Abstract: Describes a participatory process by which Ogiek indigenous people in the Mau Forest Complex in Kenya rendered their spatial memories through the making of a georeferenced three dimensional model c...

Abstract: Presents part of the findings of a study that was carried out to investigate the management of e-records in a government setting in Botswana. A two-stage research design strategy involving a case s...

Abstract: The study assesses the readiness of the University of Ghana and the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, to formally integrate information literacy (IL) into their curricula. A multiple case study approach was adopted and in-depth interviews with some heads of departments and librarians were carried out. The study revealed that library literacy, computer literacy and communication skills literacy are being carried out to some extent in both institutions. Some constraints which could impede the smooth implementation of a campus-wide information literacy project in the universities include the large enrolment numbers and the lack of collaboration or cooperation among departments carrying out some IL initiatives. The study recommends, among others, the sensitization of the whole university community to the IL programme and the important role the libraries and information professionals should play in the implementation of IL projects.

Abstract: Agricultural production statistics are fundamental parameters for agriculture policy research. Information on acreage and yields of important crops is critical for understanding trends within what is the most important economic sector of many developing countries. Sub-national data — i.e. data organized by administrative units such as regions or districts — enable the analysis of patterns within countries that may highlight important policy issues, such as the need to allocate resources to underproductive areas. However, collecting sub-national data is difficult for developing countries with limited resources. Even with great effort, and often only on broad regional scales, enormous data gaps exist and are unlikely to be filled. As a result, information is often only available at national or very broad sub-national levels (such as provinces). Such geographically coarse data are unable to reflect important variations within countries and are insufficient for the spatial analysis of production patterns and ...

Abstract: The paper starts with an exploration of knowledge management which focuses on the knowledge pyramid concept. The successful management of the transition from an agricultural to a knowledge based so...

Abstract: Reports on a survey of convenient access to, and use of, electronic databases (CD-ROM and online) including full text journals and their effect on information seeking behavior of health sciences faculty at the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana Medical School. The survey documented preferences between print and electronic resource use, and the specific databases and full text journals that faculty have particularly found useful. The results showed faculty lack of awareness and use of the two most resourceful full text journal databases available at the library (HINARI and PERI), hence they resorted to PUBMED as their source of access to full text articles. Concludes that most faculty now prefer using electronic access to information (CD-ROM/online) than traditional print indexes and abstracts. Includes recommendations for more functional and effective use of these electronic databases and full text journals that are available at the library.

Abstract: The proposition that provision of some form of ICT could assist the population of the urban slums of developing countries to obtain the access to public services to which they are entitled is being widely tested through experimentation. The particular programme of experiments in Croatia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan described here was funded by the UK Department of International Development as participatory action research. The Indian project is dealt with in most detail. It took a poorly used hospital specializing in maternal and child health care in New Delhi and supplied a community-based voice connection for use by potential patients. Use of the hospital increased, relations between community and the hospital improved, inadequacies in the hospital services were addressed and a vision of what the hospital might achieve in the future began to emerge. The mechanisms by which this was achieved are examined, and some generally applicable conclusions drawn.

Abstract: To be of real value to governments and development agencies, poverty maps should go beyond describing the distribution of poverty, to help explain and thence predict its spatial distribution. Pover...

Abstract: This article describes a recently released Atlas of the Ethiopian Rural Economy that synthesizes spatial information on agriculture and other aspects of the rural environment in Ethiopia from a number of secondary sources. A primary goal of the project was to increase the relevance and accessibility of this information for policy-makers and development program planners through its compilation and harmonization within a cartographic format. Understanding the many dimensions of a nation's rural economy is critical to policy-makers and program planners as they develop strategies to transform the rural economy in order to sustainably reduce rural poverty and accelerate broad economic growth. In many countries, there is a wealth of valuable and spatially explicit information that could enlarge and deepen such an understanding. However, this is often difficult to use because it is fragmented, found in many different formats, presented at different levels of aggregation, and held by agencies with different acces...

Abstract: Vietnam has developed rapidly over the past 15 years. However, progress was not uniformly distributed across the country. Availability, adequate visualization and analysis of spatially explicit data on socio-economic and environmental aspects can support both research and policy towards sustainable development. Applying appropriate mapping techniques allows gleaning important information from tabular socio-economic data. Spatial analysis of socio-economic phenomena can yield insights into locally-specifi c patterns and processes that cannot be generated by non-spatial applications. This paper presents techniques and applications that develop and analyze spatially highly disaggregated socioeconomic datasets. A number of examples show how such information can support informed decisionmaking and research in Vietnam.

Abstract: This is a post-print of the published version of a SAGE Journal article available on: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0266666907075634.

