples.
The workshop will be held in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Book
Fair 1997.
More information can be obtained from the INASP secretariat.
| About INASP-Health INASP-Health is a co-operative network created by health information providers, for health information providers (HIPs). It has one purpose: to assist HIPs in the pursuit of our common goal. The network welcomes all members of the HIP community: organisations and individuals who are involved in the provision of reliable information for doctors and other health workers in developing and transitional countries. 'Community' emphasises the interconnectedness of our activities as HIPs, whether we are health librarians, health professionals, non-governmental organisations, international health agencies, internet providers, or publishers - among others. As the number and diversity of HIPs increases, so too does the need for communication, co-operation and collaboration. Participation is free of charge and without obligation. For further information, please see our recent editorial in the British Medical Journal (1997; 314: 90) or contact us at the address on the back page.
|
Towards our common goal
Universal access to reliable information for health
professionals in developing countries
INASP-Health has just celebrated its first birthday - our warm
thanks to the many people who have contributed to its success.
The core of the programme, the advisory and referral service, is
based on a co-operative network that brings together
representatives from all sectors of the 'health information
provider' (HIP) community, North and South (see box right).
The INASP-Health network now involves over 300 organisations and
individuals collaborating towards our common goal, universal
access to reliable information for health professionals in
developing countries. Their wide expertise has enabled us to
provide individualised advice and assistance to more than 100 HIP
organisations and health libraries, including 14 new health
information programmes, targeting health professionals from South
Africa to St Petersburg.
We are now ready to develop a range of new services to support
the network. These will include the INASP-Health Directory of HIP
Organisations, the INASP-Health E-mail discussion list, and the
Needs and Provision Database of needs assessments, evaluations of
different methods of provision and distribution, and related
literature of value for the planning of HIP activities.
We shall continue throughout to advocate for health information
to be at the top of the health development agenda. In
collaboration with Action in International Medicine, we are
taking our message to key players such as the World Health
Organization and World Bank. We want to see a wide consultative
process, involving representatives from all sectors, to define
priorities and set targets. Only then can we hope to develop a
coherent and balanced global framework that meets the varied
needs of tomorrow's health care professionals.
Carol Priestley
Director, INASP
and
Neil Pakenham-Walsh
Programme Manager,
INASP-Health
From Brazzaville to Nairobi
CABI follows up on AHILA 5
David FitzSimons and Liz Woolley, both from CAB International,
report on the Regional Health Information Exchange Workshop held
in Nairobi in November 1996.
Organised by CAB International (CABI) and its Regional Office
(Nairobi), the Regional Health Information Workshop was
deliberately planned to follow and build on the achievements of
the 5th congress of the Association for Health Information and
Libraries in Africa (AHILA), held in Brazzaville, Congo [see
report in INASP Newsletter, November 1996].
Taking the broad theme 'improving human health through
information exchange', the workshop was aimed at library and
information staff, researchers, planners and policy makers in
Eastern and Southern Africa (budgetary constraints limited
participation to these areas). Twenty-three participants took
part, from Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa,
Tanzania,Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe .
Other organisations represented included:
The opening address and concluding remarks were given,
respectively, by Hon. Gideon Mutiso, Kenya's Deputy Minister of
Health, and Regina Shakakata, President of AHILA. The workshop
itself was led by Stanley Mbagathi, a professional facilitator
who used a participatory planning approach, allowing participants
to share experiences of information management and technology and
to agree on the framework and project planning matrices for
regional health information projects.
Participants started with the central problem - poor access to
health information in countries of Eastern and Southern Africa -
and its consequences: poor planning and decision making; poor
diagnosis and clinical management; duplication of effort; lack of
co-ordination of information services; and low research output.
