Resource Centre Manual
Resource
centre manual
How to set up and manage
a resource centre
August 2003
RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
CONTENTS
Foreword
Introduction
Section 1 Planning a resource centre
1.1 Assessing information needs
1.2 Strategic planning
1.3 Developing an action plan
1.4 Interviewing tips and sample questionnaires
Section 2 Management and finance
2.1
Staffing
2.2 Advisory committees
2.3 Financial planning
2.4 Fundraising and income generation
Section 3 Space, furniture and equipment
3.1 Location, size and structure
3.2 Planning the layout
3.3 Choosing furniture and equipment
3.4 Taking care of materials
Section 4 Developing the collection
4.1
Developing a collection policy
4.2 Format of materials
4.3 Sources of materials
4.4 Selecting materials
4.5 Obtaining materials
4.6 Receiving materials
4.7 Updating the collection
4.8 Sample letters
4.9 List of distributors
Section 5 Organising the information
5.1 Classifying materials
5.2 Developing a classification scheme
5.3 Assigning keywords
5.4 Cataloguing materials
5.5 Shelving, displaying and filing materials
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Section 6 Computers, electronic communication and databases
6.1 Advantages of computers
6.2 Choosing a computer
6.3 Hardware and software
6.4 CD-ROMs
6.5 The Internet
6.6 E-mail services
6.7 The World Wide Web
6.8 Databases
6.9 Electronic resources
6.10 Review of database programs
Section 7 Information services
7.1 Developing a strategy
7.2 Staffing and opening hours
7.3 Introductory sessions and information skills
7.4 Advisory services
7.5 Lending
7.6 Photocopying
7.7 Document supply
7.8 Referral services
7.9 Current awareness services
7.10 Abstracts
7.11 Enquiries services
7.12 Information packs
7.13 Newsletters
Section 8 Making links and promoting the resource centre
8.1 Involving users
8.2 Promoting the resource centre
8.3 Networks and networking
Section 9 Monitoring and evaluation
9.1 Why monitor and evaluate?
9.2 Monitoring
9.3 Evaluation
Definitions
References
Further reading
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Acknowledgements
Many people have contributed to this manual. Thanks go particularly to
Healthlink Worldwide’s project partners and others who have supported
Healthlink Worldwide’s work in resource centre development, on which this
manual is based. Thanks also go to Irene Bertrand, Andrew Buxton, Alfred
Edwards, Jon Gamlon, Lucilda Hunter and special thanks to Wilson Lendita
for reviewing the draft and suggesting improvements.
We are grateful to the Overseas Committee of the States of Jersey for funding
the printing and distribution of the first edition of the manual, and to the
Department for International Development, UK (DFID) for supporting various
projects which enabled us to implement and test our ideas, notably those in the
Middle East, Tanzania, Namibia, Kenya and Southern Africa.
This manual was compiled by Sheila O’Sullivan and Sarah Dutton, with
contributions from Sue Mottram, Victoria Richardson, Margaret Elson,
Suzanne Fustukian, Alison Condie and Andrew Chetley. It was edited by Celia
Till, designed by Ingrid Emsden and laid out by Mary Helena.
The first edition was translated into Arabic by Malek Qutteini, Union of
Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC).
The illustrations are by David Woodroffe. Sources include Where there is no
artist (Petra Röhr-Rouendaal), Let’s teach about AIDS and Health care together.
This revised edition of the Resource Centre Manual was updated by Victoria
Richardson, Daphne Kouretas and Sarah Dutton
We are grateful to Misereor, Germany for funding the revision of this manual.
Resource Centre Manual: How to set up and manage a resource centre
Published by Healthlink Worldwide
Cityside, 40 Adler Street
London E1 1EE
UK
© Healthlink Worldwide 2003
First published 2000
Revised edition 2003
ISBN: 0 907320 57 0
Reproducing material and images
Healthlink Worldwide encourages the reproduction of material for non-profit
uses. Please clearly credit Healthlink Worldwide as the source and send a copy
of the publication to Healthlink Worldwide. Permission to reproduce images
must be obtained from the photographer/artist or organisation as shown in the
credit. Contact details are available from Healthlink Worldwide.
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Dedication
This manual is dedicated to the memory of two women who each in their different
ways worked tirelessly to ensure better access to information: Dr Katherine Elliott,
founder member of Healthlink Worldwide (formerly AHRTAG) and editor of
Healthlink Worldwide’s first newsletter, Dialogue on Diarrhoea, and Dr Deborah
Avriel, Chief of Health Literature Services, World Health Organization, who
devoted much time and energy to lobbying for improved access to health
information, especially for those in sub-Saharan Africa.
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About Healthlink Worldwide
Healthlink Worldwide is a communication and information organisation that
works in partnership with organisations in developing countries to strengthen:
the local provision, use, and impact of health communication, and advocacy
initiatives that increase participation and inclusion.
In order to do this effectively, we have developed an approach we call
communicating through partnership, which emphasises:
• Strengthening the communications capacity of civil society organisations in
the South
• Strengthening the voice of vulnerable and marginalised groups
• Linking information and communications activities with other work such as
advocacy and lobbying.
Healthlink Worldwide works with over 20 partners in Africa, Asia, Latin
America and the Middle East.
One of the principles behind Healthlink Worldwide’s work is a belief in
information as a means of empowering people working in the front-line of
health and development. We are a partner in the Source International
Information Support Centre, which is designed to strengthen the management,
use, and impact of information on health and disability (see over page for
information about Source). We also publish resource lists, training materials,
newsletters and booklets. You can find these in the Publications section of our
website.
Healthlink Worldwide believes in working cooperatively with other agencies
and provides consultancy and training in establishing resource centres, and
information and knowledge management.
Until 1998, Healthlink Worldwide was known as AHRTAG (Appropriate
Health Resources and Technologies Action Group).
For more information, please contact:
Healthlink Worldwide
Cityside
40 Adler Street
London E1 1EE
UK
E-mail info@healthlink.org.uk
or visit our website at http://www.healthlink.org.uk
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About Source International Information Support Centre
Source is an international information support centre designed to strengthen
the management, use and impact of information on health and disability.
Source is a collaborative venture of four partners: Healthlink Worldwide; the
Centre for International Child Health, which is a department of a university;
Exchange, which is a health communication programme; and Handicap
International, a disability and development NGO.
Source has a unique collection of over 20,000 health and disability information
resources. These include published and unpublished materials, many of which are
from developing countries and are not readily available elsewhere in one collection.
Subject areas include adolescent and child health, disability, disease and disease
control, evaluation, health communication, HIV/AIDS, information management,
poverty and health, primary health care, and reproductive and sexual health.
Visit the Source website at www.asksource.info to access:
• Source bibliographic database which holds details of a unique collection of
over 20,000 health and disability information resources, including books,
manuals, reports, posters, videos and CD-ROMs. Many materials are from
developing countries
• Source contacts database which allows you to search for organisations –
including publishers, distributors, information providers and training
organisations – working in health and disability worldwide
• Source newsletters and journals database which holds details of over 150
international newsletters, magazines and journals which are available free
or at low cost to readers in developing countries, including links to the full
text of the newsletter where possible.
The combined information support centre is designed to meet the information
needs of individuals and organisations working in health, disability and
development worldwide. These include health workers, researchers and
students, non-governmental and government organisations and disabled
people’s organisations.
Source is located in the library of the Institute of Child Health (ICH) and is
open to visitors Monday to Friday from 9:00–17:00. For further information or
to arrange a visit contact:
Assistant Librarian (Source Collection)
Source International Information Support Centre
2nd Floor, Institute of Child Health
30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
Tel +44 (0)20 7242 9789 x 8698
Fax: +44 (0)20 7404 2062
E-mail source@ich.ucl.ac.uk
Website www.asksource.info
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Foreword
Since its foundation in 1977, Healthlink Worldwide (formerly AHRTAG) has
supported primary health care as a means of achieving health for all, regardless
of class, gender and race. Access to appropriate, relevant and up-to-date
information about health and development issues plays a vital role in enabling
health workers, managers and policy makers to make informed choices and
improve their skills and knowledge.
One of Healthlink Worldwide’s key strategies has been to develop a resource
centre and a range of information services focusing on the practical aspects of
implementing primary health care programmes, and to provide technical
support to resource centres. Healthlink Worldwide has supported the
development of resource centres in a number of countries, primarily in Africa,
Asia and the Middle East.
Over the years, Healthlink Worldwide has received many requests from
organisations working in primary health care and related fields for support in
setting up resource centres, such as: What issues should we consider when
setting up a resource centre? What classification scheme should we use? Should
we set up a resource centre, although we don’t have funds for a computer?
What software would you advise us to use? How can we get people to use our
resource centre? What ideas do you have to help us raise funds?
This manual provides the answers to these and many more questions. It
contains practical information on all aspects of setting up and managing a
resource centre, from planning, fundraising and finding a suitable location, to
collecting and organising materials, developing information services, and
monitoring and evaluating the work of the resource centre. It assumes that
most readers will use manual systems for organising information, but also
explains how computers can be used in resource centres, including e-mail,
Internet and databases. It describes how to select database software, and
contains a detailed review of three leading database programs. It includes a list
of organisations and publications that can provide further information.
The content includes practical information, checklists, tips, examples and
illustrations, which can be used for reference or training. Any pages may be
photocopied to use as handouts or adapted for other materials, provided it is
for educational purposes and the source is acknowledged.
This manual will be of use to people who are involved in setting up a resource
centre, whatever its size. Some of the procedures described are more applicable
to large resource centres containing several thousand materials – for example, a
resource centre supporting a health service training institution – but much of
the information also applies to smaller collections. The list of recommended
reading in the Further Reading section includes publications that are relevant to
different sizes of resource centre.
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The information in this manual is drawn from the experience of Healthlink
Worldwide and its partners in developing resource centres specialising in health
and disability issues. Although it includes many references to the health sector,
the same principles apply to resource centres specialising in other areas, such as
education, environment or agriculture. It is hoped that this book will also be
useful to those working in other sectors.
If you have any comments or suggestions for how to improve future editions,
these would be very welcome.
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Introduction
Who needs information?
Health, rehabilitation and community workers, educators, researchers, policy
makers, managers, local communities and self-help groups all need
information. Information is especially important for training health workers.
There is plenty of evidence that access to the right information at the right time
can mean the difference between life and death. Former executive director of
UNICEF, James Grant, estimated that getting medical and health knowledge to
those who needed it, and applying it, could have prevented 34 million deaths
each year in the late 1980s.
Health sector reforms, changing disease patterns, and advances in technology make it
vitally important that everyone involved in health care and promotion has access to
relevant information – not only during their initial training, but throughout their
working lives, to enable them to keep up-to-date and develop their skills.
Health workers and educators need basic data on the disease profiles of the
local area, the latest techniques in diagnosis and treatment, how to
communicate with patients, how to work with other sectors such as education
or environment, ideas on how to undertake health promotion, and,
increasingly, good information about how to run a health centre or a small
health post.
Health, community and rehabilitation workers may need to gain a better
understanding of the needs and rights of disabled people, and learn how to
support disabled people to lead as full a life as possible.
Researchers need factual information on the area they are researching, and they
need to know what research is being carried out, or has been completed and the
results, to ensure that they are not duplicating any work.
Policy makers and managers need information on epidemiology, population
size and characteristics, finances, staffing needs and facilities. They also need
information on disadvantaged groups, the work of other sectors that contribute
to health, and structures that promote community involvement.
Local communities and self-help groups need to learn how to participate in
planning, implementing and evaluating programmes, promote healthy living
and prevent disease, campaign for better services, promote their own services,
and learn about their rights.
How can resource centres help?
Information plays an important part in the wider learning process – helping
health workers to understand the context of their work, follow new
approaches, undertake new responsibilities, improve their practice and remind
them of basic concepts.
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Learning takes place not only at workshops or on training courses, but also
through discussions with colleagues, practical experience, and consulting
newsletters, books and audiovisual materials. Resource centres can support a
wide range of learning activities by making information available. By helping
health workers learn, they can play a valuable part in improving the health of a
nation.
A concern for equity – a key principle of primary health care – means that
information, like health care, should be accessible to all. But in many
developing countries, access to information is limited, especially information
relevant to local conditions. Locally produced information is often unavailable,
while information produced outside the local area may be inappropriate or too
expensive.
Resource centres have an important part to play in improving access to
information. A resource centre collects and organises materials that are useful
to a particular group of people, such as health workers. Materials may be very
varied, including training manuals, handbooks, reference books, directories,
leaflets, posters, games, videos and samples of equipment.
However, a resource centre is much more than a collection of well organised
materials. A resource centre actively seeks to share the information that it
contains. Resource centre staff encourage people to use the materials. For
example, they not only help people to find the materials they need, but they
also disseminate information in the resource centre by producing and
distributing locally adapted materials and information packs, holding training
or discussion workshops, or arranging exhibitions.
A resource centre should aim to:
• create a pleasant environment for learning
• contain a relevant and accessible collection of resource materials (based on
the actual needs of users)
• provide a range of information services
• encourage people to use the information in the resource centre
• help users gain access to information from other sources.
Development organisations usually prefer the term ‘resource centre’ to ‘library’
to emphasise that this is an active, attractive place where people can relax and
enjoy themselves, talk to each other and take part in meetings and training
activities.
A resource centre can be any size, from a trunk of books or a few shelves, to a
whole room or several rooms. A resource centre may be part of an organisation
or an organisation in its own right. It may serve staff within the same
organisation, people from other organisations, members of the public, or a
mixture. It may be staffed by a volunteer or someone for whom it is only part
of their job, or by a team of professional librarians and information scientists
who are responsible for different aspects of managing the collection and
providing information services. A collection of materials in a hospital or health
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centre meeting room, a few shelves in a room at a training institution, or a
room in a community centre – all these are resource centres.
The larger the resource centre, the more important it is to have systems for
knowing what materials it contains and where to find them. With a small
resource centre consisting of a couple of bookcases, it is easy for someone to
look at all the materials and find what they need. Perhaps all that is needed is
for the materials to be grouped together by subject, and the shelves to have
labels showing which subjects are where. In a larger resource centre, however,
it would take too long to look through all the shelves, so it becomes necessary
to classify materials in more detail and list them in a catalogue (for a medium-
sized resource centre) or on a computer database (for a large resource centre).
Whatever the size, all resource centres have the same aim – to meet the
information needs of a particular group, or groups, of people.
A resource centre should be a pleasant environment for learning
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CHECKLIST: What a resource centre can do
A resource centre can:
1. Make information accessible
• collect and organise materials
• provide access to materials that are up-to-date and relevant to users
• provide a pleasant environment for learning and training.
2. Encourage the use of information
• assist users to find relevant information and suggest how they can use it
in their work
• provide materials to support training and health promotion
• provide information to those responsible for planning, managing and
implementing health programmes, including district health management
teams and community groups
• produce information packs and resource lists
• organise participatory workshops that use materials as tools for
problem-solving
• work with teachers and trainers to identify resource materials for
training activities
• offer an information and enquiry service
• develop ways to reach potential users.
3. Produce materials
• work with health teams and community groups to document their
experience
• adapt, translate and produce health learning materials.
4. Strengthen links with other organisations
• list local, national, regional and international organisations working in
health and related fields
• develop contacts between organisations working in similar fields, such
as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Water and Sanitation, non-
governmental organisations (NGOs) and community organisations
• identify other sources of information.
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Section 1: Planning a resource centre
Planning is important to ensure that the resource centre will serve a useful
purpose. Planning starts with finding out what information people need, and
deciding how to meet their information needs. It includes developing clear aims
for the resource centre, and deciding what activities to carry out to meet these
aims. Planning also includes deciding how to evaluate the resource centre, to
see how far it is meeting its aims.
Planning is not something that only happens once at the beginning, but is part
of a continuing process. The results of evaluation should be used to draw up
new plans for developing the resource centre further.
This section includes:
1.1
Assessing information needs
1.2
Planning
1.3
Developing an action plan
1.4
Interviewing Strategic tips and sample questionnaires
Related sections include:
2.2
Advisory committees
8.3
Networks and networking
9
Monitoring and evaluation
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1.1 Assessing information needs
It is important to find out about the people who will use the resource centre.
This includes finding out what information they need, what information is
provided by other organisations, and how far their needs for information are
being met. This is known as carrying out a needs assessment.
After the resource centre has been established, a needs assessment should be
carried out every one or two years, to ensure that the resource centre continues
to meet the information needs of its users.
A needs assessment looks at:
1. Who the users will be
Their age, sex, educational level, literacy level and type of work they do
2. What their information needs are
What main subjects they need information about
What other subjects they need information about
What they will use the materials in the resource centre for (in order of
priority)
Which activities the materials will be most useful for
How important local/national/regional/international information is
What formats of materials will be useful:
• articles (for writing reports and getting new ideas for activities)
• books and other documents (for getting a comprehensive picture of a
topic)
• personal advice (to help plan activities)
• training manuals (to assist with a training activity)
• videos (for training and health education)
• abstracts of published articles (to keep up-to-date on new developments
and know what to follow up)
• newsletters (to find out what new developments are taking place in the
subject area, and what other organisations are doing).
3. What materials are available
What other sources of published and unpublished materials exist
How much materials cost, and whether health workers can afford to buy
them
What gaps there are (in terms of subject, type of material, such as training
manual, reference material), language, format (such as book, audiovisual), and
educational level
What other sources of information exist:
• government services and departments
• non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
• mass media (newspapers, radio, television)
• e-mail and Internet services.
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4. How information can be disseminated
What methods for disseminating information would best suit resource centre
users (such as resource lists, current awareness bulletins or document supply
services)
How feasible these methods are.
A needs assessment can be carried out by interviewing people individually,
organising a focus group discussion (a structured discussion with a small group
of potential users) or by asking potential users to complete a questionnaire.
Interviews and discussions are better, as they provide an opportunity to meet
people and discuss their needs. If a questionnaire is used, it should be made
easy for people to complete. This can be done by listing the most likely
answers, so that people only need to tick a box or circle a word.
It is important to collect only essential information. Too much information can
be confusing. Tips for conducting interviews and an example of a needs
assessment questionnaire are given in Section 1.4.1.
As well as assessing users’ information needs, it is important to find out what
information is provided by other organisations. This will help to ensure that the
resource centre will fill a gap and not duplicate the work of others. It will also
provide an opportunity to contact other organisations working in related areas,
which could be useful for future work (see Section 8.3: Networks and
networking). Staff of other organisations can be either interviewed or asked to
complete a questionnaire.
An example of a questionnaire for other information providers is given in
Section 1.4.2.
A focus group discussion can help identify information needs
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1.2 Strategic planning
A resource centre needs a clear purpose and overall plan of activities for the
longer term. This is known as a strategic plan. The strategic plan provides a
framework for making shorter-term plans and decisions. It describes:
• the overall aim or aims of the resource centre during a particular period,
such as the next five years (usually one or two broad statements)
• objectives (usually about four to six statements describing different ways in
which the resource centre will fulfil its overall aim)
• plans for specific activities (action plans) that will enable the resource centre
to meet its objectives.
The strategic plan needs to reflect the resource centre's mission. The mission is
usually expressed as a broad statement describing the resource centre’s values
and what it is setting out to achieve in the long term.
It is important that staff and users are involved in developing the strategic plan,
to ensure that their knowledge feeds into it. It is also important for staff to be
aware of the strategic plan, so that they understand what the resource centre is
aiming to do, whom it is for, what services are available, and why some
services are given higher priority than others.
A strategic plan needs to be reviewed and revised regularly. It needs to allow
some flexibility for the resource centre to change over time, in response to new
needs and circumstances. An annual review helps to incorporate changing
needs and circumstances into the plan.
1.2.1 How to develop a strategic plan
The strategic plan should be developed by the resource centre officer, members
of the resource centre advisory committee and/or other users, and management
staff of the organisation that the resource centre is part of. Overall
responsibility for the strategic plan lies with management.
It is best to set aside a day for a strategic planning meeting. Decide whom to
ask to the meeting (preferably between five and ten people) and explain the
purpose of the meeting to them in advance.
Decide who will facilitate the meeting and who will take notes. Try to hold the
meeting in a room where you will not be disturbed. It is useful to have a
flipchart and marker pens, and adhesive material or pins for putting up large
sheets of paper. It is worth providing refreshments.
Section 1.2.2 lists key questions to consider when planning a resource centre.
You can use these to guide your discussions. Allow as open a discussion as
possible. Write up all the ideas, and note those where there is agreement. You
may find that you come up with 'ideal' objectives that then have to be modified
to make them possible to achieve. Objectives should be ‘SMART’: Specific,
Measurable (so you can tell whether they have been achieved), Achievable,
Relevant and Time-limited (to be achieved by an agreed time).
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You may not be able to finalise the strategic plan at the meeting. You may need
to take away the notes and use them to draft a strategic plan, which you can
then circulate for approval or comments.
1.2.2 Key questions for planning a resource centre
1. Vision
What do you want the resource centre to be in five years?
What do you need to enable this to be achieved (in terms of human resources,
equipment and financial resources)?
2. External environment
What trends in the health sector or other sectors are likely to influence the
resource centre?
Who are the key information providers working in the health sector and
related sectors?
What links with other organisations might be important?
What impact might other organisations have on your resource centre?
What impact might technological developments have?
What will be the effect of people knowing about the resource centre?
3. Mission
What are the resource centre’s values?
Who will the resource centre serve?
What are their needs?
How will the resource centre meet the needs of these people?
4. Aim
What should the broad, long-term aim be?
How will it support the mission?
5. Objectives
What should the objectives be for the next few years?
How will they support the overall aim?
Are they specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-limited?
6. Action plan
What activities need to be carried out to achieve the objectives?
How will these activities be carried out?
Who will carry them out?
When will the activities be started and completed?
Will the activities have measurable ‘milestones’ and results?
How will you know when they are finished?
What resources (such as staff, funds and equipment) are necessary, and are
they available?
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7. Communication
What are the different audiences that need to be communicated with?
What messages need to be communicated to them?
How can these messages be communicated?
How will plans for communication fit into the overall strategic plan?
8. Contingencies
Have ‘what if’ situations been worked out and alternative plans been
considered?
Are they realistic?
9. Policies and procedures
Have written operating policies been produced for the resource centre?
Will existing policies and procedures support the action plan?
Will new policies be needed?
10. Resources
Are resources (funds, equipment and staff) available to implement planned
activities?
If not, can they be acquired?
Are estimates of resources needed realistic?
Can the action plan be used to develop budgets?
11. Monitoring and evaluation
How will the strategic plan be monitored and evaluated?
Who will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation?
Staff and users can be involved in developing strategies for the resource centre
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1.3 Developing an action plan
Developing an action plan means turning ideas raised during strategic planning
or evaluation into reality. It means identifying the steps that need to be taken to
achieve the resource centre’s aims. The resource centre officer and their
manager or supervisor should develop the action plan, in consultation with
members of the resource centre advisory committee and/or other users.
It is useful to have action plans for each area of the resource centre’s work,
such as:
• fundraising
• selecting and ordering materials
• organising materials
• computerisation
• providing information services
• promoting the resource centre
• networking and cooperation.
1.3.1 How to develop an action plan
An action plan consists of seven steps: setting objectives, assessing the
objectives, identifying action required to meet the objectives, working out how
to evaluate the activity, agreeing a time-frame for action, identifying resources
(human, financial and technical), finalising the plan, and evaluating the results.
1. Set objectives
You need to identify clear objectives that will guide your work to achieve the
resource centre’s aims. Objectives need to be achievable – do not be over-
ambitious. They need to be measurable (for example, a certain number of
activities carried out within a certain period), so that you can know whether
you have achieved them. Ask yourself:
• What do we want to achieve?
Example of an aim: To disseminate information that will improve local
health workers’ knowledge of local health problems.
Example of an objective: To produce and distribute an information pack
on malaria diagnosis and management to all health clinics in the district
within the next three months.
2. Assess the objectives
Assessment helps to determine whether or not the objective is appropriate. It
may result in confirming the objective, abandoning it or revising it. Ask
yourself:
• Is the objective compatible with the resource centre's aims and objectives?
• Are the necessary resources (funds, equipment, staff) available to reach this
objective? If not, are they obtainable?
• What problems might arise in working to achieve this objective?
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• Example of resources needed to carry out the objective: staff time, relevant
materials in the resource centre or obtainable from elsewhere, stationery,
photocopier, postage.
• Example of revised objective: To produce and distribute an information
pack on malaria diagnosis and management to 20 health clinics and
training institutions within the next six months.
3. Identify action required to achieve the objective
A series of tasks needs to be identified for the objectives to be achieved. List
these as steps. Ask yourself:
• What tasks are necessary, in what order, to meet the objective?
Example:
1. Plan the content of the information pack and decide how to distribute
the packs, in consultation with other staff and users.
2. Calculate costs and staff time, and make sure that funds and time are
available.
3. Allocate responsibilities.
4. Gather information for the pack (search resource centre, contact other
organisations).
5. Request permission from publishers to photocopy material.
6. Photocopy material and prepare packs.
7. Distribute packs.
4. Work out how to evaluate the activity
Plans for finding out how far the activity has achieved its objectives need to be
built into the action plan. Ask yourself:
• How will we know whether we have achieved our objectives?
Example:
8. Contact five clinics to see whether they have received the packs.
9. Include an evaluation form in the pack, asking health workers whether
the information has improved their knowledge, how they have used the
information, and how future packs could be improved. Assess the
feedback from the forms.
Then incorporate plans for evaluation into your action plan.
Example (showing plans for evaluation in bold italics):
1. Plan the content of the information pack, including evaluation forms,
and decide how to distribute the packs, in consultation with other staff
and users.
2. Calculate costs and staff time, and make sure that funds and time are
available.
3. Allocate responsibilities.
4. Gather information for the pack (search resource centre, contact other
organisations).
5. Request permission from publishers to photocopy material.
6. Prepare evaluation forms.
7. Photocopy material, prepare packs.
8. Distribute packs.
9. Contact clinics to see if they have received packs.
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10. Revise plans for distributing packs if they have not reached some
clinics.
11. Assess the feedback from the evaluation forms and use it to plan future
work.
5. Agree a time frame
As you identify each task, work out how long it will take and when it needs to
be done. This will help you to see whether your action plan is on schedule or
whether you need to modify the schedule. Ask yourself:
• What is the actual time required for each individual task? (Be careful not
to under-estimate)
• When will each step be completed?
Example: Total of 18 days over a three-month period.
6. Assess the action plan
Ask yourself:
• How will you know whether the individual tasks have been achieved?
• Have you allowed for possible interruptions?
• Have you tried to do too much or too little?
An action plan must be realistic if it is to work. It is easy to over-estimate
what you can do, leading to disappointment and failure. For example:
1. Leaflets that you had planned to include in the pack may have run out and
need to be reprinted. Can you substitute something else, or will you need
to arrange for them to be reprinted before you can finish preparing the
packs?
2. The member of staff preparing the pack will take annual leave for six
weeks during the period in which the pack was planned to be prepared.
Can you re-schedule the work, or can someone else do it?
7. Finalise the action plan
Revise the action plan. Obtain feedback and comments from colleagues, and
revise it again if necessary.
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1.4 Interviewing tips and sample questionnaires
Tips for conducting interviews
• Arrange the interview in advance and explain the purpose of the
interview.
• Find out about the person or people you are interviewing in
advance, if possible – the type of work they do, and what subjects
they are interested in.
• Write down a list of questions, allowing space between questions
to write down people’s responses. A tick or one-word answer will
help your interview flow.
• Think of an opening statement explaining why you are asking
these questions, such as: ‘We are planning to set up a resource
centre for … and want to ensure that it provides services that you
will find useful’.
• Keep interviews brief but cover enough to serve the purpose (30
minutes).
• Finish by thanking the person and saying that when you have
completed the interviews and analysed the results, you will
distribute a summary of the main points.
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1.4.1 Information needs assessment questionnaire (example)
The following questions can be used for focus group discussions, individual
interviews or questionnaires. Possible answers to some are listed. It sometimes
helps to use these to prompt people. If you use a questionnaire, list possible
answers with a ‘tick box’ beside them, so that people only need to tick a box.
1a. Please tell us briefly about the work that you do.
For example, activities and tasks, people you provide services to (your target
audience)
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
1b. Please tell us briefly about the main health problems (morbidity and
mortality) in your area.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2a. Where do you currently get information?
government departments
NGOs
mass media
public libraries
other (please specify) ________________________________________________
2b. Is there a resource centre or library where you have found information that
is useful to you? yes no
If yes, where is it? _____________________________________________________
3. What subjects do you need information about and would you like to see
contained in the proposed resource centre?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Which of the subjects you listed above are most important?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
5a. What type of information would be useful, and what would be the priority?
books
training materials
journals
newsletters
videos
other (please specify) ________________________________________________
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5b. How might you use the different types of information?
self-learning/awareness
teaching/training
working with the community
planning activities
other (please specify) ________________________________________________
5c. What balance would you like between printed materials and audiovisual
materials?
_____________________________________________________________________
6. What language(s) would you like materials to be in?
_____________________________________________________________________
7. What geographical focus would be most useful?
local
national
regional and/or international (please specify) ___________________________
8. What services should the resource centre provide?
lending
current awareness (informing users of newly received materials)
resource lists
photocopying
advice on useful resources
other (please specify) ________________________________________________
9. What equipment and teaching aids would you find useful?
video player
slide projector
overhead project
duplicating machine
photocopier
other (please specify) ________________________________________________
10a. Where would you like the resource centre to be located?
_____________________________________________________________________
10b. When would you like the resource centre to be open?
_____________________________________________________________________
11. Are there any other issues that we should take into consideration?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
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1.4.2 Questionnaire for other organisations that provide information
On the next page is a sample questionnaire for other organisations that provide
information. You may need to change parts of it to suit your needs, such as the
categories listed under the question, ‘Who uses the information in your resource
centre?’
Remember to include an introductory paragraph, explaining why you are
asking people to complete the questionnaire. It is also useful to include a date
by which you would like the questionnaire to be returned. Remember to
include the address for returning the questionnaire.
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Questionnaire for information providers
We are planning to set up a resource centre, and we are currently assessing the
information needs of people who will use it. As part of this needs assessment,
we are carrying out a survey of other organisations that provide information.
Your answers to this questionnaire will help us to ensure that the new resource
centre will not duplicate existing services.
We would be very grateful if you could complete this questionnaire and return
it by [add date] to: [add your name and address].
1. Your organisation
Name of organisation _______________________________________________
Physical and postal address ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Telephone _________________________ Fax ___________________________
E-mail ____________________________ Website ________________________
Contact person’s name and job title ____________________________________
Number of staff ____________________________________________________
Main activities ______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. Resource centre
a. Briefly describe the role of the resource centre and its main activities.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
b. Is anyone responsible for information activities? Yes No
If yes, please give job title, experience and how much time is allocated to
information-related activities.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. Collection size and content
a. How many materials are in the resource centre? ________________________
b. What are the main subject areas? _____________________________________
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c. What formats do you collect?
books
journals/newsletters
videos
CD-ROMs
slides
posters
others (please list) _______________________________________________
d. What gaps exist in the information collection?
Please specify type, e.g. reference material, language, format (book,
manual etc), educational level.
__________________________________________________________________
4. Information sources and use
a. What other resource centres exist locally?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
b. What organisations, nationally, regionally and internationally, do you
get information from?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
c. Who uses the information in your resource centre?
teachers/trainers
hospital workers
community health workers
community groups
others (please specify) ____________________________________________
d. How is the information used?
teaching and training
share with colleagues
personal reference
basis for developing own materials
research
problem-solving (give examples if possible)
other (please specify) _____________________________________________
5. Organisation of information
a. How do you store your information materials?
in box files
organised on shelves
heaped on shelves
no organised order
other (please specify) _____________________________________________
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b. If your information is organised, what classification scheme do you use?
Please give details or attach an example.
__________________________________________________________________
c. What systems for processing and accessing the information have been
developed?
card catalogue
computer database
database on website
other (please specify) _____________________________________________
6. Information services
What are the main information services offered by your resource centre?
lending
current awareness (informing users of newly received materials)
resource lists
photocopying
advice on useful materials
Internet
e-mail
CD-ROM
other (please specify) ________________________________________________
7. Access
a. How accessible is the resource centre to users (steps, layout, narrow
corridors)?
__________________________________________________________________
b. What are the resource centre's opening hours?
__________________________________________________________________
c. Is it easily accessible (for example, is it near public transport)?
__________________________________________________________________
d. How are the shelves laid out (in rows, or round the edge of the room)?
__________________________________________________________________
Thank you for completing this questionnaire.
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Section 2: Management and finance
This section includes:
2.1
Staffing
2.2
Advisory committees
2.3
Financial planning
2.4
Fundraising and income generation
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2.1 Staffing
A resource centre needs competent and enthusiastic staff. Staff need to be
selected carefully and encouraged to improve their knowledge and skills
through ongoing training.
A large resource centre containing several thousand materials and providing a
range of information services will need at least two full-time members of staff
(or equivalent) – a resource centre officer, who has overall responsibility for
developing and managing the resource centre, and a resource centre assistant to
carry out routine tasks such as ordering and receiving materials. A resource
centre with fewer materials or offering fewer services will need only a resource
centre officer.
Ideally, the resource centre officer should have both knowledge of the subject
area, and experience or training in resource centre work. If the person
appointed lacks experience in resource centre work, it is important to provide
training.
If it is not possible to appoint a resource centre officer with knowledge of the
subject area, it is important to identify someone who has this knowledge, who
can supervise and/or liaise with the resource centre officer. This person needs to
be able to discuss the information needs of people who will use the resource
centre, and to understand the importance of access to and use of information.
This person could be another member of staff or a member of the resource
centre advisory committee, if there is one (see Section 2.2).
If staff are seconded to the resource centre for part of the day, it is important
that they have sufficient time for resource centre work. Otherwise they may not
be able to do a satisfactory job, and may become demotivated. It is also
important that the other work they do is complementary to their resource
centre work. For example, if their work also involves training, publications
development, outreach, advocacy, health promotion or counselling, this work
and their resource centre work will each be useful to the other.
2.1.1 Job descriptions
A job description and person specification (a list of qualifications and experience
necessary to do the job) need to be drawn up for each member of staff. This will
help to recruit the right people and enable them to know what work they are
expected to do.
Section 2.1.2 is a sample job description and person specification for a full-time
resource centre officer. An alternative might be to recruit two resource centre
officers to job-share, or employ volunteers. Volunteers should also have job
descriptions.
If it is not possible to appoint a full-time resource centre officer (or equivalent),
at least six to eight hours per week should be allowed for resource centre duties.
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This would enable the resource centre to be open for at least two hours a day for
three days a week, and would allow two hours a week for administrative duties.
If the resource centre is only open to staff within the same organisation, it could
be open when resource centre staff are not on duty.
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2.1.2 Sample job description of a resource centre officer
Resource Centre Officer
Background
The aim of the resource centre is to assist in the overall goal of the organisation to
achieve health for all by collecting, organising and disseminating information in health
and health-related fields. The resource centre serves staff of the organisation, including
those responsible for training and those undertaking research. The resource centre is
guided in its implementation and development by the Resource Centre Advisory
Committee. The Resource Centre Officer is accountable to the Head of Information.
Main responsibilities
The Resource Centre Officer is responsible for the day-to-day running of the resource
centre. Specific responsibilities are to:
• develop a collection policy in consultation with the Head of Information and the
Resource Centre Advisory Committee
• gather information and materials to meet the needs of resource centre users, in
consultation with the Head of Information and the Resource Centre Advisory
Committee
• develop and maintain an effective ordering system for new materials
• process materials, including entering new materials into the accessions register and
classifying and cataloguing materials
• ensure that the resource centre is user-friendly and accessible, including assisting
users to identify materials
• develop activities in which users can share ideas and concerns on the role of the
resource centre
• work with users to identify activities that information could support, and provide
materials for those activities
• promote the services of the resource centre through activities such as displaying new
materials in the resource centre, and at meetings and workshops
• encourage and promote the use of information
• produce regular statistical reports on the functioning and use of the resource centre
• liaise with the Head of Information and the Resource Centre Advisory Committee
to implement the resource centre guidelines and procedures.
Person specification
Matriculation
Good administrative skills
Computer skills [if your centre is or may become computerised]
Good working knowledge of English and local language
Knowledge of the health sector
Resource centre experience or training
Able to communicate and work well with users
Able to take responsibility
Friendly, creative and enthusiastic
Committed to the aims of the resource centre
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2.2 Advisory committees
An advisory committee representing users of the resource centre can help to
ensure that the resource centre meets users’ needs. A small, hospital-based
resource centre could draw on hospital staff; a community-based resource centre
has more varied sets of users to represent.
It is advisable to establish a committee with about five to ten people. The people
should volunteer their time, but should be offered reimbursement of any
travelling expenses.
The committee needs clear roles and responsibilities (see Section 2.2.1).
An advisory committee representing users can help to ensure that their needs are met
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2.2.1 Sample responsibilities of a resource centre advisory
committee
Resource Centre Advisory Committee
Responsibilities
The committee should:
• advise resource centre staff how to implement the resource centre’s aims and
objectives
• ensure that the needs of the resource centre and its intended users are being met
• advise and participate in planning activities
• assist with the selection of staff
• participate in developing a collection policy and selecting new materials
• decide the opening hours
• advise whether to lend materials and which ones
• participate in setting budgets
• encourage the use of the resource centre
• ensure that mechanisms are in place for monitoring and evaluating the resource
centre.
Committee membership
The committee shall have five members.
Length of membership
Members shall be elected to serve on the committee for two years. They may be re-
elected. A chairperson and secretary must be appointed. Other members may be co-
opted as felt necessary by the committee.
Attendance
Any member who fails to attend three meetings in a row without good reason should no
longer be a member. Another person should be elected in their place.
Official meetings
At least three members must attend a meeting to make the meeting official. If this is not
possible the meeting must be postponed.
Number of meetings
The committee should meet every three months. Meetings should be planned at the
beginning of the year. Additional meetings may be held when necessary, as decided by
the chairperson.
Decisions of committee
Decisions will be passed when more than half the members in attendance agree by a
show of hands.
Dissolution
The committee can be dissolved if felt appropriate by the majority of members.
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2.3 Financial planning
Responsibility for major financial decisions is likely to rest with a senior
member of staff of the organisation or institution hosting the resource centre.
The resource centre advisory committee may be involved in helping to set
spending priorities. Resource centre staff can manage expenditures for smaller
items up to an agreed value.
Financial planning involves:
• establishing the financial needs of the resource centre
• identifying assured and potential sources of income, including income-
generating possibilities
• drawing up regular – usually annual – budgets
• developing a plan for fundraising.
2.3.1 How to establish financial needs
Identifying the financial needs of the resource centre is the first step in financial
planning. It means looking at the resource centre’s objectives and planned
activities, and working out what it will cost to meet these objectives and to
carry out the activities. This initial financial planning exercise is very similar to
drawing up a detailed budget. However, it should include all the things you
want to be able to do, in an ideal situation. It should cover a fairly long period,
such as three years or five years.
A budget is usually a more defined tool which sets out in detail a realistic
expectation of what it actually will be possible to do. It usually covers a shorter
period, such as a year.
Both in the larger exercise of identifying the financial needs, and the more
detailed annual budgeting, it is important to include all the expected costs of
running a resource centre. You will need to find out prices or obtain estimates
from suppliers. Costs include capital costs, recurrent costs and possible special
project costs.
Capital costs are for items that are bought once (or infrequently) and then used
for several years. They include the costs of setting up a resource centre, or of
replacing essential equipment or materials, such as:
• furniture
• computer equipment
• photocopier
• video
• duplicator
• overhead projector
• typewriters
• heaters/air conditioners
• bookshelves.
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They may also include some initial start-up costs, such as the services of a
consultant to plan the resource centre, or the purchase of an initial stock of
materials.
It is sometimes useful to divide capital costs into large and small costs.
Identifying large costs – for example, specific equipment such as a photocopier
or computer – might be helpful in describing specific fundraising targets.
Recurrent costs are costs that need to be met regularly. They are sometimes
called running costs or operating costs. They are usually estimated on an
annual basis. Start by finding out the current cost. Then add a reasonable
amount for inflation to cover these costs in later years. It is useful to know
what the expected rate of inflation will be during the period you are budgeting
for.
The largest recurrent costs are usually salaries and resource materials. A typical
breakdown of recurrent costs might be:
salaries and benefits
60–70%
resource materials
20–30%
stationery/small items
5–7%
insurance
1%
Larger recurrent costs are likely to include:
• staff costs (including salaries, increments, promotions, social welfare
contributions, training and travel)
• building rental
• building maintenance
• electricity
• water rates
• telephone, fax, e-mail
• auditors’ and bank fees
• new additions to the collection (books, posters, videos, slides)
• annual subscriptions to periodicals
• computer hardware upgrades
• computer software upgrades including anti-virus protection.
Smaller recurrent costs may include:
• producing health learning materials, information packs and so on
• publicising the resource centre
• stationery
• postage
• computer supplies (paper, disks, printer ribbons/toner)
• small library equipment
• insurance
• miscellaneous items.
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Special project costs are costs that are incurred to undertake a particular
activity. These could include:
• organising a workshop or a training activity based at the resource centre
• developing a particular publication
• making an exhibition or presentation about the work of the resource centre
or about one of the topics that it covers.
Once all the possible financial needs are identified, you are ready to look at
what sources of income are assured (will definitely provide income) or expected
(are likely to provide income).
