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Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information (PERI)

A programme of support to information production, access and dissemination for research partners in developing and transitional countries utilising new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

There is much concern within developing and transitional countries that the gap between those who have access to information and those who do not is widening. There is also an increased recognition of the vital role that information and knowledge can play in development and of the potential for the use of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) within this. During 1999/2000 INASP was approached by a number of research partners and librarians in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the New Independent States to assist them in the design and implementation of a programme of complementary activities to support information production, access and dissemination utilising ICTs. In response to expressed needs, the immediate objectives of the programme are to:

• facilitate the acquisition of international information and knowledge through electronic Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs);
• strengthen and develop access to journals in the regions as a medium for the dissemination of results from national and regional research;
• provide awareness or training in the use, evaluation and management of electronic information and communication technologies (ICTs);
• enhance skills in the preparation, production and management of journals.

The first phase of the programme has been running since January 2001. Four separate but interrelated components are included:

Component 1 Acquisition of international scholarly information through application of electronic ICTs

Since September 2000 INASP has been successfully negotiating for the provision of information resources. Developed in collaboration with researchers and librarians, and with the support of development programmes such as ENRECA (Danida) and Sida:SAREC, this component presently provides access to over 5000 full-text online journals in science, technology, medicine, social science and the humanities from Academic (Elsevier), Blackwell Publishers, EBSCO Publishing, Mary Ann Liebert and Munksgaard; and to databases from EBSCO and SilverPlatter and document delivery through the British Library.

The preparatory phase of this component is now reaching completion. To ensure efficient and effective implementation, the country-wide access licences will be extended from the country-consortia co-ordinating universities in a staged manner. In the first instance, members of universities and research institutions and professionals in Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia were invited to forward their names, affiliations and full contact details to INASP in exchange for full details about accessing the content. This opportunity will be extended to Kenya, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zimbabwe during November and to a wider range of countries in Africa, Asia and Central America by the end of 2001.

Component 2 Support to the strengthening and development of access to journals from developing and transitional countries as a medium for the dissemination of research results

Through continuing support to the strengthening and development of access to national and regional journals, the aims of this component are to:

• enable the results of research undertaken and published to become more widely known and accessible;
• strengthen the academic publishing sector, by providing income both through encouraging print or electronic subscriptions and through the purchase of single articles;
• assess the impact of using the Internet to promote nationally- and regionally-published journals
  

In the first instance this has been through the extension and expansion of African Journals OnLine (AJOL). Discussions are now advanced with journal publishers from other regions to work with them in launching similar services.

Component 3 'Using the Internet'

Although online access to the Internet has recently been introduced in many universities, librarians in those universities often feel inadequately trained in its use. The PERI pilot is extending INASP's programme of 'travelling' workshops 'Using the Internet' for staff in university libraries. PERI also provided the opportunity for facilitators in ten university library systems in Africa to meet in Dar es Salaam to discuss their needs and plan for the next phase. The recommendations from the workshop included additional complementary series of workshops in the following areas - 'Electronic Journals and ICT Library Management', 'Web Page Design and Authoring, leading to Library Web Pages' and 'ICT Troubleshooting for Librarians and Information Personnel'.

Component 4 Workshops for journal editors, typesetters and managers

Past experience has shown that provision of information in the form of externally published material has often stifled, or even killed, fragile publishing sectors in developing and transitional countries. In order to enhance skills in journal management and production, INASP has been asked to facilitate a new series of Journal Management workshops. Additionally, PERI is able to support journal publishers in their quest to take advantage of the possibilities offered by full-text electronic publishing. INASP will help implement the latter through an OnLine Journal Publishing Project, which will both provide awareness of all the options which are now at the disposal of journal publishers to put their output online, and support them in taking their preferred option forward.

Further information available from Carol Priestley at inasp@inasp.info

Source: INASP web site page http://www.inasp.info/peri/index.html
Date: 30 November 2001
Item: 20011105