The workshop then explored causes and actions required (see box).
| For
further information, please contact: Dennis Rangi Regional Representative CABI Regional Office for Africa P.O. Box 76520, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: + 254 (0) 2747 329/337 Fax: + 254 (0) 2747 340 E-mail: [email protected] or Liz Woolley Developments Project Unit, CAB International, Wallingford Oxon OX10 8DE Tel + 44 (0) 1491 832111 Fax + 44 (0) 1491 833508 E-mail: [email protected] |
The final report will be taken
forward by the country representatives present at the workshop to
follow-up meetings in early 1997, in order to appoint national
project committees that will work on implementing the practical
steps identified. The report will also be distributed to donors
to seek financial support for projects.
Participants unanimously agreed that CABI should take the lead in
the formulation of regional projects, in close collaboration with
other like-minded organisations.
Please note that David FitzSimons left CAB International in
February 1997 and is now working as a freelance consultant in
international health information before taking up a post with
UNAIDS in the Summer.
His address is:
10 Leinster Road, London N10 3AN, UK
Tel/fax: + 44 (0) 181 883 2693
Email: [email protected]
What are the causes
of lack of access to information?
What actions need to
be taken?
|
AHRTAG/CEDHA
Resource Centre Development Project
Tanzania 1990-96
Sheila O'Sullivan from AHRTAG (Appropriate Health Resources
and Technologies Action Group) outlines a major project to
improve access to health information in Tanzania.
The Resource Centre Development Project aimed to support the
Tanzanian Ministry of Health's Continuing Education Programme by
improving access to health information in all six zones in the
country, and also (at a more peripheral level) in selected
districts.
Project activities included: provision of resource materials and
equipment, assisting health librarians develop their training
skills, designing and delivering a training programme for
resource centre assistants (who had not previously had access to
any training), and development of health learning materials.
In August 1996 an evaluation of the above project was carried out
by an independent team of consultants. The main lessons learned
from the evaluation include:
The evaluation emphasised that the project differed from many
other approaches in that it started with needs analysis, training
and infrastructural development, and only then moved on to
provision and improved access to health information.
Nevertheless, there was under-utilisation of resource
materials,related to previous dependence on lectures and lack of
opportunity for independent study.
| For
further information please contact: Sheila
O'Sullivan |
This emphasises the importance
of strengthening links with tutors and trainers to encourage
study and work assignments outside the classroom. Creating a
demand for information - and assisting capacity building to
respond to that demand - is as important as simply supplying
information.
AHRTAG has now entered agreement with the Namibian Ministry of
Health for a similar programme, Communications for Integrated
Learning. The lessons learned from Tanzania will be translated to
this new context; in particular, we shall put a greater emphasis
on encouraging the use of health information by closer
involvement with tutors and trainers, and development of study
skills.
JournalShare
Providing medical journals to Bosnia and beyond
More Colglazier, Health Sciences Librarian for Bon
Secours-Richmond Health System (USA), describes a programme to
provide medical books and journals to countries affected by
political or economic hardship.
As a medical librarian working in Richmond, Virginia, I was moved
to action by the evident waste of medical and scientific
publications, and appeals of desperate need from libraries around
the world. As a result I founded JournalShare in 1992. Valuable
medical and scientific journals in North America that might
otherwise be thrown into landfills are now being collected,
organised and dispatched to crisis situations.
In the last 3 years, JournalShare has supplied 20 tons of medical
journals to recipient libraries in 6 countries: Egypt, Russia,
Georgia, Moldova, Mongolia, and Belarus. Journals have been
donated by hundreds of libraries, individuals, and publishers,
and the providers are steadily increasing. There are now plans
for expanding the programme in Asia, South America, and Eastern
Europe.
JournalShare's strategy is to combine journal exchange activities
with international library development in a self-sustainable
nonprofit system, based on sharing of medical publications among
libraries with funds and those without. Simply stated, libraries
with revenue purchase journal stock from JournalShare, and the
surplus journals are provided to libraries without revenue. On a
revolving basis, a small amount of journal stock is sold in order
to give away the bulk of journals. JournalShare acts as a
nonprofit clearinghouse for surplus medical and scientific
periodicals, selling only enough to cover operating costs and
giving the rest to libraries in crisis situations.