2.3.2 How to identify sources of income
Depending on where the resource centre is located, there may be funds from a
variety of sources to cover at least some of the costs. For example, a small
resource centre that is being set up in a training institute, or in a teaching
hospital, is likely to receive some funds directly from the institution in which it
is based. These may be ‘in kind’:
• by paying the salary of the person working in the resource centre
• by contributing the building space, maintenance costs and some of the costs
of the main utilities, such as heat and light
• by providing administrative or financial support and services.
The resource centre may also receive a direct financial contribution from a
parent organisation - a sum of money to purchase essential equipment and
materials to use for the general running of the resource centre.
A resource centre that is serving a group or a network of organisations or
institutions might receive small, regular contributions or in-kind support from
each of them. Local government, non-governmental organisations, religious
organisations or professional associations may make regular contributions to
the resource centre, because they value its work. You may be able to charge for
some services, such as photocopying, or charge membership fees for users, or
generate income from sales of publications.
Adding together all of these likely sources of funding and in-kind support will
show you how much money you can expect to be available to undertake the
activities that have been planned. It is very tempting to be over-optimistic about
how much will be raised. It is a good idea, when you are doing your financial
planning, to be pessimistic and expect the worst. Unless you have a firm
agreement of the amounts that are going to be contributed, it is best not to
include these amounts in your financial planning, other than to indicate that
there is a possibility of receiving them.
With your optimistic list of financial needs, and your pessimistic list of possible
income sources, you are ready to build a realistic budget for the next year, and
to identify targets for fundraising.
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2.3.3 How to draw up a budget
There are two types of budgets that you need to prepare:
• a minimum budget which is your basic operating budget
• a more optimistic budget which includes activities that you would like to do
if the funds are raised.
The minimum budget should be based upon how much income you are certain
of receiving, perhaps with a small degree of optimism that savings will be made
through the year or that additional funds will come in. Generally, the minimum
budget aims to balance the expenditure and income. This is sometimes called
an income-led budget.
The minimum budget should list all the expected costs of running the resource
centre over the next year. It is built up by taking the prices of each individual
item, or estimates from suppliers. It should also include a suitable percentage to
cover inflation.
If the resource centre has been running for some time, the annual budget can be
based on the previous year’s budget, taking into account any new items or
services and likely inflation.
Indicate any expected income for the resource centre. Subtracting the expected
income from the expected activities should leave a zero balance, or only a very
small deficit (loss). If this does not happen, then it means that it is not possible
to do all the things included in the expenditure section, unless additional funds
can be raised. This means that some expenditure may have to be delayed or cut.
The more optimistic budget is the type of budget that you will usually prepare
when you are developing proposals for future work. This type of budget sets
out things that you would like to do, if you had the resources. A more
optimistic budget helps to identify fundraising targets, because it is almost
certain to have a deficit.
Establishing fundraising targets, and identifying work that you would like to
do, is the first step in fundraising (see Section 2.4).
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2.4 Fundraising and income generation
There are many different ways to fundraise and many different sources of
funds. The choice of which methods to use depends on the range of acceptable
potential donors (funders) in the area and upon the time and resources
available to devote to fundraising.
2.4.1 Generating funds
It is important to identify the financial resources that the resource centre can
generate itself. These might include:
• membership fees or fees for using the resource centre
• payment for services provided – such as photocopying or literature searches
• sales of information packs or publications
• acting as consultants to train or advise others.
There may also be a community of users who are prepared to make a voluntary
contribution to the work of the resource centre, or it may be possible to raise
funds by general appeals to the community members.
Contributions from local individuals or organisations could be in forms other
than money. For example, people may be willing to volunteer a certain amount
of time to help with basic tasks at the resource centre, or to provide a specific
technical or professional skill, such as accounting, computing skills, marketing,
designing, writing or painting. Businesses in the community might be prepared
to provide staff on loan for a period of time to help with particular work, or
they might pay for the cost of developing promotional material about the
resource centre. They might also have useful materials that they would be
willing to donate or lend to the resource centre.
Volunteers may have skills they can contribute to the resource centre
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2.4.2 Applying for grants
Another source of funds may be grants from institutions or organisations that
have money to finance development, charitable or educational activities.
Most funding organisations have specific requirements or conditions for
granting money. Some only give money for certain types of activities, such as
education, training or research. Some only give money for certain groups of
beneficiaries, such as children, poor people or elderly people. Some only give
money for certain locations, such as urban areas, rural areas, developing
countries or a specific continent or region. Some only give money for work
focusing on a certain topic or sector, such as HIV/AIDS, environment,
education or communicable diseases.
2.4.3 How to find out about funders
If you are starting out and don’t know any donor agencies (funding
organisations), start by making a list. To do this:
• Write to or visit government departments in your country, asking whether
they have any funds available for your sort of work.
• Write to or visit embassies in your country, asking for a list of donor
agencies in their country.
• Write to or visit the offices of international organisations, such as United
Nations agencies, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and
Development and the European Union, asking how to approach them for
funding.
• Approach local churches or other religious organisations and ask for the
names and addresses of their international donors.
• Ask other organisations for names and addresses of donors.
• Ask colleagues and friends.
• Look up donor agencies in your local library, British Council library or
other library.
Write to all the donor agencies you can, asking them for their funding criteria
and areas of interest. Type the letter on headed paper, explaining who you are
and what kind of work you do. Send them a leaflet about your organisation if
there is one.
2.4.4 How to apply for grants
Wherever possible, try to have personal contact with the donor agency. Ask for
guidelines for presenting proposals (funding applications) and ask what criteria
they use to make decisions, what areas of interest they have, and when and
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how often they give funds. Some donors will accept funding applications at any
time. Some have specific procedures and times for considering funding
applications.
Try to talk to someone within the donor agency before finalising any funding
applications. You may want to visit the organisation, or ask someone from the
funding organisation to visit your resource centre to see the type of work you do.
Once you have identified possible donors, you need to develop a clear funding
proposal. The resource centre officer could be responsible for preparing a
proposal, in consultation with his or her supervisor or a member of the
resource centre advisory committee. The committee might want to discuss the
proposal, or other staff in the organisation might be involved in developing and
discussing the proposal.
The first time that you send a proposal to a particular donor, it is helpful to
include any leaflet that you may have about your organisation, and reports
about previous projects. Letters of referral or testimonials about previous work
can also be useful. Also enclose your organisation’s latest annual report and
financial accounts, if they are available.
The way you present the information in the funding proposal is important for
convincing the donors that your project is worth funding. Always follow the
guidelines set out by a donor, and answer any questions they set. Be precise and
clear about what you want to do, how much funding you require and how you
will use those funds.
Don’t use too many words. Briefly describe the problem you are tackling and
how you intend to tackle it.
When you have received funds, remember to say thank you. And remember to
keep in touch with the donors and let them know how you are getting on with
the project that they are supporting. This may help with future funding.
2.4.5 How to prepare a funding proposal
Follow any guidelines provided by the donor agency. Keep your proposal short
and concise. Divide it clearly into sections. If your organisation is already
established, add other information such as an annual report and audited
accounts as an appendix. But do not add unnecessary documents just to make
the proposal look longer. Funders prefer short project proposals.
You will need to include the following:
Title of the project Make sure that the project has a name that clearly identifies it.
Summary This should be no more than one page. It should explain the reason
for the project, the aims and proposed activities, how long the project is
planned to take and the amount of money needed.
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Statement of the need Explain why you want to do this project at this time and
why the need for it exists. If appropriate, include a brief description of the
geographical area, target group (the people who will benefit from it) and reason
for selecting this target group.
Aims and objectives of the project Explain what you hope to achieve (not how
you hope to achieve it - this comes next).
Strategy Describe how you hope to achieve the aims and objectives – what
activities you will undertake, including monitoring and evaluation (see below).
Be clear about the order in which these activities will be carried out, when each
activity will start and how long it will last, and where each activity will be
carried out.
Organisational background Briefly describe your organisation, its legal status,
and the people who will be working on the project. Explain why you are
qualified to do this project. Explain what work you have done previously that
has given you the right experience for the project. Explain how this project fits
with other activities of your organisation.
Monitoring Monitoring means checking how the project is developing, to
make sure that everything is happening as it should, that activities are being
carried out on time, and that, if anything goes wrong, there is a system for
informing those responsible and putting it right quickly.
Evaluation Evaluation means finding out whether your project has achieved its
aims. You must build evaluation plans into your overall strategy. Explain what
methods you will use to measure the results of the project.
Budget Make this as realistic as possible. Make sure that items in the budget
are consistent with your aims and strategy. Use headings that reflect the way
the project will be set up, but that are easy to identify – for example: Salaries,
Equipment, Stationery, Communications, Rent, Travel.
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Section 3: Space, furniture and equipment
This section includes:
3.1
Location, size and structure
3.2
Planning the layout
3.3
Choosing furniture and equipment
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3.1 Location, size and structure
3.1.1 Choosing a location
A resource centre needs to be easily accessible to the people who will use it. Its
location will depend on who the users will be and what space is available. It
could be somewhere users already go to regularly. For example, if most users
will be district health workers, the resource centre could be in the district
hospital, or in the district health offices where health workers collect their
salary cheques. If most users will be community groups, the resource centre
could be near a market place, bus station or school.
It is worth thinking ahead. The resource centre will probably be more sustainable
if it attracts a wide range of users, such as practising health workers, medical and
nursing students, health educators, members of community health committees,
members of district management teams and so on.
It is best to find a location where there are no distractions such as noise and
smells. The resource centre needs to be attractive and inviting. It needs to be
accessible to everyone who will use it (including people with disabilities). It needs
to be easy to find. It is important that it is well signposted and that directions are
included in any publicity material (perhaps as a map).
3.1.2 Working out the size
The size of the resource centre will depend on how many people are expected
to use it, and what activities are planned to take place in it. It will also depend
on how much space is available. It will be necessary to negotiate with
administrators to find a suitable site, in view of competing demands for space.
Resource centres can range from a set of shelves in someone's room, to one or
more rooms dedicated to the resource centre and related activities. The site
needs to be large enough to include:
• space for materials to be shelved
• work spaces for staff and users: desks, tables and chairs
• display area
• space for photocopier, duplicating machine or printing machine, if required
• space for a computer desk, if required
• space for meetings and possibly training activities
• storage space for materials waiting to be processed
• a secure place for expensive equipment such as a video recorder.
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TIP: Size of resource centres
In order to aid decisions concerning the appropriate size of resource
centres and libraries, guidelines were developed for libraries and
resource centres in higher education institutions, which are also
adopted by hospital and health resource centres. The recommendation
is a minimum of 0.42m2 per full time student with a minimum total
area of 500m2. For non-academic or training institutions, the
calculations are usually based on the number of full time staff.
The guidelines also recognise the need for study space. This was
originally calculated at a minimum of 1 space per 16 full time
students. However due to the current emphasis on self-learning
(which requires a greater use of resources), plus the increased use of
technology such as computers and videos, it is now considered
important to provide more space for study.
3.1.3 Ensuring a secure structure
The building in which the resource centre is housed needs to be in good
condition to avoid damage from rainwater. Window shutters and a roof
overhang help to provide protection from the weather. Mosquito netting over
windows helps to protect both people and materials from insects, especially
after dark.
The resource centre should be well lit. Natural light is comfortable for people
to work in. However, materials need to be protected from strong sunlight.
Materials and equipment in the resource centre need to be secure from possible
theft. It is important that windows and doors can be shut properly and locked
when the resource centre is not in use.
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3.2 Planning the layout
Before starting to arrange any furniture or equipment, it is best to draw a plan
of the space available. The plan can be used to work out the most effective
layout.
It is important to notice where the electric sockets are, so that computers,
photocopiers and other electrical equipment can be placed near them. It is also
important to find out which walls or pillars are strong enough to hold shelves.
Plenty of space needs to be allowed for shelves. The layout should ensure that:
• maximum use is made of the space available for shelving
• shelves are easily accessible to users
• shelves are away from direct sunlight as much as possible.
Activities that will take place in the resource centre need to be considered. For
example, if the space will be used for meetings and training, the shelving will
need to be arranged in a way that allows enough space for these activities.
Space also needs to be allowed for wheelchairs to move about easily.
It is worth thinking about how to make the resource centre look attractive.
Plans should include some colourful floor rugs, pot plants, and posters.
3.2.1 How to measure space for shelves
To work out how much shelf space you need, first find out how many books
will go on a shelf. To do this, measure the width of a shelf. Then use some
books to see how many will fit (not too tightly) on one shelf. Do this four
times, using different books each time. Take the average of all four totals. For
example, 45 + 57 + 49 +54 = 205 ÷ 4 = about 51.
Estimate the likely size of the collection over a particular period (such as five or
ten years). To do this, take the present size of the collection, estimate the
number of materials to be added each year (see Section 4.1.1: Developing a
collection policy) and add the figures together. Remember to subtract the
number of books that might be discarded. Divide the estimated size of the
collection by the number of books per shelf to find out how many shelves you
will require.
If shelf space is limited, remember this when you develop and review the
collection policy. You will need to specify carefully what subjects and materials
are to be added to the collection, and ensure that older or superseded materials
(materials that are out of date) are weeded out regularly. You may have to limit
the length of time that a particular type of material, such as periodicals, can be
kept.
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A possible layout for a medium size resource centre
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3.2.2 Space for different uses
As well as space for shelves, the resource centre will need space for users, staff,
training and meetings, storage, and displays.
People who use the resource centre need space to sit and read the materials.
Space needs to be allowed for tables and chairs. Small tables allow more
flexibility than large tables. They can be arranged separately or put together to
make a larger table when required. Folding tables and chairs are convenient.
Access to a photocopier is useful. If the resource centre is very small, the
photocopier could be put outside the resource centre itself, to keep the noise
down. The photocopier may also need to be outside the resource centre if it is
shared with other departments. However, the photocopier needs to be very
close to the resource centre, so that users do not have to go far with materials
that they wish to photocopy.
Resource centre staff need their own working space, either in the resource
centre or in an adjoining room. Staff need desks, chairs, filing cabinets and
shelves.
If the resource centre is in a room that is also used for training, staff need space
in an adjoining room, so that they can continue to work when the resource
centre is being used for training. If staff have a separate room, it is a good idea
to situate the workspace for one or more staff near the main door of the
resource centre, so that staff can see resource centre users and assist them if
necessary.
Training and meetings are activities that can benefit from taking place in a
resource centre, as materials that may be needed are already there. However, if
the resource centre is a very busy place - for example, if it is in a training
institution - meetings will distract people who are using the resource centre to
study. In such cases, it is better to have a separate adjoining room for activities
such as meetings, training sessions and showing videos. It is useful to include a
noticeboard and table or display rack in this room, for displaying information
from the resource centre that relates to the meeting or training session.
Storage space is needed for:
• newly received materials that are waiting to be processed
• older materials that are being repaired or withdrawn
• back issues of periodicals, if there is no space in the main room
• stationery and small equipment
• expensive equipment (which needs a locked cupboard).
Display space is needed for new materials, notices and so on. A table could be
used to put new materials on, slanting display shelves could be used for
periodicals, and a noticeboard could be used for announcements (see Section
3.3.2: Display equipment).
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3.3 Choosing furniture and equipment
3.3.1 Shelving
The resource centre will need shelves for books, reports and pamphlet boxes.
Adjustable shelves may be useful to accommodate materials of different
heights.
Shelves need to be:
• made from good materials
• strongly made
• supported approximately every metre to prevent sagging
• at least 20cm (8 inches) deep, 30–35cm (12–14 inches) apart in height, with
10–20cm (4–8 inches) between the bottom shelf and the floor to enable
them to be cleaned, and to prevent damage from flooding
• preferably without solid backs to allow maximum airflow
• preferably with a top shelf or cover to protect materials if the roof leaks
• braced (strengthened) at the back
• not too high to allow people to reach the top shelf.
Different sizes of shelving units should be selected to suit different spaces (such
as low shelving units under windows and higher units along walls, or free-
standing units in aisles).
Shelving units can often be purchased ready-made. They come in various sizes,
with a varying number of shelves per unit, in different colours and materials
(wood or metal). Alternatively, it might be possible to order shelves from a
carpenter, which would probably be less expensive and would provide local
employment.
Book supports are useful to keep books upright when the shelf is not full (see
Section 5.5.1: Shelving materials). It is possible to buy supports or make them
from wood, or to use a bean bag (cloth bag with beans or pebbles inside).
3.3.2 Display equipment
Different types of display equipment are useful for displaying different
materials.
Noticeboards, bulletin boards or pin boards are useful for displaying
information about forthcoming meetings, new materials and so on, and for
users to exchange information about topics that they are interested in. At least
one noticeboard should be placed in the resource centre. Another noticeboard
should be placed outside the resource centre to catch the interest of people
passing by, and to show resource centre opening times. Other noticeboards
could be placed in other parts of the organisation, such as the reception area,
and outside meeting rooms or training areas.
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Slanting display shelves can be used to display the latest periodicals received.
Back issues of periodicals can be stored underneath.
Wire racks, leaflet dispensers and hanging cloths can be used to display leaflets,
pamphlets, periodicals and newsletters. They should only be used to display the
most recently received issues of periodicals or newsletters. Older issues can be
put in pamphlet boxes on the shelves.
Slanting shelves are useful for displaying periodicals
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TIP: How to make a hanging display
You can make a hanging display from cloth, for lightweight resource
materials such as leaflets or newsletters.
Take a piece of cloth about 240cm (8 feet) by 100cm (3 feet). Turn
under all the edges by about 2.5cm (1 inch). Fold the cloth in two,
bringing the shorter edges together. Sew across the cloth about 5cm
(2 inches) down from the fold, to make a space to insert a pole. Sew
along the other edges, to sew the two folds of cloth together.
Mark places on the cloth to make pockets for leaflets or newsletters,
by laying leaflets or newsletters on the cloth and drawing round them
in chalk. Sew round the shapes, along the chalk lines.
Cut an opening across each shape about 8cm (3 inches) below the top
of the shape. Turn under and sew the edges to prevent them from
fraying.
Insert a wooden or metal pole in the space where the cloth is folded.
Attach some string to each end and hang up the cloth on a hook.
3.3.3 Other furniture and equipment
The resource centre will also need:
• tables, chairs and desks for staff and users
• locked cupboards for video cassettes and other audiovisual materials
• filing cabinets with suspended files for materials such as small reports and
papers, leaflets, pamphlets, press cuttings and photographs
• pamphlet boxes for soft-cover materials, such as pamphlets, leaflets,
periodicals and newsletters
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• plan chest, cardboard box or portfolio for large materials such as drawings
or posters
• communications equipment
• small items such as stationery.
Filing cabinets and pamphlet boxes can be used to store many of the same types
of materials. Filing cabinets are more useful as it is easier to divide materials
into clearly labelled groups, whereas pamphlet boxes usually have to contain
materials on several topics to save space on the shelves. Filing cabinets also help
to keep materials free of dust.
A list of furniture and equipment is given in Section 3.4.2.
Pamphlet boxes are used for storing materials with soft covers
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TIP: How to make a portfolio
Posters need to be stored flat. If you do not have enough room or
funds for a plan chest, you could make a designer’s portfolio instead.
You can stand the portfolio upright behind a set of shelves or beside
a filing cabinet.
To make a portfolio, take two pieces of hardboard or very strong
cardboard, a little larger than the largest poster to be stored. Make a
flexible hinge by sticking strong sticky tape, such as gaffer tape,
along one edge of each board, both sides.
Make flaps by attaching a narrow piece of card to each of the other
three sides of one of the boards. Attach some cord to the outside
edge of each of the two opposite flaps, and to the outside edge of
each of the boards.
Tie the cords on the flaps together to prevent the posters from
slipping out. Tie the other cords together to close the portfolio.
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3.3.2 List of furniture and equipment
This is a list of furniture and equipment that the resource centre is likely to
need, including consumables (items that will need to be replaced frequently).
For more details of computer equipment, see Section 6.
Furniture
Consumables
Tables and chairs for users
Notebook for visitors
Desks (or tables) and chairs for staff
Notebook for record of borrowing
Desk for computer and printer
Notebook for statistics
Shelving
Notebook for accounts
Slanting shelves for displaying periodicals
Filing cabinet(s)
File folders
Wire racks for leaflets
Cupboard for TV and video
Card catalogue cabinet
Record cards
Stool
Floor rugs
Communications equipment
Consumables
Photocopier
Photocopier toner and paper
Overhead projector
Overhead transparencies
Slide projector
Spare bulbs for both projectors
Television
Video
Computer
Diskettes
Uninterruptable power supply (UPS)
Anti-virus updates (every 1–3 months)
Printer
Printer ribbons and paper
Telephone
Small equipment
Consumables
1 pair of sharp, medium-size scissors
Drawing pins
Plain white paper
1 pencil sharpener
Pencils
Coloured paper for displays
1 ruler
Erasers (rubbers)
Envelopes for mailing
1 stapler
Staples
Stamps
1 rubber stamp with name and address
Ballpoint pens
Glue or glue stick
of resource centre
Marker pens
Masking tape
1 date stamp
Carbon paper
Sticky labels (rectangular or
1 ink pad
Ink for ink pad
other shapes in several colours)
1 lockable petty cash box and keys
Paper clips
Sticky tape (plus special Scotch
1 or 2 waste bins
Rubber bands
3M Magic Tape if possible)
At least 2 long, narrow boxes to hold
Black & white
record cards
permanent ink
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3.4 Taking care of materials
Materials need to be protected from damage by sun, heat, damp, rainwater,
fire, dust, animals and insects.
Humidity can cause materials to become mouldy. In dry climates, materials
may be damaged by dust or termites. Air conditioning or good ventilation, and
regular cleaning, will help to keep materials in good condition.
Fresh air and cleaning will help to control infestation by silverfish. Materials
can be protected against ants by placing the legs of shelves in tins of water or a
mixture of kerosene and water. If eating and drinking is allowed in the resource
centre, the resource centre must be cleaned thoroughly, so that food crumbs do
not attract insects or rodents. If necessary, the usual household insecticides
should be used. However, they should be used (if at all) at the end of the day,
so that they will not be breathed in by users, and the resource centre should
continue to be cleaned regularly, so that residues do not build up.
Shelves should not be packed too tightly, as this prevents the flow of air, and
can cause damage to materials when removing or re-shelving them.
Any materials that are damaged, but that are important to the collection and
cannot be replaced, should be put in strong (labelled) envelopes to prevent
further damage or loss of pages.
TIP: How to dust books
Dust books and other printed materials by holding them spine
upwards and flicking through the pages to dislodge the dust away
from the pages. If you try to dust them by wiping the edges of the
pages with a cloth, this can push the dust further into the pages.
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Section 4: Developing the collection
It is important to collect only materials that will be useful. Materials that are
not relevant to users, or that are badly written or translated, are a waste of time
and space. The collection needs to be balanced in terms of subject areas and
formats, to meet the needs of all users, not just some.
This section includes:
4.1
Developing a collection policy
4.2
Format of materials
4.3
Sources of materials
4.4
Selecting materials
4.5
Obtaining materials
4.6
Receiving materials
4.7
Updating the collection
4.8
Sample letters
4.9
List of distributors
Related sections include:
1.1
Assessing information needs
2.2
Advisory committees
2.3
Financial planning
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4.1 Developing a collection policy
Every resource centre needs a collection policy to ensure that:
• the collection is useful for the people who use the resource centre
• financial and other resources are used well
• the collection does not duplicate other collections that are accessible to users.
Developing the collection policy is the responsibility of the resource centre
officer. However, the policy needs to be developed in consultation with the
resource centre officer’s manager or supervisor and the resource centre advisory
committee (if there is one) and/or other users. The policy needs to be reviewed
and updated about every two years.
4.1.1 How to develop a collection policy
Start by looking at the overall aims of the resource centre and the needs of
existing and potential users (see Section 1.1). Write down the subject areas that
are most important. Write down other relevant subject areas. Write down what
format of materials and reading level is required for different users of the
resource centre. Ask the resource centre advisory committee (if there is one) to
help you with all this.
Identify other resource centres that have collections on these subject areas, and
consider whether users have access to them. If not, consider whether you can
establish a good relationship with any of these resource centres, which might
include supplying or lending materials.
Decide and write down how long particular materials should be kept, including
issues of periodicals, and when to weed out (remove) materials that should no
longer be kept.
This information forms the collection policy. Use the collection policy to help
you decide which materials to add to the collection and which to remove.
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4.2 Format of materials
There are many types of information materials
Materials are available in an increasing range of formats. There are four main
groups:
• printed materials
• display materials
• audiovisuals
• electronic materials.
Information is also communicated in a variety of other ways.
Printed materials (including Braille materials) are produced by a printing press,
computer printer, or photocopier. They include: books, educational pamphlets,
government guidelines, handouts, newsletters, organisational reports and other
documents, resource lists, research reports, study guides and training materials.
Display materials can be shown without the use of equipment such as a
projector. They include: biological specimens, flipchart displays, magnetic or
chalkboard displays, photographs, posters, models, flannelgraphs and
wallcharts.
Audiovisual materials need equipment to be used. They include: audio
cassettes, overhead projector transparencies (OHPs), slides and videos.
Electronic materials need a computer to be shown or used. They include
computer-assisted learning (CAL) materials, CD-ROM, interactive video discs,
and information available via e-mail and the Internet.
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Other ways of communicating information include:
• songs
• plays
• proverbs
• conversations with colleagues
• meetings
• workshops
• contact with individuals or groups around similar subject interests – this is
often called networking.
In many settings, these less formal methods of communication are the primary
way in which information is communicated. Integrating less formal methods of
communication into the work of a resource centre can often improve its use
and its impact.
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4.3 Sources of materials
A wide range of sources can be used to find out what materials are available.
The main sources are:
• producers and distributors
• bibliographic sources
• local information sources
• the Internet.
TIP: Developing contacts
It is a good idea to develop contacts with local, national and
international organisations that produce or disseminate information
that may be of use to users. Book fairs and exhibitions are a good
place to develop contacts. Details of organisations should be kept on
file. Organisations should be contacted, asking to be put on their
mailing list to receive regular information about new materials.
4.3.1 Producers and distributors
Producers and distributors include:
• specialist suppliers
• commercial publishers
• United Nations agencies
• government departments
• non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
• professional associations
• training institutions
• subscription agents.
Specialist suppliers, such as the African Books Collective, Hesperian
Foundation, IT Publications, PACT, Tropical Health Technology and
Teaching-aids at Low Cost (TALC), supply materials to developing countries,
usually at lower prices than commercial publishers. Suppliers' catalogues are
available free on request.
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Commercial publishers are organisations that produce materials for profit.
Commercial publishers that produce materials on health and development
include Butterworth-Heinemann, Macmillan, Oxford University Press (OUP)
and Zed Books. Some of the larger publishers, such as Macmillan and OUP,
have offices in developing countries, which support local production and
distribution of materials. Publishers’ catalogues are available free on request.
Most United Nations agencies, such as UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, WHO and
the World Bank, and NGOs, such as AMREF, Healthlink Worldwide,
INTRAC, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Oxfam, Save
the Children (SCF) and Women INK, produce materials, often free or at low
cost. Most produce catalogues or publications lists that are available free on
request. Government documents from ministries such as the Ministry of Health
include important policy documents, guidelines and training manuals.
Professional associations of, for example, doctors, nurses or librarians, produce
materials including books, guidelines and newsletters.
Training institutions may produce training materials, including distance
education materials.
Subscription agents, such as Swets Blackwell, organise subscriptions to
periodicals.
Details of key producers and distributors of materials are given in Section 4.9.
4.3.2 Bibliographic sources
Bibliographic sources include:
• resource lists and bibliographies
• bibliographic databases
• acquisitions bulletins
• book reviews and summaries
• sources of information for articles
• Blue Trunk Library lists.
Some publications are a combination of different types of material providing
bibliographic source information.
Resource lists are publications that contain details of materials, usually on a
specific subject such as diarrhoeal diseases, disability issues, or reproductive
and sexual health. They usually include a brief description of each material, the
price, and details of how to obtain the material.
Bibliographies are similar to resource lists, but do not necessarily include
information on how to obtain materials. Resource lists and bibliographies are
usually available in print or electronic format.
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Bibliographic databases contain bibliographic information on computer about
publications or articles in periodicals, including the author, title, publisher and
price. They use keywords (selected words or phrases) to describe the content.
Some include abstracts (summaries of contents). Others include the full text of
articles. Many bibliographic databases are available on CD-ROM, the Internet
or on-line information services. Bibliographic databases containing details of
materials on health and development include African HealthLine, African Index
Medicus, CAB Health, Extramed, Source, Medline, and POPLINE.
Example of a bibliographic database record
Acquisitions bulletins are regular publications that contain details of materials
added to a resource centre collection during a particular period. They can be
used to find out what has been acquired by other resource centres, and to help
identify materials for the collection. The resource centre can either subscribe to
an acquisitions bulletin or, if it produces one, it can arrange to receive others in
exchange.
Book reviews and abstracts (summaries) in newsletters, magazines and journals
can help to assess whether a material will be useful. They often comment on the
material, as well as describing the contents. It can be useful to photocopy and
file reviews to help select materials. Reviews can also be circulated to users.
Sources of information for articles in newsletters, magazines and journals are
often listed at the end of the article. They can be used to identify materials for
the collection. However, the materials listed are usually not new, and are more
useful for building up a collection in a new subject area than updating an
existing subject area.
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Blue Trunk Libraries list, produced by the World Health Organization (WHO)
Library and Information Networks for Knowledge Programme, lists about 150
publications selected for their Blue Trunk Libraries project. The materials are
divided into 14 categories: General medicine and nursing, Community health,
Primary health care, Health management and epidemiology, Maternal health
and family planning, Child health, Diarrhoeal diseases, Nutrition and
nutritional disorders, Essential drugs, Communicable diseases and vaccination,
Parasitic diseases and vector control, Sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS,
Surgery, anaesthesia and hospitals, and Medical and laboratory technology. See
http://www.who.int/library/country/trunks/contents/index.en.shtml
4.3.3 Local information sources
Local sources of information include:
• colleagues in the same organisation
• resource centre users
• other organisations
• research and development projects
• training programmes
• book fairs, exhibitions and conferences.
Colleagues and users of the resource centre are useful sources of information
about materials for the collection. They can be asked to suggest materials. For
example, they might recommend a manual that they have used during a
training workshop, or that has been recommended by another colleague.
Members of the resource centre advisory committee (see Section 2.2) should be
involved in deciding what to collect, and it is worth encouraging them to
suggest ideas.
Other organisations working in similar areas can also be useful sources of
information. Resource centre staff may be in touch with staff of other resource
centres, or with staff of organisations working in a similar subject area.
Research and development projects, being carried out either within the same
organisation as the resource centre or elsewhere, are a source of information on
new developments and findings.
Training programmes usually provide participants with handouts, photocopies
of sections of materials and reading lists. These materials may themselves be
useful additions to the collection, or they may help to identify useful materials.
It is therefore good to encourage people to share such materials with resource
centre staff.
Book fairs, exhibitions and conferences include displays by publishers and
booksellers of new materials.
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4.3.4 The Internet
If the resource centre has a computer connected to the Internet, information
sources such as electronic conferences or discussion groups and on-line
databases will also be accessible. Full-text documents on the Internet can be
obtained by resource centres with only e-mail access. They are often advertised
on newsletters or through electronic discussion lists. See Section 6.5 for
information about Internet services.
Example of a web page
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4.4 Selecting materials
The collection policy (see Section 4.1), which is based on an analysis of users’
needs, should be used to help select materials. A range of materials including
books, newsletters and videos should be collected, according to the needs of
users. Information about other organisations working in related areas should
also be collected. It is important to keep in regular contact with other
organisations that provide information services.
Selecting materials requires a good knowledge of the existing collection, the
subject area, and users’ needs. If the resource centre has an advisory committee
representing users, selection of new materials should be discussed and agreed
with the committee. Other staff and users should pass suggestions to the
resource centre officer, who can present them to the committee.
4.4.1 How to select materials
To decide whether to add a particular book, video, article or other material to the
collection, ask yourself:
• What is the content? If you have a copy of the material, look at the contents
page if it is a publication, or summary information if it is a cassette, etc. If
you are using a resource list, look at the list of keywords. The title does not
always give a clear indication of what the material contains.
• Who is the material for? If you have a copy of the material, look at the
foreword or introduction, summary information if it is a cassette, or
accompanying description. If you are using a resource list, look at the
description of the material. Decide whether the material is intended for the
people your resource centre is serving. For example, an academic textbook
on drug abuse would not be useful for a nurse who wanted practical
information about drug abuse for health education work in a secondary
school. Similarly, a video on disabled people’s rights which was filmed in
Africa might not be useful for an Asian audience.
• Is the information accurate and up-to-date? Look at the date of publication.
If it was more than five years ago, think carefully before ordering it. As a
general rule, avoid purchasing anything more than five years old. The
exception may be some key textbooks or audiovisual materials.
• How much does it cost? Look at the price, if shown. Consider whether the
material is worth the money and whether funds are available. Consider
whether you may be able to request a free copy (see Section 4.5: Obtaining
materials).
• Does the resource centre lack materials on this subject? Look at what else
you have in your resource centre on the same subject. Does the material fill
a gap? Will it improve the collection on this subject?
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4.5 Obtaining materials
4.5.1 How to obtain materials
You can obtain materials for the resource centre in several ways. The main ways
are:
• gifts and exchanges
• purchasing
• document delivery services.
Gifts and exchanges
Many organisations provide materials free or in exchange for other materials.
Accept only those that will be useful. Do not accept any materials that are on a
subject of no interest to resource centre users, or that are old or in poor
condition.
To obtain free materials, write a brief letter outlining your request. You can
either type a new letter for each request, or you could photocopy a standard
letter which has spaces for you to write in the details. This is often quicker (see
example in Section 4.8). Keep a copy of your letter in the ‘Free requests’ section
of the ‘Orders file’ (see Section 4.5.2).
Purchasing
The procedure for purchasing materials needs to follow your organisation’s
financial and accounting regulations. Procedures for purchasing standard items,
such as stationery or fuel, may not be suitable for purchasing materials for the
resource centre. You may need to develop a procedure for ordering materials, in
consultation with the resource centre advisory committee, managers and finance
staff.
Books and manuals can be ordered directly from publishers or distributors such
as bookshops, specialised booksellers and library suppliers (which supply to
libraries but not the public). A sample of key publishers and distributors of
health and development materials are listed in Section 4.9. You can place an
order by post, telephone, fax, e-mail or personal visit, depending where the
supplier is and what facilities are available.
Audiovisuals can be ordered in the same way as books. Remember that there
are several different video systems, such as NTSC, PAL and SECAM. Unless
you have a multi-system video player, you will need to know which system
your video player uses, and check that the video you want is available in that
system. When you order, remember to state which video system you require.
Periodicals (newsletters, magazines and journals) are normally ordered direct
from the publishers, or through subscription agents. You can ask for a sample
copy before taking out a subscription. This will help you to decide whether the
periodical will be useful. A letter requesting a sample copy is given in Section
4.8.3.
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Document delivery services
Document delivery services enable you to obtain photocopies of articles or
borrow materials. They are useful for obtaining key journal articles without
taking out a subscription, or consulting a publication or chapter of a book to
assess whether it would be useful to include in your collection. They are
especially useful for materials that are expensive or not essential to the
collection, for example, for users carrying out specialist research.
Document delivery services are usually provided by libraries and
documentation centres via an inter-library loan (ILL) scheme. Some
organisations will lend whole materials, such as books and videos. Others will
only provide photocopies of part of a publication. Remember to check what
service is on offer. There is usually a charge, unless you are part of a network
of cooperating information services.
You can obtain details of document delivery services from national library
services, local library networks, other resource centres working in the same
subject area, current awareness services or e-mail discussion groups.
TIP: UNESCO Coupons
It is not always easy to obtain foreign currency to purchase materials
from abroad. Therefore in some countries, UNESCO coupons can be
purchased in local currency to pay for resource materials in foreign
currency. Coupons can be purchased by educators, research workers
and students. However, if there is only a limited number of coupons
available, the issuing agency decides on an order of priority for the
various requests received.
Information about coupons is available from the National Commission
for UNESCO, or other agencies where there is no UNESCO office in
country.
Coupon users placing orders with suppliers who are unfamiliar with
the scheme may experience difficulty in getting them honoured. If so
they can request assistance from the Coupons Office in the UNESCO
Secretariat. The Office will provide relevant information to the
supplier.
Further information is available at:
http://www.unesco.org/general/eng/about/coupon/coupons.shtml
4.5.2 Procedure for obtaining materials
It is important to develop a clear procedure for obtaining materials and keeping
records of orders and requests, or to follow any existing procedure that the
organisation has for ordering materials. It is also important to obtain only
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materials that are in line with the collection policy, and to keep within the
budget for purchasing materials.
An ‘Orders file’ (a ring-binder file labelled ‘Orders’) should be used to keep
copies of order forms or letters requesting free materials. It should include
separate sections for ‘Purchases’ and ‘Free requests’. Copies of orders should be
filed alphabetically according to the name of the organisation that it is being
ordered from.
A separate card file or ring-binder file labelled ‘Subscriptions’ should be kept
for records of subscriptions to periodicals.
Before ordering from abroad, it is worth checking whether the publisher has a
local representative in the country. Ordering from a country representative will
be easier and will enable payment to be made in local currency.
TIP: Free materials
Some publishers supply materials free to developing countries. Even if
a price is shown, single copies may be available free. If very little
money is available for purchasing materials, it is often worth writing
to the publisher or distributor explaining the situation and requesting
a complimentary (free) copy or subscription. It might also be possible
to obtain a ‘review’ copy, in exchange for placing a review of the
material in a publication. Or it be might be worth offering to field-
test some materials, such as training manuals, with a group of
resource centre users, to find out how useful they are, and feed back
the results to the publisher.
4.5.3 How to place an order
To order a material, either write a letter, using official stationery, or use an
order form – either your own organisation’s form or one from a publisher’s
catalogue. An example of an order form is given in Section 4.8.4.
1. Send your letter or order form. Remember to state what format of material
you are ordering, such as book or audiovisual.
• For a book, give details of author, title, edition, year, publisher, place of
publication, ISBN, and number of copies.
• For an audiovisual, give details of title, producer, year, format, and system.
• For an article in a periodical, give details, author(s) of the article, title of
the periodical, year, volume and page numbers.
• For a subscription to a periodical, give details of title, frequency,
publisher's name and ISSN if known.
If you are ordering several materials, attach a list.
2. After receiving your letter or order form, the supplier will probably send you a
pro-forma invoice, so that your organisation’s accounts department can
arrange payment. If you did not know the price of the materials or postage
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when you placed the order, and the material turns out to be expensive, you
can consider whether to go ahead with the purchase.
Most suppliers send the materials after receiving payment. However, a
supplier who knows your organisation may agree to send the material
immediately, with an invoice.
Most overseas suppliers accept a cheque drawn on a bank in their own
country or from a £ sterling or US dollar account, or a credit card such as Visa
or Mastercard. Some provide their bank details so that they can accept
payment by bank transfer. Sending cash by post is not recommended.
3. If payment needs to be made in foreign currency, your accounts department
should write to your organisation’s bank, attaching the pro-forma invoice,
and requesting a bank draft in the foreign currency. Send the bank draft to the
supplier.
4. Remember to keep copies of all correspondence and transactions in the
‘Orders file’, so that you can follow up orders and ensure that the materials
arrive. Keep a note with each order of the source of the information, such as
a publisher’s catalogue, resource list or acquisitions bulletin. This is useful
in case of any queries relating to the order.
5. Check the ‘Orders file’ regularly, for example, every two months. If materials
have not been received, send a reminder.
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4.6 Receiving materials
It is important to follow a standard procedure for receiving materials, to ensure
that the right materials have been received, they go to the right place, and
payment is made if required. Materials should then be recorded in an
accessions register (for books and other individual publications) or on logging
cards or logging sheets (for periodicals).
4.6.1 How to receive materials
When an order arrives:
6. Materials are usually delivered with an invoice or ‘packing list’, which lists the
materials and their prices. Check that the details on the invoice or packing list
describe the materials supplied. Check that the materials are those that you
ordered.
7. Check to see if there is any damage.
8. Note on your original order letter or order form the date the materials were
received.
9. Stamp the title page or the first right-hand page inside the book with the
resource centre ownership stamp (see Section 3.3: Choosing furniture and
equipment).
10. Also stamp a 'secret page'. You need to agree which page this should be for all
materials. For example, it could be page 15. Stamp videos, other audiovisuals,
posters, periodicals and other materials if possible. Be careful not to stamp
over important information.
11. If the materials are incorrect or damaged, return them to the supplier with a
letter explaining why you are returning them and requesting replacement
materials. Keep a copy of the letter in the ‘Orders file’, next to the original
order.
12. Keep new materials together, ready for recording.
4.6.2 How to record books
Books should be recorded in an accessions register, which is a list of all
materials added to the collection. The accessions register can tell you:
• the date that each material has been added to the resource centre
• the number of materials in the resource centre – the total number added to
the collection, less those that have been weeded out (removed)
• the number of materials added or removed during a particular period
• the subject areas to which materials have been added during any particular
period
• the source (publisher/distributor) of materials
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• the cost of materials
• publishers or distributors that regularly provide materials free.
