Planning for a sustainable information system in the IT (information technology) age: tradition versus technology
1996
Bellamy, M. (CAB International, Wallingford (United Kingdom))
This paper draws on the literature and on the experience of CAB International and others of assessing needs and advising on appropriate systems in a wide range of developing countries, to provide a draft plan for a sustainable agricultural information system fora hypothetical country whose circumstances match those found in many Anglophone African countries, but which may be more widely applicable. It defines the aims of the system, first in terms of national needs (functions, users and constraints), and the state of development of national information technology (IT) policies and systems, and then in the wider regional and network context. It develops a five-year scenario which allows for changes in both needs and technology, but which incorporates essential elements of the original structure and resources, the ultimate goal being a system which is demand-driven, not technology-led. The discussion encompasses such issues as: the role and function of the library in the IT age; outreach vs. storage and preservation; the changing role of the information intermediary in meeting client needs and adapting to new technology; which elements of the new technology are needed to fulfil the identified functions; new communication channels; compatibility within and between countries: and cost-effectiveness
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