Some computer experts ingenuously predict that the printed word,
including medical journals and scientific publications, will be
obsolete in the near future, and will be replaced by digital
versions of books and journals. This speculation is nonsense!
Advances in computer technology and communications serve only to
intensify the demand for printed publications. The JournalShare
programme is based on the conviction, informed by market research
and common sense, that printed journals and books will continue
to be in supply and demand for a long time to come.
JournalShare is currently working on a medical library relief
project for Bosnia-Hercegovina in collaboration with the
Emergency Medical Response Agency, Inc. Twenty tons of medical
journals are being shipped to the University of Sarajevo in
Spring 1997. On this landmark occasion, JournalShare will
accompany the shipment to assess directly the needs of medical
libraries in Bosnia. The visit will be reported in the next issue
of the INASP-Health Newsletter.
JournalShare is striving to become established on a solid
financial footing. Funding is needed to acquire operating
facilities and equipment, increase journal inventory to meet
library demands, produce a computer database for managing the
journal inventory, recruit staff to support growth under the
business plan, and increase journal donations to recipient
libraries. JournalShare is registered with the United States
Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
corporation.
| For
further information please contact: Merle Colglazier, MDiv, MSLS, AHIP JournalShare 9510 Lakewater Court Richmond, Virginia USA 23229-6010 Tel: + 1 (0) 804 741-8802 Fax: + 1 (0) 804 254-6009 E-mail: [email protected] |
Acknowledgments:
JournalShare has worked with other charities in arranging
shipments of medical journals, including the Emergency Medical
Response Agency, The Binational Fulbright Commission (Egypt), The
Denton Program (US State Department), Bless The Children, and The
American Friendship Library Project. Financial and operating
support has been received from the Soros Foundation and Bon
Secours-Richmond Health System. Promotional support has come from
the Medical Society of Virginia, Harvard University Library, the
International Cooperation Section of the Medical Library
Association, the National Federation of Catholic Physicians'
Guilds, Readmore Inc., and the American Friends Service
Committee.
Science and technology information
in South Africa
New directions for
library and information services
In 1996, the British Library Research and Innovation Centre
commissioned a report on the status of Libraries and Information
in South Africa. Geoffrey Hamilton, its author and formerly head
of the British Library Newspaper Library, comments on the
availability of science and technology information in the
country.
South Africa has always exhibited extreme disparities of economic
and social conditions. The policy aspirations of the government
of the 'new South Africa' can have only a limited impact in the
short term on the inequalities resulting from historical biases
in resource allocation and former social and educational
policies, together with an insufficient infrastructure of
essential services and utilities.
A number of recent government initiatives have been aimed at
identifying new directions and structures for library and
information services. Particularly striking is the very positive
way in which proposals are being pursued within the context of
the ANC's Reconstruction and Development Programme, which
emphasises equality in the provision of and access to services.
Substantial cuts in journal subscriptions
To date, scientific and technical information has been available
in South Africa mainly through special libraries, serving
industrial, commercial and governmental organisations. A notable
example is the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR), which serves external clients as well as internal users.
Some academic libraries have important resources of scientific
and technical literature, but in recent years funding
restrictions have forced these libraries to make substantial cuts
in journal subscriptions. Technikon libraries have a utilitarian
approach to collection development and do not retain material
which is no longer relevant to learning needs. The State Library
in Pretoria is a national library which covers all subjects and
runs the decentralised South African Interlending System, used
mainly by academic and special libraries.
The National Department of Agriculture |
New technology
Current developments in information technology are by no means
passing South Africa by. Academic libraries are linked to one
another by computer networks. Commercial services offering access
to international and South African databases are available from
private sector suppliers and from the CSIR. Satellite technology
is seen as a solution to the difficulties of wiring up rural and
economically disadvantaged communities.
CSIR is one of the organisations developing services for
satellite transmission to community based kiosks using
touch-screen technology. Such services should minimise
difficulties related to the prevalence of illiteracy and very
limited IT skills. As elsewhere in Africa, even the literate
population does not habitually turn to written sources to satisfy
its information needs. Easily accessible interactive services
appear to offer the best prospect of supporting personal and
community development in the new South Africa.