The accessions register can be a large, hard-back notebook, or a ring-binder
file. If you have a computer, you could include details of new acquisitions in a
database, and do without a separate accessions register. However, if there is
only one computer and it is in great demand, an accessions register is often a
quicker way of recording additions and deletions, or noting statistics. The
additions and deletions can be entered onto the computer later.
Details of new materials should be added to the accessions register the day that
the materials arrive, or as soon as possible afterwards. If materials arrive in a
batch, record the whole batch before moving on to the classification process.
This makes better use of time.
The accessions register should include a brief description of each material,
including:
• accession number (see below)
• date the material arrived in the resource centre
• author (only the first author, if more than one)
• title (abbreviated, if long) and edition
• place of publication
• publisher
• year of publication
• price
• source
• classification number (added later when the material is catalogued)
• notes/remarks, such as condition of the material when it arrived.
An accessions register contains a brief description of all the materials in the
collection.
Each material needs an accession number (identification number). Number the
materials in the order that you obtain them, starting with number 1. This way,
the last number in the accessions register will show how many materials have
been added to the collection. To find out the number in the collection, take
away the number that have been weeded (removed).
You can either have one accessions register for all materials, or separate
accessions registers for different types of material. For example, you could have
one accessions register for printed materials and one for audiovisual materials.
Separate accessions registers make it easier to find out how many of a
particular type of material are held in the resource centre.
After recording a material in the accessions register, write the accession number
inside the stamped area, or close to the stamped area if there is no space inside.
If you have a lending service and use loan slips (see Section 7: Information
services), paste a loan slip onto the first right-hand page. The materials are
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now ready to be classified and catalogued (see Section 5: Organising the
information).
Example of an accessions register
4.6.3 How to record periodicals
Periodicals (journals and newsletters) are not normally recorded in the
accessions register. They can be recorded in two ways. You can either use
cards, using a separate card for each periodical, or you can use a ‘logging sheet’
produced on a typewriter or computer. The cards or logging sheets are filed
alphabetically by periodical title in a card file or ring-binder file labelled
‘Periodicals’.
To complete a logging card or logging sheet, write the title of the periodical at the
top. Enter the following details:
• how long the periodical will be kept (for example, indefinitely, one year,
five years, current issue only)
• whether the volume will be bound when complete (tick if yes/cross if no)
• whether the periodical will be displayed on shelves (tick if yes/cross if no)
• circulation list: who should receive the periodical (names or initials).
TIP: Circulating periodicals
Some resource centres circulate periodicals to staff of the
organisation that the resource centre is part of. A word of warning:
some staff may keep the periodicals for a long time, meaning that
resource centre users cannot see them. You could give staff a ‘return
by’ date (allow a maximum of a week) and explain that you will
collect the periodicals if they are not returned by this date. However,
this is difficult to do for periodicals that are circulated to several
staff. If you have a photocopier, you could circulate a photocopy of
the contents page, so that staff can come to the resource centre to
read articles of interest to them. You could also put a copy of the
contents pages on a noticeboard.
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Example of a logging card or logging sheet
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4.7 Updating the collection
From time to time the collection needs to reviewed. This may include weeding
out (removing) some materials, and deciding what new subject areas or types of
material to include.
It is best to review the collection once a year, setting aside a few days,
depending on the size of the collection. The review should be carried out by the
resource centre officer in consultation with his or her supervisor, members of
the resource centre advisory committee and/or other users. The supervisor or
advisory committee should take responsibility for deciding what to remove or
add.
The task will be easier if a needs assessment has recently been carried out, and
if older editions of materials are weeded out regularly when new editions
arrive.
4.7.1 How to review the collection
Before you weed out or add any materials, make sure that you know what
materials are available elsewhere, either locally, or via a document delivery
service.
1. Remove any materials that are no longer suitable, such as those that are out of
date, or those on subjects that are no longer of interest to users. You may be
tempted to keep everything – resist the temptation! Focus on quality, not
quantity.
2. Remove any dirty or damaged materials. They waste space and can hinder
access to more useful materials. They can also create the impression that the
resource centre is not cared for. If the material is important to the collection
and a new copy cannot be obtained, the material can be kept in a strong
(labelled) envelope to prevent further damage or loss of pages.
You may be able to sell discarded materials as waste paper, or you may be
able to offer them to another organisation if they are in good condition and of
interest to them.
3. Remember to amend records of materials that you have removed. Cross out
records of weeded materials in the accessions register and write down the date
that they have been weeded. Keep a running total of weeded materials. You
will also need to amend or remove the catalogue cards.
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4.8 Sample letters
4.8.1 Letter requesting free materials
Attach this letter to the order form (see Section 4.8.4)
Health Information Project
PO Box 111
Capital City
Ghana
Date __________________
Dear Sir/Madam
The Health Information Project is a registered non-governmental organisation that
provides practical information to primary health care workers throughout Ghana. We have
a resource centre containing 5,000 books, journals, training manuals, reports and
audiovisual materials. We receive about 40 visitors and respond to about 15 written or
telephone enquiries each week. We publish a newsletter, Practical Health, and we have
produced a series of information packs and factsheets to meet requests for information on
particular topics.
The Health Information Project receives most of its funding from the national government
and overseas funding agencies. Some funds are also generated through membership fees
and charges for services such as photocopying and hiring out the resource centre for
meetings.
We regularly review the information needs of users through structured needs assessments
and informal conversations. We continually need to add new materials to the collection to
keep up-to-date with changing needs. However, our budget for new materials is very
limited.
I am writing to ask if we could receive a free copy of the material described on the attached
order form. We saw it advertised in_______________________________
The material will make a very useful addition to the collection. In particular, we will use it
to________________________________________________________________
Thank you for considering this request. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
I C Books
Resource Centre Officer
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4.8.2 Letter requesting exchange copy of periodical
Health Information Project
PO Box 111
Capital City
Ghana
Dear Editor
We have received a copy of your newsletter ______________________________________.
We would very much like to continue receiving it on a regular basis.
The Health Information Project is a registered non-governmental organisation that
provides practical information to primary health care workers throughout Ghana. We have
a resource centre containing 5,000 books, journals, training manuals, reports and
audiovisual materials. We receive about 40 visitors and respond to about 15 written or
telephone enquiries each week. We publish a newsletter, Practical Health, and we have
produced a series of information packs and factsheets to meet requests for information on
particular topics.
We would like to suggest that we exchange your newsletter with our newsletter, Practical
Health. A copy of this is enclosed.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
I C Books
Resource Centre Officer
Enc:
Practical Health
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4.8.3 Letter requesting sample copy of periodical
Health Information Project
PO Box 111
Capital City
Ghana
Date _________________
Dear Sir/Madam
The Health Information Project is a registered non-governmental organisation that
provides practical information to primary health care workers throughout Ghana. We have
a resource centre containing 5,000 books, journals, training manuals, reports and
audiovisual materials. We receive about 40 visitors and respond to about 15 written or
telephone enquiries each week. We publish a newsletter, Practical Health, and we have
produced a series of information packs and factsheets to meet requests for information on
particular topics.
The Health Information Project receives most of its funding from the national government
and overseas funding agencies. Some funds are also generated through membership fees
and charges for services such as photocopying and hiring out the resource centre for
meetings.
We are interested in your publication ________________________________________
Please could you send a sample copy, and provide details of frequency, subscription rates
and postage charges. Please could you let us know whether you offer any reduced rates, or
whether you could offer your publication in exchange for our newsletter.
We look forward to receiving a copy of your publication.
Yours faithfully
I C Books
Resource Centre Officer
Enc:
Practical Health
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4.8.4 Order form for materials
Health Information Project
PO Box 111
Capital City
Ghana
Date: ____________________________________
Contact name: ____________________________
Our reference number: ______________________
To: ____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
ORDER FORM FOR BOOKS, PERIODICALS AND AUDIOVISUALS
Title: ________________________________________________________________________
Author ______________________________________________________________________
Publisher/producer: __________________________________________________________
Edition: _________________________________
Publisher/producer: __________________________________________________________
Place of publication: __________________________________________________________
Year published/frequency: ______________________________________________________
Format and system (audiovisuals): _______________________________________________
ISBN/ISSN: ______________________________
Number of copies: ________________________
Price per copy/subscription rate: _________________________________________________
Please send the following, quoting our reference no:
Pro-forma invoice
Review copy
Thank you in advance for your help.
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4.9 List
of
distributors
Academic institutions
Institute of Development Studies (IDS)
Publications Office, University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9RE, UK
Fax: +44 1273 621202 or 691647
E-mail: publications@ids.ac.uk
Website: http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids
Johns Hopkins University
Bloomberg School of Public Health
Center for Communication Programmes
111 Market Place, Suite 310
Baltimore MD 21202, USA
Fax: +1 410 659 6266
Website: http://www.jhuccp.org/pubs
KIT Publishers
PO Box 95001
1090 HA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Fax: +31 20 5688 286
E-mail: publishers@kit.nl
Website: http://www.kit.nl/books
Commercial publishers
Butterworth-Heinemann
Customer Service
Linacre House
Jordan Hill
Oxford OX2 8DP, UK
E-mail: bhmarketing@repp.co.uk
Website: http://www.bh.com
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Customer Services Department
1 Oldlands Way
Bognor Regis
West Sussex PO22 9SA, UK
Fax: +44 1243 843303
E-mail: cs-books@wiley.co.uk
(See website for list of regional distributors in
Singapore, Australia, Canada and the USA)
Website: http://www.wiley.co.uk
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Macmillan Education
Macmillan Oxford
Between Towns Road
Oxford OX4 3PP, UK
Fax: +44 1865 405701
E-mail: elt@mhelt.com
Website: http://www.macmillaneducation.com
(See website for list of regional distributors all over the world)
Oxford Medical Publications
OUP Customer Services
Saxon Way West
Corby
Northants NN18 9ES, UK
Fax: +44 1536 746337
E-mail: book.orders@oup.co.uk
Website: http://www.oup.co.uk/medicine
ZED Books
7 Cynthia Street
London N1 9JF, UK
Fax: +44 20 7833 3960
E-mail: sales@zedbooks.demon.co.uk
Website: http://www.zedbooks.demon.co.uk
(See website for list of distributors in Africa, Asia, Australasia and North
America)
Government organisations
Department for International Development (DFID)
1 Palace Street
London SW1E 5HE, UK
Fax: +44 1355 84 3632
E-mail: enquiry@dfid.gov.uk
Website: http://www.dfid.gov.uk
USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse
1611 N. Kent Street, Suite 200
Arlington VA 22209-2111
USA
Fax: +1 703 351 4039
E-mail: docorder@dec.cdie.org
Website: http://www.dec.org
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German Foundation for International Development (DSE)
InWEnt Capacity Building International, Germany
Development Information Centre (IZEP)
Tulpenfeld 5
D-53113 Bonn, Germany
Fax: +49 228 2434 766
E-mail: izep@inwent.org
Website: http://www.dse.de/dse-e.htm
NGOs
ActionAid
Hamlyn House
Macdonald Road
London N19 5PG, UK
Fax: +44 20 7272 0899
E-mail: mail@actionaid.org.uk
Website: http://www.actionaid.org
(See website for regional offices in Bangkok, Guatemala City and Harare)
African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF)
AMREF Book Distribution Unit
PO Box 30125, Nairobi
Kenya
Fax: +254 2 506112
E-mail: jireri@amrefhq.org
Website: http://www.amref.org/publications.htm
International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
3 Endsleigh Street
London WC1H ODD, UK
Fax: +44 20 7388 2826
E-mail: bookshop@iied.org
Website: http://www.iied.org/bookshop/index.html
International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC)
PO Box 563
Oxford OX2 6RZ, UK
Fax: +44 1865 201852
E-mail: publications@intrac.org
Website: http://www.intrac.org
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International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
Distribution Unit, International Office
Regent's College
Inner Circle
London NW1 4NS, UK
Fax: +44 20 7487 7900
E-mail: distribution@ippf.org
Website: http://www.ippf.org/pubs/index.htm
International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC)
PO Box 2869
2601 CW Delft, The Netherlands
Fax: +31 15 219 09 55
E-mail: general@irc.nl
Website:
http://www.irc.nl/home/pb/pbhome.htm
Oxfam
c/o BEBC Distribution
PO Box 1496, Parkstone
Poole
Dorset BH12 3YD, UK
Fax: +44 1202 712930
E-mail: oxfam@bebc.co.uk
Website: http://62.173.95.217/oxfam/index.asp
Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH)
1455 NW Leary Way
Seattle, WA 98107-5136
USA
Fax: +1 206 285 6619
E-mail: publications@path.org
Website: http://www.path.org/materials.php
Save the Children Publications
c/o Plymbridge Distributors Ltd
Estover Road
Plymouth PL6 7PY, UK
Fax: +44 1752 202333
E-mail: orders@plymbridge.com
Website: http://www.scfuk.org.uk/functions/indx_pubs.html
Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA)
42 Tughlakabad Institutional Area
New Delhi 110 062
India
Fax: +91 11 608 0183
E-mail: info@pria.org
Website: http://www.pria.org
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Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI)
Tong Swasthya Bhawan
40 Institutional Area, South of IIT
New Delhi 110 016
India
Fax: +91 11 6853708
E-mail: vhai@sify.com
Website: http://www.vhai.org
Women Ink.
International Women's Tribune Centre
777 United Nations Plaza
New York NY 10017
USA
Fax: +1 212 661 2704
E-mail: wink@womenink.org
Website: http://www.womenink.org
Specialist suppliers
African Books Collective (ABC)
The Jam Factory
27 Park End Street
Oxford OX1 1HU, UK
Fax: +44 1865 793298
E-mail: abc@africanbookscollective.com
Website: http://www.africanbookscollective.com
Earthscan Publications Ltd
120 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JN, UK
Fax: +44 20 7278 1142
E-mail: earthinfo@earthscan.co.uk
Website: http://www.earthscan.co.uk
The Hesperian Foundation
1919 Addison Street, Suite 304
Berkeley CA 94704
USA
Fax: +1 510 845 9141
E-mail: hesperian@hesperian.org
Website: http://www.hesperian.org
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ITDG Publishing
103-105 Southampton Row
London WC1B 4HH, UK
Fax: +44 20 7436 2013
E-mail: marketing@itpubs.org.uk
Website: http://www.itdgpublishing.org.uk
PACT Publications
1200 18th Street NW, Suite 350
Washington DC 20036
USA
Fax: +1 202 466 5669
E-mail: books@pacthq.org
Website: http://www.pactpub.com
Teaching-aids At Low Cost (TALC)
PO Box 49
St Albans
Herts AL1 5TX, UK
Fax: +44 1727 846852
E-mail: talc@talcuk.org
Website: http://www.talcuk.org
TRIOPS Tropical Scientific Books
S Toeche-Mittler Distribution (STMV), Orders Dept
Hindenburgstrasse 33
D-64295 Darmstadt, Germany
Fax: +49 6151 314048
E-mail: triops@net-library.de
Website: http://www.triops.de/index_triops.htm
Tropical Health Technology
14 Bevills Close
Doddington, March
Cambridgeshire PE15 OTT, UK
Fax: +44 1354 740013
E-mail: thtbooks@tht.ndirect.co.uk
Website: http://www.tht.ndirect.co.uk
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Subscription agents
Swets Blackwell
Swan House, Wyndyke Furlong
Abingdon Business Park
Abingdon
Oxfordshire OX14 1UQ, UK
Fax: +44 1235 857 501
E-mail: info@uk.swetsblackwell.com
Website: http://www.swetsblackwell.com
(See website for list of regional offices)
International organisations
International Labour Organisation (ILO)
ILO Publications
4 route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 799 6938
E-mail: pubvente@ilo.org
Website: http://www.ilo.org
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Publications
Distribution and Sales Section, Publications Division
Via delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
Fax: +39 6 52253152
E-mail: publications-sales@fao.org
Website: http://www.fao.org/publishing
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
The World Health Organization Regional Office for the Americas
525 23rd Street NW
Washington DC 20037
USA
Fax: +1 202 974 3663
E-mail: postmaster@paho.org
Website: http://publications.paho.org
UNAIDS
20 avenue Appia
CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 791 4165
E-mail: unaids@unaids.org
Website: http://www.unaids.org
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UNESCO
7 place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris 07 SP
France
Fax: +33 1 45 68 57 37
E-mail: publishing.promotion@unesco.org
Website: http://upo.unesco.org
UNDP & UNICEF (orders from North America, Latin America, the
Caribbean and Asia and the Pacific)
United Nations Publications
Room DC2-0853, Dept. I004
New York NY 10017
USA
Fax: +1 212 963 3489
E-mail: publications@un.org
Website: http://www.un.org/publications
UNDP & UNICEF (orders from Europe, Africa and the Middle East)
United Nations Publications
Publications des Nations Unies
Section des Ventes et Commercialisation, Bureau E-4
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 917 0027
E-mail: unpubli@unog.ch
http://www.un.org/publications
World Bank
PO Box 960
Herndon, VA 20172-0960
USA
Fax: +1 703 661 1501
E-mail: books@worldbank.org
Website: http://publications.worldbank.org/ecommerce
World Health Organization - Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO)
Cite du Djoue
PO Box 06 Brazzaville
Congo
Fax: +47 241 39503 / + 242 8 39503
E-mail: regafro@afro.who.int
Website: http://www.whoafr.org/home/informationsources.html
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World Health Organization - South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO/SEARO)
World Health House, Indraprastha Estate
Mahatma Gandhi Marg
New Delhi 110 002
India
Fax: +91 11 2337 9507 or +91 11 2337 0972
E-mail: PandeyH@whosea.org
Website: http://w3.whosea.org
World Health Organization - Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO/WPRO)
Publications Unit
PO Box 2932
1000 Manila
Philippines
Fax: +632 5211036 or 5360279
E-mail: pub@wpro.who.int
Website: http://www.wpro.who.int/public/publication/publist.asp
World Health Organization - Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office
(WHO/EMRO)
Abdul Razzak Al Sanhouri Street
PO Box 7608
Nasr City, Cairo 11371
Egypt
E-mail: dsa@emro.who.int
Website: http://www.emro.who.int
World Health Organization (WHO)
CH-1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
E-mail: bookorders@who.int
Website: http://www.who.int/pub/en
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Section 5: Organising the information
This section looks at how to organise information in the resource centre so that
users can easily find what they need. It includes:
5.1
Classifying materials
5.2
Developing a classification scheme
5.3
Assigning keywords
5.4
Cataloguing materials
5.5
Shelving, displaying and filing materials
Related sections are:
1.1
Assessing information needs
2.2
Advisory committees
3.3
Choosing furniture and equipment
6.8
Databases
8.2
Promoting the resource centre
This section assumes that a manual system is being used to catalogue materials.
However, the same principles apply if a computer is used.
TIP: Organising information
Organising information does not have to be complicated.
A useful tip is KIS - Keep It Simple
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5.1 Classifying materials
Classifying materials means identifying each material according to its subject, so
that materials on similar subjects can be grouped together on the shelves.
Classification schemes help to:
• direct users to the material that they need
• enable users to find related materials
• enable staff to know where to put materials.
Materials in small resource centres are sometimes classified using different colours
to represent different subjects - different coloured dots are stuck onto the materials
to indicate the subject. More usually, materials are classified using a combination of
numbers and letters. The numbers and letters represent the main subject areas and
subsidiary (other) subjects covered by the material.
Whatever the size of the resource centre, materials need to be classified in some
way. A very small resource centre only needs a simple classification scheme, using a
few broad subject headings, and a separate section on the shelves for general
reference materials.
5.1.1 Choosing a classification scheme
There are two main types of classification scheme: universal and specialised.
Universal classification schemes cover all subject areas. They include Universal
Decimal Classification (UDC), Dewey, and Library of Congress. Specialised
classification schemes include the National Library of Medicine (NLM). This is
designed for medical libraries. It covers very clinical issues, and therefore does not
cover all the areas covered by resource centres focusing on health or disability
issues.
Resource centres that specialise in a particular subject often develop their own
specialised classification scheme, such as the Healthlink Worldwide Primary Health
Care Classification Scheme, and the Southern African HIV/AIDS Classification
Scheme of the Southern African Network of AIDS Service Organisations
(SANASO).
A suitable classification scheme can usually be identified by contacting the national
public library service, library association or a university library. If the resource
centre specialises in primary health care or disability issues in developing countries,
it would be worth contacting Healthlink Worldwide.
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5.1.2 How to classify materials
To classify materials, ask yourself:
1. Is the material about a particular subject or subjects (for example, is it a book
about health education or a video about counselling?) or is it more general
(for example, is it a directory or atlas?) Find out by looking at the following:
• for books and other print materials: the title page, list of contents and
introduction, preface or foreword
• for audiovisual materials: the title, description and any accompanying
materials, and by watching a video, listening to an audio cassette, or
looking at slides.
2. If the material is about a subject, does it deal with one subject or several
subjects?
3. If the material deals with one subject, use that subject to classify it. Find the
subject in the classification scheme and assign the corresponding classification
number to the material.
4. If the material deals with several subjects, can all these subjects be regarded as
part of one broad subject? If so, use the broad subject to classify the material.
5. If the material deals with several subjects that are not part of one broader
subject, use the subject that is either most thoroughly covered by the material,
or of main interest to users of the resource centre, to classify the material.
6. Check that you are classifying materials on similar subjects consistently, by
looking at several materials to which you have assigned the same
classification number. You can do this by going to the shelves and looking at
the materials that are already there.
7. If the material is for general reference (such as a dictionary or atlas), you do
not need to classify it. Place it in a section of the resource centre for general
reference materials.
8. If you have a lot of materials with the same classification number, you can
distinguish them by putting the first three letters of the author’s name after the
classification number. If there is no author, use the first three letters of the
title. For audiovisual materials, use the producer’s name.
If the resource centre collection expands into new subject areas (for example,
emerging diseases such as hypertension), you may need to add new subjects to your
classification scheme. Most classification schemes are designed to make it easy to
add new subjects when necessary. Details of how to extend the classification
scheme are included in Section 5.2.2.
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5.2 Developing a classification scheme
When developing a classification scheme, it is useful to work with members of the
resource centre advisory committee (see Section 2.2) and/or other users, as these
people will have a greater knowledge of the subjects to be covered by the resource
centre.
5.2.1 How to develop a classification scheme
Start with a brainstorming session, to identify as many subject areas of interest as
possible. Compare the list of subjects with subject areas identified by the most
recent needs assessment (see Section 1.1) to make sure that none have been missed.
On your own, write each subject on a separate piece of paper. Arrange the pieces of
paper in order, ranging from broad subjects to narrower subjects.
Diseases
Communicable diseases
Tuberculosis
HIV/AIDS
Parasitic diseases
Malaria
Non-communicable diseases
Diabetes
Place similar broad subjects near each other.
Women's health
Mother and child health
Reproductive and sexual health
Children and youth
When all the pieces of paper are arranged in a logical order, write down the order
on a sheet of paper. Show it to the resource centre advisory committee or other
users to obtain their agreement. Seeing the subjects in order will help them to notice
if any subjects are missing.
Once the list of subjects has been agreed, write a classification number next to each
subject. It is best if the classification numbers are made up of letters and numbers. It
is easier to remember the letter(s) for a main class, combined with a number for a
subsidiary class, than a long list of numbers. It also makes it easier to distinguish
different classes on the shelf, both when looking for materials and re-shelving.
Do not automatically assign a full sequence of letters (ABCDE…) or numbers
(12345…). It is important to leave gaps that can be used when new subjects are
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added, or when subject areas are expanded. The examples of the Healthlink
Worldwide Classification Scheme in Section 5.2.3 show that there is plenty of room
to add new classification numbers for main subjects, but little room for expanding
the HC classification.
5.2.2 How to extend the classification scheme
If the resource centre collection expands into new subject areas (for example,
emerging diseases such as hypertension), you may need to add new subjects to your
classification scheme.
First, check the classification scheme carefully to make sure that there really is no
suitable subject to describe the new material. Then find the most appropriate place
in the list to add the new subject. Decide whether it is a main subject or a subsidiary
subject, and add it next to the subject most similar to it. Give the new subject a
classification number and description.
If possible, give a classification number that leaves room for further expansion. For
example, in the Healthlink Worldwide Primary Health Care Classification Scheme
subsidiary subject areas, the new subject, ‘Hypertension’ (a kind of cardiovascular
disease) could easily be added after the subject ‘Cardiovascular diseases’ and
assigned the classification number HC9.24 (see Section 5.2.3).
5.2.3 Healthlink Worldwide Primary Health Care Classification Scheme
Healthlink Worldwide compiled its own classification scheme in the mid-1980s.
The scheme has been revised regularly to incorporate new subject areas covered by
Healthlink Worldwide’s resource centre, reflecting emerging health issues.
The scheme covers the main subjects in primary health care and disability issues.
Each main subject area is identified by two letters. For example, materials on
diseases and disease control are identified by the letters HC. Each main subject area
is divided into more specific, subsidiary subjects which are identified by numbers.
For example, materials on immunisation are identified by HC3 and materials on
non-communicable diseases are identified by HC9.
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The Healthlink Worldwide Classification Scheme is used by many organisations, in
either its original or an adapted form.
Main subject areas
AA
POLITICS, ECONOMICS & DEVELOPMENT
AB
Culture & Society
AD
Population
AF
NGOs
HA
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
HB
Community Health Care
HC
Diseases/Disease Control
HE
Nutrition
HJ
Medical Services
HK
Medical Equipment & Health Facilities
HL
Women's Health
HM
Mother & Child Health
HN
Reproductive Health & Sexual Health
HO
Children & Youth
HP
Traditional Health Care & Alternative Therapies
HQ
Disability & Rehabilitation
HR
Oral & Dental Health
HS
Urban Health
HV
Health Planning & Health Management
HW
Health Services
HX
Health Personnel & Training
HY
Health Communication
HZ
Regional Information
TA
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
TB
Energy
TC
Environment
TG
Water & Sanitation
TH
Food Production & Agriculture
TJ
Gender & Development
TK
Appropriate Technology
WA
Information Services & Information Management
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Subsidiary subject areas
HC
DISEASES & DISEASE CONTROL
HC1
Diseases & Disease Control – general
HC2
Diagnosis & Management
HC3
Immunisation
HC4
Communicable diseases
HC4.2
tuberculosis
HC4.3
texually transmitted infections
HC4.4
HIV/AIDS
HC5
Diarrhoeal Diseases
HC6
Respiratory Diseases
HC7
Parasitic Diseases
HC7.2
malaria
HC8
Environmental Health & Occupational Health
HC9
Non-Communicable Diseases
HC9.1 cancer
HC9.2 cardiovascular diseases
HC9.3 congenital conditions
HC9.4 diabetes
HC9.7 rheumatism / arthritis
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5.3 Assigning keywords
If the resource centre is very small, users will be able to find the materials they need
by browsing (looking at) the shelves. Otherwise, the resource centre will need a
card catalogue or computer database, which contains details of materials in the
collection and indicates where to find them on the shelves. Information on
databases is given in Section 6.8.
A system for describing the content of each material will need to be developed
before details of materials can be included in a catalogue or computer database.
The best way is to have a list of ‘keywords’, and describe each material using
several keywords from the list. For example, the keywords used by Healthlink
Worldwide’s resource centre to describe the book, Where there is no doctor, are:
community health care / traditional health care / community health workers /
diagnosis / diseases / management & treatment
Keywords lists and thesauri (lists of terms used to describe different subjects) are
called ‘controlled vocabulary’, because they specify which terms (words or short
phrases) are used for describing materials. Most keywords lists also specify terms
that are not used, and suggest terms to use instead.
5.3.1 Choosing a keywords list
Resource centres can develop their own keywords lists (see Section 5.3.3), or obtain
and adapt standard keywords lists.
Both general and specialist lists are available. General lists include the Library of
Congress Subject Headings and Sears’ Subject Headings. Specialist lists include the
UNESCO Macro-thesaurus, National Library of Medicine Medical Subject
Headings (MeSH), and Healthlink Worldwide’s Keywords List. Healthlink
Worldwide’s list, which was originally compiled in the mid-1980s, is regularly
revised to incorporate new subject areas reflecting emerging health issues. The list is
used by many organisations in either its original or an adapted form.
5.3.2 How to assign keywords
To assign keywords, look at the material carefully to identify the main subjects
covered. Do not rely on the title. For books and other print materials, look at the
title page, list of contents and introduction. For audiovisual materials, look at the
title, description and any accompanying materials, and by watching a video,
listening to an audio cassette, or looking at slides.
Notice which sections or chapters are longest, or which may be of special interest to
users of the resource centre. Then assign keywords.
Start with general terms and move on to more specific terms to describe the
material’s subject matter. Use as many keywords as necessary. However, remember
that users will expect to find useful information on the subjects indicated by
keywords.
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To choose keywords, consider:
• the main subject
• related subject(s)
• the group of people that the material describes, such as street children, women,
community health workers
• potential target audience
• the focus or purpose, such as research, planning, evaluation or training.
If you are using a computer database, or have sufficient space for extra catalogue
cards, you could also include keywords to indicate the type of language, such as
technical or non-technical.
5.3.3 How to produce a keywords list
To produce a keywords list for your resource centre:
1. List key terms (words or short phrases) that describe the main subject areas
covered by the resource centre.
2. Add terms that describe more general and less common subject areas.
3. Explain any confusing terms in ‘scope notes’ (notes on the meaning of a
keyword, and how it should be used).
4. Add cross-reference notes (notes indicating additional keywords that could be
used to describe related subjects, or keywords to use if the term is not a
keyword).
You can see examples of scope notes and cross-reference notes in the sample of
Healthlink Worldwide’s Keywords List in Section 5.3.4.
Getting things right with a ‘home-made’ keywords list is not always easy. You may
need to add new terms to the list if you cannot find a term that describes the
material that you are cataloguing.
When first developing a list, it is sensible to review the terms regularly. Once the list
is established, review additions and possible changes about once a year.
5.3.4 Sample of Healthlink Worldwide Keywords List
The Healthlink Worldwide Keywords List is a list of all the terms used in the
Healthlink Worldwide bibliographic database.
The list is divided into two columns. The left-hand column lists, in alphabetical
order, the keywords to use (in bold capital letters) and terms not to be used as
keywords (in lower case letters). The right-hand column shows keywords to use (in
capital letters) instead of the terms that should not be used. It also includes notes on
how and when to use keywords, and related keywords (in capital letters).
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The notes next to ‘ACCESS’ are scope notes, explaining how to use the keyword.
The notes next to ‘ACCIDENTS’ are cross-reference notes which refer to another,
related keyword which could also be used if relevant. The notes next to
'adolescents' are cross-reference notes showing which keyword to use, since
'adolescents' is not a keyword.
ABORTION
ABSTINENCE
ACCESS
use for physical accessibility for people with disabilities
ACCESSIBILITY
use for accessibility of health care, services and facilities,
see also UTILISATION or UTILISATION PATTERNS
accessibility patterns
use ACCESSIBILITY and UTILISATION PATTERNS
ACCIDENTS
see also TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
ACTION LEARNING
ACUPUNCTURE
ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS
see also RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS
acute respiratory infections - incidence
use ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS and INCIDENCE
ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS - LOWER
see also PNEUMONIA
ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS - UPPER
see also OTITIS MEDIA or TONSILLITIS or WHEEZE
ADAPTATION OF SOCIETY
administration
use DRUG ADMINISTRATION or HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION
or ORAL REHYDRATION THERAPY - ADMINISTRATION
adolescent health
use YOUTH
adolescent pregnancy
use TEENAGE MOTHERS
adolescents
use YOUTH
ADOPTION
ADULT EDUCATION
see also NON-FORMAL EDUCATION or FREIRIAN
METHODOLOGY or LITERACY PROGRAMMES or WOMEN'S
EDUCATION
ADULTS
ADVERSE EFFECTS
use for side effects
advertising
use MARKETING, see also DRUG MARKETING
ADVOCACY
AETIOLOGY
see also VIRAL AETIOLOGY
aflatoxin
use FOOD TOXINS
African trypanosomiasis
use TRYPANOSOMIASIS
AGEING
use for the ageing process and its relation to health, for
older people, including ageing populations and health and
community care of the elderly use ELDERLY
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5.4 Cataloguing materials
Cataloguing is a way of describing materials to make them easy to identify and
locate. A catalogue describing all the materials in a resource centre is like a key to
the collection. It helps users to identify useful materials and know where to find
them. Users can look at a catalogue to find out whether the resource centre has a
particular publication, or materials by a particular author, or materials on a
particular subject.
A catalogue contains the following information about each material:
• author
• date of publication
• title and sub-title
• number of pages and format
• edition
• illustrations
• series
• subject (keywords)
• place of publication
• accession number
• publisher
• classification number.
A catalogue can take various forms, such as a card catalogue (card index) or
computer database (see Section 6). The easiest system is a card catalogue. Card
catalogues are a series of cards, about 12.5cm by 7.5cm (5in by 3in) kept in a box.
Card is used because it is stronger than paper, and is easy to write or type on. Card
catalogues are inexpensive, easy to set up, easy to understand, and easy to keep up-
to-date.
A simple card system is the easiest type of catalogue
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5.4.1 Deciding what to catalogue
If the resource centre has only a small collection (fewer than 500 materials),
materials need not be catalogued. It will be easy for users to find what they need by
looking on the shelves, provided that materials are classified by subject, and
materials on the same subjects are grouped together (see Section 5.1: Classifying
materials). However, it may be useful to catalogue audiovisual materials, as they
cannot be browsed like books. A short summary of the contents in a catalogue
helps users to know whether an audiovisual material will be useful for a particular
purpose.
It can also be useful to catalogue articles in periodicals, or individual chapters of
books, that are of particular interest to users. Alternatively, photocopies could be
taken of the contents page of the periodical issue, or of the title page and contents
page of a book, in both cases marking the article or chapter of interest. The
photocopies could be filed in a filing cabinet grouped by subject, or put in pamphlet
boxes in the appropriate subject section on the shelves. It is also useful to keep an
alphabetical list of periodical titles, to help users know what is available.
Even in a larger resource centre, not all materials need to be catalogued. Some
materials are only of short-term interest, or quickly go out of date. These can be
shelved or filed in a similar way to articles in periodicals. General reference
materials may only need to be listed alphabetically, for example on a sheet of paper
displayed near the materials.
5.4.2 How to catalogue materials
Catalogues of some larger libraries contain a lot of details. However, fewer details
are enough for a resource centre that is more concerned with making materials
available to users than spending a long time cataloguing and classifying.
Remember the tip: KIS - Keep It Simple.
For each material, details of the author, title, publication details, length,
illustrations, notes, keywords, accession number and classification number need to
be typed or written on three (or more) separate cards – an author card, title card
and subject card(s). Each card will contain the same information, but with a
different heading.
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• The author card has a heading showing the author. If there is more than one
author, extra author cards are prepared for up to three authors.
AGYEPONG, IRENE AKUA
HC7.2 AGG
Agyepong, Irene Akua et al.
The malaria manual : guidelines for rapid assessment of
social, economic and cultural aspects of malaria
(Methods of Social Research in Tropical Disease No.2)
Geneva : UNDP, 1995
170 pages
malaria / guidelines / rapid assessment procedures 17615
• The title card has a heading showing the first part of the title.
MALARIA MANUAL
HC7.2 AGG
Agyepong, Irene Akua et al.
The malaria manual : guidelines for rapid assessment of
social, economic and cultural aspects of malaria
(Methods of Social Research in Tropical Diseases No. 2)
Geneva : UNDP, 1995
170 pages
malaria / guidelines / rapid assessment procedures 17615
• The subject card has a heading showing a keyword. If more than one
keyword is used to describe the material, extra subject cards are prepared
for each keyword.
MALARIA
HC7.2 AGG
Agyepong, Irene Akua et al.
The malaria manual : guidelines for rapid assessment of
social, economic and cultural aspects of malaria
(Methods of Social Research in Tropical Diseases No. 2)
Geneva : UNDP, 1995
170 pages
malaria / guidelines / rapid assessment procedures 17615
Start by finding all the information you need about each material. Then decide how
many cards you need. Type or write all the necessary information on each card,
and then add the relevant author, title or subject heading at the top. To arrange the
information on the card, see Section 5.4.3: Examples of catalogue cards.
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For books and other print materials, find the information you need by looking at
both sides of the title page. The title page is at the front of the book, but is not
always the first page. It contains information about the book. The other side of the
title page usually contains details of the publisher, and publication date (see
illustration in Section 5.1.2).
For audiovisual materials, look at the video title frames, the video or audio cassette,
the information printed on the cassette boxes, and any accompanying material.
1. Author information
a)
Look for the author (or editor or compiler).
b)
Write the family name first, then the first name, separated by a comma.
Example: NGECHU, Mary
c)
If the material has two or three authors, list all the authors’ names.
Separate the names with a space, semi-colon and another space.
Example: LANKASTER, Ted ; CAMPBELL, Ian D ;
RADER, Alison
Make extra cards with headings for the second and third names.
d)
If the material has more than three authors, use the first name only,
followed by the words ‘et al’ (which mean ‘and others’ in Latin).
Example: AGYEPONG, Irene Akua et al.
e)
If the material has an editor or compiler instead of an author, treat the
editor or compiler as the author, but add ‘Ed.’ or ‘Comp.’ in brackets.
Example: DHINGRA, Seema (Ed.)
f)
If the author is an organisation, write the name in full.
Example: World Health Organization
2. Title information
a)
Look at the title page and back of the title page. The title here might
not be exactly the same as the title on the front cover. Sometimes the
title on the front cover is abbreviated, and the sub-title is not shown.
Write out the title in full. If there is a sub-title, write this out, separated
by a colon with a space before and after. The spaces help to emphasise
that the following text is a sub-title. A colon without a space can be
easily missed, or could be seen as part of the text.
Example:
The malaria manual : guidelines for rapid assessment of social,
economic and cultural aspects of malaria
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b)
If the material is not a printed publication, note its format in square
brackets after the title.
Examples: [Braille] [Audio cassette] [CD-ROM] [Video]
c)
If the material is a second or third edition, write this in abbreviated
form after the title, separated by a full stop, space, dash and another
space. This punctuation helps the information to be easily identified.
Example: On being in charge. – 2nd Ed.
3. Series information
If the item is part of a series, write the series in brackets after the title.
Example:
The malaria manual : guidelines for rapid assessment of social,
economic and cultural aspects of malaria (Methods of Social
Research on Tropical Diseases No. 2)
4. Publication details
a)
Publication details include the place of publication, publisher's name
and date of publication. These are usually found at the bottom of the
title page or on the back of the title page. Separate the place and
publisher with a space, a colon and another space, and separate the
publisher and date of publication with a comma.
Example: London : Macmillan, 1994
b)
Place of publication Usually only the town needs to be written, but
write the country as well if it would not be obvious to your users. If
several towns are listed, write the first one only. If no place has been
given, write in square brackets: [place unknown].
c)
Publisher The publisher's name follows the place of publication. Write
the publisher's name in the shortest form. If the publisher is the same
as the author or editor, use an abbreviation. Separate the place of
publication and the publisher with a space, a colon and another space.
Example: Geneva : WHO, 1996
If there is no publisher, write in square brackets: [publisher unknown].
d)
Date of publication This follows the publisher's name. It is usually
sufficient to give the year. For project papers and reports, include the
month as well, if given.
If no date is given, but is known, write the date in square brackets.
Example: [1999]
Otherwise, try to estimate the date from information given in the
publication, and use a question mark.
Example: [1998?]
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5. Number of pages/format/length
a)
Write down the number of pages followed by 'p.'
Example: 145 p.
If there are no page numbers, estimate the number, and put this in
square brackets.
Example: [150 p.]
b)
To catalogue Braille materials, write down the number of pages or
leaves (if only one side of the page can be read), depending on the type
of Braille used in the publication.
Example: 34 leaves
c)
To catalogue audiovisual materials, write down the format, and then
the length in brackets. If the length is not shown, time the tape when
playing. It is not necessary to watch or listen to the whole tape, only to
note the time when it starts and ends.
Example: Audio cassette (35 min.)
If audiovisual materials are accompanied by an information sheet, a
trainer's guide, or a booklet, this should be mentioned in the catalogue.
Separate this from the format and length information with a space,
plus sign and another space.
Example: Audio cassette (35 min.) + booklet (23 p.)
6. Illustrations
It is often helpful for users to know whether a material contains illustrations,
before they start looking for the material on the shelves. If print materials
contain any illustrations that are important for understanding the material,
this should be mentioned in the catalogue. You can do this by adding the
abbreviation ‘ill.’ after the number of pages or length, separated by a space,
semi-colon and another space.
Example: 23 p. : ill.
7. Notes
Put any notes needed to explain the content of the material.
Example: Tape and booklet to accompany the Healthy Woman
Counselling Guide radio programme
8. Keywords
Write the keywords, separated by a forward slash. Use enough keywords to
describe the content of the material.
Example: malaria / health education / radio
9. Accession number
Write the accession number at the bottom right-hand corner.
10. Classification number
Write the classification number at the top right-hand corner.
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5.4.3 Examples of catalogue cards
Author catalogue
Authors can include both individuals and institutions, and for the purposes of
cataloguing, they can also include editors, compilers, video producers, performers
and others with some intellectual or artistic responsibility for the material.
Author catalogues list materials according to the family name or last name of the
author, if the author is an individual.
The author heading is in capital letters to identify it as a heading, and a separate card is
made out for each author listed.
AGYEPONG, IRENE AKUA HC7.2 AGG
GORDON, Andrew
Agyepong, Irene Akua et al.