Abstract: Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2007 SAGE Publications. Vol. 23, No. 4, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907084758 235 The extent of the facilities available is indicated by the fact that the ICT Directorate at the University of Ghana has 500 computers and offers eight computer skills sessions per day, each for 100 students; 3,000 students are trained every semester. The University of Cape Coast offers an Information Retrieval Course (IRC) to all new students, using a computer laboratory with approximately 150 computers. The author points out some constraints affecting the implementation of campus-wide information literacy projects in the universities, including the large enrolment numbers and the lack of collaboration or cooperation among departments. The study recommends that the whole university community should be sensitized to the importance of the information literacy programmes and emphasizes the important role that libraries and information professionals should play in the implementation of information literacy projects. The next paper is not directly concerned with the digital divide as such, but describes the establishment, after many years of effort on the part of the library profession, of an institution which will undoubtedly play an important role in reducing the digital divide in one Africa country in the future. In ‘Institutional Change in the Ugandan Library Sector – the establishment of the National Library of Uganda’, Joacim Hansson and Jane Kawalya review the events of the past 40 years leading to the establishment of the National Library of Uganda and note that the founding of the National Library has had a major effect on the library sector in the country, which is now better equipped to face the challenges of the global information society. One aspect of the digital divide – electronic government and the management of electronic records – is dealt with in the next paper, ‘E-records Management in an E-government Setting in Botswana’, by Julie Moloi and Stephen Mutula. This paper presents part of the fi ndings of a study based on a case study of Botswana government ministries and a survey of respondents within government ministries. The fi ndings showed that e-records management in government in Botswana is still in its infancy; the country lacks an e-records management policy, which makes it difficult to EDITORIAL

Abstract: A number of information programs have been developed over the years to support worldwide agricultural research and extension. This paper discusses two of these programs, AGLINET and AGORA in the context of recent global library, information and communications technologies, best practices and future trends. Specifically, the programs are discussed in the context of the Millennium Development Goals, the Alexandria High Level Colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning, the Alexandria Manifesto and the outcome of the World Summit on the Information Society. The advantages and disadvantages and future potential of these and similar programs and the need for complementary programs in development are discussed in the context of the present and future challenges for agricultural libraries and some future directions are proposed.

Abstract: Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2007 SAGE Publications. Vol. 23, Nos 2/3, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907079232 91 information, through the juxtaposition of digital maps, in order to more clearly perceive problems and their possible solutions. This is more than simply better visualization of information. In rural development, linking conditions (or problems, issues) to possible criteria or strategies for successful interventions is a fundamental process. Many of the important conditioning factors for rural livelihood strategies have spatial expressions. That is to say, these conditions are, somehow or other, mappable. Consider low yields in agriculture, a fundamental constraint to smallholder commercialization and food security in agrarian economies. Defi ning responses to this issue requires thinking about the linkages between productivity and the availability of input markets, available natural resources, and population pressure on the land base, among other factors. All of these things have spatial expressions. Enabling synoptic understandings of where such conditions occur allows for interventions to be targeted.

Abstract: Nature's Benefits in Kenya: An Atlas of Ecosystems and Human Well-Being is the result of a recent collaborative effort among several institutions in Kenya The atlas demonstrates how geospatial data and maps can be used to analyze the spatial distribution of poverty and ecosystem services in Kenya This article introduces concepts of ecosystem services, poverty, and environment-poverty relationships in Kenya and features selected maps from the atlas It also presents conclusions from the atlas and discusses the ways in which the authors hope the atlas will be used by analysts and decision-makers in lead Kenyan institutions and elsewhere

Abstract: This article outlines a regional-scale assessment methodology using geographic information systems (GIS) as a source of value-added information to identify and prioritize areas within Africa where an irrigation and market-based poverty alleviation model could potentially be applied to benefit poor, small-scale farmers. This assessment methodology, Poverty Reduction through Irrigation and Smallholder Markets (PRISM), is being piloted by a US-based private voluntary organization to assist development organizations to better target and identify smallholder communities for pro-poor market-led interventions that will ultimately boost farm income and move large numbers of the rural poor out of poverty. The Sahel region of West Africa is presented as a case study for the piloting of a GIS scoping methodology.

Abstract: Institutional change in the Ugandan library sector : the establishment of the National Library of Uganda

Abstract: This paper describes a participatory watershed management project which uses GIS-based mapping as a basis for dialog and collaboration between local communities and partner institutions in Mae Chaem watershed, northern Thailand. Through the participatory mapping process, local communities were able to document local patterns of resource utilization and changes over time. This allowed outsiders to better understand the context of land use and more clearly see the potential of the area. Output maps from projects such as this are important information resources for communities, local watershed management networks, local governance, and other institutions. Such maps can also provide a basis for dialog in efforts to solve problems and conflicts regarding natural resources management at different scales.

Abstract: The aim of this work is to explore information literacy and lifelong learning concepts in Latin America. First, we consider the Latin American challenges: inequalities, unstable politics, lack of formation of workers, poverty. Second, we discuss different concepts of society, focusing on the Learning Society, that requires emancipated individuals that are lifelong learners because they are information literate. The next section considers social sustainability as a consequence of sustainable development actions. In Latin America, interest around information literacy and lifelong learning has been growing in recent years because of librarians’ initiatives. In conclusion, information literacy and lifelong learning emerge as fundamental factors for a sustainable development and the consolidation of democracy in Latin America.