A green paper on science and technology issued by the South
African Government in 1995, defines the appropriate information
infrastructure for what it calls 'SET (science, engineering and
technology) performers'. Information sharing and access to
information are key areas, and central to this issue are an
effective library infrastructure and electronic access to
information.
The library system should play a significant role in addressing
the need to democratise access to science. Overall co-ordination
of acquisition of SET literature and of access to it is
imperative. The green paper proposes a review of the existing
structures' capability of delivering services to the SET
information consumers. Services which provide the public with SET
information should be redesigned to take account of IT changes.
To address these issues South Africa is increasingly seeking
examples and inspiration from neighbouring countries in Southern
Africa or even Pan-African experiences. The country participated
in the 1994 Pan-African seminar on Information Provision to Rural
Communities in Africa - organised by the IFLA Africa and ALP
sections - and signed the Gaborone Declaration, comprising
resolutions to facilitate access for rural communities to
scientific, technical and cultural information. Aspects covered
by these resolutions include funding for information services;
training; research and evaluation; and the need for information
sources which are appropriate for rural communities in terms of
content, relevance and language.
African University and National
Librarians Plan for the year 2000
On 6, 7 and 8 December 1996, 52 librarians, mostly from
national and university libraries in 17 different African
countries, met together in Lesotho to participate in the second
Standing Conference of African National and University Librarians
in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (SCANUL-ECS). Diana
Rosenberg was present and writes about the meeting's results.
The theme of the conference was: Challenges for African
University and National Libraries in the 21st century: the impact
of the economy, structural adjustment programmes and information
technology. Librarians from the region were joined by colleagues
from West Africa, professionals from the library schools and a
number of resource persons and interested observers from outside
Africa.
Two keynote papers were presented on the first morning. One, by
Dr Peter Lor, Director of the State Library of Pretoria, examined
the role of national libraries and their relevance to Africa. It
also looked at the impact of IT on national libraries. The
second, by Diana Rosenberg, formerly of the International African
Institute, summarised the findings and conclusions of a recent
research project on the current state and future potential of
university libraries in Africa (see elsewhere in this issue).
These two papers provided the basis for group discussions over
the next two days.
Lost decade
One participant captured the mood of the conference when he
labelled the past ten years as a 'lost decade' for African
library development. With the exception of South Africa, Botswana
and some of the private universities, libraries in Africa are
dying from lack of institutional and governmental support.
However, instead of dwelling on the decline of libraries,
participants developed and discussed strategies and action plans
that can reverse the situation.
Chief amongst these are:
Action
A start has already been made on putting some of these plans into
action.
A clearinghouse is being established at the University of
Zimbabwe. Initially dissemination will take place through the
SCANUL-ECS Bulletin. A news and discussions list (listserve) for
African librarians and information workers as well as others with
an interest in African librarianship is being launched by the
State Library of Pretoria.
A directory of Library and Information Services professionals in
the SCANUL-ECS region, compiled at the University of Zambia, is
nearing completion.
University librarians who took part in the AAAS CD-ROM Project
and who met in Zambia concurrently with the African Association
of Universities' meeting in January this year agreed to lobby
that body with a request to set up a Standing Library
Sub-Committee, with a remit to become a 'think-tank' for
brainstorming, undertaking research, setting up pilot projects,
monitoring conditions of university libraries, etc. INASP is
mounting a Workshop on the Collection and Use of Library
Statistics on behalf of Sida: SAREC (see elsewhere in this issue)
to be held in Zimbabwe in 1997 for librarians in the universities
which they support. The resulting guidelines will be available to
other libraries.
Abstracting and Indexing in Nigeria...
... a condition for further development of science and
technology
In the late seventies, Nigeria made a good start with the
development of indices and union lists on available science
literature in Nigeria. However, since then all activity on this
front has ceased. Maxwell Oyinloye, Collection Development
Librarian of Lagos State University, Nigeria issues a pledge for
renewed activity in this field.