Gordon, Andrew
The malaria manual : guidelines for rapid assessment of social,
Vector-borne diseases : a short list for community participation. p.
economic and cultural aspects of malaria
1-2
In : Voices from the City Vol. 7
(Methods of Social Research in Tropical Diseases No. 2)
Sept 96
Geneva : UNDP, 1995
Parasitic diseases / malaria / dengue /
prevention and control / community participation
170 pages
13576
malaria / guidelines / rapid assessment procedures 17615
NGECHU, Mary HC7.2 NGE
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HC7.2 WOR
Ngechu, Mary
World Health Organization
Small insects, big trouble [Audio cassette].
Malaria : a manual for community health workers
Geneva : WHO, 1996
Geneva : WHO, 1996
Audio cassette (35 min.) + booklet (23 p.)
46 pages
Tape and booklet to accompany the Healthy Woman Counselling
malaria / community health workers
Guide radio programme
13572
malaria / health education / radio
13577
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Title catalogues
Title catalogues list materials according to the title of the material.
The title heading is in capital letters to identify it as a heading. Only include as
much of the title as will fit on one line. Do not include sub-titles.
MALARIA HC7.2 WOR
MALARIA MANUAL HC7.2 AGG
Agyepong, Irene Akua et al.
World Health Organization
The malaria manual : guidelines for rapid assessment of social,
economic and cultural aspects of malaria
Malaria : a manual for community health workers
(Methods of Social Research in Tropical Diseases No. 2)
Geneva : WHO, 1996
Geneva : UNDP, 1995
46 pages
170 pages
malaria / community health workers 13572
malaria / guidelines / rapid assessment procedures17615
SMALL INSECTS, BIG TROUBLE HC7.2 NGE
VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES
Ngechu, Mary
Gordon, Andrew
Small insects, big trouble [Audio cassette].
Vector-borne diseases : a short list for community participation. p.
1-2
Geneva : WHO, 1996
In : Voices from the City Vol. 7 Sept 96
Audiocassette (35 min.) + booklet (23 p.)
parasitic diseases / malaria / dengue /
prevention and control / community participation
Tape and booklet to accompany the Healthy Woman Counselling
Guide radio programme
malaria / health education / radio 13577
13576
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Subject catalogues
Subject catalogues list materials according to the keywords listed on the catalogue
cards.
The subject heading is in capital letters to identify it as a heading. A separate card is
made out for each subject listed.
MALARIA HC7.2 AGG
MALARIA HC7.2 NGE
Agyepong, Irene Akua et al.
Ngechu, Mary
The malaria manual : guidelines for rapid assessment of social,
Small insects, big trouble [Audio cassette].
economic and cultural aspects of malaria
Geneva : WHO, 1996
(Methods of Social Research in Tropical Diseases No. 2)
Audio cassette (35 min.) + booklet (23 p.)
Geneva : UNDP, 1995
Tape and booklet to accompany the Healthy Woman Counselling
170 pages
Guide radio programme
malaria / health education / radio 13577
malaria / guidelines / rapid assessment procedures17615
MALARIA HC7.2 WOR
PARASITIC DISEASES
World Health Organization
Gordon, Andrew
Malaria : a manual for community health workers
Vector-borne diseases : a short list for community participation. p.
1-2
Geneva : WHO, 1996
In: Voices from the City Vol. 7 Sept 96
46 pages
Parasitic diseases / malaria / dengue /
prevention and control / community participation
malaria / community health workers
13572
13576
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5.4.4 Filing catalogue cards
Catalogue cards need to be filed in a way that makes them easy to use. There are
three different ways of filing catalogue cards. They can be filed as three separate
catalogues in three separate boxes (Author, Title and Subject), or as two catalogues
(Author/Title and Subject), or as a single ‘dictionary catalogue’ in which they are all
filed together in alphabetical order, such as:
MacDonald, James
(author)
McKenzie, R
(author)
Malaria
(subject)
Malaria Manual
(title)
Measles
(subject)
Ngechu, Mary
(author)
Examples of different ways to file catalogue cards are shown on the next page.
Standard rules need to be followed when filing cards:
• English: Ignore A, An and The at the beginning of a title.
• French: Ignore La, L', Le, Les, Un and Une at the beginning of a title.
• Portuguese: Ignore A, O, Um and Uma at the beginning of a title.
• For books by the same author, file cards alphabetically by title.
• For books with more than one edition, file cards for the most recent edition
first.
• For books on the same subject, file cards alphabetically by author, and then by
title as above.
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Examples of different ways to file catalogue cards
Author catalogue Title catalogue
Subject
catalogue
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES
PARASITIC DISEASES
NGECHU, Mary
SMALL INSECTS, BIG TROUBLE
MALARIA
GORDON, Andrew
MALARIA
MALARIA
Vector-borne diseases : a short list
World Health Organization
AGYEPONG, Irene Akua et al. The
for community participation
Malaria : a manual for community
malaria manual : guidelines for
health workers
rapid assessment of social and
economic aspects of malaria
Dictionary catalogue
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
SMALL INSECTS, BIG TROUBLE
PARASITIC DISEASES
NGECHU, MARY
MALARIA
GORDON, ANDREW
Gordon, Andrew
Vector-borne diseases : a short list
for community participation
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5.5 Shelving, displaying and filing materials
Once materials have been classified and catalogued, they are ready to be put on
shelves, on display, or in files in the resource centre.
5.5.1 Shelving materials
Shelving means arranging materials on shelves according to their classification
number. Materials on the same subject have the same classification number, so they
are arranged together alphabetically by the first three letters of the author’s name,
or by title if no author is given.
Good shelving:
• makes it is easy for users to find what they need
• makes it easy for staff to do a stock check
• helps staff to answer queries.
It is very important to ensure that each material is put in the right place. If books
have been mixed up, they must be rearranged in the correct order. This is called
‘shelf reading’, and needs to be done regularly.
Book supports are useful to ensure that books stay upright (see Section 3.3:
Choosing furniture and equipment).
It is best not to overcrowd shelves
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Books and documents Books should be arranged upright from left to right, starting
on the top shelf. Shelves must not be overcrowded. Overcrowding can damage the
books by preventing any flow of air between them and making it awkward to
remove them. It will also leave little space for adding new books. It is best to fill
only three-quarters of the shelf space to allow for new additions. This will save staff
from constantly having to move books to make room for new ones.
Each shelf should be labelled according to its subject, so that users can see where to
find material on a particular subject. If shelves are labelled with classification
numbers and the subject that they represent, it will help users to understand the
classification system.
Shelf labels or book labels can also be used to identify different categories of
materials. For example, different coloured labels can be used to identify materials
that may not be borrowed, or to distinguish training manuals from other
publications.
Labels can be hand-made and stuck onto the shelves, or a special shelf-label holder
can be obtained from library suppliers.
TIP: How to make shelf labels
You can make shelf labels from stiff white or coloured cardboard. The
piece of card should be long enough to fit the number of letters needed,
without making the letters too small to see from a distance. The height of
the card should be no more than a couple of inches, to prevent it getting
in the way of removing books from the shelf.
Write the classification number and subject on the piece of card clearly
with a thick, felt-tip pen. If you have a computer, print the labels in large
type. If possible, cover the labels with transparent tape to keep them
clean and protect them from damage.
Oversized books, posters and audiovisuals It is often convenient to keep very large
books separately from other books, as this makes better use of shelving space, and
enables more materials to be fitted into a smaller resource centre.
Slides are sometimes kept in hanging files, either in filing cabinets or filing boxes.
Posters are usually stored in map chests or plan chests, or in a large folder (see
Section 3.3: Choosing furniture and equipment). Rolling up or folding posters is
not recommended, as it may damage them.
Videos are sometimes kept in a locked cupboard. If so, it is very important to
provide a list of videos in subject order, with brief summaries of their content, so
that users know what is available.
Periodicals Periodicals are best kept in pamphlet boxes or magazine boxes (see
Section 3.3.3). These help to protect the periodicals and make them easily
accessible. All parts of a periodical volume should be kept in one box. Several
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periodicals can be kept in the same box, to save space. Each box should be clearly
labelled with the title of the periodicals in it, and the years of publication and
volume numbers. Issues of each periodical should be arranged in the order of their
volume and issue number, starting with the first volume and issue number and
continuing to the most recent.
There are two choices about where to keep periodicals. They can either be kept
together in a separate section of the resource centre, arranged by title, or they can
be put on the shelves (in pamphlet boxes) with books and other materials on the
same subject. Keeping periodicals with books can help to bring them to the
attention of users who are interested in a range of materials on a particular subject.
However, a separate section may also be needed for periodicals that cover a wide
range of subjects.
If funds are available, it might be worth having complete volumes of periodicals
bound. However, before doing this, it is important to consider how long each
periodical will be kept, and how often it will be used. For example, news magazines
are useful for a shorter period than other periodicals containing less time-specific
information. Instead of keeping the whole periodical, useful articles could be
catalogued and kept in a filing cabinet.
5.5.3 Filing materials
It is important to keep materials such as leaflets, brochures and annual reports in a
way that makes them easy to find. These materials can kept either on the shelves (in
pamphlet boxes) with books and other materials on the same subject, or in filing
cabinets, filed by subject or organisation name, depending on how the information
is most likely to be sought. If there are a lot of materials, such as leaflets about
many different organisations, they could be filed first by geographical area and then
by organisation name.
5.5.4 Displaying materials
There are a number of reasons for displaying materials in a resource centre.
Displays help to highlight new materials, and encourage people to use them. An
attractive display adds colour and interest to the resource centre, and shows that
staff are actively providing a good service.
New books, periodicals or other materials should be displayed in a ‘display area’ of
the resource centre for between a week and a month (depending on how often new
materials arrive), so that users can see them before they are put on the shelves.
Details of new materials should be included on noticeboards elsewhere in the
organisation, to promote them to those who do not visit the resource centre
regularly (see Section 8.2: Promoting the resource centre).
Current issues of periodicals are usually displayed on display racks, arranged
alphabetically by title. Each time a new issue arrives, the previous issue should be
removed and put in the appropriate pamphlet box.
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Section 6: Computers, electronic communication
and databases
This section provides an introduction to computers and their use in resource
centres. It includes:
6.1
Advantages of computers
6.2
Choosing a computer
6.3
Hardware and software
6.4
CD-ROMs
6.5
The Internet
6.6
E-mail services
6.7
The World Wide Web
6.8
Databases
6.9
Electronic resources
6.10
Review of database programs
Related sections include:
5
Organising the information
7 Information
services
TIP: Up-to-date advice
Computer technology is changing rapidly. This section provides a
general guide only. It is important to discuss needs with local
computer suppliers and software developers and obtain up-to-date
advice before purchasing any computer equipment.
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6.1 Advantages of computers
There are many advantages of using computers in larger resource centres, or
smaller resource centres that have a large number of periodicals, serve many
users based at a distance, or provide a wide variety of services. The main
advantages of computers are:
• more information sources
• more opportunities for cooperation and networking
• increased access to the information in the resource centre
• increased efficiency
• more services.
More information sources A computer with a CD-ROM drive can provide
access to materials stored on a CD-ROM, including databases (containing
descriptions of materials) and full-text (complete) materials. A computer linked
to a modem can provide access to information available via e-mail and other
Internet services, such as electronic newsletters and websites.
More opportunities for cooperation and networking A computer linked to a
modem makes it easier to communicate with other resource centres, via e-mail.
Sharing information among different resource centres can improve users’ access
to information and cut down duplication of effort.
Increased access to the information stored in the resource centre The main way
to search for materials using a catalogue card system is by author, title, and a
limited number of keywords. To add more keywords or other details would
require more cards. This would require more work, and the catalogue would
become larger and more difficult to keep up-to-date. A computer database
enables materials to be searched using more keywords, or using other details
such as series titles, publisher, year published or individual words from a title if
the full title is not known, all without extra work.
Increased efficiency Information stored on a computer database can be used for
different purposes. For example, details of materials entered onto a database
when ordering them can be used for a catalogue, simply by adding classification
numbers and keywords. The same records can be used to produce current
awareness bulletins or resource lists.
More services A computer can be used to ‘repackage’ information held on a
database, in the form of directories, resource lists or current awareness bulletins.
Information held on the computer or available via the Internet can be adapted to
produce locally relevant materials.
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6.2 Choosing a computer
It is important to plan how a computer will be used, before going ahead and
getting one. The first step is to think about whether a computer is really
necessary. If the collection is small (up to about 500 materials), or consists
mainly of books, a database (computerised catalogue) will not be necessary.
However, a computer might be useful for accessing information from CD-ROMs
or the Internet, or for tasks such as word-processing.
It is important to consider:
• what services the resource centre offers, and whether the users are within the
same organisation or institution, or at a distance
• whether the conditions are suitable – if the power supply is poor, the
computer will be out of use much of the time, and if the telephone service is
unreliable, access to e-mail and other Internet services will be disrupted
• whether a computer is affordable – the ongoing costs for anti-virus software
and consumables such as printer ink or ribbons, paper, and diskettes can be
expensive.
6.2.1 How to plan for computers
If it seems that a computer will be useful, the steps to follow are:
1. Analyse existing systems
2. Define the objectives
3. Carry out a feasibility study
4. Plan and set up the system
5. Test and evaluate the system.
1. Systems analysis
Start by analysing (reviewing) any manual systems that are being used to organise
and retrieve information. There might be an opportunity to improve these systems
when they are computerised. Think about what the computer needs to be able to
do. Do this for each function that you are considering using the computer for,
such as word-processing, accessing CD-ROMs, using e-mail and the Internet, and
setting up a database.
2. Define the objectives
Write down what you want to be able to do. You need to have clear objectives so
that you can choose the most appropriate hardware (equipment such as the
computer and printer) and software (programs supplied with the computer or on
CD-ROMs that enable the computer to function, such as word-processing or
database programs). Clear objectives can also provide the basis of a funding
proposal, whether you are seeking funds internally or submitting a proposal to an
external donor.
3. Feasibility study
Check whether a computer is feasible in terms of staffing, hardware, software and
other costs.
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• Staff Consider who will use the computer, what functions they will use it
for, and whether the software to carry out these functions (such as e-mail,
Internet or database programs) will only be available in the resource centre
or whether it will also be available in other departments. Think about who
will set up and manage e-mail, Internet and database systems and who will
provide technical support – a member of staff or an external consultant.
Also consider who will check the e-mail messages each day and who will
enter data into the database.
• Hardware Consider what computer capacity is needed (memory,
processor, hard disk, modem). Some functions, such as databases and
desktop publishing, require a bigger capacity than other functions, such as
word processing. Note the capacity needed by the function that needs the
biggest capacity. Find out the capacity of any existing computer
equipment. Consider whether this is sufficient or whether a new computer
needs to be obtained. Consider what else needs to be purchased (see
Section 6.3).
• Software Consider what software is already available, if any, for each of
the functions that you want to use the computer for, and whether it is
appropriate. Find out what experience and technical support is available
within the organisation, locally, or nationally. For example, find out who
uses the same software and could provide advice.
• Other costs Also take into account the running costs such as anti-virus
software, diskettes, paper and printer ribbons, and other costs such as
training.
4. Plan and set up the system
It is important to think carefully about how to set up an e-mail and Internet
system or design a database, in the same way as it is to plan the layout of the
resource centre and the development of information services. The systems must
relate to the systems analysis and objectives, and be practical and easy to use.
5. Test and evaluate
After setting up an e-mail or Internet system or designing a database, it is
important to carry out a test to ensure that they can do what they are intended to
do. For e-mail and Internet systems, test the various functions, such as sending an
e-mail message (to one person or a group of people) and receiving messages,
attaching files, and searching and downloading information from the Internet.
Make a note of how long it takes, how easy it is to use, and what support is
provided by the Internet service provider (ISP) (see Section 6.5: The Internet). For
a database, enter about 20 sample records (at least five records of each material type that
the database will need to handle). Make a note of how easy it is to enter records for
the various material types. Use these records to carry out functions that the
database will be used for, such as searching, sorting and printing. These tests will
enable you to evaluate the systems, and sort out any problems at an early stage.
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6.3 Hardware and software
Computer specifications are continually changing, so it is important to obtain
up-to-date advice before purchasing or accepting any equipment. It is
recommended to choose a computer with a well-known brand name. These can
be more expensive, but more reliable.
Regardless of changing specifications, the process for deciding what to obtain
remains the same. It is important to decide:
• what the computer will be used for
• how many programs it will run
• how much data will be stored on the computer
• how fast the computer will need to work
• how the use of the computer might change or increase in the future.
The following equipment will be needed: computer with CD-ROM or CD-RW
drive, printer, cables, back-up facilities, modem, UPS device, anti-virus software,
and software for communications (e-mail and Internet), word processing and
other functions as required.
Computer A fast, high-capacity computer with a CD drive will be needed for a
resource centre planning to offer information services such as internal and
external database searching, current awareness and repackaging services, or
access to the Internet. The following is the standard specification for a computer
for a resource centre in early 2003. It is meant only as a guide, as it will quickly
become out-of-date.
533 MHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with 512Kb cache
256 Mb SDRAM (random access memory)
20 Gb IDE hard disk
17-inch screen colour SVGA (15.7-inch VIS .28 dot pitch)
20/48x CD-ROM drive
1 parallel port, 2 serial ports, 2 USB ports
UPS (uninterrupted power supply)
Back-up facilities: 3.5-inch diskette drive, and either 250Mb zip drive, 2–8Gb
DAT drive, or CD-RW drive in place of CD-ROM drive
56 Kbs (kilobytes per second) modem
Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional operating system.
Guidance on buying IT equipment, including the latest recommendation for a
computer specification (updated every six months) is available at:
http://www.lasa.org.uk/knowledgebase
A CD-ROM (read-only) drive can read information that has been recorded onto
a CD-ROM, a disc that stores large amounts of data. This could be anything
from publications, to databases, video or audio files. It can be internal (part of
your computer) or external (a separate box that can be attached to your
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computer). Accessing CD-ROMs is very useful if you do not have reliable access
to the Internet, as some resources, such as databases and journals, can be
supplied on CD-ROM (sometimes for a fee).
CD-RW (Read-Write) drive, or CD burner Similar to a CD-ROM drive, a CD-
RW drive can read compact discs (CDs), but has the added ability to record
information on blank recordable CDs, and to record over (overwrite) data on an
existing recordable CD. This is useful for archiving large amounts of data or to
back-up the information saved on your computer, and can help economise on
memory space in your computer. Recording over data on a CD requires a blank
CD sold for this purpose, called a CD-RW (slightly more expensive than a
normal blank recordable CD).
CD-RW drives are becoming a standard part of computer hardware. A computer
without some sort of CD drive may cost a little less, but it can be more expensive
to purchase and install one later on.
Printer One or more printers will be needed to print information from a word-
processor, database, e-mail or the Internet. There are three main types of printer
– laser printers and inkjets, which both use toner, and dot-matrix printers, which
use ink ribbons. Laser printers are fast and produce high quality print, but they
are expensive to buy and run. Inkjet printers are less expensive and produce
reasonable quality print, but are also expensive to run. Dot-matrix printers are
less expensive to buy and run, but are noisy and produce lower quality print.
However, they can take continuous paper as well as single sheets, and are
therefore convenient for printing out address labels, and large amounts of data,
such as documents or database records for proof-reading.
Cables These are an important part of the computer equipment. The correct
cables should automatically be supplied with the computer and any new piece of
equipment purchased. However, it is important to check that all the required
cables have been provided, such as cables to connect each piece of equipment to
the computer and power supply.
Back-up facilities If you don’t have a CD-RW drive (see above), you’ll need
plenty of floppy disks (1.4Mb) to make regular back-ups (copies) of databases
and day-to-day work such as word processing. Media that can store more
information than a floppy disk – for example, CDs (700 Mb) or tape such as a
DAT (2–8 Gb) – can be useful for backing up larger databases and publications
including illustrations and pictures. CDs, for example, can hold as much
information as 550 floppy disks, and DAT drives can hold all the information on
a computer. Zip disks (100Mb or 250 Mb) are quick and easy to use, but are
significantly more expensive than CD disks.
Modem (MOdulator-DEModulator) This is a device that enables messages to be
sent from one computer to another, via a telephone line. A modem can be a card
fitted inside the computer (internal modem) or a small box next to the computer
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(external modem). The modem links the computer to a telephone line using a
telephone cable. The same modem can be used to link more than one computer
to the same telephone line over a ‘local area network’ (LAN).
Some modems can be used to send and receive faxes (known as fax modems). A
fax modem makes it possible to communicate with people who have a fax
machine but no e-mail, as it enables messages to be sent directly from a computer
to a fax machine.
An important feature to consider when choosing a modem is speed. Faster
modems cost more to buy, but save telephone costs and on-line charges of the
Internet service provider (see Section 6.5). Modems with speeds of 56Kbs per
second are becoming standard. The speed of a connection between two modems
is limited to the speed of the slower modem. However, it is still worth buying a
faster modem, since organisations are continually up-grading their computer
equipment.
The speed is also affected by the quality of the telephone line, the computer, the
Internet service provider’s equipment, and the type of service you have
contracted. Therefore, when buying a modem, it is important to consider: the
modem speeds that the Internet service provider can support; the bandwidths
(transmission speeds) that the telephone company can support; and any local
regulations about what kind of modem may be used (in some countries,
telecommunications authorities do not allow users to connect modems to
telephone lines, or have a list of ‘approved’ modems for use in that country). The
relevant authorities or Internet service provider should be able to advise.
UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) This is a device that smoothes out
fluctuations in the power supply, and provides power for a short time after a
power cut. This means that work can be saved and the computer properly shut
down, preventing programs and data from becoming corrupted. This feature is
important if you live in an area that experiences electrical power surges or cuts, if
only for a second. Other factors that contribute to power fluctuations and surges
include: quality of the building’s wiring, number of electrical devices, overloaded
circuits, circuitry and wiring design.
Anti-virus software A computer virus is like a human virus – it causes damage
and is not necessarily visible. Viruses can be introduced via files on floppy disks
or e-mail attachments, or by downloading information from the Internet.
Damage caused by viruses can include loss of data, erasing the entire contents of
the hard disk, or multiplying files so that the hard disk becomes full and cannot
operate.
It is important to check regularly that there are no viruses, by using anti-virus
software. Anti-virus software needs to be updated at least every month, as new
viruses are continually appearing. It is best to take out a subscription with an
anti-virus program, so that updates are received automatically. As new viruses
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emerge it is important to update the software as soon as updates are available. It
is important to include anti-virus software in the budget. It would be a false
economy to omit it if everything were lost.
Internet users often try to warn each other about new viruses that are circulating.
You may receive e-mail messages warning about a new virus. While these are
sometimes useful, they are more often than not hoaxes – pranks to create panic
and concern. See http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html to check whether
a particular warning is a hoax or a real cause for concern. Never open
unsolicited email attachments from people you don’t know.
Communications software E-mail software is needed to send and receive e-mail
messages. It also allows messages to be stored, e-mail address lists to be set up,
selected mail addresses to be recorded, and documents such as word-processed
files or spreadsheet files to be attached to e-mail messages. Internet browser
software such as Internet Explorer, Netscape or Opera is required for full
Internet connection (see Section 6.5). It enables information on the World Wide
Web to be viewed, downloaded onto the computer and printed.
For an older computer, Opera browser software might be more suitable. It works
well with 386 and 486 computers and requires as little as 12mb of RAM
(random access memory) and 1.7mb of free disk space. It costs about US$40
(US$20 for educational institutions; a version that includes advertisements and
doesn’t include e-mail support is free). More information is available on
http://www.opera.com.
Netscape Navigator is available free of charge from
http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers, and requires 64mb RAM and 52mb of
space on your hard drive. Internet Explorer is also free of charge, at
http://www.microsoft.com (requires 16–32mb RAM, depending on your
operating system, and about 12mb disk space). Check that your operating system
is compatible with the browser you download.
Word-processing software Software such as Microsoft Word or Wordperfect is
essential for day-to-day work such as correspondence, and for ‘repackaging’
information from e-mail, the Internet or a database. Word-processing software
often comes with the computer (‘bundled’). However, bundled software is not
necessarily the most suitable. It is well worth finding out what software is most
commonly used in your area, or by members of a network, and purchasing it
separately if necessary.
Portable Document Format (PDF) A software programme called Adobe Acrobat
enables you to create and read Portable Document Format (PDF) files, a
worldwide standard for secure and reliable document distribution. PDF
documents display and print with the formatting that the author created,
including tables, illustrations and graphics, and are protected from unauthorized
access and alterations. The Acrobat Writer (which can create these files) is
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available on the website for a fee. However, the Acrobat Reader (needed to read
PDF files) is available on the website free of charge: http://www.adobe.com
PDF files are a common way of making documents available on the Internet and
CD-ROM, as they can be read by any computer using the free Adobe Acrobat
Reader software.
Other software Database software is discussed in Section 6.10. There are many
other types of software that can be used for different functions. For example,
desktop publishing (DTP) software such as PageMaker or QuarkXPress can be
used to produce attractively presented materials, such as newsletters and display
materials. PagePlus is a cheaper alternative, but less commonly used. Therefore
before investing in it, you should ensure that your printer can access files
produced using this software. Spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel or
LotusNotes is useful for preparing budgets, schedules or tables. Web publishing
software, such as Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft FrontPage, makes
creating attractive websites much easier.
TIP: New or second-hand?
If funding is not available for a new computer, it might be possible to
use one that has been donated or passed on from another department.
However, computer technology evolves quickly and an older machine
may not be suitable for the tasks you need it to perform.
Check that the size of the hard disk, processor speed and memory
(RAM) are sufficient to run the software that will be used, at a fast
enough speed. Check the specifications of all the software you need to
run – often, newly available software will not run on older machines.
Add up the software specification figures for disk space, and compare
this, plus figures for processor speed and memory, with the capacity of
the computer. Computers running at or near capacity will often crash,
losing unsaved data and wasting time.
When preparing funding proposals for computer equipment, it is useful
to bear in mind that a higher capacity computer is needed for most
resource centre work than for general administrative work. If the
resource centre already has a computer and another computer is needed
for administrative work, it makes sense to obtain a new computer for
the resource centre. Pass the resource centre computer on for
administrative work (having first checked that it can support the
software being used for the administrative work).
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6.4 CD-ROMs
A CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory) can hold the same amount of
data as about 550 floppy disks or 300,000 pages of paper. CD-ROMs are
therefore very popular for storing databases and full-text materials. Many
databases containing details of medical, health or development materials are
available on CD-ROM – for example, African HealthLine, AIDSLine, Medline,
and POPLINE (see section 6.9.5 for other useful examples). Most CD-ROM
databases are updated regularly. The only cost is an annual subscription. An
increasing number of free CD-ROMs contain collections of full-text documents
such as e-Talc, and the Humanity Development Library (see section 6.9.5 for
other examples). No special software is needed to use CD-ROMs. Using CD-
ROMs to distribute and access information is useful in situations where using the
Internet is costly, unreliable or unavailable.
Advantages of CD-ROMs:
• can provide access to large databases
• easy to search
• fast to use
• easy to transport
• durable; not easily damaged
• can be used on any computer with a CD drive
• available in multimedia (containing sound and movement) on a computer
with multimedia facilities
• no telephone/internet service costs
• no reliance on telephone/internet access/availability
• fixed subscription cost.
Disadvantages of CD-ROMs:
• data may not be completely up-to-date
• subscription cost can be high.
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6.5 The Internet
The Internet is a network of networks that links millions of computers around
the world, using telephone lines. The networks are linked together so that they
appear as a single network to the user.
A computer linked to the Internet can provide access to a wide range of services,
including e-mail, viewing organisations’ websites on the ‘World Wide Web’,
taking part in discussion groups, accessing on-line databases, reading electronic
newsletters and journals, and viewing video clips. The Internet is about people
communicating and sharing information.
The services that are available depend on the type of connection to the Internet.
A ‘direct connection’ or ‘full access’ provides access to all Internet services. An
‘indirect connection’ provides access to only some services, most commonly e-
mail. It does not support graphics or provide easy access to the World Wide
Web. However, services are becoming available that make it possible to access
web pages via e-mail (see Section 6.7.5).
Access to the Internet requires:
• a computer linked to a modem (see Section 6.3)
• communications software (see Section 6.3)
• a subscription with an Internet service provider.
An Internet service provider is a company that provides the connection between
the computer and the whole Internet network. When choosing an Internet service
provider, there may be little or no option in some places. If there is a choice, it is
useful to ask:
• What is the immediate connection charge?
• What are the on-going subscription charges and on-line telephone charges?
• What communications software is provided and at what cost?
• What technical support and training is provided and at what cost?
It is also worth asking local organisations which service provider they use and
how they rate them.
The necessary communications software is often supplied by the service provider
– sometimes free of charge – along with support in setting up and using it. It is
best to talk to the service provider to decide which software to use. The software
required for using e-mail and Internet services is developing rapidly and
becoming much easier to use.
Some users, particularly in developing countries, do not have full Internet access
because the cost of accessing files on the Internet can be high, telephones can be
unreliable, and a greater capacity computer is needed. The Internet service
provider can help to decide on the most suitable type of connection.
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6.6 E-mail services
Electronic mail (e-mail) is a means of sending messages from a computer to one
or more other computers. Messages are sent via a telephone line and delivered to
the recipient within a few seconds, minutes, or hours, to over a day, depending
on the service used and the reliability of the telephone connection. E-mail is a
relatively cheap and increasingly popular way of communicating among
individuals and organisations worldwide.
Different types of connections carry different charges and advantages. A dial-up
connection is the most basic; usually, you are charged for the use of the
telephone line for the duration of your ‘session’ on the Internet, plus connection
charges and/or a standard monthly fee. Alternatively, if you live in an area with a
good telecommunications infrastructure, you may be able to obtain a broadband
(also called DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)) connection. Broadband may be quite
expensive, but provides an ‘always on’, much faster Internet connection and may
be more cost-effective if the Internet is used frequently.
An e-mail message can be a simple text-based message written directly in e-mail
software, or it can include an ‘attachment’ consisting of a word-processed
document, spreadsheet, database or graphics file, or even a software program. A
simple text e-mail can be read by any e-mail software. However, an attachment
can only be read by the same software in which it was prepared. The recipient
therefore needs to have the relevant word-processing, spreadsheet, database or
other software to read attached documents. See also ‘Portable Document Format
(PDF)’, in section 6.3.
TIP: Sending attachments
If you are not sure which word-processing software is used by the
person who is receiving the attachment, save the document as a rich
text format (RTF) file, or a text file (TXT) before sending it. These files
can be read by any word-processing software. A text file only includes
the text of the document with no formatting. A rich text format file
keeps basic formatting such as bold and underline.
E-mail addresses indicate the user, service provider, type of organisation and
(usually) the country in which the user is located. A typical e-mail address is
Healthlink Worldwide’s address: info@healthlink.org.uk
Info = the identifier or user name (this could be the name of an
individual, a department or a service)
@
= pronounced ‘at’
healthlink.org.uk
= the domain name or organisation name
org
= shows that it is an organisation (ac = academic institution,
co
= company, gov = government)
uk
= country in which the organisation is registered
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Each . is pronounced ‘dot’, so the above e-mail address would be pronounced:
info at healthlink dot org dot UK
Advantages of e-mail
• fast and relatively cheap
• easy to send the same message to more than one person
• text sent via e-mail can be copied into other documents
• does not require a separate telephone line (although the fax or telephone
cannot be used at the same time as sending e-mail)
• does not require a separate computer
• enables faxes to be sent more cheaply than via a fax machine
• enables multimedia messages (containing sound and movement) to be sent if
the computer has multimedia facilities
• makes networking easier.
Disadvantages of e-mail
• requires computer skills
• requires Internet access and associated fees
• requires training to use the e-mail system
• software can only be used in a few languages
• legal status of messages has not yet been tested in some countries.
6.6.1 Using e-mail
As well as sending individual messages, e-mail has a wide range of uses, including
sending faxes, participating in electronic conferences or mailing list discussions,
receiving newsletters and bulletins, and joining networks.
Fax
E-mail can be used to send and receive faxes directly, instead of printing them
out and sending them via a fax machine. It is cheaper to send faxes by e-mail,
because the messages travel faster, and the telephone charge is for a local call
only. This facility requires a fax modem. It is also important to check that the
Internet service provider can support sending fax over e-mail.
Electronic conferences
An electronic conference may also be known as a conference list, discussion list,
discussion group, or discussion forum.
Electronic conferences allow a variety of people to communicate with each other
to discuss issues, ask questions and exchange ideas and experiences. An e-mail
sent to the conference address is automatically distributed to all its members.
Some larger conferences have a 'moderator' who sees all messages before they
are sent out to the member list, to ensure that they are relevant and appropriate
to the conference.
A conference may focus on a subject area of interest, such as the prevention and
control of HIV/AIDS; or it might have a geographic focus, such as library
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services in Asia or public health in India; or it might be aimed at those with a
similar job, such as health managers. A number of conference lists are available
for library and information staff, such as the regional lists, Aflib, Asialib, Paclib
and lists specifically for health information staff, such as AhilaNet and Medlib.
Conferences are often open to anyone interested in the topic. They can be
subscribed to automatically by sending an e-mail message to the conference host.
Details on how to subscribe to these electronic conferences are given in Section
6.9.4.
TIP: Handling messages
Some electronic conferences and discussion groups are very active and
you may receive a number of messages each day, some of which may
not be of interest. You could check with your service provider or other
NGOs before subscribing. If you are going to be away from your e-mail
for some time, you can unsubscribe for that period to avoid a large
build-up of messages. Some very active discussion lists, eg AFRO-NETS,
offer subscribers a weekly summary of messages.
Remember to keep the instructions on how to ‘unsubscribe’. These are
usually included in the welcome message when you first join.
Electronic mailing lists
The main aim of electronic mailing lists is to improve e-mail communication
between a group of people working together. Electronic mailing lists may be used
for short-term action planning or discussion before a meeting, or for ongoing
general information sharing and discussion on a particular topic.
For example, Healthlink Worldwide has set up a mailing list for members of its
Middle East Programme’s regional management group. Members are located in
different countries. They use the mailing list conference to plan meetings and
newsletter editions. This ‘closed’ mailing list (open only to regional management
group members) has an agreed purpose and a ‘moderator’, who is responsible for
ensuring that it is used for its intended purpose, and for keeping a record of
messages sent.
TIP: Setting up an electronic mailing list
You can set up your own electronic mailing list as long as you have an
Internet service provider that offers this service (most do). A useful
and easy-to-follow guide on how to plan, set up and use a mailing list,
From workplace to workspace: using email lists to work together, is
available on the Internet at http://www.idrc.ca/books/848.html or in
print (see Further Reading section).
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TIP: Bellanet
Bellanet (http://www.bellanet.org) is a Canada-based NGO that
supplies services, advice and training to meet the needs of
international development research communities and other
development networks whose members are separated by geography.
Bellanet provides advice and support to a range of partners on how to
most effectively use web- and email-based tools for group dialogues
and efforts toward the sharing of information.
Electronic newsletters and bulletins
Newsletters and bulletins are becoming increasingly available over e-mail as well
as, or instead of, in print format. They are distributed in text-based format
(without pictures or illustrations), and are often available free of charge. Some
publishers prefer to distribute their publications over e-mail to speed up delivery
times and to save on print and mailing costs, but offer the print version to those
who cannot or do not want to receive the electronic version. Some publications
are available electronically only, such as HNPFlash (for details see
http://www.worldbank.org/hnpflash) and WOUGNET Update Newsletter (see
http://www.wougnet.org).
The advantage of receiving newsletters and bulletins over e-mail is that selected
articles or whole issues can be passed on directly by e-mail to others who may be
interested. In addition, sections can be printed, copied to a word processor and
adapted or reproduced for other materials.
It is worth considering how to store electronic newsletters and bulletins for
reference by others. Key issues or articles could be printed and filed in the
resource centre. They could also be stored in their own folder on your computer
or on a disk.
Many journals and newsletters are also available on the Internet for those with
full Internet access (see Section 6.7.4). Usually, you can sign up for regular
notification of the latest issue and website address via e-mail, which will link to
an electronic (html or PDF) version of the document on the publisher’s website.
For details of over 150 free or low-cost international newsletters on health or
disability related issues, see the Source Newsletters and Journals database at:
http://www.asksource.info/databases.html
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Electronic networks
There are a number of networks in developing countries, which bring together
people and organisations with common interests and a commitment to
information sharing. By offering training, technical support and services such as
e-mail, electronic conferences and discussion lists, and databases, these networks
facilitate communication on issues such as peace, environment, social justice,
international development, education and health.
Examples of electronic networks include SANGONeT (South Africa), PSDN
(Philippines), IndiaLink (India), Alternex (Brazil), Association for Progressive
Communications (APC), Pactok, and SatelLife’s HealthNet network. The
American Association for the Advancement of Science website provides links to
several good sources of information on electronic networking and connectivity
issues: http://www.aaas.org/international/africa-guide
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6.7 The World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (www or web for short) is one of the most popular
features of the Internet. It is made up of millions of ‘pages’ of information. A
web page is one document or file of information, which can contain text,
pictures, and sound. It is possible to move from one page to another by clicking
on certain words, phrases or graphics that are usually highlighted and
underlined. These are known as ‘hyper-text links’. They lead the viewer to
related pages on the web.
The World Wide Web provides access to a vast amount of information on all
kinds of topics. More and more organisations display information about their
products and services on their website. Other useful facilities for resource centres
include searching databases and accessing electronic journals and newsletters.
Example of a web newsletter
A website is a number of pages displayed by the same host computer. Each
website has its own address or URL (uniform resource locator). An example of a
typical web address is: http://www.healthlink.org.uk
http://
= the transfer protocol which tells the web
browser that it is connecting to the Web
www.healthlink.org.uk:
= the domain name of the computer where the
information is stored
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org
= shows that it is an organisation
uk
= country code showing which country the
site is registered in
6.7.1 How to find information on the web
The range of information available makes the web an exciting tool. However, it
also makes it difficult to find exactly what you are looking for, and to know that
the information is reliable. There are several ways of finding information on the
web – by typing in a web address, following a link from another site, or using
search tools.
Typing in a web address
If you know the exact address of the website or page, type this into the location
or address box.
Following a recommended link from another site
Many sites include a list of recommended links to related resources on the web.
You can save a lot of time looking around the web by starting from a reliable site
and following the links provided. Someone will have already looked at a wide
range of resources and included only those that seem useful. Examples of
recommended websites are included in Section 6.9.1.
Using the search tools
There are a number of search tools on the web, known as ‘search engines’ or
‘search directories’. These allow you to search the web for a particular word or
combination of words appearing in a website. The search engine or directory will
look through the web and display the addresses of those sites containing the
word or words selected. These are often listed in order of relevance, with those
the search engine thinks are most relevant appearing first.
Each search engine includes instructions on how to search effectively. Take time
to read these before you start. All search engines are slightly different and some
include more advanced features allowing you to search for a whole phrase, use
Boolean terms such as AND, OR, or NOT to combine words, or automatically
look for words with the same meaning. Therefore, if you don’t find what you’re
looking for, it is worth trying another one.
Advice about searching the web, and a comparison of the various search engines
is available at: http://www.searchenginewatch.com
Recommended search engines include:
All The Web http://www.alltheweb.com
Google
http://www.google.com
Lycos
http://www.lycos.com
MSN Search http://msn.search.com
Yahoo
http://www.yahoo.com
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Some search engines are also known as search directories. A search directory is
organised into subject areas, allowing you to search just those sites related to a
specific subject, rather than the whole web. Often, the sites included within the
directory have been assessed and selected by subject specialists; sometimes this is a
service that larger organisations pay for. Using a search directory can produce
more accurate results. Of those listed above, Yahoo and MSN Search are
directories.
There are also multiple search engines, sometimes known as ‘meta’ search
engines, which search across a number of search engines at the same time. This
can save you time, however, a meta search engine can only use those search
features that all of the search engines it covers have in common and therefore
only perform the most basic kind of search. Meta search engines are particularly
useful for broad and shallow searches, for assessing keywords quickly, and for
getting familiar with the individual search engines that they cover. Examples are:
Flipper http://www.flipper.com
Ithaki
http://www.ithaki.net/indexu.htm
Metacrawler
http://www.metacrawler.com
Fazzle
http://www.fazzle.com
Vivisimo
http://vivisimo.com
6.7.2 How to evaluate information on the web
There is a vast amount of information available on the web from all kinds of
sources. Anyone can put a document on the web, unlike printed material, which
has usually been edited or reviewed. It is sometimes difficult to know how
accurate or reliable information on the web is. You need to consider:
• Who has provided the information? Do you or others within that field know
of them? Are they known to be accurate, reliable and professional?
• Who has the information been provided for? Are the content and language
appropriate for the audience?
• Are sources and references given? If claims and statistics are presented, are
the sources reliable? Is there a bias present, and if so, is it stated?
• Is the site up to date?
• A clear guide to evaluating information found on the Internet is available at:
• http://www.library.jhu.edu/elp/useit/evaluate
• A number of other documents offering guidelines for evaluating various
information
• resources, particularly those on the web is available at:
http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~agsmith/evaln/evaln.htm
6.7.3 Internet databases
Increasingly, databases are becoming available free of charge on the Internet.
These databases can be less straightforward and accurate to search than CD-
ROM, though, they are becoming easier to use as Internet technology improves.
They also incur telephone costs and there is a risk of being disconnected if
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telephone lines are poor. However, Internet databases can be a valuable source
of information if CD-ROMs are not available.
For example, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has put all the major
commercial databases on their website, so that they can be searched free of
charge. Source’s bibliographic database is available free of charge from the
website. For more information see Section 6.9.6.
6.7.4 Electronic journals and newsletters
Many journals and newsletters are now available in electronic format on the
web, as well as, or instead of, in printed format. Some are available free of
charge in full text, where the whole of each article can be read, printed or
downloaded to disk. For others, only the contents pages of issues and abstracts
of each article are available free of charge, and a subscription needs to be paid to
view the complete articles.
The advantages of electronic journals or newsletters are:
• They can be searched by keyword or subject as well as by title, author, date
and issue number, allowing users to find a specific article without knowing
the complete reference.
• Articles can be printed off and read at users’ own convenience.
• Articles can be saved to file to allow sections to be incorporated into other
documents.
• References within the articles can be given with the full web address to lead
readers to the source.
• A current annual subscription may give access to back issues of journals –
though if the subscription has expired, access to the back issue may be lost.
• A journal website might include more than the articles themselves. For
instance, the British Medical Journal website includes discussion groups,
more in-depth articles, and readers’ comments that are only available on the
site.
Some electronic publications may appear on a website as PDF files. See ‘Portable
Document Format (PDF)’ in section 6.3 for more information on creating and
viewing PDF files.
For examples of electronic journals and newsletters, see Section 6.9.2.
6.7.5 How to access the World Wide Web via e-mail
It is possible to access web pages even without a full Internet connection.
GetWeb, developed by SATELLIFE in the USA, is one of a number of services
now available which allow you to request and receive the text only of web pages
through a simple exchange of e-mail messages. You need to know the exact web
address of the page or pages which you wish to access.
To use GetWeb, send an e-mail message to:
getweb@usa.healthnet.org
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Type GET followed by the web page address in the text of your message (leave
the subject line empty). For example:
GET http://www.healthnet.org
The text only of this page will automatically be e-mailed to you.
You can request more than one web page at a time by beginning the message
with the command begin and completing it with the command end. For example,
to request three web pages, you might send the following message:
begin
GET http://www.procaare.org
GET http://www.promed.org
GET http://www.edrug.org
end
A guide to using the GetWeb service, including its more advanced features, is
available at: http://www.healthnet.org/howtogetweb.php
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6.8 Databases
A database is information stored on a computer in such a way that it can be:
• searched through to find certain details
• displayed on the computer screen or printed onto paper in various styles
• sorted so that it can be ordered in different ways, such as author, title, subject
and date of publication.
A database is made up of ‘records’, where all the information about an item such
as a publication or organisation is stored. Records are equivalent to the cards in
a card catalogue system. Each record is made up of ‘fields’, where information
about different aspects of the item is stored – for example, the author or
keyword, or the name of an organisation or its telephone number. Fields can be
repeated to accommodate more than one author or keyword, or divided into
‘subfields’ to accommodate titles and subtitles, or the publisher and place of
publication.
A database is faster and more flexible than a manual system. For example,
searching a card catalogue is limited by the number cards that can be produced,
and the way the information is presented can only be changed by re-writing or
re-typing the cards.
The types of database most often used in resource centres are bibliographic
databases and mailing list or ‘contacts’ databases.
A bibliographic database is like an electronic card catalogue. Each record
contains details of materials, similar to the cards in a catalogue. Each field
contains information about one aspect of a material, such as the author or title.
A mailing list database is like an electronic address book. Each record contains
information about individuals or organisations. Each field contains information
about one aspect of the individual or organisation, such as their name,
profession, organisation type, or address. A mailing list database can be used in
various ways. For example, a resource centre membership database could
contain information about members of the resource centre, including contact
details and their areas of interest. A network database could contain information
about resource centres and organisations that can be contacted for information
on other subjects.
6.8.1 Standard database structures
It is important to have an initial outline of a database structure before selecting
the database software, as the structure and use of the database may affect which
program will be most suitable.
A database structure or format defines the fields, their names or numbers,
whether they are repeated or subdivided, and often the format of the information
in the fields.
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It is possible either to use a standard database structure, or to develop one (see
Section 6.8.2). There are several advantages to using a standard database
structure. It saves the effort of designing a structure, it enables records to be
shared with other organisations using the same structure, and it means that there
will be good supporting materials. Sharing records with other resource centres
can prevent duplication of effort and provide easy access to information about
materials in the other resource centres. Therefore, if there is any possibility that
the resource centre will want to share records with other resource centres, serious
consideration should be given to using a standard structure. Otherwise a lot of
time and effort will be needed to alter the structure or convert records.
Standard structures are designed to cover all standard needs. They include the
option of adding new fields if required. Standard formats may include fields that
are not required. These need not be used, or could be used later if requirements
change.
Many standard database structures are available. The main international
standard is MARC, but it is too complex for most resource centres. The
Common Communication Format (CCF) is a more straightforward structure,
and is suitable for storing information about people and organisations, and
bibliographic information.
Some structures have been designed for specific subject areas. For example, the
MIMBIS Manual is designed for development information. The World Health
Organization (WHO) has designed a structure for the African Index Medicus
(AIM). This structure or an adapted version of it is used by WHO country offices
and health-related organisations such as ministries of health, and medical and
health libraries. Healthlink Worldwide has developed database structures for
contacts and mailing list functions, which are used by partner organisations as
the basis for their own contacts databases and newsletter mailing lists. Both the
AIM and Healthlink Worldwide structures are based on CCF.
6.8.2 How to design a database
If you need only a simple database or a very specialised database, you could
create your own database structure, or adapt a standard structure. If you are
designing or adapting a database structure, make sure that it relates to the
systems analysis and objectives (see Section 6.2.1), and remember the tip: Keep It
Simple.
The initial database design should be produced on paper, noting down each
issue, and gradually building up a list of fields, content and format.
There are two main aspects to consider:
• the content of the records – the data to be entered into each field
• the structure of the records – the way in which the record is divided into
fields, subfields, and repeatable fields.
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You will need to decide what to include in the database, and how the database
will be used. Then you can work out the content and structure of the records.
For example, you might decide to include books, periodical articles and
audiovisual materials in the same database, or you might decide to have a
separate database for, say, audiovisual materials, depending on the size of the
collection. If the collection is small, a single database for all materials would be
appropriate, enabling all types of material on a particular topic to be located
with one search.
Once you have decided what to include in the database, you will need to
consider how much detail is required. This depends how the database will be
used. For example, a database that will only be used for searching materials in
the resource centre will only need to contain basic bibliographic information
(author, title, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, keywords and
classification number). For example:
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
Implementation of global malaria control strategy : report of a WHO Study
Group.
Geneva : WHO, 1993
Keywords: malaria / prevention and control / health information systems /
programme management
Location: HC7.2 WOR
A database that will be used to develop a resource list will need to contain
additional information, including an abstract of each material and addresses of
distributors. For example:
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
Implementation of global malaria control strategy : report of a WHO study group
on the implementation of the global plan of action for malaria control, 1993-
2000
(WHO Technical Report Series 839)
Geneva : WHO, 1993
57 pages
Keywords: malaria / prevention and control / health information systems /
programme management
Location: HC7.2 WOR
Abstract: The report provides guidance for the implementation of the Global
Malaria Strategy, and recommendations for the development of epidemiological
and health information systems to assist in the planning, monitoring and
evaluation of malaria control programmes. Emphasises the need for early
diagnosis and treatment and the importance of community involvement.
Available from: WHO Distribution and Sales, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.
Once the content and purpose of the database have been decided, it will be
possible to work out how many fields will be needed, and what the field
structure should be, including what fields need to be subdivided or repeated. The
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field structure will depend how the information is to be used. A database that
will be used to develop a resource list could have fields for both abstracts and
distributors, but an ordinary catalogue database would not need these. For the
resource centre database, the distributor information could all be in one field.
However, for a mailing list database each line of the address would either have to
be in a separate repeat of the field or in a separate field, in order to print mailing
labels and add the address to letters.
In a bibliographic database, an author’s name is entered surname first, then first
name, as this is the order recognised for catalogues and bibliographies. The field
for names would be repeatable to include up to three authors. In a mailing list
database, the name is entered either first name first, then surname (as this is the
way that a letter or envelope is addressed) or put into two separate fields. You
can work out the number of fields required by writing down the list of fields, and
assigning numbers to them (or names, depending on the software).
The structure is easier to remember if related fields are grouped together as
follows:
• resource centre information, such as accession number and location
• title information, such as title and edition
• responsibility for the item, such as author, editor or meeting name
• descriptive information, such as where published, who published by, date
published, number of pages and number of illustrations
• subject and content information, such as keywords, geographical coverage
and abstract
• acquisition information, such as price, whether donation or purchase, and
where obtained from.
You will need to know which fields will be used for searching. Fields that will be
searched will need to be indexed. An index is similar to the index at the back of a
book, and provides much more access to information on the records than a
manual catalogue.
Before finalising the structure, you should test it to ensure that the database can
do what it is intended to do. This can only be done after the software is selected
and installed. However, the initial design process can help to decide which is the
most appropriate software.
Once the software is selected, you can test the structure by entering about 20
sample records (at least five records of each material type that the database will
need to handle) and noting how easy it is to enter records for the various types of
material. You can use these records to carry out functions that the database will
be used for, such as searching, sorting and printing.
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6.8.3 Data entry guidelines
Once the database has been designed, guidelines need to be written on how to
enter data into each individual field, to ensure that data is entered correctly. The
guidelines should cover, for example, what to enter, and how to format and
punctuate entries. It is useful to write the guidelines as a table.
Field name
Field
Guidelines
Examples
no.
Record
001
Unique number made up of 5 digits.
18764
number
The field must not be empty
Location
900
Classification code followed by first 3
HC4.422 AGG
letters of author’s name. If the author is
AA3 WOR
an organisation, use the first 3 letters of
the organisation name, not its acronym.
TYPE
060
Type of document
Article
This field must not be empty
Manual
DOCNO
120
Document number, where given
WHO/DAP/94.1
Title
200
Title of book or article. Use sentence case.
Vaccination against
Separate main title from subtitle with the
pregnancy : miracle or
use of a : leaving a space either side of the
menace?
:
No full stop at the end
This field must not be empty
Edition
260
Edition of a book, unless first edition,
2nd ed.
abbreviate edition to ed.
Author
300
Author(s).
- Person’s surname entered first in capitals
RICHTER, Judith
followed by forename in initial capitals; up
BANDAWE, C R
to 2 more authors in the same format
- If more than 3 authors, enter the first one
only and type ‘et al’ in the COMP field
- First organisation’s name entered in upper
case with acronym in brackets
- Up to 2 more organisations entered in
initial capitals
WORLD HEALTH
This field is repeatable
ORGANIZATION (WHO)
World Bank
6.8.4 Database management
Database management is something that can easily be forgotten, but is an
important aspect of having a database. Although data may be entered by any
member of staff, the database should be managed by one person. The database
manager is responsible for the accuracy and consistency of the data entered.
Database management also includes backing up the database onto a floppy disk
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or zip disk to prevent loss of data, deleting unwanted files, and developing the
database to meet changing needs.
TIP: Backing up
The database should be backed up every time a significant amount of
data has been entered or edited. A significant amount is the amount
that you would not want to have to re-enter or re-edit if the data were
lost. Back-ups should be made on a rotational basis using at least two
sets of disks. It is important to have rotational back-ups, in case one
back-up becomes corrupt, or if there is a fault in the database before
the back-up is made.
Carefully label each back-up disk with the name of the database, the
date and its number in the set, for example, ‘Disk 1 of 3’. Store disks in
a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Keep disks away from magnetic
and electrical equipment such as telephones, televisions, videos and
bags with magnetic clasps. It is sensible to make two back-ups and
keep one copy at home, or in another building, to protect them from
fire or corruption.
6.8.5 How to choose database software
The differences between different types of database (or text retrieval) software
are becoming more blurred as technology improves and new features are added
to software programs. This section does not discuss specific programs, but
provides guidelines for choosing software. A detailed look at three programs that
are often used by libraries and resource centres is given in Section 6.10.
Before you consider what database software to use, you must be clear about
what you need a database for (see Section 6.8.2). Think about the long-term
needs of the resource centre, and how adaptable the program is, as it is more
expensive in terms of both money and time to change to a different program
later. Also consider what is happening in your area or field of work. If a
particular program is widely used in your geographical area, or is used by a
network that you belong to, and it is affordable, it is also worth considering.
However, do not decide anything until you have considered all other aspects of
database software discussed in this section.
You can identify a suitable program in two stages. First, take four main aspects:
• variable length fields
• repeatable fields
• methods of searching
• flexibility in design and development.
Then, if the program looks suitable, you can look in more detail at the program’s
functions.
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1. Main aspects
If the program is suitable in terms of the first two of these aspects, consider the
next two.
Variable length fields are important for bibliographic information. Authors’
names and titles, for example, are never a set length, so fields containing this
information must be able to adjust in size. Fixed-length fields might be too small,
so that data is lost, or too large, resulting in wasted disk space, which can slow
down the operation of the database.
Repeatable fields are needed to accommodate multiple authors or keywords.
Programs without the facility of repeating fields have either to place all repeats in
one field, which causes problems for searching and sorting, or to create a linked
database for these fields, which is unnecessarily complicated.
Searching is important, because improved retrieval of information is one of the
main reasons for using databases in resource centres. The program needs to be
able to cater for different levels of searching, from complex searches carried out
by resource centre staff, to assisted searches, or simple searches for resource
centre users. The program needs to be capable of retrieving information on
known details such as authors or titles; finding materials on a particular subject
area; finding individual words or phrases; and searching all fields at once, or
individual fields, as required.
Flexibility means the ability to design databases to fit the resource centre’s needs,
and to make changes as required, such as adding and removing fields, or
changing field names and record structures. It is important that continuing to
develop the database is straightforward, and can be undertaken by resource
centre staff, or other staff in the organisation. Otherwise the services will suffer,
and the support required may not be affordable.
2. More detailed assessment
Once you have assessed the four main aspects of a program, you can carry out a
more detailed assessment of the program’s functions, including:
• how easy it is to set up and develop
• languages
• field identification
• data protection
• data entry assistance
• importing and exporting
• editing
• hardware requirements
• indexes
• database size
• searching
• software documentation
• sorting
• help function
• display, print and download formats • support services
• user interface
• user groups
• cost factors
How easy to set up and develop Designing and developing a database requires a
basic knowledge of computers, and an understanding of how to organise
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information. Think about who will design and set up the database. This will
depend on the program selected, and the staff skills available within the
organisation, or funding for external help. If the right type of program is
purchased, very little outside help will be required. However, if the database is
not designed by resource centre staff, make sure that resource centre staff are
fully consulted during this process, to ensure that the database meets all the
requirements of those searching and those managing the data.
When selecting a program, consider whether the program’s design process is
straightforward and requires few technical skills, or whether it is more
complicated. Consider how easy it will be to modify the database to meet future
needs, such as adding new fields, or to solve any technical problems, for
example, if the database stops working properly.
If you employ a consultant, make sure that the consultancy includes providing
good written guidelines and training in how to use the database. Also ensure that
any training covers the skills required to adapt and develop the database for
future resource centre needs.
Field identification When designing the database, think about how you will label
or number fields, and how you will use repeatable fields and subfields. Systems
for labelling or numbering fields may be important for sharing information with
other systems (see Section 6.8.3).
Data entry assistance Data entry needs to be as straightforward as possible.
Records can be entered more quickly and accurately if the program includes
facilities for ensuring that data is in the right fields and the right format, and is
spelt correctly. Look for the following features:
• Setting up different data entry screens for each material type can help prevent
data entry mistakes, as most fields on these screens should contain some data,
and there is less confusion between fields.
• Record templates/record skeletons are useful if you need to enter a lot of
similar material. Regularly required data can be entered only once and used
for any number of records, without having to be re-entered. The required
data can be entered into any number of fields to build up the
template/skeleton. To keep down the amount to data to be entered, it is
useful to design different templates/skeletons for different types of material,
or particular sources of information.
• Default values are useful if particular words or phrases are regularly required
in a specific field, such as the type of material or language. Only one default
value can be entered for each field, so templates/skeletons are a more useful
feature than default values.
• Field templates/input masks are useful if the data needs to be in a specified
format, such as upper case, or a fixed number or pattern of characters, or a
specific date format. The pattern of the data is provided in coded form, and
data not fitting the pattern will not be accepted by the program.
• Substitution lists are useful for standard information, such as organisation
names and types of material. Once a list is set up, the abbreviation is typed
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and the rest of the word or phrase appears automatically. This saves time,
and reduces the chance of errors, including spelling errors.
• Pick lists are words and phrases that may be pasted from a list, including data
from previous entries or the index.
• Validation/value lists are like pick lists, but can only be used for fields where
the content is controlled by a set of words or terms, such as subject, keyword,
geographic fields, or type of material.
• Spell checking is increasingly available with database programs. It can be
useful, especially for records with abstracts. However, it cannot replace
record checking and other quality control processes.
• Context-specific data entry help is very useful, as it provides a quick way of
checking the format to be used when entering information into each field.
Help messages are entered by the designer and can be updated as needed.
• Control over which fields must contain data (mandatory fields) is a useful
way of making sure that important information, such as the title or subject, is
always entered.
Editing Alterations to the data in the database need to take up as little time as
possible, so the options offered by the software are very important. The ability to
copy and paste data within and across records is essential. Options to edit
specified fields in a record range, the results of a search, or the entire database
are also important. A ‘find and replace’ function is useful, but needs to be used
carefully, as this function is not field-specific.
Indexes Computer indexes are similar to the indexes at the back of books, in that
they help to locate records containing particular information, or written by a
particular author. Browsing an index is similar to browsing the shelves of a
resource centre. If something of interest is found, the record(s) can be viewed on
the screen.
The type of indexing affects how easy it is to retrieve information. It is therefore
important to check what types of indexing are offered - word, term/phrase,
specific terms/phrases within a field. Word indexing is useful for finding
individual words that may appear in different fields of a database. Term/phrase
indexing is useful for indexing and retrieving keywords, and full titles. The
ability to index selected words in an abstract is helpful, as indexing every word in
an abstract can waste disk space and slow down the program.
Indexing is most useful where more than one type can be used at the same time.
For example, word indexing combined with field/phrase indexing for the title
field allows access to particular words in the title, as well as a complete title.
Searching There are several ways in which data can be searched:
• Simple searching means browsing the index, and selecting and combining
terms from the index.
• Boolean searching means combining search terms using AND, OR, or NOT.
This is sometimes provided in the simplified format of broader/narrower
searching.
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• Phrase searching (searching for a string of words), and proximity or
adjacency of term searching (searching for words that are near each other)
are important when looking for important words in the title, or for
documents that cannot be well described by the use of subject keywords.
• Truncation searching is useful for finding words that have similar word
stems, such as singular and plural terms, or words with similar meanings,
such as computer, computing, computerised.
• Synonym and soundalike searching is useful for finding words that have
similar meanings, or words that sound alike, such as words spelt in different
ways.
• Cross reference searching is useful when a relevant term is found, as it
enables the entire database to be searched immediately for other records
containing that term.
• Cross database searching (searching more than one database at the same
time) can be very useful, for example if there are separate databases for
different types of materials, different resource centre sites, or for the
catalogue and ordering systems. It can help to speed up the search process, or
avoid duplicating materials or wasting time re-creating a record.
• Saved searches are a search strategy that can be saved and re-run at intervals,
to retrieve any new records of interest to a specific user, or in a specific
subject area.
Sorting It is useful to be able to sort data (for example, by date, subject, author
or title) when carrying out searches, producing bibliographies, or viewing records
on-screen. It is important to consider how many levels of sorting are available,
and whether complex sorting is offered. For example, if there is no author, the
record may need to be sorted by title instead.
Display, print and download formats It is important to look at how easy it is to
create a print format, and whether it is possible to format text, so that an
attractive printout can be produced without having to use a word processor. It is
useful to be able to save records and reports as ‘rich text format’ (RTF), so that
formatted data can be imported directly into documents such as bibliographies
and newsletters. It is also useful to be able to save data in HTML (hypertext
mark-up language) format, for placing records as text on a website. Check also
to see how easy it is to do mail merge and label printing.
User interface Does the program look pleasant on the screen? Is it easy to
understand? Can searches be carried out without using written guidelines?
However, even if the program is easy to use, it is a good idea to provide users
with written guidelines, as these can also be used to tell them what the different
databases contain.
Languages It is important that staff and users can understand the language used
in the user interface as well as the data that is entered into the database. Check
what languages the program is available in, and, if needed, whether data can be
entered in non-Roman scripts, such as Arabic or Hindi.
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Data protection If resource centre users and other staff are to search the
database themselves, it is advisable to have some protection for the data. This
could take the form of a search-only version of the software, or a password
system.
Search-only versions allow users to search, sort and print. They are useful for
resource centre users, and for making the database available to other resource
centres and libraries. The other way to prevent database structures and settings
from being accidentally altered is by using passwords. Passwords can be set in
such a way that different functions are available to different users. For example,
resource centre users could have a password that allows only searching, sorting
and printing; resource centre staff could have a password that also allows them
to enter data; and the database manager could have a password that also allows
changes to be made to the database structure.
Importing and exporting You may not need to exchange data between the
database and other software to start with. However, it might become important
later on to exchange data with other resource centres, or transfer data to a new
program. It is useful to choose software that can import or export data in several
popular formats.
Hardware requirements Different software programs require different computer
specifications. Some require more than the minimum stated specification to
function well. To find out what specification you really need, speak to users of
the software, not just the suppliers. Work out what capacity hardware (hard
disk, memory, and processor speed) you need to run the software. Do you
already have this capacity, or do you have a computer that can be upgraded, or
will you need to obtain a new computer?
Database size There is usually a top limit to the size of a database file, or the
number of records that can be stored, and the maximum number of fields that
can be created. Consider whether these are sufficient for the resource centre’s
needs. This will depend on the purpose of the database (see Section 6.8.2).
Software documentation (user manual) Is the manual easy to use? Is it written in
non-technical language? Are there any additional materials to help resource
centre staff to use and understand the software?
Help function Is on-line help available with the program by clicking on the help
menu? This is important, as commercial manuals to support the software are
usually expensive, and may not be available.
Support services Check that the software supplier is stable, both financially and
in relation to their trading history, i.e. they are not going to disappear overnight.
It is also worth considering their technical experience, and whether they can
provide training, troubleshooting services, and software updates.
Find out:
• who provides and supports the software locally
• what experience they have
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• what services they offer
• how many other users they are serving.
Also find out how often the software is updated. How much does it cost to
upgrade? Can existing databases be easily incorporated into the new upgrades?
Look out for help services that are accessible via e-mail and the Internet.
User groups Technical support contracts can be expensive, so it is good to keep
in touch with any user groups. Ask your software supplier, staff from related
organisations, and members of local networks for details of software support
groups.
Cost factors It is essential to consider the cost of:
• initial software purchase and upgrades
• vendor/consultant support
• training
• time required to become familiar with the software.
Make sure that you budget for adequate initial training and follow-up training in
more advanced features. Remember, the more complex the software, the more
time will be required for staff to become familiar with it. The familiarisation time
must be taken into consideration, as less time will be available for other tasks
during this period. Weigh up the cost of initial and follow-up training against the
workload of the resource centre staff, and the importance of providing up-to-
date information services.
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6.9 Electronic resources
This list includes:
6.9.1 websites
6.9.2 electronic journals and newsletters
6.9.3 on-line training
6.9.4 electronic conferences
6.9.5 databases and other resources on CD-ROM
6.9.6 databases on the Internet
6.9.7 image collections on the Internet
6.9.1 Websites
The African Publishing Companion: a resource guide
http://www.africanpublishingcompanion.com
A resource that facilitates access to a wide array of up-to-date information
relating to African publishing. It provides an extensive bibliographic survey of
literature on the key issues and topics in African publishing, with an emphasis on
literature published over the past five years. Over 1,600 cross-referenced entries
about African publishers and the book trade – including African publishers’
websites, African booksellers, dealers and distributors in African books, African
book trade associations, etc.
BUBL
http://bubl.ac.uk
A website for libraries which has eight main components: LINK, a catalogue of
Internet resources; Journals, offering the contents, abstracts or full text of current
titles; Search, with ways of searching BUBL or the whole Internet; BUBL UK, an
index to UK institutions; Mail, which takes you to available mailing lists and
their archives; Archive, holding old BUBL files; and Admin, providing
information about BUBL itself.
Center for Disease Control (CDC) National Prevention Information Network
(NPIN)
http://www.cdcnpin.org
Makes available a variety of Internet services to share and distribute information
and materials on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and
tuberculosis for people and organisations working in prevention, health care,
research, and support services. Provides a list of publications and materials which
can be ordered on-line; links to on-line databases; a poster gallery; the Prevention
News Update (e-mail bulletin) and a dedicated Spanish section.
Communication Initiative
http://www.comminit.com
Provides information on communication and development experiences and
thinking. Includes communication and development news items, base line data
from the development and communication sectors, the electronic magazine The
Drum Beat, programme descriptions, evaluation data and methodologies,
planning methodologies, commentaries, an extensive listing of publications and
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reports, links to programmes and organisations in the development and
communication sectors, and listings of consultants, training opportunities,
vacancies, and events. A special health ‘window’ is available which focuses on
information on health and health communication for development
(http://www.comminit.com/healthcomm).
CulturedMed
http://www.sunyit.edu/library/html/culturedmed
A website promoting culturally-competent health care for refugees and
immigrants.
Includes approximately 30 bibliographies covering different health beliefs or
ethnographic information about various ethnic groups, and links to dictionaries,
databases, statistics and organisations that deal with various health topics and
refugee groups.
ELDIS
http://www.eldis.org
The Electronic Development Information System (ELDIS) is a directory of
electronic sources of information, including on-line databases, CD-ROMs, e-mail
services, electronic discussion lists, and Internet sites covering issues around
health and development, the environment and countries in the South. A number
of full-text materials are available, as well as links to related organisations,
libraries and reference sources.
ERC: The Manager’s Electronic Resource Center
http://erc.msh.org
The Manager’s Electronic Resource Center (ERC) is an electronic information
service produced by MSH (Management Sciences for Health). The site gives
access to relevant, up-to-date management information and tools specifically
tailored to meet the needs of health service managers. Features include: ERC
member database; library; calendar of events; electronic discussion lists. Also
available in Spanish and French.
The ERC can also be used by those with e-mail access only. To find out how to
do this, send an e-mail message to erc@msh.org
Global Health Network
http://www.pitt.edu/~super1/assist/sum.htm
A global ‘Supercourse’ which has been designed as an Internet-based distance
learning resource for medical, nursing and allied students who are beginners in
epidemiology, global health and the Internet. Can be used to train students. You
can also contribute to the Supercourse as a reviewer, lecture developer or
translator.
Healthlink
http://www.healthlink.org.za/hlink
Healthlink is a project of the Health Systems Trust, established to help meet the
communication and information needs of health workers in South Africa. It
offers links to a range of Internet resources, including its own discussion lists,
newsletters, documents and services. It is a reliable source of information about
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health and health policy developments in South Africa, and serves as a channel
through which health systems research results and recommendations can be
shared.
IDRC
http://www.idrc.ca
The International Development Research Centre was created by the Canadian
government to help communities in the developing world find solutions to social,
economic, and environmental problems through research. Provides links to
databases, IDRC Reports magazine, IDRC publications catalogue, including the
full-text of some publications, information on meetings and workshops.
INASP Health Links
http://www.inasp.info/health/links/contents.html
An internet gateway to selected websites that are of special interest to health
professionals, medical library communities, publishers and NGOs in developing
and transitional countries.
Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs
http://www.jhuccp.org
Covers topics such as adolescent health, HIV/AIDS, breastfeeding, counselling,
environment, health care, maternal health, reproductive health, training, and
women in development. Features include databases, discussion lists, links to
related sites, full-text journals, field reports and other publications on health
communication. Also available in French and Spanish.
OMNI (Organising Medical Networked Information)
http://omni.ac.uk
A gateway to Internet resources in medicine, biomedicine, nursing, public health,
health management and related topics worldwide. All resources have been
filtered, catalogued, classified and subject-indexed to provide access to those sites
which are considered relevant and of good quality.
Rehydration Project
http://www.rehydrate.org
A comprehensive source of information and resources on diarrhoea prevention
and treatment, oral rehydration therapy and breastfeeding, plus facts, statistics
and frequently asked questions (FAQs). Resources include the newsletter
Healthlink Worldwide (formerly AHRTAG) newsletter, Dialogue on diarrhoea
with subject index, and links to related sites.
SATELLIFE
http://www.healthnet.org
Provides information about the activities and services of SATELLIFE, which is an
international organisation that uses Internet technology to serve the health
communication and information needs of developing countries. Focuses on
public health, medicine and the environment. Hosts discussion groups and e-
newsletters. Links to a number of health-related electronic conferences managed
by SATELLIFE, and to disease-specific information.
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Source International Information Support Centre
http://www.asksource.info
Provides access to the Source databases on international health and disability
issues, and signposts to other information relevant to those involved in health
and disability in developing countries.
University of Zambia Medical Library
http://www.medguide.org.zm
Provides a guide to health resource directories, medical journals (some full-text),
health organisations, National Library of Medicine databases, and health news,
including a link to Reuters Health Information Service (free access).
WHO Statistical Information System
http://www3.who.int/whosis/menu.cfm
A guide to health and health-related epidemiological and statistical information
available from the World Health Organization, and elsewhere. Provides links to
Ministries of Health and other relevant, related sites.
World Health Organization (WHO)
http://www.who.int
A comprehensive source of information on international health. Includes details
of WHO programmes, activities and services. A catalogue of WHO publications
is included with the option to order titles directly over the Internet. Provides links
to other sources of health information at an international and regional level.
WWW Virtual Library
http://vlib.org
Provides access to websites covering topics such as agriculture, communications,
education, information management, regional studies and others. Many pages
are written in an easy-to-follow style with lots of descriptions and personal
commentary.
6.9.2 Electronic journals and newsletters
1. Lists of electronic journals
BUBL Journals
http://bubl.ac.uk/journals/publishers.html
A selective list of the websites of major journal publishers.
FreeMedicalJournals.com
http://www.freemedicaljournals.com
Provides links to 900 free medical journals, including French, German, Spanish
and Portuguese titles.
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FreeBooks4Doctors.com
http://www.freebooks4doctors.com
Provides links to approximately 600 health-related books in html or PDF format,
in whole or in part.
Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI)
http://www.healthinternetwork.org/index.php
The Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI) provides free
or nearly free access to the major journals in biomedical and related social
sciences, to public institutions in developing countries. Developed by WHO to
provide equitable access to health information.
INASP (International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications)
http://www.inasp.info/peri/index.html
The Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information (PERI) is a
programme for the delivery of scientific and scholarly information through
electronic means, developed with research partners and university librarians in
developing and transitional countries. Includes full text online journals, current
awareness databases and document delivery of major scientific, technical,
medical, social science and humanities materials from a wide range of sources.
Source Newsletters and Journals Database
http://www.asksource.info/databases.html#news
Holds details of over 150 international newsletters, magazines and journals
relating to health and disability issues which are available free or at low cost to
readers in developing countries. If published on the web, you can link directly to
the full text of the newsletter.
2. Electronic journals and newsletters
The following electronic newsletters and journals are available on the Internet.
They offer the complete text of articles and, in some cases, added features and
background reading relating to them.
African Journal of Reproductive Health
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ajrh
An international journal publishing original research, comprehensive review
articles, short reports, and commentaries on reproductive health in Africa.
AIDS Journal
http://www.aidsonline.com
An international journal publishing the latest research on HIV and AIDS.
Asian-Pacific Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety
http://www.occuphealth.fi/Internet/English/Information/Electronic+journals
A newsletter published three times a year dealing with occupational health and
safety matters in the Asia-Pacific area.
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British Medical Journal (BMJ)
http://www.bmj.com
The journal of the British Medical Association.
Disability World
http://www.disabilityworld.org
A bi-monthly magazine on international disability news.
3. Newsletters available over e-mail
HNPFlash
The Human Development Department of The World Bank, Washington USA
http://www.worldbank.org/hnpflash
E-mail: hnpflash@worldbank.org
A monthly electronic newsletter on trends and developments in education,
health, nutrition, population, and reproductive health. The newsletter announces
new technology, new publications, project updates, conference and training
information, job vacancies, grant opportunities and information on other related
electronic resources available on the Internet. In the form of an electronic
archive, the service also makes a number of related documents available over e-
mail, which can be automatically requested by sending a message following the
straightforward instructions given in each bulletin. Other organisations can make
their documents available over this archiving service. You can request to
subscribe to the HNPFlash newsletter automatically by sending a blank e-mail
message to
join-hnpflash@lists.worldbank.org
JHPIEGO TrainerNews
Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Reproductive Health
(JHPIEGO)
http://www.reproline.jhu.edu/english/6read/6issues/6jtn/jtn02.htm
A monthly electronic newsletter on current reproductive health training news;
contraceptive briefs, announcements about reproductive health and training-
related programmes and activities, and tips about Internet and CD-ROM
resources of interest to reproductive health trainers. The information is targeted
at professionals working in low-resource settings. To subscribe, send an email
message to: listserv@community.jhpiego.jhu.edu. In the body of the message,
type: subscribe jtrainernews your name. No words are necessary in the subject
line of the message. Do not include your email address or signature in the body
of the message.
WOUGNET Update Newsletter
Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), Kampala, Uganda
http://www.wougnet.org
A monthly electronic newsletter with events, reports, resources, and
organisations related to WOUGNET’s mission to further the use of information
and communication technologies among women in Uganda. You can subscribe
to the WOUGNET Update Newsletter by filling out a form on their website, or
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send an email message to info@wougnet.org with your request.
4. Journal contents by e-mail services
An added service offered by journal publishers is e-mailing the contents list of
each journal before publication. This service could alert you to articles published
in journals you do not regularly receive so that you can access the article on the
relevant webpage or via e-mail (if available) or order it from another source.
One example is:
ContentsDirect (Elsevier Science)
http://contentsdirect.elsevier.com
ContentsDirect is an alerting service for Elsevier Science journals (and books),
including Social Science and Medicine, Information and Management and
International Journal of Information Management. Approximately two to four
weeks before a journal issue appears in libraries, readers subscribing to
ContentsDirect will receive the contents page of that issue via e-mail. You can
subscribe by completing the form on the website, or if you only have e-mail, send
an e-mail message to CDsubs@elsevier.co.uk giving your name, e-mail address,
full mailing address, the book subject area(s) and journal title(s) for which you
would like to receive the ContentsDirect service.
Other major journals offer this service themselves, and these can be subscribed to
directly from their websites. Examples are:
Journal of the American Medical Association
http://pubs.ama-assn.org/misc/alerts.dtl
E-BMJ
http://www.bmj.com
The electronic version of the British Medical Journal.
The Lancet
http://www.thelancet.com
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr
You can subscribe to the table of contents (or the complete newsletter) by
completing the form on the website. For further information or assistance,
contact: mmwrq@cdc.gov
Weekly Epidemiological Record
http://www.who.int/wer
Available in English and French. You can subscribe to the table of contents (or
download the complete newsletter) on the website, or obtain the table of
contents via email by sending a message to: majordomo@who.ch with the
following in the body of the message: subscribe wer-reh
For further information or assistance, contact: owner-wer-reh@who.ch
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6.9.3 On-line training
Itrainonline
http://www.itrainonline.org
ItrainOnline offers a single source on the web containing a selection of the best
and most relevant computer and Internet training resources for development and
social change. This site has sections on basic skills, strategic use of the Internet,
web development, technical topics, resources for trainers, and resources for
women.
Leland Initiative Web Tutorial Series
http://www.usaid.gov/regions/afr/leland/tutorial
Leland Initiative Web Tutorial Series. Ten lessons on creating web pages, from
the basics to using web development software and good design practice.
Yenza!
http://www.nrf.ac.za/yenza
“Yenza” – which means “do it” in isiXhosa and isiZulu – is a guide to using the
Internet for research and teaching in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Offers
practical ‘how to’ information and links to useful resources on using the Internet
for research, integrating the Internet into teaching, and how to build your own
website. The information on this site should help both the novice researcher and
the more experienced researcher to find and develop on-line resources. The site
can be used independently by researchers, although it was primarily developed to
complement face-to-face workshops. The section, Yenza! For trainers, contains
resources for people wanting to run workshops using the site, and the entire
Yenza! site can be downloaded in compressed form for running off-line.
6.9.4 Electronic conferences
Archives of the electronic conferences can usually be found on their related
websites.
AF-AIDS
http://www.hivnet.ch:8000/africa/af-aids
Discussion and exchange of information and experiences on HIV/AIDS in Africa
(in English and French). Subscribe directly from the website or send an e-mail
message to: af-aids@hivnet.ch
Type the word join in the subject line, leave the rest of the message empty.
AFRO-NETS: African Networks for Health Research and Development
http://www.afronets.org
The main purpose of the forum is to exchange information between the different
networks active in health research for development in East and Southern Africa.
A popular discussion forum for those interested in a range of health issues within
Africa. Subscribe by completing the on-line form on the website or send an e-
mail message to: majordomo@usa.healthnet.org
In the body of the message type only: SUBSCRIBE afro-nets youremailaddress
Leave the subject line blank and do not include your signature at the end of your
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message. For further information or assistance, contact: owner-afro-
nets@usa.healthnet.org
AHILA-Net
http://www.ahila.org/ahilanet.html
AHILA (Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa) has its own
e-mail discussion list (set up by the WHO library) to allow health librarians,
information workers and health information providing organisations, primarily
in developing countries, to communicate directly with each other, sharing ideas
and airing problems and experiences. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to:
bertrandi@who.ch
Asialib
http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/asialib
A discussion list on libraries in Asia. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to:
asialib@mailman.anu.edu.au
Paclib-l
http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/paclib-l
A discussion list for Pacific libraries. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to:
paclib-l@mailman.anu.edu.au
E-drug: Essential Drugs
http://www.essentialdrugs.org
An electronic forum to allow health professionals to share information about
essential drugs, policy, programme activities, education and training. Available in
English, French, Spanish and an India-specific version. Subscribe by completing
the form on the website or send an e-mail message to:
majordomo@usa.healthnet.org
In the body of the message type only: SUBSCRIBE e-drug youremailaddress
Leave the subject line blank and do not include your signature at the end of your
message. For the French version, substitute e-med for e-drug; or e-farmacos for
Spanish. For further information or assistance, contact: owner-e-
drug@usa.healthnet.org
HIF-net at WHO
http://www.inasp.info/health/forum.html
An email discussion list dedicated to issues of health information access in resource-poor
settings. To subscribe, email your name, affiliation and professional interests to
health@inasp.info
ProCAARE: Program for Collaboration Against AIDS and Related Epidemics
http://www.procaare.org
Aims to provide a forum for dialogue among clinicians, researchers, practitioners
and policy-makers in both the industrialised and developing world who are
engaged in the fight against the epidemic.
Subscribe by completing the form on the website or send an e-mail message to:
Majordomo@usa.healthnet.org
In the body of the message type only: SUBSCRIBE procaare youremailaddress
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Leave the subject line blank and do not include your signature at the end of the
message.
For further information or assistance, contact: owner-
procaare@usa.healthnet.org
ProCOR: Global Electronic Conference on Cardiovascular Health in the
Developing World
http://www.procor.org
Aimed at addressing the emerging epidemic of cardiovascular diseases in the
developing world. Subscribe by completing the form on the website or send an e-
mail message to: Majordomo@usa.healthnet.org
In the body of the message type only: SUBSCRIBE procor youremailaddress
Leave the subject line blank and do not include your signature at the end of the
message.
For further information or assistance, contact: owner-procor@usa.healthnet.org
SEA-AIDS – an Asia Pacific e-mail link
http://www.hivnet.ch:8000/asia/sea-aids
E-mail discussion and electronic information service aimed at linking those
interested in building and shaping the response to HIV and AIDS in the Asia-
Pacific region.
To subscribe, complete the form on the website or send an e-mail message to:
healthdev@hivnet.ch
TDR-scientists
http://www.who.int/tdr/kh/bittdre.htm#tdr
A networking forum for scientists formed as part of the UNDP/World
Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases
(TDR). Especially sensitive to the needs of scientists from developing countries,
the tdr-scientists serves as a networking forum for tropical disease research
scientists everywhere.
To subscribe, email majordomo@who.ch and type the following in the body of
the message: subscribe tdr-scientists
For further information or assistance, contact: owner-tdr-scientists@who.ch
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6.9.5 Databases and other resources on CD-ROM
AIDS Action CD-ROM
Aimed at health workers, educators and community workers, these resources
provide practical information on a wide range of care, support and prevention
issues concerning HIV, AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The
resources include training manuals, briefing papers and discussion guides. Also
included are the international editions of AIDS Action, a newsletter that was
produced by Healthlink Worldwide between 1987 and 2001. Regional editions
of AIDS Action are still produced by Healthlink Worldwide's partner
organisations. Contents of the CD-ROM are also available on the web at
http://www.aidsaction.info
Available from: Healthlink Worldwide
Cityside, 40 Adler Street
London E1 1EE, UK
Tel: +44 20 7539 1570
Fax: +44 20 7539 1580
Email: info@healthlink.org.uk
Website: http://www.healthlink.org.uk
African HealthLine (formerly African Health Anthology)
A collection of bibliographic databases containing over 400,000 references, most
with abstracts. All references cover relevant African health issues. Databases
include: African Index Medicus (AIM), AIDSLINE, African subset of CAB
Health database, African subset of MEDLINE, Source databases, and others.