The importance of science and technology to national development
is widely acknowledged and as valid in developing countries as in
western societies. In Nigeria during the seventies, the
government actively pushed technology transfer by establishing
research centres and councils throughout the country and
increasing the number of Federal Universities from 2 to 24. Now
there are 34 Federal and State Universities in the country. A
substantial amount of research takes place, making Nigeria more
than simply a consumer of foreign intellectual produce. Since its
inception in 1977 the ISDS centre in Nigeria has registered over
2,700 titles, many of them science oriented. And although many of
these have since ceased, their number proves that large amounts
of information relevant to the country's needs have been
committed to paper. However, they are not easily tracked down.
All initiative lost
In the past 20 years Nigeria has taken several steps to increase
access to its information resources. The National Board for
Technical Education was established in 1977. One of its mandates
was to collate, analyse and publish information relating to
technical and vocational education. In the same year an attempt
at bibliographical control was made by the (now defunct) National
Science and Technology Development Agency. This resulted in the
first and only issue of Nigeria's Directory of Scientific
Research. It was to be succeeded only by another promising
one-off: the Index to Postgraduate Dissertations in Science and
Technology accepted by Nigerian Universities 1948 - 1978. There
have been no further initiatives in recent years. Now, the only
sources on information on national research are international
indices providing incomplete data on a marginal part of the
available sources.
Databank long overdue
There is an unabated need for abstracting and indexing of
scientific journals in Nigeria. If Nigerian scientists are to
support the development of (science and technology in) the
country they need to be offered the opportunity to build on past
achievements through access to available information. Adequate
publicity should be given to scientific publications through
notices, brochures, publishers' announcements and reviews in
national dailies. The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology
- in collaboration with, for instance, the National Agency for
Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) - should set up a
body responsible for the gathering of both published and
unpublished scientific papers. The creation of a databank for
scientific information in Nigeria is long overdue.
LATINDEX
Latin America to start its own science journals index
A 1994 meeting in Guadalajara (Mexico) about which we reported
in issue 4 of this Newsletter was one of the triggers for a group
of specialists from the National University of Mexico to design a
project for the construction of an automated scientific
periodicals information system for Latin America and the
Caribbean. Ana Mar’a Cetto describes the system baptised
LATINDEX.
The increased use of electronic means of communication world-wide
has made it possible to offer and acquire automated, up-to-date
information in almost every area. Every year more scientists
consult electronic data banks for their research and more and
more scientific bibliographies in machine readable format are
being established and accessed.
Many academics in the countries of Latin America and the
Caribbean already use computer facilities for their daily work
and scientific information exchange.
Information and communication technologies thus seem to provide a
powerful tool for the construction of a comprehensive information
system that includes all serial scientific publications produced
in the region. Such a system can also be used to catalogue and
classify these publications. Moreover, it can provide both
editors and scientists with an efficient channel for the rapid
production, dissemination and retrieval of research material in a
standardised format.
With this in mind, and as a response to suggestions from various
members of the scientific community and a recommendation
formulated at the 1994 meeting in Guadalajara, a group of
specialists based at the National University of Mexico (UNAM)
drafted a project for the construction of an automated scientific
periodicals information system for Latin America and the
Caribbean.
Outputs
The system named LATINDEX, will in its successive stages provide:
| For
further information please contact: Octavio Alonso |
The project is intended to
cover all areas of the exact, natural and social sciences;
medical and biomedical sciences are excluded in view of the
already existing information services in these disciplines. An
important feature of this project is its regional character. A
handful of previously identified information centres with
experience in the field are invited to collaborate on the
development and implementation of the system.
LATINDEX will thus be an effort of regional co-operation with
various regional information centres. A first meeting of
specialists from these centres (in February 1997) resulted in the
formal adoption of the project and the initiation of the first
stage that should lead to a preliminary version of the directory.