Available from: National Inquiry Services Centre (NISC)
22 Somerset Street, PO Box 377
Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
Tel: +27 46 6229698
Fax: +27 46 6229550
E-mail: info@nisc.co.za
Website: http://www.nisc.co.za/DataBases/DataBaseLinks/HEALTH.HTML
CAB Health
Covers communicable diseases, tropical disease, parasitic disease and
parisitology, human nutrition, community and public health, and medicinal and
poisonous plants. Over 3,500 journal sources are scanned from more that 125
countries. Produced by CAB International. Also available via the web.
Available from: Ovid Technologies Ltd
Merlin House
20 Belmont Terrace
London W4 5UG, UK
Tel: +44 20 8585 6400
Fax: +44 20 8585 6640
Email: europe@ovid.com
Website: http://www.ovid.com
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e-TALC
A collection of resources (newsletters, journals, teaching materials, factsheets)
about many aspects of primary health care, primarily with a developing country
focus. Contributors include AfriAfya, Cochrane Review, Community Eye Health
Journal, NAM, Footsteps. Some are intended for a medical audience, others will
be useful to community health workers.
Available from: e-TALC
PO Box 49
St Albans
Herts AL1 5TX, UK
Tel: +44 1727 853869
Fax: +44 1727 846852
E-mail: e-talc@talcuk.org
Website: http://www.e-talc.org
ExtraMED
Contains the full text of around 300 biomedical journals from all over the world,
mainly from developing countries. It was established on the initiative of the
World Health Organization. Apart from its use by researchers in medical
libraries, ExtraMED should also be of interest to hospitals and doctors in
developing countries and elsewhere. Other target audiences include non-
governmental and international development organisations, and multi-lateral and
bi-lateral donor agencies and charitable organisations. Journals are presented as
page images and are all indexed.
Available from: ExtraMED
Informania
PO Box 40
Petersfield
Hants GU32 2YH, UK
Tel: +44 1730 301297
Fax: +44 1730 265398
E-mail: informania@supanet.com
Food and Nutrition Library
Contains over 300 publications in the fields of food, nutrition, and food policy
and nutrition research. Also available free on the web.
Available from: Human Info NGO
Oosterveldlaan 196
B-2610 Antwerp
Belgium
Tel: +32 3 448 0554
Fax: +32 3 449 7574
Email: humanity@humaninfo.org
Website: http://www.humaninfo.org or http://www.nzdl.org
Medical and Health Library
The Medical and Health Library 1.0 was built in December 1999. It was jointly
initiated by the Humanity Libraries Project (now called Human Info NGO), and
the Payson Center for International Development of Tulane University. It
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contains 210 publications – 30,000 pages of ideas and solutions – in the fields of
clinical treatment, emergencies, essential drugs, family planning, food and
nutrition, health education, HIV/AIDS, medical equipment, prevention, public
health, research, and sanitation. Also available free on the web.
Available from: Human Info NGO (See Food and Nutrition Library above)
MEDLINE/PubMed
The National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) bibliographic database covering
medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and the pre-clinical sciences.
Journal articles are indexed and are searchable, using NLM's controlled
vocabulary, MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). References include the English
abstract when published with the article. Also available via the web.
Available from: Ovid Technologies Ltd (see contact details for CAB Health
above)
POPLINE (POPulation information onLINE)
Provides worldwide coverage of population, family planning, and related health
issues, including family planning technology and programmes, fertility, and
population law and policy. In addition, POPLINE focuses on particular
developing-country issues including demography, AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases, maternal and child health, primary health care,
communication, and population and environment. The database is produced by
the Population Information Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Public
Health. It is available free of charge to developing countries.
Available from: Population Information Program
Center for Communication Programs
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
111 Market Place, Suite 310
Baltimore
Maryland 21202-4012, USA
Tel: +1 410 659 6300
Fax: +1 410 659 6266
E-mail: POPLINE@jhuccp.org
Website: http://www.POPLINE.org
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Topics in International Health series
Contains interactive tutorials, an image collection and a glossary of medical
terms. Intended for use as training materials – providing interactive tutorials
covering key topics on international health issues for the tropical diseases and
health community.
Subjects: acute respiratory infection, diarrhoeal diseases, HIV/AIDS,
leishmaniasis, leprosy, malaria, schistosomiasis, sexually transmitted infections,
sickle cell disease, trachoma, and tuberculosis.
Available from: CAB International
Wallingford
Oxon OX10 8DE, UK
Tel: +44 1491 832111
Fax: +44 1491 829292
E-mail: publishing@cabi.org
Website: http://www.cabi-publishing.org/CDROM/TIH
Women, Children and HIV: Resources for Prevention and Treatment
Contains over 5,000 pages of text related to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment
and care of HIV-infected women and children. Within each topic there are
overviews, guidelines and policy analyses, community education information,
research journal articles and reports, listings of organisations and related Internet
sites.
Available from: HIV InSite
University of California
4150 Clement Street, Building 16
VAMC 111V - UCSF
San Francisco, CA 94121
USA
Fax: +1 415 379 5547
E-mail: gshiv@hivinsite.ucsf.edu
Website: http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu
6.9.6 Databases on the Internet
Most of the following databases are available on the Internet free of charge, and
also on CD-ROM (although most are not free of charge in this format).
African Index Medicus (AIM)
http://www.who.int/library/country/regional/aim/index.en.shtml
Bibliographic database compiled from a number of national databases of
materials published in African countries on medicine and health, merged with
records from WHO, MEDLINE, POPLINE and related databases.
AIDSinfo
http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov
Catalogues trials of substances being tested for use against AIDS, HIV infection,
and AIDS-related opportunistic diseases. Each record covers a single trial, and
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provides information such as title and purpose of the trial, diseases studied,
patient eligibility criteria, contact persons, agents being tested, and trial
locations. Sponsored by the FDA, the NIAID, the NLM, and the Centers for
Disease Control in the US.
CHID online (The Combined Health Information Database)
http://chid.nih.gov
A bibliographic database produced by health-related agencies of the US
government, providing titles, abstracts, and availability information for health
information and health education resources. Covers sixteen topics: AIDS, STD
and TB education, Alzheimer's, arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases,
cancer prevention and control, deafness and communication disorders, diabetes,
digestive diseases, epilepsy education and prevention, health promotion and
education, kidney and urologic diseases, maternal and child health, medical
genetics and rare disorders, oral health, prenatal smoking cessation, and weight
control.
MEDLINE/PubMed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed
The National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) bibliographic database covering
medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and the pre-clinical sciences.
MEDLINE is searchable through PubMed which also includes links to many sites
providing full text articles and other related resources. Journal articles are
indexed and are searchable, using NLM's controlled vocabulary, MeSH
(Medical Subject Headings). References include the English abstract when
published with the article.
National Library of Medicine (NLM) Gateway
http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov
The NLM Gateway allows users to search in multiple retrieval systems at the US
National Library of Medicine (NLM). The Gateway searches
MEDLINE/PubMed (journal citations, 1966 to present), OLDMEDLINE
(journal citations, 1957–1965), LOCATORplus (catalogue records for book,
serials, audiovisual materials), MEDLINEplus (consumer-orientated health and
drug information), DIRLINE (directory of health organisations), AIDS Meetings
(meeting abstracts on AIDS/HIV), Health Services Research Meetings (meeting
abstracts on health services research), Space Life Sciences Meetings (meeting
abstracts on space life sciences), and HSRProj (health services research projects in
progress funded by the US government and private grants and contracts;
provides access to information about research before results are available in a
published form).
POPLINE (POPulation information onLINE)
http://www.POPLINE.org
Provides worldwide coverage of population, family planning, and related health
issues, including family planning technology and programmes, fertility, and
population law and policy. In addition, POPLINE focuses on particular
developing-country issues including demography, AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases, maternal and child health, primary health care,
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communication, and population and environment. The database is produced by
the Population Information Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Public
Health.
Source Bibliographic database
http://www.asksource.info/databases.html
Provides free access to a unique collection of more than 20,000 records of
materials focusing on the management and practice of health and disability in
developing countries. References include books, reports, articles, and CD-ROMs
held in the Source International Information Support Centre. Details of publisher
or distributor of printed materials are given, and a link to the full text of
materials available electronically on the Internet. Subject areas include adolescent
and child health, disability, diseases and disease control, health communication,
HIV/AIDS, information management, poverty and health, primary health care,
reproductive and sexual health, training, and more.
The Source database includes what was known as the Healthlink Online
database and has been formed from the merger of the resource centres of
Healthlink Worldwide and the Centre for International Child Health, in
collaboration with Handicap International UK.
Source Contacts database
http://www.asksource.info/databases.html
Allows users to search for organisations – including publishers, distributors,
information providers, and training organisations – working in health and
disability worldwide. This resource has been used as a valuable networking tool
to learn about the activities of other organisations working regionally and
internationally.
Source Newsletters and Journals database
http://www.asksource.info/databases.html
Allows users to search information on over 150 newsletters, magazines and
journals related to health and disability, which are available free or at low cost to
readers in developing countries. Links to the full text of newsletters are included
if they are published on the web. This resource provides a rich source of core
materials to build up resource centres and to provide up-to-date health
information at little cost. It also lists a number of recommended titles available
on subscription.
WHOLIS (WHO Library Catalogue)
http://www.who.int/library/database
Catalogues the complete collection of WHO publications, including periodical
articles from WHO journals from 1985 to present, and the content of the
quarterly bulletin of additions to WHOLIS, called WHODOC. The catalogue
also provides access to the WHO collection on international public health and
development. References are searchable using NLM’s controlled vocabulary,
MeSH (Medical Subject Headings).
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6.9.7 Image collections on the Internet
Clipart for Health Communication
http://www.hcmn.org/clipart
A reference tool for health communications material development. The artwork
in the database includes materials in the Media/Materials Clearinghouse, as well
as art that is sent in from Health Communication Materials Network members
from their own project work. Users can search the database, and use the images
they find as models for developing their own illustrations. High-resolution
images suitable for reproduction are not distributed. Each item is catalogued
noting the producer, artist, country, subject, format (eg colour, black & white,
line art, cartoon, photo), etc.
DevArt: Artwork for Development
http://developmentart.com
A collection of copyright-free, downloadable, publication-quality line drawings,
drawn by professional artists in Asia and Africa. Access to and use of the
artwork is free, but users are asked to credit the original artist.
International Labour Organization (ILO) On-line Photo Library
http://www.ilo.org/dyn/media/mediasearch.home
A database of 1,500 images of developing countries. NGOs, institutions and
journalists may search the database on-line and then request high-resolution
copies of photographs by e-mail to Béatrice Mann (mann@ilo.org).
MediaBase
http://www1.fao.org/media_user/_home.html
Over 3,000 images from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, searchable by country, region, human content (eg ‘parent’, ‘crowd’) or
subject (eg ‘nutrition’, ‘forestry’).
Media/Materials Clearinghouse (M/MC)
http://www.jhuccp.org/mmc/index.php
A single interface for several databases of health communications resources:
Mediabank for images of posters and other visual materials; Netlinks for links to
websites, listservs and organisations; Photoshare for photographs; POPLINE for
the latest documents. Hosted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication
Programs.
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Section 6.10 Review of database programs
Guidelines on selecting software for bibliographic databases are included in
Section 6.8.5. This section looks in detail at three programs that are used by
libraries and resource centres for bibliographic databases – WINISIS (the
Windows version of CDS-ISIS), Idealist, and Inmagic (including Inmagic
DB/Textworks). This review covers the latest versions of each program available
at the time of printing (early 2003), plus the DOS version of Inmagic (called
Inmagic Plus) as this is still a very useful program.
Each program is assessed separately on the basis of the aspects outlined in
Section 6.8.5. The table at the end of this section compares all the main features
of the three programs. The notes in this section provide additional information
on some of the features, plus an element of evaluation.
Programs such as Access, dBase and Foxpro are sometimes used by libraries and
resource centres. However, they are not covered, as they all have fixed field
lengths and have no repeating field function, and, although flexible, they cannot
easily be developed and updated by staff with non-technical skills. Filemaker Pro
is on the borderline, as it has a repeatable field function, but does not have
variable length fields.
6.10.1 Inmagic DB/Textworks (and Inmagic Plus)
Inmagic DB/Textworks is an easy-to-use program that is suitable for large
resource centres or those that need a database to support a range of activities.
Inmagic Plus is the DOS version and Inmagic DB/Textworks is the Windows
version. Both were developed by Inmagic Inc., Woburn, Massachusetts, USA.
Inmagic DB/Textworks is quite expensive, but is quick to learn and can perform
a wide variety of activities. Inmagic Plus has the flexibility of the Windows
version, but none of the very recent developments. Inmagic Plus is no longer
developed or supported, but along with the Library Guide (a set of pre-defined
databases including catalogue, orders, users, and loans), is available as freeware
for those who do not require support.
The term Inmagic is used when discussing both programs in this chapter. The
individual names DBTextworks and Inmagic Plus will be used to discuss the
individual programs.
Program suitability Inmagic is designed for use with bibliographic data, as well
as other textual and numeric data. A number of calculation functions are
available both within and across records.
Repeatable fields and variable length fields Inmagic has variable length fields and
the ability to repeat fields.
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Searching Inmagic has the facility for both simple and expert searching (see table
at the end of this section).
Flexibilty Inmagic is very flexible, both in relation to the initial design process,
and in making alterations. It is easy to add and remove both fields and indexes,
with these changes taking effect across the database. It is also straightforward to
change field names and record structures.
How easy to set up and develop Databases can be designed and managed in
Inmagic without technical computer knowledge, although technical support is
useful if resource centre staff are not very familiar with computers or databases.
Inmagic can use either name-based or numeric field tags, and can replace these
with different field labels as required. It is the most flexible of the programs in
this respect. Name-based field tags make it more user-friendly when designing a
database, and number-based field tags are useful if wanting to use standard
bibliographic database formats, although the lack of a subfield function means
that it cannot be fully compatible with standard formats.
Data entry assistance Inmagic provides all the data entry assistance functions
described in Section 6.8.5 (see table at end of this section).
Indexes (inverted files) Inmagic can index fields by word or term (whole fields),
and can use more than one type of indexing for any field at the same time (such
as word and term), enabling index terms to be viewed as both individual words
and phrases. Inmagic has individual indexes for each field, although these can
easily be searched as multiple indexes.
Sorting Complex options for sorting are available, including sorting a record by
an alternative field when a particular sort field is missing, such as sorting by title
when there is no author.
Display, print and download formats DBTextworks uses simple ‘box placing’
(placing field ‘boxes’ in the required layout) or ‘drag and drop’ (using the cursor
to drag and place field boxes in the required layout) to set up formats for
displaying, printing and downloading (writing to file). Text, images, punctuation
and formatting can be added to all of these, and reports can be saved as rich text
format (RTF) and in hypertext mark-up language (HTML) for placing records as
text on a website. Added text can be set to appear only if the field contains data.
It is also possible to include ‘sort’ and ‘report’ headers and footers to develop
more creative formats. These make it very useful for producing resource lists and
directories. Label printing functions are available and mail merge can be done
relatively easily, either by exporting records or creating a report format.
DBTextworks records can include links to documents and graphics files and
website addresses. Facilities are built in to display graphics and to open listed
documents and websites.
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Designing formats using Inmagic Plus is more complex, although not too
difficult. However, formats cannot utilise RTF, or be saved as HTML, although
it is possible to add HTML codes into ‘write-to-file’ formats, and change the
TXT extension to HTM after saving.
User interface DBTextworks has a user-friendly interface with on-line help.
Inmagic Plus is a menu-driven interface, but still user-friendly.
Languages DBTextworks is currently available in English, French and Spanish.
Inmagic Plus is only available in English.
Importing and exporting to other programs All popular formats are available
(see table at end of this section).
Hardware requirements Inmagic does not require a high specification to work at
a satisfactory pace. However, it is important to note that with all databases, the
size of fields, and the number of fields indexed will have as much effect on the
speed of the program as the number of records in the database.
Software documentation The manual for DBTextworks is comprehensive, clear,
well illustrated and well indexed. A manual is no longer available for Inmagic
Plus.
Support services Support for commercial programs such as DBTextworks can
usually be arranged through a contract with a local supplier, depending on
availability. Support services are also increasingly accessible via e-mail and the
Internet. Inmagic Plus is no longer supported.
For more up-to-date information about DBTextworks, contact the website
below. The website also includes trial versions of the software than can be
downloaded after applying for a password.
http://www.inmagic.com
Details of distributors are available from the support page on the website, which
also includes access to a ‘Technical Support Knowledge Base’, which is a
searchable database of questions and answers to common support questions.
http://www.inmagic.com/support.htm
E-mail Newsletter The Inmagic Digest is published quarterly and provides details
of new features, training and news. It can be subscribed to from the following
address, which also provides access to the newsletter archives:
http://www.inmagic.com/newsletters.htm
User groups Inmagic has strong user groups in the UK and USA. There is a
mailing list to which questions and comments can be sent.
To subscribe send a message to:
inmagic-users-request@inmagic.com
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With the message:
SUBSCRIBE
After subscribing, use the following address to send messages to the list:
Inmagic-users@inmagic.com
In addition, the UK user group has a website: http://www.ukiug.com
Cost factors Remember that the total cost of a program includes training,
technical support, and time for staff to familiarise themselves with the program,
as well as the price of the software. DBTextworks is user-friendly and has an
excellent manual, so only a few days training is needed in the use of the program.
However, general computer skills are important, as is an understanding of
databases, how they work and what they can be used for.
6.10.2 Idealist
Idealist is an example of a program that was originally intended for personal use,
but is very suitable for small resource centres. Other examples are Reference
Manager and Procite, which have several pre-defined database structures and
print formats, but not all the functions listed in Section 6.8.5.
Idealist can do most things required by a small resource centre, or a large
resource centre that mainly requires a catalogue database. It is not so useful for
producing printed materials such as resource lists. However it is inexpensive and
easy to use.
Program suitability Idealist is designed for use with bibliographic, as well as
other textual and numeric data. Calculation functions are limited to within
records, and are not very easy to use.
Repeatable fields and variable length fields Idealist has variable length fields and
the ability to repeat fields.
Searching Idealist has the facility for both simple and expert searching (see the
table at the end of this section).
Flexibility Idealist is flexible, both in relation to the initial design process, and in
making later alterations. It is easy to add and remove both fields and indexes,
with these changes taking effect across the database. It is also straightforward to
change field names and record structures.
How easy to set up and develop Bibliographic databases can be designed and
managed in Idealist without technical computer knowledge, although technical
support is useful if resource centre staff are not very familiar with computers or
databases.
Idealist uses name-based field tags, which makes it user-friendly when designing
databases.
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Data entry assistance Idealist provides all the data entry assistance functions
described in Section 6.8.5 (see table at end of this section). However, it is limited
to a single glossary for substitutions. The validation/value list function (which is
called the vocabulary list) is useful for pasting in terms and controlling
vocabulary used in fields, but only accepts or rejects individual words rather than
phrases, and therefore cannot provide full control for fields such as keywords.
Indexes (inverted files) Idealist can only index by word, and has one index for all
fields of the database. However, it can highlight terms appearing in a specified
field.
Searching Idealist offers all the standard search functions, although only the basic
Boolean searching is straightforward: combining searches with AND is called
narrowing the searching, and using OR is called widening the search. It has a
synonym search function, which is useful for retrieving synonyms of the search
term, particularly in fields such as title or abstracts. It also has a cross-reference
searching function that retrieves all records that contain any selected word or the
current record.
Sorting Idealist is not limited in the number of sort levels, and has a number of
complex options, but cannot sort on an alternative field if the specified field is
empty – for example, sorting by title if there is no author.
Display, print and download formats Idealist uses the same on-screen layout for
data entry and viewing records. Layouts can be re-designed, but this is time-
consuming and not necessary. Idealist uses box placing for print formats only.
Text can be added, but as field and text boxes in the print formats are of fixed
length, true bibliographic formats cannot be produced. To download records
using Idealist, simple export formats are used. These cater for variable length
fields, and text and punctuation can be added. However, it is not possible to add
formatting such as rich text format (RTF), and added text will appear for each
record even if the field is empty. It is possible to include hypertext mark-up
language (HTML) codes into the export format, for placing records as text on a
website. Both label printing and mail merge functions are available. Idealist can
link to and display graphics files and link to and open document files and
websites.
User interface Idealist has a user-friendly interface with on-line help.
Languages Idealist is only available in English.
Importing and exporting to other programs Idealist can import and export data
in all the popular formats (see table at end of this section).
Hardware requirements Idealist does not require a high specification to work at
a satisfactory pace. However, it is important to note that as with all databases,
the size of fields, and the number of fields indexed will have as much effect on
the speed of the program as the number of records in the database.
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Software documentation The manual that comes with Idealist is comprehensive,
well illustrated and well indexed, although the summarising at the beginning and
end of each section can be confusing.
Support services Support for commercial programs such as Idealist can usually be
arranged through a contract with a local supplier, depending on availability.
Support services are also increasingly accessible via e-mail and the Internet.
The Idealist developers, Bekon, provide support free of charge to purchasers of
version 3 onwards from: idealist@bekon.com
or
http://www.bekon.com
The website includes information about the software, frequently asked questions
and a demonstration version of the software for downloading.
User groups At present there are no user groups.
Cost factors Remember that the total cost of a program includes training,
technical support, and time for staff to familiarise themselves with the program,
as well as the price of the software. Idealist is user-friendly and has an excellent
manual, so only a few days’ training is needed. However, general computer skills
are important, as is an understanding of databases, how they work and what
they can be used for.
6.10.3 CDS-ISIS for Windows (WINISIS)
CDS-ISIS for Windows or WINISIS as it is sometimes known is a non-
commercial program developed by UNESCO and collaborating organisations,
and distributed by a network of national distributors. WINISIS is widely used in
developing countries due to its low cost and flexibility. It is a low-cost program,
and is useful for all sizes of resource centre, and those that need to produce
resource lists and other outputs. However, it takes some time to learn the more
complex features, such as the formatting language.
Program suitability CDS-ISIS is designed for use with bibliographic data, as well
as other textual and numeric data. Calculation functions are limited, as the sister
program IDAMS is designed to undertake these.
Repeatable fields and variable length fields CDS-ISIS has variable length fields
and the ability to repeat fields.
Searching CDS-ISIS has the facility for both simple and expert searching (see
table at end of this section).
Flexibility CDS-ISIS is very flexible, both in relation to the initial design process,
and in making later alterations. It is relatively easy to add and remove both fields
and indexes, with these changes taking effect across the database. It is also
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straightforward to change field names and record structures. However, CDS-ISIS
is not always easy to use, especially in relation to database design and the need to
learn a formatting language for indexing and print/display formats. WINISIS has
solved some of the more difficult aspects of the old DOS version, such as
database design, but not the formatting language.
How easy to set up and develop CDS-ISIS for Windows is easier to design and
manage than the DOS version of CDS-ISIS, but initial and follow-up training and
support (see information about user groups below) is still recommended for
those without strong computer skills, and to understand the formatting language
used for designing print/display formats.
CDS-ISIS uses number-based field tags. This, along with the ability to subdivide
fields, enables it to use standard bibliographic database formats. For ease of use,
the numeric field tags are replaced by name labels for data entry, editing, and
searching.
Data entry assistance CDS-ISIS only offers half the data entry assistance
functions described in Section 6.8.5 (see table at end of this section).
Indexes (inverted files) CDS-ISIS can index fields by word or term (whole fields,
and subfields), and can use more than one type of indexing for any field at the
same time (such as word and term), enabling index terms to be viewed as both
words and phrases. Although CDS-ISIS only indexes the first 30 characters of
any term, important words or phrases in titles, abstracts and so on can also be
individually selected for indexing. It is also possible to search for terms that are
not indexed, using more complex command-based searching.
CDS-ISIS has one index for all fields of the database, although it is possible to
display separate listings for each field.
Searching CDS-ISIS offers all the standard search functions. It also offers the
ANY search function (any terms defined as linking with the search term will be
retrieved). This can be used to provide synonym search functions, but it is more
widely used to provide a ‘broader’ or ‘exploded’ search function. For example,
ANY Africa can retrieve records including the name of any African country;
ANY disease and ANY therapy can respectively retrieve all records relating to
different diseases, or different types of therapy.
Sorting Complex sort options are available, including sorting fields by an
alternative field when a sort field is not present, such as sorting by title when
there is no author.
Display, print and download formats CDS-ISIS can produce complex display and
print formats including the addition of text, punctuation and formatting. Added
text can be set to appear only if the field contains data. This makes it very
suitable for producing resource lists and directories. However, it takes time to
learn how to create good formats in CDS-ISIS, as the program uses a complex
formatting language. CDS-ISIS can also link to and display graphics files, and
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link to and open document files and websites. Label printing is possible, and mail
merging can be done by creating a relevant download (save-to-file) format.
Download / save to file formats Records can be saved to file for later printing in plain
text format that requires formatting to be added using a word processor. The Beta
version 1.422 offers the option to save records using hypertext mark-up language
(HTML), but this still requires the addition of HTML coding as part of the formatting
language.
User interface CDS/ISIS has a user-friendly interface with on-line help.
Languages CDS-ISIS is currently available in English, French, Spanish, and an
Arab enabled version with full Arabic support for inverted file and search
functions, and mixed language support (English/French and Arabic).
Importing and exporting to other programs CDS-ISIS uses the international
standard for data exchange as its primary import and export format. However,
the add-on conversion programs – ImpExp2709, IsisAscii v 0.92 and XML2ISIS
(all available from the UNESCO site) – enable import in most standard formats
including XML. Exports in formats other than the International Standard
(ISO2709), eg comma delimited or tagged, require the creation of a relevant
download (save-to-file) format.
Hardware requirements CDS/ISIS does not require a high specification to work
at a satisfactory pace. However, the database size would be an important
consideration for the size of the hard disk and memory, and the processor speed.
As with all databases, the size of the fields and the number of fields indexed will
have as much effect on the speed of the program as the number of records in the
database.
Software documentation The manual that comes with the Windows version of
CDS-ISIS is only an update of the DOS manual, which has always been too
technical for most users. A number of useful guides to CDS-ISIS are listed in the
Further Reading section, including the comprehensive and relatively non-
technical ‘CDS-ISIS for Windows handbook’ that can be downloaded from the
UNESCO ftp site:
ftp://ftp.unesco.org/pub/winisis/windows/doc/english
Guidelines are also available from national CDS-ISIS user groups, and other
groups, such as those submitting records to African Index Medicus (AIM).
Support services Training and support for CDS-ISIS is offered by national
distributors, user groups, regional documentation and information systems, and
library schools. Support and training is also offered by consultants, but this is
usually more expensive.
58
SECTION 6: COMPUTERS, ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION AND DATABASES
RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
Information about CDS-ISIS can be obtained from the UNESCO website, which
includes details of national distributors, and related websites and resources:
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/isis/index.html
Information about the Arabic version is available from:
Arab League State Information and Documentation Centre (ALDOC)
PO Box 11642 Tahrir Square
Cairo, Egypt
Tel: +202 575 05 11 / +202 575 29 66
Fax: +202 574 03 31
E-mail: aldoc2k@menanet.net or shfoaad@idsc.net.eg
User groups CDS/ISIS user groups exist in many countries, although their
strength varies. E-mail discussion lists are also available. Discussion groups can
produce a lot of messages daily, so before joining one, find out whether your
local user group is a member, as they may be able to ask questions for you, and
forward answers to you.
International discussion group This includes discussions in English, Spanish and
occasionally other languages. If you cannot understand Spanish, it is a good idea
to say so when sending your messages, to prevent receiving replies that you
cannot understand.
To subscribe send a message to:
listserv@nic.surfnet.nl
With the message:
subscribe cds-isis [FIRST NAME] [LAST
NAME]
For example: subscribe cds-isis Jane Smith
Messages to the CDS-ISIS discussion group are archived and can be searched
from the following Internet site:
http://listserv.surfnet.nl/archives/cds-isis.html
Cost factors Remember that the total cost of a program includes training,
technical support, and time for staff to familiarise themselves with the program,
as well as the price of the software. CDS-ISIS is usually free, or low cost (for
example, the cost of disks, manual and initial training). However, CDS/ISIS
requires much more training, both initial training and follow-up, than many
other programs, and the time taken to get used to the program can be a large
additional cost.
But CDS-ISIS is widely used in developing countries, and if it is used in your
country, more people will already know how to use it. New staff may not need
training or familiarisation time, if they have already used CDS-ISIS elsewhere.
SECTION 6: COMPUTERS, ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION AND DATABASES
59
60
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RESOURCE
WORLDWIDE
SECTION 6
61
L
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only
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RESOURCE
HEALTH
SECTION 6
62
LINK
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t
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EALTH
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RESOURCE
WORLDWIDE
SECTION 6
63
rials
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and follow up req
necessary
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RESOURCE
HEALTH
SECTION 6
RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
Section 7: Information services
One of the most important tasks of a resource centre is to make information
available and encourage people to use it, by offering a range of information
services. Information services should improve access to information, not only
for people who can come and visit the resource centre, but also for those who
are based far away, or who cannot come in for other reasons. This section
includes:
7.1
Developing a strategy
7.2
Staffing and opening hours
7.3
Introductory sessions and information skills
7.4 Advisory
services
7.5 Lending
7.6
Photocopying
7.7 Document
supply
7.8
Referral services
7.9
Current awareness services
7.10 Abstracts
7.11 Enquiries
services
7.12 Information
packs
7.13 Newsletters
Related sections are:
1.2 Strategic
planning
2.3
Financial planning
5.3
Assigning keywords
6.7
The World Wide Web
6.8.2 How to design a database
6.9.4 Electronic conferences
8.3
Networks and networking
9
Monitoring and evaluation
SECTION 7: INFORMATION SERVICES
1
RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
7.1 Developing a strategy
Different resource centres provide different information services, depending on
users’ needs and the resource centre’s capacity. Although this section describes
a number of different services, it is important to consider the needs of the
resource centre's users, and the resources available (funds and staff time), and
provide only those services that match these criteria.
If the resource centre is small, and has only limited staff time and financial
resources, it may be sufficient to organise the materials carefully, ensure that
they are kept up to date (by purchasing new editions and new titles), and
provide users with skills for using the materials effectively.
The most commonly provided services include lending, reservation, advisory
services, literature searches and photocopying. A larger resource centre with
more staff time and resources could offer more services. A resource centre
whose users are at a distance would have to consider which services would help
it to reach out to the users.
A strategy for information services will need to be developed as part of the
overall strategy for the resource centre (see Section 1.2: Strategic planning).
Information services can provide an opportunity for income-generation. Many
resource centres generate some income by charging for services such as
searches, reservations and photocopying. Decisions about charging should be
made as part of the financial planning process (see Section 2.3: Financial
planning).
2
SECTION 7: INFORMATION SERVICES
RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
7.2 Staffing and opening hours
Preferably, the resource centre should be staffed whenever it is open. Staff
absences due to holidays or sickness should be covered. Some resource centres
set up a rota system, in which various people, including health workers, tutors
and students, take it in turns to be on duty in the resource centre. Everyone
who does resource centre duty needs to be familiar with the collection and the
services that are offered.
A smaller resource centre which is only open to staff of the organisation that it
is part of, could be open when there is no one to staff it. However, this would
mean that the collection would be less secure, and that no one would be
available to help users find and use information.
It is therefore important to think carefully about how many people are
available to be on duty in the resource centre, and how many hours it would be
useful for the resource centre to be open.
7.2.1 Welcoming visitors
When people come to use the resource centre, it is important that they feel
welcome. The opening hours should be made clear in any publicity material, so
that people will not be disappointed to find the resource centre shut.
It is a good idea to have a visitors’ book for keeping records of visits. This
could be an exercise book in which visitors write down their name and
organisation, and the date that they visited the resource centre. It is useful to
keep a record of who has visited the resource centre, where they come from and
what they have found useful, to help evaluate the service. It is also useful to ask
visitors for other information as well, such as their occupation, what subject
areas they are interested in, and whether they have any comments. These
questions could be included in the visitors’ book, or visitors could be asked to
complete a form.
SECTION 7: INFORMATION SERVICES
3
RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
7.3 Introductory sessions and information skills
Some people may not know how to use materials in the resource centre. They
may not be aware of all the different formats of information that are available,
or they may not know how to use the catalogue or how to browse the shelves
using the classification system. An important role for resource centre staff is
therefore to help users develop skills in finding and using information,
including:
• finding materials – using the classification scheme and catalogue
• using contents lists and indexes
• taking notes and quoting sources
• knowing what to use materials for, such as:
• diagnosing, treating and giving advice on specific health problems
• as teaching tools
• to provide ideas for preparing health promotion sessions or making
teaching materials
• as a basis for workshop discussions
• to solve problems
• to assist with research or preparing an assignment.
4
SECTION 7: INFORMATION SERVICES
RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
7.4 Advisory services
Resource centre staff usually help people find the information they need by
discussing their needs with them in a reference interview, and helping them find
materials themselves or carrying out a literature search.
7.4.1 Reference interviews
A visitor to the resource centre might say: ‘Can you show me the materials on
malaria.’ After discussing the user's needs with them, the resource centre staff
might find that the user wants to know about new developments in malaria
prevention. The user could then directed to materials specifically about malaria
prevention, saving them the need to look at all the materials on malaria.
Some users ask for a specific publication, which they believe is the only one
containing the information they need. However, by discussing their needs with
them, it might be possible to refer them to a better source of information.
Discussions such as these are often called ‘reference interviews’. They vary in
length according to the needs of the user. If a user has a query that will take a
lot of time to deal with - for example, if it will require a literature search - it is
usually best to book a time (see Section 7.4.2).
Resource centre staff know more about the collection than anyone else and are
there to provide guidance. However, it is not practical to spend much time with
every user every time they come into the resource centre. People visiting for the
first time will require more advice than regular users. Regular users may need
help if they are looking for information on a new subject area. Staff will need
to ask them what they need the information for, whether they need particular
types or formats of information, and how soon they need it.
It is best to direct users to materials that will probably be useful, but encourage
them to ask for more help if they need it.
7.4.2 How to carry out a literature search
Literature searches mean searching (looking through) sources such as
catalogues, databases, bibliographies, indexes, periodicals, books, newsletters,
CD-ROMs, e-mail and the Internet, or contacting other organisations, to locate
materials on a particular subject. Literature searches form an important part of
an advisory service. It can be useful to show users how to carry out database
searches themselves.
To carry out a literature search, it is important to be clear what is needed. Find
out from the user:
• what subject area(s) the material must cover
• how the information is to be used (for example, training, health education,
personal updating)
SECTION 7: INFORMATION SERVICES
5
RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
• who the material is for (for example, health workers, students, the
community)
• what format is preferred (for example, articles, books, videos)
• what time-span the material should cover (for example, new material for a
newsletter, or both older and new material for a subject overview)
• how soon the information is required.
Subject areas Decide what keywords to use to describe the subject (see Section
5.3: Assigning keywords). Use these keywords to search the resource centre’s
catalogue or database. Use these or similar subject terms to search other
bibliographies and indexes.
How the information is to be used This will affect the type of material that is
required. For example:
• for diagnosing or treating diseases – a handbook plus recent articles
• to present issues for discussion – videos, articles or a chapter of a book
• to develop a training course outline – training manuals, workshop materials
or curriculum guidelines.
Who the material is for Knowing this helps staff to know, for example,
whether to look for materials written in technical or non-technical language, or
whether to look for illustrated materials.
What format is preferred If the user prefers a particular format, such as books
or articles, there is no point spending time looking for materials in other
formats. However, if the resource centre holds very useful materials in other
formats, it is worth pointing this out. The user might not know that these are
available, or might not have thought of using other formats. This is an example
of how it helps to include all materials in the same catalogue (see Section 5.4.4:
Filing catalogue cards).
What the time-span is This can help you know what format of materials to
search for. If the user wants new information on a subject that they know
about, the best sources will be newsletters, journals and current awareness
bulletins. If the user needs to learn about a subject that is new to them, the
main sources of information will be books and reports.
How soon the information is required This helps you know which sources of
information to search. If the information is needed quickly, you will need to
limit the search to materials in the resource centre collection (excluding any on
loan), or full text materials available via the Internet. If there is more time, you
might be able to order new materials for the resource centre, or borrow
materials from another resource centre through an inter-library loan or
document delivery service. You could also ask questions on an e-mail
discussion list (see Section 6).
It is useful to keep a record of literature searches, as this can be used for
evaluating the services, updating needs assessment information and developing
the collection.
6
SECTION 7: INFORMATION SERVICES
RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
Details of searches could be kept in a notebook. They should include the date,
subject area, types of materials used (such as CD-ROM, catalogue, database or
reference books), whether the required information was found, and whether the
user was referred elsewhere.
TIP: Getting to know the collection
The time and effort spent on advisory services is useful to resource
centre staff, as well as users. It helps staff learn about the collection
and users’ needs. This is important for updating the collection policy
and knowing what information services to offer.
Advisory services also help resource centre staff to review what details
need to be included in the resource centre’s catalogues or databases,
such as whether materials contain illustrations.
Recording the results of searches can make searching quicker. You
could set up a database field (see Section 6.8.2) named ‘Useful for’,
listing which materials have been useful for a particular training
session, or as source material for a particular publication, or to
support a particular health education activity. Next time a similar
event takes place, you could do a quick search by seeing what was
used the last time, and use the keywords that describe these materials
to find any newly added materials that might also be useful.
SECTION 7: INFORMATION SERVICES
7
RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
7.5 Lending
Lending allows users to read or view materials in their own time. It is especially
useful for users who are based some distance from the resource centre.
There is, however, a problem with lending - the failure to return materials. For
this reason, some resource centres only lend materials to staff in the same
organisation, or to users in the same town as the resource centre. If materials
are to be lent to people who are based further away, there will need to be a
system to prevent materials from becoming lost. For example, a deposit could
be charged for borrowing materials –- a sum of money that would be returned
to the borrower when they stop being a member of the resource centre, or kept
if they fail to return the materials.
If the postal system is unreliable, registered post could be used for any materials
that need to be posted to or from the resource centre. Registered post is
expensive, and the cost would need to be covered by, for example, charging an
extra fee for materials supplied through the post.
Materials that cannot be replaced, such as
Health Information Project loans policy those that are out of print or are
and procedures
very expensive, could be unavailable for lending. Alternatives to lending include
current awareness bulletins, enquiries
1.
services, in
The following people may borrow mat
formation packs and
erials: Tutors, students and other
newsletters (see Sections 7.9, 7.11, 7
Ministry of Health personnel.
.12 and 7.13).
Before offering a lending service, it is
2.
important to decide how many materials
The number of items that may be borrowed varies, depending on the type
a person may borrow and how long they
of user: Tutors are allowed six
may keep them. These dec
items and students three items. isions will
depend on the number of materials in the resource centre, the number of users,
how easily users can come
3. Material
into the resource centre,
s may be borrowed for up to
and how far users are based
two weeks. They may be borrowed
from the resource centre. A sample loans policy
again if not required by another user.
is given in Section 7.5.1.
4. All materials may be borrowed.
7.5.1 Sample loans policy and procedures
5. If an item is overdue and a reminder has been sent, a fine of [small amount]
per day will be charged.
7.5.2 How to set up a lending system
It is advisable to have a system
6. If an item is lost or
for identifying and registering users who borrow
damaged, the user will be required to pay the cost of
materials. For example, users could be asked to com
replacing or repairing it.
plete a membership form (see
Section 7.5.3: Sample membership form). Membership forms should be filed
alphabetically by surnam
7.
e so that details can be checked when required.
When lending an item, either
• the name and membership number should be written in the loans book
If there are only a few users who borrow m
and the date when the
aterials, a sim
item is due back
ple register could be kept in
should be written or stamped on
a large exercise book. Details of the m
the due date label
aterial, the person who ha
inside the book, or
s borrowed it and the
date, could be entered in the register
• the loan card should be pl each tim
aced insi e material is borrowed. W
de the user's loan pocket hen the
and filed by
material is returned, the return d
the date the item is du ate is added to indicate tha
e back, and the same da t the material is back in th
te written or stamped on e
collection.
the due date label (loan slip) inside the book.
8. To check for outstanding loans, a check should be made once a week (on
the same day each week) to see what items are overdue, and a reminder
should be sent to the member who borrowed the item(s).
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If many users borrow materials, a card system is better than an exercise book.
Each material will need the following:
• a ‘loan slip’ – a small piece of paper pasted onto the first right-hand page of
a book, or inside a video box. The piece of paper shows details of the
author, title, classification number and accession number, and has spaces
marked out for the borrower’s name and date to be returned
• a ‘loan card’ – a card containing details of the accession number,
classification number, author and title – kept in a pocket attached inside the
cover of the book or video.
Each user is issued with a number of ‘loan pockets’ giving details of their
name, department and organisation. The number of pockets that they are given
depends on how many materials they may borrow at the same time. Loan
pockets can be kept either by the user or the resource centre, depending on
which is felt to be more practical.
When someone borrows a material, the loan slip is stamped with the date the
material is due back, the loan card is put into a loan pocket, and the loan
pocket is then filed according to the date that the material is due to be returned.
It is also useful to have a standard letter or form to send to people who have
borrowed materials that are overdue (see Section 7.5.4).
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Loan slip
Loan pocket and loan card
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7.5.3 Sample membership form
Health Information Project resource centre membership form
Membership no. __________________________________________________
Name ___________________________________________________________
Place of work ____________________________________________________
Address of work __________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Telephone number ________________________________________________
Proof of identify (e.g. student card, letter from workplace if from another
organisation)
________________________________________________________________
I agree to the rules of the resource centre which are stated at the bottom of this
form.
Signed ________________________________ Date _______________________
Rules
1. I agree to take care of materials in the resource centre or borrowed by me,
and agree to return them in the same condition in which they were
borrowed.
2. I agree to return materials on the date due or, if any difficulties arise, to
advise the resource centre staff immediately.
3. If an item that I have borrowed is lost or damaged in a way that makes it
unusable, I agree to pay the replacement cost of the item.
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7.5.4 Sample overdue books reminder
Health Information Project
Capital City
PO Box 111
Ghana
Reference number __________________
Date ________________________
Dear _________________________
Resource materials
This is to remind you that the following materials are now overdue. Please
return the materials as soon as you receive this reminder.
The items are:
1. Author ________________________________
Title ____________________________________
Accession no. ____________________________
2. Author _______________________________
Title ___________________________________
Accession no. ____________________________
3. Author _______________________________
Title ____________________________________
Accession no. ____________________________
Yours sincerely
I C Books
Resource Centre Officer
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7.5.5 Reservation
If a user needs material that is on loan, staff might offer to reserve it for them
once it is returned. If a user needs materials that are not held in the resource
centre, staff might offer to include it in the next batch of orders, or borrow it
from another resource centre, and notify them when it has been received.
7.5.6 Inter-library lending
Inter-library lending means one library or resource centre lending materials to
another. It can enable users to obtain materials that are not in their local
resource centre. Inter-library lending is often organised by networks (see
Section 8.3: Networks and networking), although some national libraries will
lend to resource centres for a membership fee or deposit, intended to cover loss
or damage to materials.
It can be very useful to borrow materials through a network. If the network
requires materials to be lent in return, and there is a worry about what might
happen to them, materials could be lent on the basis that they must only be
used in the borrower's resource centre, and not taken away.
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7.6 Photocopying
Photocopying articles from periodicals or pages from books makes information
more easily accessible. If the resource centre offers a photocopying service, the
resource centre budget needs to include photocopier maintenance and
accessories such as paper and toner (See Section 2.3: Financial planning).
It is important to be aware of copyright laws, which allow only a few pages to
be photocopied unless permission is given. Some publishers are happy for their
materials to be photocopied or adapted for education and training without
being asked permission. If so, they always state this clearly in the publication. It
can be useful to add copyright details to notes about the publication in the
catalogue, so that these are known before the material is taken off the shelf.
It is best to check about copyright in the country concerned. The national
library usually has this information. However, the following can usually be
photocopied:
• one article in an issue of a periodical (such as a newsletter or journal)
• one chapter of a book, or 10 per cent of the publication, whichever is less
• no videos, unless permission is given
• no computer software, unless permission is given (except to make a single
security backup)
• a small number of records from a commercial bibliographic database such
as Medline or POPLINE, either to print and post, or to e-mail the
information to a user who cannot visit the resource centre.
Example of permission for reproduction
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7.7 Document supply
The supply of photocopies to users who cannot visit the resource centre, or to
other resource centres, is often called document supply.
Users may need to see articles in periodicals or chapters in books that are not
held by the resource centre. Resource centre staff can enable them to do this by
asking other resource centres for document supply services. Staff can develop a
knowledge of what materials are available from other resource centres by
providing referral services (see Section 7.8).
Document supply is one of the services that network members often provide for
each other (see Section 8.3: Networks and networking). This is usually on the
basis of mutual support – resource centres are expected to supply a similar
number of materials to the number that they request.
If document supply is requested from resource centres and libraries that are not
part of a network, they will usually make a charge. Charges vary, but can be
quite expensive – for example, up to GB£5/US$10 for an article.
To comply with copyright regulations, it is important to keep records of
photocopied materials obtained and supplied via document supply. Records of
requests for materials should include details of what was requested, who
requested it, the date it was requested, the date it arrived and the organisation
that supplied it. Records of materials supplied to other organisations should
included details of what was requested, the organisation that requested it, the
date it was requested and the date the photocopies were sent.
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7.8 Referral services
Referral means suggesting where a user can find information that is not
available in the resource centre. Referral services are among the most important
services offered by a resource centre.
No resource centre can hold all the materials available on all the subjects of
interest to their users. It is important to know about other sources of
information, so that users can be referred to them if necessary.
Other sources of information may include members of a network (see Section
8.3: Networks and networking), or other resource centres, either in the same
country or elsewhere, that provide enquiries services (see Section 7.11) or
document supply services (see Section 7.7).
It is possible to find out about other resource centres and information services
by:
• scanning or reading newsletters on the subject areas that the resource centre
covers
• networking with staff in other resource centres – those in the same country
specialising in any subject area, and those specialising in similar subjects,
either in the same country or elsewhere
• joining e-mail discussion groups, such as ASIALIB (see Section 6.9.4)
• searching the World Wide Web (see Section 6.7).
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7.9 Current awareness services
A current awareness service is a way of letting users know about materials that
have been newly received in the resource centre. Current awareness services
include:
• current awareness bulletins
• selective dissemination of information
• circulating documents
• displaying newly acquired materials and using noticeboards.
Current awareness bulletins contain details of new materials, book reviews,
announcements about meetings and conferences, and news of resource centre
activities. Current awareness bulletins are particularly useful for larger resource
centres, or for resource centres whose users are widely dispersed. They help
users to keep up with a range of new developments. They also help to generate
specific enquiries, which resource centre staff can deal with more efficiently
than general enquiries. The practicalities of producing a current awareness
bulletin are similar to those of producing a newsletter (see Section 7.13:
Newsletters).
Selective dissemination of information (SDI) means notifying individual users,
or groups of users, about materials that will interest them. It is possible to keep
up-to-date with what different individuals or groups are interested in through
ongoing needs assessment work, advisory services and reference interviews.
Circulating materials means passing materials to individuals to pass in turn to
others on a circulation list. There is a disadvantage to this service, in that
materials can take a long time to reach the last person on the list. It is often
more useful to circulate a contents page than the actual item.
Displaying newly arrived materials helps users to notice new materials, and
makes the resource centre look lively and attractive. Noticeboards can be very
useful for displaying the contents pages of newly received periodical issues, or
copies of the covers of new books, reports and audiovisual materials. Displays
are useful for attracting the attention of non-regular resource centre users, and
visitors to the organisation.
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7.10 Abstracts
Abstracts are summaries of articles, books or reports. They are a useful way for
resource centre staff or users to identify relevant materials. They are also useful
for providing more detailed information about materials held in the collection,
either in current awareness bulletins or on a database.
There are three types of abstract:
• Indicative abstracts are short, simple and objective. They describe the theme
of the article or publication.
• Informative abstracts are longer and more thorough. They describe the
objectives and conclusions of the article or publication, as well as the
contents.
• Evaluative abstracts (also known as critical abstracts) are subjective. They
evaluate the contents of the article or publication.
Abstracts are often included in bibliographies and bibliographic databases.
They are sometimes included in current awareness bulletins. Videos and articles
in periodicals often carry an author’s or publisher’s abstract. The abstracts that
are published with the material can be included in a bibliographic database
record or current awareness bulletin, in order to help users decide how useful
the materials might be for their needs.
Only larger resource centres have the capacity to produce abstracts for all their
materials. Abstracting is time-consuming and requires skills in summarising,
analysing and writing. If the resource centre is considering producing abstracts,
abstracting needs be to compared with allocating keywords (see page Section
5.3: Allocating keywords). Keywords can provide a similar indication of the
content, audience and level of a material, and make it easy to identify relevant
materials, but cannot provide information about the conclusions of an article,
or evaluate its content.
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7.10.1 Examples of abstracts
These abstracts describe an article in the East African Medical Journal about
research into the use of malaria prophylaxis among pregnant women.
Indicative abstract
Assesses how the knowledge of malaria and the perceived effectiveness of
malaria control methods affect the use of malaria prophylaxis by pregnant
women attending an antenatal clinic in Tanzania.
Informative abstract
Knowledge, perception and use of malaria prophylaxis was assessed among
301 pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
It was found that women with a high knowledge of malaria were more likely to
use malaria prophylaxis than those with low knowledge. However, there was
no significant association between knowledge of malaria and perceived
effectiveness of the various methods of malaria control. Occurrence of malaria
episodes was reported to be similar among users and non-users of malaria
prophylaxis, probably owing to inconsistent use of malaria prophylaxis. It is
suggested that in addition to chemophrophylaxis, pregnant women should be
encouraged to use bed nets in combination with mosquito repellants
throughout the course of pregnancy.
Evaluative abstract
The article discusses research undertaken to assess knowledge, perception and
utilisation of malaria prophylaxis in pregnant women attending an antenatal
clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It begins with a review of the current
research literature on the adverse effects of malaria during pregnancy, the
benefits of chemoprophylaxis, and issues relating to non-compliance.
It then details research methodology and results, and possible factors that
might affect the results. As the research showed no significant associations, and
the occurrence of malaria episodes was reported to be similar among users and
non-users of malaria prophylaxis, suggestions are made concerning methods for
the prevention of malaria during pregnancy.
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7.11 Enquiries services
Enquiries services are a way of responding to requests for information from
users who cannot come to the resource centre. Enquiries may be received by
telephone, post, fax or e-mail. It is useful to develop a standard enquiries form
to ensure that the resource centre has all the necessary details of what is
required.
If the user is clear about what they want, it should be easy to send the
information they require, if the necessary materials are in the resource centre,
and there is a system for lending materials or sending photocopies.
However, it may be necessary to find out more clearly what is required. If the
enquiry is made by phone, questions can be asked over the phone. Otherwise
staff can write back, seeking clarification. For more details of the questions to
ask, see Section 7.4.2: How to carry out a literature search.
It is usually worth preparing standard responses to enquiries on subjects that
the resource centre receives a lot of enquiries about. A standard letter could be
sent, perhaps accompanied by photocopies of useful articles. If facilities are
available, it might be possible to produce one or more leaflets, booklets or
information packs (see Section 7.12), to answer frequently asked questions. The
user could be asked to contact the resource centre again if they need more
information.
Enquiries services need to be monitored, to feed into the overall evaluation of
the resource centre (see Section 9: Monitoring and evaluation). Keeping records
of enquiries provides useful information for developing information services,
and information about the needs of the users. The task of monitoring enquiries
is made easier if enquiries forms are completed as each enquiry is made, and the
information on the forms is collated every month.
TIP: Handling telephone enquiries
You may receive enquiries by telephone. When you answer a telephone:
• Have an enquiries form and pen ready.
• Give the name of the resource centre, and greet the caller.
• Write down the caller’s name, and the date and time of the call.
• Listen to what the caller says and make notes.
• Ask for further details if necessary, and read back to the caller the message you
have written down.
• If the caller has to be kept waiting, give reassurances from time to time, so that
they do not think they have been cut off or are being ignored.
• If the query cannot be dealt with immediately, write down the caller's telephone
number, offer to ring them back and, if necessary, explain what will happen in
the meantime.
• Ensure that the enquiries form is completed with details of the enquiry and the
information you have provided.
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7.12 Information packs
Information packs are an economical way of providing information about a
particular subject area to users who cannot visit the resource centre.
Information packs usually take the form of folders (cardboard wallets) or
envelopes containing a variety of materials, such as articles from newsletters
and journals, photocopied pages from books, factsheets, posters, leaflets,
materials developed within the organisation, or materials distributed free by
other organisations working in the same subject area.
When developing an information pack as a resource to distribute to users, it is
important to obtain permission from the publisher to include an item (text or
illustrations) in a pack, unless the publisher has indicated that this is not
necessary. The publisher will want to know the purpose of the pack and its
target audience, the number of copies to be produced, and any charges to users
(for example, to cover the cost of photocopying and distribution, or to make a
profit to help the resource centre).
If producing a single pack to respond to an individual enquiry, it is not
necessary to request permission from the publisher, provided copyright laws are
followed (see Section 7.6: Photocopying).
Before any information packs are prepared, it is important to be sure that the
right materials have been selected to go in them. This can be done by discussing
the contents of a proposed information pack with members of the resource
centre advisory committee, and or other key users. It can be useful to include a
short evaluation form in the pack for users to complete and return. This can
point to ways of improving future information packs.
Information packs should always include a contents list that provides details of
the original source of each item (such as a book or periodical title, publisher
and year published).
An information pack is not a static thing. It will need to be updated by adding
new materials, as well as or instead of existing materials. It is important to keep
the master photocopy of each of the materials included in an information pack,
to ensure that each copy is of the same quality, and that time is not wasted
looking for the original material each time a copy needs to be made.
Alternatively, if the resource centre has a bibliographic database, codes could
be added to the records of new materials to indicate that they are suitable for
inclusion in the information pack.
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Sample enquiries form
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7.13 Newsletters
Newsletters can be a useful way to disseminate topical information about local
health issues and activities. They may include news about the resource centre,
articles about local health problems and projects, research updates, details of
new publications, training opportunities and conferences, and letters and
questions from readers.
Newsletters have become easier to produce and more attractive to look at with
the use of computers. To make a newsletter into a lively forum for the
exchange of news and ideas, resource centre staff could involve local health
workers or community groups in planning and providing information.
A few words of caution, however. A newsletter needs to have clear aims. It
needs to be properly funded and staffed over a long period. Otherwise it can
turn into a chore or a drain on resources. It is important to:
• identify who the readers will be, what their information needs are, and the
purpose of the newsletter
• identify who will be responsible for planning, writing, editing, layout and
administration (including staff and others who may be commissioned), what
expertise they have and what training they may need
• decide how to distribute the newsletter (for example, by post, at the health
centre, hospital, community centre or chemist)
• develop a realistic budget that takes into account all production and
distribution costs, including salaries
• allow a realistic amount of time for the work and draw up a realistic
schedule
• plan several issues in advance to avoid gaps.
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Section 8: Making links and promoting the resource
centre
The resource centre needs to ensure that it continues to meet users’ needs, by
involving users in developing the collection and services, promoting its services
to users, and keeping in touch with organisations working in similar fields to
share information and ideas. This section includes:
8.1
Involving users
8.2
Promoting the resource centre
8.3
Networks and networking
Related sections are:
1.1 Assessing
information
needs
2.2 Strategic
planning
3.3
Advisory committees
3.2
Planning the layout
6.9.4 Electronic conferences
7
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8.1 Involving users
Involving the people who use the resource centre in developing the collection
and services is an important way to ensure that the resource centre continues to
meet users’ needs. It also helps to attract funding, because it shows that the
resource centre is responding to a demonstrated need.
Encouraging users or staff from the organisation to become members of a
resource centre advisory committee (see Section 2.2: Advisory committees) is a
good way to involve these people. However, it is also important to encourage
them to understand what part the resource centre plays in their own work, how
it can help, and how their involvement in the resource centre can enhance both
their own work and that of the resource centre. It can be useful to arrange
meetings with groups of staff to talk about the how the resource centre can
assist them. For example, the resource centre can help them to update their
knowledge and support their personal development, or help them to complete a
training programme or distance education course. If possible, these meetings
should be held in the resource centre.
It is useful to spend some time during the strategic planning process (see Section
1.2: Strategic planning) listing different types of users and others interested in
the resource centre, and then grouping those with similar interests together, and
considering how to involve the different groups.
For example, groups of users may include:
• health workers
• allied health workers
• rehabilitation workers
• community workers
• members of the local community
• educators and trainers
• students
• members of health committees and health teams
• programme/project staff
• government staff
• people from related sectors such as education and environment.
8.1.1 Involving key people
Within each group, it is worth identifying key people to promote the resource
centre as information ‘gatekeepers’. It is also important to involve trainers and
people linked with communities based away from the resource centre.
Information gatekeepers It is useful to identify individuals within each group
who have a particular interest in information, and encourage them to become
champion resource centre users, or information ‘gatekeepers’ for their group
(such as nurses, students or members of health teams). They should be
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encouraged to identify and share information with their group, encourage other
members of the group to use the resource centre, and help them to use the
materials. They should also gather information relevant to any team or
committee meetings that they participate in, to encourage the use of
information in decision-making.
Information gatekeepers also have the role of keeping the resource centre staff
up-to-date on information needs and topics of interest, and highlighting which
materials have been particularly useful for which types of activities, meetings or
user groups.
As well as having information gatekeepers, it is useful to set up ‘journals clubs’.
Each member of staff keeps up-to-date with the contents of specific journals,
and shares this information with their colleagues.
Trainers It is important to involve those responsible for training activities or
continuing education. Training methods that involve the use of resource centre
materials are increasingly being used for both initial training and continuing
education. These include, for example, problem-based learning (where
participants solve a problem or answer a question by seeking out information
and discussing it), and individual course members taking it in turns to make
presentations to colleagues.
Time could be allocated within official working hours for staff to visit the
resource centre, as part of staff development or in-service training programmes.
For example, they could visit the resource centre on a rota system, if other
duties permit.
Close working relationships between resource centre staff and trainers and
managers should be encouraged, to promote the use of the resource centre as a
learning strategy. Managers should encourage staff to seek solutions to
problems by looking for information in the resource centre. They should
promote the resource centre as a source of information to help staff carry out
practical tasks and answer queries arising from ward round or health visits.
Staff who are responsible for arranging training workshops can encourage
participants to continue learning afterwards, by displaying examples of relevant
materials during the workshop, and encouraging participants to visit the
resource centre to find more materials.
People in the community People who work in the community, outreach
workers, or those who work for organisations based some way from the
resource centre, should be encouraged to use the resource centre, and pass on
information to the people they work with. It is important to ask them about the
information needs of the groups that they are working with.
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8.1.2 Ideas for involving individual users
Individual users can be involved in a number of ways, such as:
• asking them to give new users an introductory talk or reference interview
(see Section 7.4: Advisory services), and encouraging them to ask questions
• asking users to help identify gaps in the collection and suggest materials to
add
• inviting users to take part in planning meetings
• asking users to distribute an annual report or regular newsletter – this is
particularly relevant to those who work in the community or are members
of teams or committees, as it helps to publicise the resource centre more
widely
• encouraging users to write down their comments on the services provided
and suggestions for how to improve them, and putting these in a
‘suggestions box’ in the resource centre.
Giving introductory talks or reference interviews is especially useful for people
who are running training courses, as they can then encourage participants to
use the materials as part of their training, and they themselves will develop a
good knowledge of what is available on the subject area. Carrying out reference
interviews with new students or staff also helps trainers to know more about
the current knowledge and information and training needs of the user.
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8.2 Promoting the resource centre
The people that the resource centre aims to serve will not automatically come
to it. The resource centre needs to be publicised and people need to be
encouraged to use it. Users need to be made aware of all the services available,
not just some. For example, some people may know that there is a lending
service, but not know that there is also a photocopying service.
Services may need to be improved before they are promoted. There is no point
in encouraging people to use the resource centre if it has very few materials, or
if staff are unavailable to assist users. It is important to be sure that the services
can be delivered before starting to promote them.
8.2.1 How to plan a promotion
To promote the resource centre:
1. List groups of users and identify those to whom you need to promote the
resource centre. For example, your resource centre may aim to serve the local
community, but very few women come, so you need to promote it to women.
2. Try to find out why certain groups of people are not using the resource centre.
Then decide what type of promotional activity would be best for each group
(see below), and what promotional materials you will need to support this
activity.
3. Draw up a budget and detailed plan, including a plan of how you will
evaluate the promotional activity. Produce any materials to support the
promotional activity, such as leaflets, posters or signs. Organise the activity.
4. Evaluate the activity (review how effective it has been) and use the results of
the evaluation to help you prepare future promotional activities.
8.2.3 Promotional activities
There are many ways to promote a resource centre, such as providing a good
service, signposting and advertising, organising activities, producing and
distributing materials, and networking.
Providing a good service
• Maintain an up-to-date and well-ordered collection.
• Provide a good service to users and encourage users to let other people
know about the resource centre.
• Carry out regular needs assessment (see Section 1.1) and respond to the
findings.
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Signposting and advertising
• Make sure that the resource centre is clearly signposted from all relevant
parts of the organisation, such as the reception area, training and meeting
rooms, or dining hall.
• If there are any narrow corridors or steps, signpost alternative ways of
reaching the resource centre that avoid these barriers.
• Clearly label shelves and collection areas to make the resource centre easier
to use. For larger resource centres, it can also help to display a floor plan.
• Place noticeboards in other parts of the organisation, such as the reception
area, or outside meeting or training rooms. Use them to display resource
centre opening times and information about topical issues.
• Display posters to advertise the resource centre in places where users will
see them, or distribute posters to other organisations to display.
• Include a short section on the resource centre in orientation guides for new
students or employees.
• Arrange for articles about the resource centre to be included in local
newspapers or specialist publications, or for an interview to be broadcast on
radio or television.
Arranging activities
• Arrange for all new staff members to visit the resource centre as part of
their induction programme, and include a leaflet on the resource centre as
part of any induction pack that is provided to them.
• Arrange with training institutions to include a visit to the resource centre as
part of their training courses, and encourage institutions to promote the use
of resource centres as a learning strategy.
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• Encourage meetings to be held in the resource centre, either by staff of the
organisation that the resource centre is part of, or other organisations (at
times when they will not disturb users).
• Hold open days and exhibitions in the resource centre.
• Give a brief talk about the resource centre at public gatherings or meetings
of health management teams or village health committees.
Producing and distributing materials
• Distribute acquisitions lists (lists of materials newly added to the resource
centre collection – see Section 7.9).
• Distribute leaflets containing brief details of services offered, opening times,
charges and who to contact for further information. Display them in the
resource centre itself and other places where users are likely to see them,
such as training institutions or at conferences, or include them in response
to written enquiries. Ask community health and outreach workers to
distribute them when visiting other organisations, or meeting with members
of the resource centre’s target groups.
• Distribute a newsletter to keep people across a wide area in touch with the
resource centre’s activities, if you can afford to produce it.
• Distribute an annual report of the resource centre or organisation that the
resource centre is part of, describing the resource centre’s activities and
highlighting key developments and plans.
Networking
• Develop links with other resource centres (see Section 8.3: Networks and
networking).
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8.3 Networks and networking
Networking means keeping in contact with individuals or organisations
working in a similar field, to exchange ideas and experiences, and provide
mutual support.
Networking is an important way for organisations and individuals to keep
informed, and is therefore important for resource centre staff. Networking can
help resource centre staff to solve problems, exchange professional advice, and
experience, and even carry out joint activities, such as producing publications,
assessing or translating materials, holding training workshops and arranging
exchange visits.
Networks of resource centre and information staff are particularly useful for:
• sharing information about new resources
• responding to questions
• providing document supply services
• sharing catalogue/database records
• sharing experiences in managing the resource centre and its services
• collaborating on producing or adapting materials
• providing training
• developing funding proposals
• advocating for the importance of access to information.
8.3.1 Developing a network
Networking can be an informal activity, such as keeping in regular contact with
other resource centre staff, passing on information about new resources, or
asking for information on specific topics. Regular networking can lead to the
development of a recognised network, with membership and a set of objectives.
Networks can develop informally, or they can be established as a formal group
with an administrator. They may be local, national or international. The
geographic divide is gradually being reduced by increasing access to electronic
networks (see Section 6.9.4 Electronic conferences). Networks can be made up
of organisations and individuals within a particular sector, or from a number of
different sectors, and can aid intersectoral collaboration. Members of a
community health network may include NGOs, aid agencies, government
health departments, academic institutions, research centres, training centres,
issue-based movements and journalists.
Exchanging information is one of the most useful activities of networks. Some
networks are set up primarily to help link and inform information workers
(such as AHILA-Net and the Health Information Forum). Some networks are
formed for the sole purpose of exchanging information on specific health
issues, such as drug policy, community health or participatory research.
Networks are also important in bringing together enough voices to advocate
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for resource centres and the use of information, and to attract funding for
development work.
Networks can be temporary – set up to exchange information about a
particular topic for a specific period of time, or to campaign for a change in
policy – or more permanent – dedicated to a long-term, comprehensive
programme, such as a commitment to train and support information workers.
It is useful even for informal networks to have some form of objectives, as these
determine their activities and the types of individuals and organisations likely
to be active members. It is also useful to stand back occasionally and evaluate
how well the network is achieving its objectives, and whether they need to be
re-emphasised, or re-defined. It is useful to periodically analyse not just the
actual activities and discussions, but also their usefulness and impact on the
network members and their work. If there is no network administrator, one of
the members could be identified to coordinate this analysis.
8.3.2 Successful networking
Factors that contribute to effective networking include:
• solidarity among all members of the network, including understanding the
different levels of resources (time and financial) which each member or
organisation is able to contribute
• mutual trust among members
• clearly defined objectives
• a committed core of active members, who are representative of the members
• clearly defined coordination roles and responsibilities (where appropriate)
• a willingness to delegate responsibilities to involve a variety of the
membership
• spontaneity (the network has developed naturally)
• openness
• flexibility and awareness of the need to change or discontinue the network
once the immediate goals have been achieved
• equal involvement at all levels.
TIP: Gaining from a network
If you participate in a network, it is useful to consider what you and
your resource centre have gained from being part of the network. If
you have not gained, it could be because you have not fully
participated, or because it is not an appropriate network for your
resource centre.
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Section 9: Monitoring and evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation are essential for assessing the performance of the
resource centre and identifying ways of improving it.
This section includes:
9.1
Why monitor and evaluate?
9.2
Monitoring
9.3 Evaluation
Related sections include:
1.1
Assessing information needs
1.2
Strategic planning
2.2
Advisory committees
7 Information
services
8
Making links and promoting the resource centre
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9.1 Why monitor and evaluate?
Monitoring means keeping records of different resource centre activities.
Evaluation means using these records and other information, such as user
surveys and focus group discussions, to review performance at set intervals and
identify ways to improve the resource centre and its services.
Evaluating resource centre activities enables the parent organisation or donors
to know how useful the activities are. Donors usually expect to receive an
evaluation report at set intervals, such as every three years or at the end of a
project or programme phase. Parent organisations should also receive
evaluation results, to demonstrate how well the resource centre is helping the
organisation to fulfil its mission.
Evaluations can vary greatly in scale and style. An evaluation might cover the
whole range of resource centre activities, or it might focus on an individual
activity, such as the enquiry service. The evaluation process – analysing data,
drawing conclusions and making recommendations – might take more than a
week or it might take less than a day.
Collecting and analysing data might involve an outside evaluator, such as a
representative of a donor agency, and/or the evaluation might be a
‘participatory evaluation’ involving resource centre staff and users.
Participatory evaluation provides an excellent opportunity for staff to learn
from their experiences and contribute to the continuing development of the
resource centre.
Evaluation requires a combination of ‘quantitative’ and ‘qualitative’ data:
• Quantitative data is data that can be measured, such as the number of
visitors, the number of written and telephone enquiries, the number of
searches carried out by staff, the number of subjects requested, or the
number of sources used to provide information requested. Quantitative data
is collected through monitoring (see Section 9.2).
• Qualitative data is data that cannot be measured, such as users’ opinions
about the resource centre, and how they have used information obtained
from the resource centre. Qualitative data is collected through
questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions (see Section 9.3).
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9.2 Monitoring
It is useful to monitor key aspects of the resource centre and its services, to
provide information that can be used to evaluate these activities. Before
deciding what to monitor, it is important to know what is to be evaluated, and
how the information collected through monitoring will be used for evaluation.
Monitoring can be a regular activity, such as keeping monthly records of the
number of enquiries received, or a periodic activity, such as keeping records for
a three-month period, or for three separate months over the course of a year.
If monitoring is being carried out regularly, it is better to collate the records
(add up the figures) each month, when it will not take long, than to leave it
until the end of a quarter or a year, when it will take much longer.
TIP: Collating records
To collate records easily, take an unused monitoring form (see sample
in Section 9.2.2) and write the relevant monthly or yearly totals in or
next to the relevant boxes.
The same form can be used for both visitors and enquiries. However,
it is useful to collate the records separately, as visitors and enquirers
may have different information needs.
9.2.1 What to monitor
It can be useful to keep records of:
• availability of the service
• visits
• acquisition of materials
• materials used
• services used
• enquiries
• website ‘hits’ (use of your website)
• publications
• promotion
• networking.
The following are suggestions for information to collect in each of these areas.
More or less detail could be collected in each area, depending how the
information is to be used.
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1. Availability of the service
• number of hours intended to be open per month (or quarter or year)
• number of hours actually open per month (or quarter or year)
• number of hours the resource centre was staffed per month (or quarter or
year).
2. Visits
• total number of visits made each month
• number of visits made by each user each month, or the total number of
repeat visits
• average number of visits made each day that the resource centre is open
• number of visits made each month by different categories of user (such as
hospital doctors, nurses, community health workers, administrative staff,
regional and district health team members, students and others).
This information can be obtained by asking visitors to fill in either a visitors’
book which invites this information (see Section 7.2.1: Welcoming visitors), or
a monitoring form. A sample monitoring form is given in Section 9.2.2.
To make sure that information from visitors is collected, staff must either
check that each visitor has completed the visitors’ book or monitoring form
before the visitor leaves, or staff must enter details themselves, based on
information gathered while assisting the visitor.
3. Acquisition of materials
• total number of new acquisitions (books, periodicals, reports, slide sets,
audio-cassettes, videos)
• total number of materials for which new editions have been obtained
• total number of materials weeded
• number of new acquisitions as a result of efforts made by staff or the
resource centre advisory committee and other users
• number of new materials paid for and average cost
• number of materials donated, or exchanged for publications
• number of materials obtained that were published in the country/region
• number of materials added to each subject area of the collection in the past
month.
Most of this information can be obtained from the accessions register (see
Section 4.6.2), and entered onto a form. It is important to collate these records
regularly, such as once a month. Otherwise it becomes a time-consuming task,
and there is a risk that it will not get done, and that the information will be
lost.
4. Materials used
• subject areas most often requested or used in the past month
• types of materials most often requested or used in the past month.
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This information can be obtained from visitors’ records (see Section 9.2.2),
the accessions register (see Section 4.6.2), loans records (see Section 7.5.2),
and from the materials that are re-shelved after use.
5. Services
• number of times the various services offered to visitors are used per month
(such as lending, photocopying, use of the database, document supply, or
literature searches).
This information can be collected from visitors’ records (see Section 9.2.2),
loans records (see Section 7.5.2), document supply records kept by staff, and
notes kept by the resource centre officer on the number and types of literature
searches undertaken.
6. Enquiries
• number of enquiries per month
• average length of time taken to respond to enquiries
• subject areas requested
• materials used to answer enquiries
• geographic areas where requests come from (such as the district, or
whether urban or rural).
This information can be obtained from the enquiries forms which are
completed for each enquiry (see Section 7.11).
7. Website ‘hits’ (use of your website)
• ‘total unique sites’ or number of users who have visited your website
• geographic location of these visitors, by country
• ‘search strings’ or text that visitors have typed into search engines to reach
your site (useful for developing keyword metatags).
This information can be obtained monthly from most internet service
providers (ISPs). When selecting an ISP, ask whether they will provide this
information, how it will be presented, and how detailed it will be.
8. Publications
• number and types of publications produced (such as current awareness
bulletins, resource lists, articles, newsletters, or information packs)
• number of each publication distributed
• groups of users and locations to which publications have been distributed
• number of publications that have been produced on time.
This information can be collected from publications distribution records and
staff notes.
9. Promotion
• amount of time spent on promotional activities
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• number of people from the promotion target group who have visited the
resource centre or made enquiries in the two months before and after the
promotion
• number of materials of the type promoted that have been used or
requested in the two months before and after the promotion.
This information can be collected from staff notes and resource centre
advisory committee meeting minutes, and from visitors’ records (see Section
9.2.2) and enquiries records (see Section 7.11).
10. Networking
• number of organisations networked with
• number of referrals to and from other resource centres
• number of documents supplied to and by other resource centres.
This information can be collected from visitors’ records (see Section 9.2.2),
enquiries records (see Section 7.11), document supply records (see Section
7.7), and staff notes.
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9.2.2 Sample monitoring form
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9.3 Evaluation
To evaluate the resource centre, ‘qualitative data’ is needed, as well as the
‘quantitative data’ collected by monitoring.
9.3.1 Collecting qualitative data
Qualitative data, such as users’ opinions, can be gathered in different ways. For
example, users could be asked to complete a questionnaire, or they could be
interviewed using the questionnaire as a structure for the interviews.
Questionnaires could be given to a representative selection of visitors and
enquirers, to keep the number of questionnaires down and make them easier to
analyse.
Questionnaires sent to enquirers should be accompanied by a copy of the
original request and the reply, including details of the materials that were
supplied. This is particularly important if the questionnaire is sent some time
after the enquiry was made (such as more than six months).
Focus group discussions (small group discussions) could be set up for staff or
students of the parent organisation, visitors and more distant users. They could
be organised as part of a national or regional meeting attended by users of the
resource centre. Users could discuss their opinions of the resource centre and its
services, what impact information from the resource centre has had their work,
and what subjects and services they require.
Information gathered through questionnaires and focus group discussions can
be used both for evaluation and as part of ongoing needs assessment (see
Section 1.1).
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9.3.2 Using the data
The data collected through monitoring and questionnaires or discussions can be
used to answer questions such as:
• What impact does the resource centre have on users?
• How far does the resource centre meet the needs of users?
• What do users save by using the resource centre?
• Are enough people being reached?
• Does the resource centre meet the needs of the funding organisation?
• How useful are the materials?
• What does it cost users to obtain information?
• How skilled are staff?
• How well is the resource centre networking?
• How useful are the resource centre’s publications?
• Are the systems for selection, indexing, cataloguing and retrieval cost-
effective?
• How can the resource centre increase its collection and improve its services
in the most cost-effective way?
• What improvements are the most cost-effective and beneficial?
1. What impact does the resource centre have on users?
Has using the resource centre or the enquiry service helped users to carry out
their work or studies? Has information from the resource centre led to any
particular action or change in work practices?
This information can be obtained from the monitoring information and
comments made by users through questionnaires and discussions.
2. How far does the resource centre meet users needs?
Do users believe that the resource centre is meeting their needs?
It is also useful to consider whether the resource centre was established in
response to a demonstrated need. Many resource centres grow from an
individual campaign and are based on staff’s view of what is needed, rather
than the views of the community that they aim to serve. It is worth checking
whether a needs assessment was carried out, and whether the collection and
services reflect the needs identified in the assessment.
This information can be obtained from documents about setting up the
resource centre, and by asking users how far the resource centre is meeting
their needs. Users can also be asked what they expect of the resource centre
and what services are available elsewhere. It is useful to note how many users
visit the resource centre more than once, as repeat visits help to show how
useful the resource centre is. Similarly, it is useful to note how many enquirers
make more that one enquiry. A second request on a different topic suggests
that the user was satisfied with the response to their first enquiry. A sample of
enquirers could be contacted to obtain more detailed feedback about how
useful they find the services.
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3. What do users save by using the resource centre?
How much time, money and effort would users have to spend to obtain
information, if the resource centre did not exist? For example, they might have
to travel further, or they might have to visit several different resource centres.
If they could not obtain the information they need from elsewhere, this would
mean that the resource centre was providing a unique service. Even if the
resource centre was not very efficient, being unique could be a key strength.
This information can be obtained through focus group discussions and
questionnaires, and through knowledge of what other information services
exist, what subject areas they cover and what services they provide (see
Section 1.4.2).
4. Are enough people being reached?
How clearly defined is the resource centre’s target audience, and are enough of
them being reached? For everyone who comes to the resource centre, there are
sure to be many others who do not know that they need information or do
not know where to find it. Is the resource centre publicised in places where
potential users go, such as training institutions, religious centres or community
groups? Is it possible to identify sections of the community who need the
services but are not using them?
To answer these questions properly, it is necessary to know the size of the
target audience, such as the number of health workers or trainers in the area
covered by the resource centre. It is also important to look at efforts to
promote the resource centre to members of the target audience who were not
previously using it, to see how well the promotional activities have worked.
This information can be obtained from the records of visitors using the
resource centre, enquiry services, and number of users before and after
promotional activities. It can also be obtained from the opinions and ideas of
users for whom promotional activities are targeted, including those that have
not used the resource centre.
5. Does the resource centre meet the needs of funding organisations?
This information can be obtained by checking funding organisations’ goals
and criteria for supporting the resource centre, and comparing these with the
results of monitoring and evaluation.
6. How good are the materials?
How often are the materials used? Are there many materials that are rarely
used? Are some subject areas more popular because they are more up-to-date?
Are both resource centre staff and users clear about the subject areas covered
by the resource centre? Have all the subjects or material formats requested in
the needs assessment been regularly used? If they are not, does the collection
policy need to be changed, do materials need updating, or is more promotion
required?
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This information can be obtained from the monitoring information and user
questionnaires and discussion.
7. What does it cost users to obtain information?
How much time do users spend learning to use systems such as the
classification scheme, catalogue or database? How easy is it for them to use
these once they have learned how? How do the advisory services and
information skills training provided by staff help users to find information in
the resource centre?
This information can be obtained by providing advisory services (see Section
7.4), and through user discussions and questionnaires.
8. How skilled are staff?
Can staff provide information as well as process materials? Are staff friendly
and helpful? Are they involved in planning new developments and
knowledgeable about what is going on? Do they need more training?
This information can be obtained from user discussions and questionnaires,
and discussions with the resource centre advisory committee and resource
centre staff about staff’s capabilities and training needs.
9. How well is the resource centre networking?
Are enquiries received from other organisations or individuals, such as public
libraries, research organisations, community groups or individual experts? Are
enquiries from users referred to other resource centres? Have efforts been
made to eliminate duplication by sharing responsibilities, such as collection,
processing and storage, with other groups? Is there a file of people or
organisations who can provide information and share their expertise? Staff
should not simply add names of useful contacts as they hear about them, but
they should go out and ask people if they will collaborate with the resource
centre.
This information can be obtained from staff records, minutes of resource
centre advisory committee meetings and discussions with staff.
10. How useful are the resource centre’s publications?
Are publications such as current awareness bulletins, information packs,
newsletters, articles, or resource lists produced? Are they accurate, legible,
appropriate to users and efficiently distributed? Do users find them useful and
timely? Are they a worthwhile activity in terms of the time and resources
available to the resource centre?
This information can be obtained from staff records for preparation and
distribution, users’ discussions and questionnaires, and staff comments about
the time and effort taken to prepare publications.
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11. Are systems for selection, indexing, cataloguing and retrieving information
cost-effective?
How much does it cost to process each material in the collection (in terms of
both staff time and materials)? How long does it take to process materials (for
example, accessioning, cataloguing and classifying, entering records onto the
database, and quality controlling)? Are these systems worth the staff time
involved, because they speed up the retrieval process, or do they take more
time than can be spared?
This information can be obtained by monitoring the time taken to process
materials, looking at the records of information searches that have been
carried out, how long searches have taken, and how far they have met users’
needs. Opinions expressed through staff and user discussions and
questionnaires are also important.
12. How can the resource centre increase its collection and improve its services in
the most cost-effective way?
This information can be obtained by listing ways in which the resource centre
can increase its collection and improve its services, and then identifying which
of these are least expensive in terms of money and staff time. Comments from
users can be obtained from the suggestions/comments box, monitoring forms,
and questionnaires and discussions.
13. What improvements are the most cost-effective and beneficial?
This can be decided by comparing improvements that are cost-effective with
what users most need, and reaching a balance. It makes no sense to offer
services that the resource centre cannot afford, but if there is a choice of
services that can be offered, the needs of the users should always come first.
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9.3.3 Using the results of an evaluation
The purpose of carrying out an evaluation is to help improve the resource
centre and its services. The process of evaluation demonstrates what is being
done well and should be continued, as well as what needs to change and what
additional activities could be undertaken. Poor results are as important as good
ones, as they can point to ways to improve a service.
Evaluation results should be used to identify new objectives, and develop new
action plans (see Sections 1.2 and 1.3). They may result in changes to how the
resource centre is run, what it collects and what services it provides. They may
also identify staff training needs, to enable staff to carry out their work
efficiently and provide the services required.
The planning cycle
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Definitions
Abstract
A summary of an article, book, report or audiovisual material.
Accession number
A number assigned to each book as it is received in the library, for example
748.
Accessions book or register
A book in which details of all materials are entered immediately after receipt.
Acquisition policy
A policy for obtaining new materials for the resource centre.
Acronym
A pronounceable abbreviation formed by combining initial letters or parts of
words – for example, UNESCO for United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization.
Attachment
A document or file sent with an e-mail message.
Author
The person or corporate body responsible for the content of a publication – for
example the writer of a book, compiler of a bibliography, artist or
photographer.
Author catalogue
A card catalogue of author cards arranged alphabetically. Author catalogues
usually include cards for editors, second and third authors, etc, and title cards
in the case of anonymous works.
Bibliographic
Relating to books and other resource materials.
Bibliography
A list of books, periodical titles, or audiovisual materials.
Boolean searching
Using the terms ‘and’, ‘or’ or ‘not’ to search for a specific combination of
words in a database. These combining terms are sometimes represented by
symbols, which vary from program to program.