Regional Working Groups
At a second meeting in Brazil in September norms and standards
for inclusion and classification will be defined, while in
October at a third meeting in Cuba hardware and software to be
used for the system will be discussed. For all tasks, regional
working groups representing the editorial, scientific and
information sectors will be formed.
In addition to the above outcomes, the project is expected to
positively influence electronic and regional publishing in Latin
America and the Caribbean, as well as the standardisation of the
Spanish scientific and technical vocabulary. It is hoped that
this large, co-operative effort will thus serve as a catalyst for
scientific production in Latin America and the Caribbean.
INDABA 1997
Access to Information
The theme of this year's Indaba - organised in conjunction
with the Zimbabwe International Book Fair - will be Access to
Information.
Participants to Indaba'97 will convene on the 2nd and 3rd of
August at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Monomatapa Hotel in
Harare.
The
registration fee is US$65. Further information can
be obtained from the organisers at:
|
Special interest groups will
cover the following subjects:
Books
Biotechnology,
Building on Farmers' Knowledge
Practical and very accessible, this 236 page book -
edited by the Dutch trio Joske Bunders, Bertus
Haverkort and Wim Hiemstra - looks at the application
of biotechnology to agricultural development in
developing countries.
The first part of the book assesses the practical,
social and political aspects of current practice in
animal health, biopesticides and plant breeding in
less developed regions. The following chapters
examine the potential value of the main 'fruits' of
Western biotechnology research to the South and the
socio-political consequences of their introduction.
The final part of the study sets out a model for
integrating the formal and informal research and
development systems. It closes with the conclusion
that the development of appropriate biotechnology
requires a participatory approach that works from the
grassroots upwards, firmly representing farmers'
needs to scientists, policy makers and other relevant
groups.
The general conclusion, however valuable, reveals no
surprises. Nevertheless, the overview of practices
and the examination of their contexts that are
worthwhile reading for anyone even marginally
involved in the development of appropriate
biotechnology.
All readers of the ILEIA Newsletter and the Monitor
can order a complimentary copy of the book by
returning a slip inserted in recent copies of these
publications. Libraries on the ILEIA mailing list
should already have received a copy automatically.
Otherwise the book can only be purchased through:
MacMillan Education
Houndmills
Basingstoke RG21 6XS, UK
Important
Trees of Haiti
Important Trees of Haiti (418 pp.) is an inventory of
Haitian trees in two parts. Part one lists the 17
species most important to Haitian rural life. It
describes extensively the characteristics,
utilisation and propagation of among others mahogany,
coconut palm, mango, avocado and different citrus
fruit trees. Part two contains technical notes on
pests and diseases, wood properties, medicinal uses
and other relevant issues, together with a complete
inventory of the other species found in the country.
The book is the result of research and extension
activities in agroforestry supported by USAID since
1981. Relevant requests for a complimentary copy can
be addressed to:
The South-East Consortium for International
Development (SECID)
1634 I Street, NW, Suite 702
Washington, DC 20006, USA
Directory of
European Research Institutions in the Field of
Tropical, Subtropical and Mediterranean Forests
This 158 page directory, edited by Markus Radday and
Achim Pfriender, is an initiative of the information
service of the European Tropical Forest Research
Network (ETFRN), which aims at stimulating joint
research activities between European institutions and
their partners in the South. The publication is based
on the ETFRN database on European tropical forest
research organisations which was completely updated
and extended in 1996.
The directory provides a comprehensive overview of
more than 450 European research institutions engaged
in tropical, subtropical or Mediterranean forest
research in a broad sense. All entries include
addresses, names of contact persons as well as
subject and geographical coverage. Three indices are
included to allow consultation on subject areas,
geographical areas and experts' names.
The directory is available free of charge from:
ETFRN Co-ordination unit
c/o The Tropenbos Foundation
PO Box 232
6700 AE Wageningen
The Netherlands
| The next Newsletter
will be published in November1997. If you would like to
contribute to its contents or publicise your project,
please write to the editorial address on the front page
of this newsletter. Contributions must be received by 1 October 1997. |
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