Braille
A system for printing or writing for blind people, consisting of raised dots that
can be interpreted by touch. Each dot or group of dots represents a letter,
numeral or punctuation mark.
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Browse
To look through materials on a shelf, often in a leisurely manner.
Capacity (computers)
The ability of a computer to store and process information, measured in terms of
the size of the hard disk and memory, and the speed of the computer’s processor
(see also ‘specification’).
Card catalogue
A catalogue taking the form of cards that are filed in drawers or boxes (see also
‘author catalogue’, ‘dictionary catalogue’, ‘subject catalogue’, and ‘title
catalogue’).
Catalogue (noun)
A list of all the books, maps, journals, recordings and other materials in a
resource centre, with details of each. A catalogue may be arranged by alphabet,
by classification number, or by subject.
Catalogue (verb)
To compile a catalogue.
CD-ROM drive
A device that, connected to a computer, can read information stored on
compact discs (CDs). Can be internal or external.
CD-RW (Read-Write) drive
Similar to the CD-ROM drive, but with the added function of being able to
record (write) information on a blank ‘recordable’ compact disc (CD-R), for
storing, archiving, or backing up information. Can also be used to record over
(over-write) data on an existing CD, if using a ‘rewritable’ CD (CD-RW).
Classification number or Class number
A number or combination of numbers and letters used to identify a particular
book and locate it on the shelves.
Classification
See ‘Classification scheme’ and ‘Classifying’.
Classification scheme or system
A system for arranging books and other materials on the shelves, usually
according to subjects. Different groups or classes of materials are identified
using numbers, letters, symbols or a combination of the three.
Classifying
Describing a material by subject (see also ‘Indexing’).
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Collation
Physical description of a book. It consists of the number of pages, presence of
illustrations (maps, tables, graphs, charts, figures), bibliography and
appendices.
Collection
A group of books or other materials, or all the materials in the resource centre.
Compiler
Someone who brings together material form various sources – for example, the
compiler of a bibliography.
Copyright
The exclusive right to publish a material for a specified number of years (in the
UK, usually 50 years after the death of the author).
Corporate author
An organisation or institution acting as the author or editor of a publication.
Cross-reference
A referral from words or names to others, for example in a catalogue or
keywords list (see also ‘‘See’ reference’ and ‘‘See also’ reference’).
Current awareness bulletin
A bulletin that helps users keep up with a range of new developments, for
example new materials, book reviews, announcements about meetings and
conferences, and news of resource centre activities.
Data
Information that is entered into, stored in and used by a computer – for
example, information that is in a database.
Database
A collection of data stored in a computer in such a way that it can be searched
through to find certain items, displayed or printed in various styles, and sorted
in a number of different ways, so that it is ordered by author, title, subject,
date, etc. A bibliographic database is the electronic equivalent of a card
catalogue, but is faster and more flexible.
Database search
The means of retrieving information from a database.
DAT drive
Digital audio tape drive that stores a lot of information, used for backing up
computer data.
Dictionary catalogue
A card catalogue of author, title and subject cards, filed together alphabetically.
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DSL
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a service that offers an ‘always-on’ Internet
connection that is faster than a standard dial-up connection. DSL technology
uses existing 2-wire copper telephone wiring to deliver high-speed data services.
Dust jacket
The paper cover around a book.
Edition
One of a number of printings of a book or other materials, issued at separate
times with alterations.
Editor
Someone who prepares material for publication or supervises the publication of
a work or collection of works.
Electronic communication
The exchange of messages and information, as well as access to information
sources using computers and telecommunications devices, such as telephones
and modems. Methods of electronic communication include the Internet, e-mail
and CD-ROM.
Electronic conference
A forum for discussion and exchange of information using e-mail between a
group of people who share an interest in a particular topic.
E-mail (electronic mail)
A means of sending messages from a computer to one or more other computers
over a telephone line.
Electronic mailing list
Allows a group of people to communicate with each other using e-mail. A
message is sent to the mailing list address and automatically distributed to all
members of the group.
Field
The part of a database record that contains information about one particular
aspect of a material or organisation, such as the author or the title of a book,
or the address or activities of an organisation.
Field tags
Labels used by a computer program to identify individual fields, such as 200
for the title field, or 300 for the author field. Programs designed for use by
individuals or less traditional information services usually use names rather
than numbers.
Format
The general appearance of a material, for example, book, video or CD-ROM.
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Formatting language
Codes used by some programs to arrange information for display, printing or
exporting.
Freeware
Software programs that are available free of charge, usually without support
from the developer.
Gatekeeper
Someone who is usually part of a user group, who scans and assesses
information and shares it with other members of the group.
Guide card
A card in a card catalogue that is slightly taller than the other cards, containing
letters, names or words indicating the content of the cards directly behind it in
the catalogue.
Heading
A word, name or phrase at the top of a catalogue card to indicate a particular
aspect of the material, such as author, title or subject.
HTML (hypertext mark-up language)
Formatting commands which are used to create documents on the World Wide
Web.
HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol)
A set of formal rules which enables files to be transferred between computers
over the World Wide Web.
Hypertext
A highlighted word, phrase or image in a document on the web which, when
activated, leads the viewer to another part of the same document or a related
document on a different website.
Hypertext link
A link between highlighted words, phrases, or images on the web.
Impact
The effect of an activity, for example, the effect that a resource centre and its
services has on users’ work.
Imprint
The place, name of the publisher, and date of publication, written on a
catalogue card (in that order).
Information need
A need for information arising out of lack of knowledge or experience to
undertake an activity. There is often no awareness of the need until the lack of
the information prevents a problem being tackled.
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Indexing
Identifying the subjects covered by a publication using a list of subject headings
or thesauri, and listing them.
ISBN (international standard book number)
A number assigned by a publisher to a specific book or edition of a book.
ISSN (international standard serial number)
A number assigned by a publisher to a periodical.
Internet
A network of networks which links millions of computers around the world,
using telephone lines. The networks are linked together so that they appear as a
single network to the user.
Internet browser
A software program, such as Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, or Opera,
which allows the user to view documents on the World Wide Web.
Internet service provider (ISP)
An organisation that provides access to the Internet. In order to connect to the
Internet, you must go through an Internet Service Provider.
Intranet
An Intranet is an internal or private Internet system used strictly within one
organisation. The main purpose of an Intranet is to share organisation
information and computing resources among staff.
Joint author
One of two or more people responsible for the content of a publication.
Keyword
A word or phrase used in cataloguing or bibliographic databases to describe a
subject. Sometimes called a descriptor.
Keywords list
A list of subject terms, often including cross-references to related terms.
Literature search
Searching (looking through) sources such as catalogues, databases,
bibliographies, indexes, periodicals, books, newsletters, CD-ROMs, e-mail and
the Internet, or contacting other organisations, to locate materials on a
particular subject. Literature searches form an important part of an advisory
service.
Material
Any material kept in a resource centre, including books, newsletters, periodicals,
manuals, reports and audiovisual materials.
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Modem
A device that enables messages to be sent from one computer to another, via a
telephone line. A fax modem enables faxes to be sent from a computer.
Moderator
A person responsible for managing an electronic mailing list or conference to
ensure that it is used for its intended purpose and to keep track of messages.
Monograph
A paper, book or report on a particular theme.
Multi-media
Materials made up of more than one format – for example, a training pack made
up of a video, posters, overhead projector slides, and notes for trainers and
students.
Needs assessment
Assessing information needs in order to ensure that appropriate information is
provided (see also ‘Information need’).
Network
A formal or informal group of people that are in contact with each other to
share ideas and experience, often following a set of objectives that help to guide
the networking.
Networking
Keeping in contact with individuals or organisations working in a similar field,
to exchange ideas and experiences, and provide mutual support.
Operating systems
The software programs used to run a computer – for example, DOS and
Windows.
PDF (Portable document format)
A universal electronic format which can be read on any computer by using a
software program called Adobe Acrobat Reader. PDF files look exactly like the
original document, containing all the formatting, tables, illustrations, and
graphics, but are more compact and can be read by any computer using
Acrobat Reader.
Periodical
A publication issued in successive parts and intended to be continued
indefinitely (includes yearbooks, journals, newsletters and newspapers).
Publication date
The year a publication appears.
Publisher
A person or organisation that produces and issues resource materials.
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Publisher's catalogue
A list of currently available publications.
Record
Section of a computer database equivalent to a card in a catalogue. Each record
contains all the information about a particular material. Records are made up
of fields.
Reference book
A book, such as an encyclopaedia or a dictionary, used to obtain specific
information.
Reference material
Books, videos and other materials that may be used in the resource centre –
they may not be borrowed.
Reference interview
Discussion with a user to find out their information needs, including subject
areas, format of materials (such as book, articles, video), content of materials
(such as audience level), what they want to use the materials for, and so on.
Repackaging information
Re-issuing material in different ways to meet the needs of different groups.
Repeatable field
A field within a database that can be repeated – for example, for multiple
authors or keywords.
RTF (rich text file)
Format of a word-processed document which contains text only, but includes
basic formatting such as bold and underline. An RTF file can be read by most
word-processing programs and is given the file extension .RTF (for example,
REPORT.RTF)
Scope note
A note on the meaning of a keyword and how it should be used.
SDI (selective dissemination of information)
Notifying individual users about materials that will interest them.
Search
See ‘Database search’ or ‘Literature search’.
Search engine or search directory
A tool that helps viewers to find information on the World Wide Web. A
search engine can search for a word or combination of words appearing on
web pages and displays the addresses of these pages.
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‘See’ reference
A referral from a heading or keyword not used to a heading or keyword that is
used.
‘See also’ reference
A reference indicating related headings or keywords.
Serial
See ‘Periodical’.
Series
A set of materials with the same format and related contents, usually related in
subject or form, that are issued successively, usually by the same publisher. A
series has a collective title that may appear on the title page or on the cover.
Shelf list
A list of materials in a resource centre arranged in the order in which they
appear on the shelves.
Shelf reading
Checking the order of materials on the shelves. Materials should be ordered
according to the classification number and then by author. Any materials are
that are mis-shelved, can be re-shelved in the correct order.
Software
The programs that enable the computer to carry out functions, such as word
processing or sending e-mail.
Specification (computers)
Details of the computer components, such as hard drive, memory and CD-
ROM drives, giving size, speed, make and model.
Spine
The back of a book connecting the front and back covers. The title and author
usually appear on the spine.
Subfield
Part of a field that is subdivided – for example, for titles and subtitles, or place
of publication and publisher.
Subject catalogue
A card catalogue of subject cards arranged alphabetically. Subject cards often
include cross-reference cards from words not used in the catalogue to those
that are used.
Subject cataloguing
The assignment of classification numbers and keywords.
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Subtitle
A secondary title, often used to expand or to limit the main title.
Text file
A word-processed document which includes only text and no formatting, tables
or images. A text file can be read by any word-processing package and is given
the file extension .TXT (for example, REPORT.TXT).
Thesaurus
A collection of keywords or descriptors (generally within a special field of
knowledge) which lists the keywords and displays their relationship. Similar to
a keywords list.
Title
The distinctive name of a book or other material. The proper title of printed
material is often different from the title that appears on the front cover, so it is
important to check the proper title page.
Title catalogue
A card catalogue of title cards arranged alphabetically.
Title page
A page that appears at the beginning of a book and that contains the most
complete bibliographic information, including the title, author’s name,
publisher and date of publication.
Transfer protocol
A set of formal rules describing how to transmit data across a computer
network.
URL (uniform resource locator)
The address of a page or document on the World Wide Web.
User group
A group of people who have a common interest and can be provided with
information as a group rather than individually.
Web
A shortened term for World Wide Web.
Web page
A document or file of information on the World Wide Web that can contain
text, pictures and sound. Web pages can be linked together by hypertext links.
Website
A number of web pages displayed by the same host computer.
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Weeding
The process of removing materials from the collection that are either in bad
condition, no longer accurate, or replaced by other newer materials or more
recent editions of the same publication.
WWW (World Wide Web)
One of the most popular features of the Internet, made up of millions of ‘pages’
of information linked together. The WWW gives access to many types of files,
such as text, sound, image and moving pictures.
Zip drive
A drive that can store a large amount of data, often used for backing up
computer data. Zip disks can currently hold the equivalent of 180 floppy disks.
DEFINITIONS
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References
Introduction
‘Linking people for change’. Contact No. 157, 1997 Oct–Nov, 1–20.
Packenham-Walsh, N, Priestley, C, Smith R, ‘Meeting the information needs of health
workers in developing countries’. BMJ, Jan 97, 314, 90.
Section 1: Planning a resource centre
Action plan adapted from: Peace Corps Incountry resource center workshop: a
training manual. Training manual No T-48.
Section 2: Management and finance
Children first! Resource kit. Geneva: Subgroup on Outreach and Advocacy of the
NGO/UNICEF Coordinating Committee on Activities for Children in Eastern and
Central Europe, 1994.
Doing it ourselves. The Hague: Consumers International, 1988.
‘How to prepare a funding proposal’, adapted from: Directory of funders in
maternal health and safe motherhood. WHO, 1995.
Section 3: Space, furniture and equipment
List of furniture and equipment adapted from: S Giggey, Rural community
resource centres - a guide for developing countries. London: Macmillan, 1988.
Section 5: Organising the information
Chiware, Elisha and Hadebe, Bonani, A manual for rural libraries in Africa.
Bulawayo: Rural Libraries and Resources Development Programme, 1992.
Lendita, Wilson and O'Sullivan, Sheila, Proceedings of the district resource
centre assistants’ workshop. Iringa, Tanzania: PHCI, 1994.
Philipps, Eva, Documentation made easy. Wiesbaden: GATE, 1990.
REFERENCES
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Section 6: Computers, electronic communication and databases
Aronson, Barbara, ‘Electronic access to the information in scientific journals’.
WHO Liaison OMS, Vol 9 (2), Aug 98, 2–4. Website:
http://www.who.int/hlt/countrysup/liaison/English/liaison9-2e.pdf
Geethandanda, Hememales, ‘Selecting software for a development information
database’. Information Development, vol 7 (4), 230–237.
Hopkinson, Alan, ‘CDS/ISIS information’. Regular section in Information for
Development.
Lane, Graham, Communications for progress: a guide to international e-mail.
London: Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR), 1990, 152 p.
Leland Initiative and Research and Reference Services (R&RS) Project, Making
the Internet connection count – effective use of the Internet in seven steps.
Washington DC: United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
1998, 115 p.
Rowley, J E, The electronic library. London: Library Association, 4th ed, 1998.
Sievers, K G, ‘Software for information and retrieval tested, evaluated and
compared’. Electronic Library, 9 (6), Dec 91, 301–316.
Stigleman, Sue, ‘Idealist: flexible text storage and retrieval software’. Database,
15 (3), June 97, 50–52, 54–56.
Taylor, Sharon, ‘Internet tips’. WHO Liaison OMS, Vol 10 (1), 1999, 15.
Website: http://www.who.int/hlt/countrysup/liaison/English/lia1999.html
Tseng, Gwyneth and Poulter, Alan and Hiom, Debra, The library and
information professional’s guide to the internet. London: Library Association
Publishing, 1996, 199 p. ill.
United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) and The Friedrich
Erbert Foundation, At ease with e-mail: A handbook on using electronic mail
for NGOs in developing countries. 2nd ed. New York: United Nations Non-
Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) and New York: The Friedrich Ebert
Foundation, 1998, 129 p.
World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa, Micro-CDS/ISIS:
training manual (designed for self-instruction) and African Index Medicus: data
entry/procedures manual. Brazzaville: WHO AFRO, 1993.
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Section 7: Information services
Abstracts adapted from the author’s summary of: Mnyik, K S; Kabalimu, T K;
Lugoe, W L ‘Perception and utilisation of malaria prophylaxis among pregnant
women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’ East African Medical Journal, 72 (7),
1995, 431–435.
Fustukian, Suzanne with Kannapiran, Chandra and O’Sullivan, Sheila,
International meeting of PHC resource centres. AHRTAG and VHAI, 1989.
Manual for repackaging of information on population education. Bangkok:
UNESCO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, 1986, p. 27.
Section 8: Making links and promoting the resource centre
Powell, Mike. Information management for developing organisations. Oxford:
Oxfam, 1999, 58–70.
Starkey, Paul, Networking for development. London: Intermediate Technology,
1998.
Section 9: Monitoring and evaluation
Adaptation of Ormonde, Geraldine, ‘Some points on the evaluation of an
information service’. IDOC Bulletin, No 7, 1983, 7–10.
Correa, Antoinette, ‘Rural information provision in developing countries:
measuring performance and impact’. Paris: UNESCO, 1997.
Coult, Graham, ‘Measuring up to competition’. Library Association Record,
Vol 98 (9), Sep 96.
Menou, Michel, ‘The impact of information - I : towards a research agenda for its
definition and measurement’. Information Processing and Management, Vol 31
(4), 1995.
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Further reading
A list of useful materials, including materials relating generally to resource centres, and
those relating more specifically to individual sections of this manual.
General
BAIRD, Nicola
Setting up and running a school library
London : VSO : and : Harcourt Education, 1994, 137 p ill.
ISBN: 0 435 92304 8
Practical guide to setting up and running a school library. Designed for teachers
and untrained librarians.
Note: Translated into Hindi in 2001, but these translations no longer in stock
(ISBN: 0 435 99928 1).
Available from: Heinemann International Division, Harcourt Education, Halley
Court, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8EJ, UK E-mail:
international@harcourteducation.co.uk
Internet: http://www.internationalschools.co.uk Fax: +44 1865 314 290
Price: £5.50
CENTRE FOR HEALTH EDUCATION TRAINING AND NUTRITION
AWARENESS (CHETNA)
How to manage a user-friendly documentation centre : a training module
Ahmedabad : CHETNA, 2002, 56 p.
A training manual for resource centre or information managers. It includes the
basics of setting up a resource centre. The first section presents a number of
training exercises, and the second section provides 2–3 pages of bullet points and
explanations on each topic, including identifying an appropriate location,
ordering, cataloguing and classifying materials, using a database,
labelling/signposting, shelving, circulation, and finally promoting the centre.
Available from: Centre for Health Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness
(CHETNA), Lilavatiben Lalbhai's Bungalow, Civil Camp Road, Shahibaugh,
Ahmedabad 380 004, Gujarat, India E-mail: chetna@icenet.net
Internet: http://www.chetnaindia.org Fax: +91 79 2866513 / 2113005
Price: Rs50 US$5.00
CHIWARE, Elisha and HADEBE, Bonani (Eds)
A manual for rural libraries in Zimbabwe
Bulawayo : Rural Libraries and Resources Development Programme, 1992, 72 p
ill.
ISBN: 0 7974 1059 7
A useful manual intended for rural libraries in Zimbabwe, but applicable to all
small resource centres and libraries.
Available from: Rural Libraries and Resources Development Programme
(RLRDP), PO Box 439, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe E-mail: rlrdp@samara.co.zw Fax:
+263 9 75337
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DREYER, Libby and KARLSSON, Jenni
Ulwazi : for power and courage. A guide to starting a resource centre
Durban : Media Resource Centre : Pietermaritzburg : Community Resource
Centre Training Project, 1991, 80 p ill.
ISBN: 0 86980 831 1
This book is a good introduction to anyone wishing to set up a community
resource centre. It provides practical information on how and why, plus a
resource list of organisations, including training providers, publishers and other
resource centres.
Available from: Media Resource Centre, Department of Education, University of
Natal, Durban, South Africa Fax: +27 31 261 6880
INTERNATIONAL WATER AND SANITATION CENTRE (IRC)
Organizing local documentation services for the water and sanitation sector :
guidelines
(Reference Series No. 9.)
The Hague : IRC, 1994, 97 p.
Guidelines for the development of local documentation centres which can be
maintained with minimum effort, and provide useful information on water and
sanitation to colleagues and the local community.
Available from: IRC International Water & Sanitation Centre, PO Box 2869,
2601 CW Delft, The Netherlands E-mail: general@irc.nl Internet:
http://www.irc.nl
Fax: +31 15 219 09 55
Price: EU 9.00
INTERNATIONAL WATER AND SANITATION CENTRE (IRC)
The Streams of Knowledge toolbox
Draft
Delft : IRC, Oct 2001, 30 p.
This set of tools forms the draft Toolbox on Streams of Knowledge (SoK). It is a
work in progress. It uses results in learning among partners in the SoK coalition
that work together to strengthen resource centres’ contributions to improved
water and sanitation delivery. The learning process emerged from the project
Study into Resources and Management (STREAM) of drinking water supply and
sanitation centres in four continents. This brought together IRC's long standing
partners and new ones in a joint learning process of what makes effective
resource centres.
Tools include:
1. Diagnostic study
2. Understanding the resource centre concept
3. Assessing the potential of a resource centre
4. Gender scan guideline
5. Consolidating resource centres
6. Electronic information services
7. Evaluating effectiveness of resource centres and their partners
8. Self-assessment guide
9. Improving management & control functions
10. Quality assurance
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11. Impact Assessment.
Web location: http://www.streamsofknowledge.net/toolbox.html
Available from: IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, PO Box 2869,
2601 CW Delft, The Netherlands E-mail: general@irc.nl Internet:
http://www.irc.nl, http://www.streamsofknowledge.net Fax: +31 15 21 929 39
Price: Free
KANNAPIRAN, C
Documentation for change
WORLD HEALTH FORUM Vol 11 No 3. 1990, p 313–317.
Discusses the role and function of health documentation centres, with reference
to the experiences gained by the Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI).
KANNAPIRAN, C and MUNJAL, S and KAPOOR, A and MALHOTRA, K
Basics of documentation
New Delhi : VHAI, 1988, 90 p.
Available from: Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI), Tong Swasthya
Bhawan, 40 Institutional Area, South of IIT, New Delhi 110 016, India
E-mail: vhai@sify.com Internet: http://www.vhai.org Fax: +91 11 6853708
KENYA MINISTRY OF HEALTH Library Development Project of Continuing
Education Programme and African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF)
Basic health libraries : an information management handbook
Kenya : Ministry of Health : AMREF, 1994, 140 p.
Covers basic health library management for rural health libraries. Each chapter
includes objectives and review exercises.
Available from: African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), AMREF
Book Distribution Unit, PO Box 30125, Nairobi, Kenya E-mail:
jireri@amrefhq.org
Internet: http://www.amref.org/publications.htm
Price: Ksh450
MATERIA, Enrico (et al)
Making a start with district health libraries
WORLD HEALTH FORUM Vol 15 No 1. 1994, p 89–92.
Discusses the pilot project to establish and develop 30 district health libraries in
Tanzania and Uganda. It includes a useful set of guidelines for establishing,
developing and promoting district health libraries.
MCINTYRE, Peter
Streams of knowledge : the role of water and sanitation resource centres in
closing the gap on unmet needs
Delft : IRC, Mar 2000, 24 p.
This is an account of how resource centres around the world are playing a crucial
role in helping people to secure safe water supplies and effective sanitation in an
era of rapid population growth and social change. Outlines some of the lessons
learned by IRC in its experience of developing resource centres.
Web location: http://www.streamsofknowledge.net/booklet.html
FURTHER READING
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Available from: International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC), PO Box 2869,
2601 CW Delft, Netherlands E-mail: general@irc.nl Internet: http://www.irc.nl,
http://www.streamsofknowledge.net Fax: +31 15 21 929 39
Price: Free
PHILIPPS, Eva
Documentation made easy : a library manual for nongovernmental organizations
specializing in appropriate technology and rural development
Wiesbaden : Vieweg & Son, 1990, 205 p ill.
ISBN: 3 528 02054 7
This is the work of a practitioner who is well acquainted with her subject, and
who gives those in charge of documentation in development associations many
examples and tools as well as a general filing layout for the small libraries of
grassroots organisations. The manual is aimed primarily at readers with no
previous experience in librarianship and documentation.
Web location: http://www5.gtz.de/gate/publications/G28doe.pdf
Available from: German Appropriate Technology Exchange (GATE),
Information Service, PO Box 5180, 657 26 Eschborn, Germany E-mail: gate-
id@gtz.de
Internet: http://www.gtz.de/gate Fax: +49 6196 797352
Price: US$15.25
POWELL, Mike
Information management for development organisations
2nd ed.
(Oxfam Development Guidelines.)
Oxford : Oxfam, 2003, 294 p.
ISBN: 0 85598 483 X
The book is about managing information in the workplace rather than in a
resource centre or library. It is aimed at managers of community groups and non-
governmental organisations in developing countries and elsewhere. It aims to
help them to think critically about what kinds of information they, their staff,
and their project partners need. It discusses how they can access such
information, manage it, and communicate it in the most effective and equitable
way. It includes some practical tools and exercises to help readers to relate the
ideas to their own situations. In this second edition, discussions of knowledge
management, capacity building, institutional learning, evaluation and impact
assessment, research, information products, and evidence-based work have been
added, or considerably extended, together with a number of new case studies.
Available from: Oxfam Publishing, 274 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7DZ, UK,
or in southern Africa: Anglia Book and Freight Consolidators, PO Box 140,
Sedgefield 6573, South Africa E-mail: publish@oxfam.org.uk, info@anglia.co.za
Internet: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/publications Fax: +44 1865 313 713, +27 44
343 3066
Price: £10.95
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PRADHAN, Mohan Raj (Ed)
Health libraries and information networks in Nepal
(National Seminar in Health Library/Information Networks.)
Dharan : B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, 1995, 98 p ill.
Contains papers contributed to the seminar, representing the situation and
development of health libraries in Nepal. The development issues have an
emphasis on the use of IT.
Available from: B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Ghopha, Dharan, Nepal
E-mail: ihs@bpkihs.edu Internet: http://www.bpkihs.edu Fax: + 977 25 20251
Price: US$10 Rs300
Resource centres : building living libraries [whole issue]
CONTACT No 134. Dec 93, 18 p.
Discusses the principles of running successful resource centres, including
involving the community. It also provides examples of resource centres that are
already in action around the world.
SUPE, Gaby
Health information centre for young people
[In: Hands on! A manual for working with youth on sexual and reproductive
health / ROLLIN, Julika GABRIEL, Annette (Eds)]
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), 2002, 14 p.
Sets out the principles which led to the creation of the Health Information,
Education and Communication Centre for Youth Sexual Health (CISJEU).
Highlights the process the project team went through to deal with issues such as
location of the centre, developing appropriate services (including a education
activities and a counselling unit), human resources and financing, and involving
young people and their parents in its management.
Web locations:
http://www.gtz.de/srh/download/HO_2.5%20Health%20Information%20Centr
e%20for%20Young%20People.pdf,
http://www.gtz.de/srh/english/biblio/biblio1.html
Available from: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)
GmbH, Dag-Hammarskjold-Weg 1–5, 65760 Eschborn, Germany
E-mail: christina.neckermann@gtz.de Internet: http://www.gtz.de/srh
Price: Free
TOTTERDELL, Anne and HORNSEY, Alan and PULLEN, Lyn
Library and information work primer
2nd ed.
London : Facet Publishing, 2001, 216 p.
ISBN: 1 85604 420 3
Provides a practical, educational underpinning to Library Information Service
(LIS) work for a broad range of new and recent entrants to the profession, for
individuals working towards UK NVQ and City and Guilds qualifications and
first-year undergraduate LIS courses. The book looks at the key areas of
competence necessary for the efficient and informed practice of a wide range of
jobs in the LIS sector. Replaces The basics of information skills teaching 3rd ed
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1996.
Note: See <http://www.facetpublishing.co.uk> for list of distributors in
Singapore, Australia, USA, Europe and Japan.
Available from: Bookpoint Ltd, Mail Order Department, 130 Milton Park,
Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4SB, UK E-mail: facet@bookpoint.co.uk
Internet: http://www.facetpublishing.co.uk Fax: +44 1235 400454
Price: £19.95 plus £2.50 postage and packing
WEBB, Sylvia P
Creating an information service
3rd ed.
London : Aslib, 1996, 134 p.
ISBN: 0 85142 360 4
Practical approach to setting up a library or information service, of particular
relevance to those working in one-person libraries. Includes 'real life' examples,
checklists, and useful contact addresses.
Available from: Aslib Books and Directories, Aslib/Europa, 11 New Fetter Lane,
London EC4P 4EE, UK E-mail: sales.europa@tandf.co.uk
Internet: http://www.aslib.co.uk Fax: +44 20 7842 2249
Price: £21.00 plus £2.50 postage and packing £16.99 Aslib members
WEITZEL, Rolf
Library services for primary health care
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE Vol 32 No 1. 1991, p 51–58.
The paper highlights the inadequate provision of library and information services
for health care staff in developing countries. It identifies different types of
information need and suggests how these could be met by simple and inexpensive
means.
WENDELL, Laura
Libraries for all! : how to start and run a basic library
Paris : UNESCO, 1998, 115 p.
A practical guide for those interested in establishing and managing a library in a
developing country, particularly of interest to those developing community
libraries. Available in English, French and Spanish.
Web location: http://www.rtpnet.org/~wlp/publications/lfa.shtml
Available from: The World Library Partnership, 3101 Guess Road, Suite D,
Durham NC 27705, USA, or, Division of Information and Informatics,
UNESCO, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris Cedex 15, France E-mail: wlp@rtpnet.org
Internet: http://www.rtpnet.org/~wlp Fax: +1 919 479 2033
Price: Free (developing countries) US$10.00 plus postage and packing (elsewhere)
US$1.00 for each additional copy to the same address
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Section 1: Planning a resource centre
WEITZEL, Rolf
Guidelines for surveys on the information needs of health personnel
[In: Health Literature Services by the Year 2000. Part II / WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION. Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WHO WPRO)]
(Western Pacific Education in Action Series No. 4 WHO Regional Publications,
Education in Action Series No. 4.)
Manila : WHO WPRO, 1990, 46 p.
Available from: WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, Publications Unit, PO
Box 2932, 1000 Manila, Philippines E-mail: postmaster@who.org.ph
Internet: http://www.who.int/pub/en
Section 2: Management and finance
BRUTY, Bill
INASP-Health fundraising workshop online
[Unpublished], 2000, [27 p].
An on-line guide to fundraising, covering the stages involved in researching,
identifying, planning your approach, and making contact with donors. Also
includes contact details of a few charitable trusts.
Web location: http://www.inasp.org.uk/health/fundraising/charity.html
Available from: INASP-Health Internet: http://www.inasp.info/health
Price: Free
FAHAMU
Proposals that make a difference. How to write effective grant proposals : a
manual for NGOs
2nd ed.
Oxford : Fahamu, 2003
The author reveals the art of writing proposals, whatever the format that is
required by the funding agency. Topics covered include: defining objectives;
researching and getting to know the donor; making an effective case of funding
using the "POOP" formula (present, opportunities, options and proposition);
how to prepare a logical framework analysis (LFA); preparing budgets; and how
to follow up with the donor.
Available from: Unit 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA,
UK, or, Southern African Regional Office, PO Box 70740, Overport, Durban,
KwaZulu Natal 4067, South Africa E-mail: info@fahamu.org Internet:
http://www.fahamu.org
Fax: +44 1865 203009, +27 31 207 1194
Price: £20.00 + £2.00 postage and packing
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NORTON, Michael
The worldwide fundraiser's handbook : a resource mobilisation guide for NGOs
and community organisations
2nd ed.
London : Directory of Social Change, 2003, 272 p.
ISBN: 1 903991 34 X
A fully revised and updated edition of the essential handbook for fundraising for
the developing world (including Africa, Asia, Latin America and countries of
Eastern Europe). Using case studies and examples of good practice, it offers
guidance and advice on: establishing effective local fundraising; the range of
sources of funding (including governments, companies and charitable
foundations); the different fundraising techniques; and codes of practice and
sources of information and help. This new edition takes into account changes in
fundraising practice and includes new case studies. Extensive new material
includes: new sections on Internet fundraising and on branding and image; a fully
revised section on income generation; fuller information on using case studies to
illustrate your work; and fuller information on faith-based fundraising, raising
money through overseas support groups, and raising money through schools.
Available from: Directory of Social Change, 24 Stephenson Way, London NW1
2DP, UK E-mail: books@dsc.org.uk Internet: http://www.dsc.org.uk Fax: +44 20
7391 4804
Price: £12.95
Section 4: Developing the collection
AVRIEL, Deborah and ARONSON, Barbara and BERTRAND, Irene
Appropriate information : new products and services
WORLD HEALTH FORUM Vol 14 No 4. 1993, p 410–417.
Effective health information services require action on three major levels:
identifying and acquiring appropriate resources; applying appropriate
methodologies for management of information and its communication; and
stimulating local initiatives and applications. WHO's Programme of Library and
Health Literature Services proposes its methodologies and products for creating
and improving effective information services to health workers.
[Blue Trunk Libraries] [whole issue]
WHO LIAISON Vol 9 No 3. Nov 98, 12 p.
This issue of WHO Liaison concentrates on the Blue Trunk Libraries project, and
the distribution and use of the libraries in Africa.
Note: For the latest information on the Blue Trunk Library project see the
website http://www.who.int/library/country/trunks/index.en.shtml
Web location: http://www.who.int/library/country/liaison/1998/liaison_9-
3_eng.pdf
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HAGUE, Howard
Core collection of medical books and journals 2001
4th ed.
London : Medical Information Working Party, 2001, 95 p.
ISBN: 0 95134194 4
An acquisition guide for small or medium sized libraries in a hospital or
comparative medical institutions, including a recommended selection of essential
materials ranging from standard works to student texts. Selection of materials
should be made according to local requirements and resources. It is not
specifically designed for developing countries, but can be useful in selecting
international titles.
Available from: BMJ Bookshop, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London WC1H
9JR, UK E-mail: orders@bmjbookshop.com Internet:
http://www.bmjbookshop.com
Fax: +44 20 7383 6455
Price: £5.00 plus £1.50 postage and packing
HILL, D R and Stickell, H N
Brandon/Hill selected list of books and journals for the small medical library
BULLETIN OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Vol 89 No 2. Apr
2001, p 131–153.
A useful list to aid the selection of materials, but with an American emphasis.
This list of 630 books and 143 journals is intended as a selection guide for health
sciences libraries or similar facilities. It can also function as a core collection for a
library consortium. Books and journals are categorised by subject; the book list is
followed by an author/editor index, and the subject list of journals, by an
alphabetical title listing. A 'minimal core list' consisting of 81 titles has been
pulled out from the 217 asterisked (*) initial-purchase books and marked with
daggers (+*) before the asterisks. To purchase the entire collection of 630 books
and to pay for 143 2001 journal subscriptions would require US$124,000. The
cost of only the asterisked items, books and journals, totals US$55,000. The
'minimal core list' book collection costs approximately US$14,300.
Web location:
http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/picrender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&action=stream&
blobtype=pdf&artid=31721,
http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=31721
HILL, D R and Stickell, H N
Brandon/Hill selected list of books and journals in allied health
JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION Vol 91 No 1. 2003,
p 18–33.
A useful list to aid the selection of materials, but with an American emphasis.
This list of 434 books and 79 journals is intended as a selection guide for print
literature to be used in a library supporting allied health educational programmes
or allied health personnel in either an academic or health care setting. Because of
the large number, and wide variety, of allied health professions and occupations,
the recommended publications are focused primarily on the educational
programmes listed and recognised by the American Medical Association and
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other accrediting bodies. Books and journals are categorised by subject; the book
list is followed by an author/editor index and the subject list of journals by an
alphabetical title listing. Items suggested for initial purchase (169 books and 32
journals) are indicated by asterisks. To purchase the entire collection of books
and journals (2002 subscriptions) would require an expenditure of about
US$36,744. The cost of only the asterisked items totals US$14,465.
Web location:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=141184,
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=141184&action=stream
&blobtype=pdf
MOORE, J
Core list for nurses, midwives and health visitors 1998
London : Medical Information Working Party, 1998, 55 p.
ISBN: 0 9513419 3 6
An acquisition guide for small or medium sized libraries in a hospital or
comparative medical institutions, including a recommended selection of essential
materials ranging from standard works to student texts. Selection of materials
should be made according to local requirements and resources. It is not
specifically designed for developing countries, but can be useful in selecting
international titles.
Available from: BMJ Bookshop, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London WC1H
9JR, UK E-mail: orders@bmjbookshop.com Internet:
http://www.bmjbookshop.com
Fax: +44 20 7383 6455
Price: £5.00
SOURCE INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION SUPPORT CENTRE
Source newsletters and journals database
London : Healthlink Worldwide, 2002
Gives details of over 150 international newsletters, magazines and journals
relating to health and disability issues which are available free or at low cost to
readers in developing countries. If published on the web, you can link directly to
the full text of the newsletter.
Note: This resource has been used as a valuable networking tool to learn about
the activities of other organisations working regionally and internationally. It
also provides a rich source of core materials to build up resource centres and
provide up-to-date health information at little extra cost.
Web location: http://www.asksource.info/databases.html#news
Available from: Source, International Information Support Centre Internet:
http://www.asksource.info
Price: Free
WEITZEL, Rolf
Essential books for health workers in the Third World
WORLD HEALTH FORUM Vol 13 No 2/3. 1992, p 240–242.
The article looks at the development of essential books lists, the need to identify
low-cost titles, often also to obtain funding. It also emphasises the importance of
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accommodating the collections so that they are accessible to all staff at a health
centre or hospital.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) and Regional Office for the
Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO)
List of basic sources in English for a medical faculty library
8th ed.
Alexandria : WHO EMRO, 1999, 140 p.
A list of key materials with an emphasis on paper, and low-cost editions of
classic and universally acceptable texts, covering 57 health sciences subjects in
addition to dictionaries, directories, librarianship and information science. It
includes a total of 1568 titles. This latest edition emphasises health development
within developing country setting and avoids highly specialised clinical
publications. The list is also held on a database on the EMRO website <
http://www.emro.who.int/HIS/VHSL/ >, or on disc in a variety of formats
including ASCII and MS Word.
Web location: http://www.emro.who.int/HIS/VHSL/Doc/Basiclist.pdf
Available from: World Health Organization (WHO), Regional Office for the
Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO), Abdul Razzak Al Sanhouri Street, PO Box
7608, Nasr City, Cairo 11371, Egypt E-mail: library@emro.who.int Internet:
http://www.emro.who.int Fax: +20 2 670 24 92 or 670 24 94
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) Library and Information
Networks for Knowledge
Blue Trunk Libraries : selected publications
Geneva : WHO, 2003, 28 p.
The Blue Trunk Library is a 'ready-to-use' mini-library designed for district
health centres in Africa as a means of compensating for the lack of up-to-date
medical and health information. The mini-libraries which consist of more than
one hundred books and three journal subscriptions, are contained in blue metal
trunks to ensure easy transportation and protection. Priority is given to practical
manuals (especially those published by WHO) offering accessible solutions to the
medical, public health and management problems medical and health staff may
have to face.
Web location:
http://www.who.int/library/country/trunks/contents/index.en.shtml
Available from: World Health Organization (WHO), Library and Information
Networks for Knowledge, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland E-mail:
bluetrunk@who.int Internet:
http://www.who.int/library/country/trunks/index.en.shtml Fax: +41 22 791 48
57
Price: Free
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Section 5: Organising the information
DI LAURIO, Anne and WATSON, Alice
Macrothesaurus for information processing in the field of economic and social
development
5th ed.
Paris : Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),
1998, 436 p.
ISBN: 92 64 16025 6
A thesaurus for information in the broad field of economic and social
development.
Available from: (in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia
and the Pacific) United Nations Publications, Room DC2-0853, Dept. I004, New
York, NY 10017, USA, (in Europe, the Middle East and Africa) Publications des
Nations Unies, Section des Ventes et Commercialisation, Bureau E-4, CH-1211
Geneva 10, Switzerland E-mail: publications@un.org, unpubli@unog.ch Internet:
http://www.un.org/Pubs/update/update.htm Fax: +1 212 963-3489, +41 22 917
0027
Price: US$67.00
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
Healthlink Worldwide classification scheme
Rev ed.
London : Healthlink Worldwide, 2003, 32 p.
This classification scheme has been developed by Healthlink Worldwide
(formerly AHRTAG) specifically to meet Healthlink Worldwide's and partners
needs and cover the various aspects of primary health care and disability which
were thought to be lacking in other schemes available at the time.
Note: This classification scheme is used by the Source International Information
Support Centre, and has also been adapted by a number of partner and other
organisations.
Price: £10.00
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
Healthlink Worldwide subject and keywords list
Rev ed.
London : Healthlink Worldwide, 2003, 56 p.
This list of controlled vocabulary, or keywords, has been developed by
Healthlink Worldwide for use when searching their databases. The terms used
reflect various aspects of primary health care and disability issues in developing
countries.
Note: This keywords list is used by the Source International Information Support
Centre, and has also been adapted by a number of partner and other
organisations.
Web location: http://www.asksource.info
Price: £10.00
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SOUTHERN AFRICAN NETWORK OF AIDS SERVICE ORGANISATIONS
(SANASO) and Information Support Program
Organizing HIV/AIDS information in Southern Africa
Harare : SANASO, 1996, 76 p.
Includes the Southern African AIDS classification scheme and keywords list.
Available from: SANASO Secretariat, PO Box 6690, Harare, Zimbabwe
E-mail: sanaso@mango.zw Fax: +263 4 740245
Section 6: Computers, electronic communication and databases
ANTHONY, Denis
Health on the Internet
Oxford : Blackwell Science, 1996, 158 p.
ISBN: 0 632 04072 6
An introduction to the Internet, e-mail and electronic publishing aimed directly
at health workers, he
