Where basic IT infrastructure and Internet access is adequate, Chowdhury suggests taking advantage of new services and facilities that can be used by anyone for free or for a small fee. These include the following:
- government, regional and international organizations
- subject gateways and virtual libraries
- digital reference and information services
- electronic texts – books, journals, theses, etc.
- e-journals
- e-print archives and the open archives initiative
- ebooks
- theses, dissertations, etc.
- other free digital libraries (3-7)
Where basic IT infrastructure and Internet access is inadequate, a straightforward Web-based solution is sometimes not the best solution. Some innovative approaches are described below:
Through WAP devices
In their article "Small Screen Access to Digital Libraries" Gary Marsden, Robert Cherry, and Alan Haefele look at the possibility of using digital library technology to give those without normal access to the Internet access. This is accomplished through a system which allow Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) devices to access the Internet. As cellular telephones are more prevalent in many developing countries, providng access through WAP enabled cellular handsets is a possible solution (786).
Greenstone Digital Library Software
Greenstone is a open-source, multilingual digital library software. Greenstone is produced by the New Zealand Digital Library Project at the University of Waikato, and developed and distributed in cooperation with UNESCO and the Human Info NGO. Ian H. Witten, Professor at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Waikato, states that “Greenstone is being distributed widely in developing countries with the aim of empowering users, particularly in universities, libraries, and other public service institutions, to build their own digital libraries” (9).
Greenstone collections can be available through the Web or through removable media such as a CD-ROM (9) For areas with little Internet access, the distribution of information on recordable devices is a great alternative. As described by Witten in his article "Digital Libraries and Society: New Perspectives on Information Dissemination," Greenstone "allows one to create a complete, runnable, self-installing CD-ROM image from a Web collection in just a few mouse clicks" (13).
To read more about how Greenstone Digital Library Software works, visit the Greenstone Digital Libary Software web site at <http://www.greenstone.org/cgi-bin/library>.
eGranary
The eGranary, an initiative of the University of Iowa’s WiderNet Project, creates large digital collection by mirroring digital information and moving this information on to local area networks so that users can access this information without a connection to the Internet and at much faster speeds that the Internet connections available. In this way eGranary is a low-cost way of getting information to those who do not have adequate ICT.
The eGranary Digital Library currently holds 2.2 million digital resources, including Web pages, books, journals, databases, videos, radio programs, CDs, multimedia tutorials, and software. Its contents are grouped into subject categories and collections developed and maintained by content editors. Content editors look for academically rich Web resources in their areas of expertise to include in their collections. If permissions are required, content editors attempt to secure distribution permission from the authors and publishers of the materials (Miner and Missen 31). For more information on how eGranary works, visit the eGranary web site at <http://www.widernet.org/digitallibrary/>.
For a list of eGranary publishers and authors see the following web page on the eGranary web site: <http://www.widernet.org/digitallibrary/PermissionsReport.asp>.
Although eGranary is an exciting initiative, challenges remain. In his article "Food For Thought: Localized Content Aids Disconnected Africa" Mark Fritz writes that one of the biggest challenges is the timely and efficient updating of eGranary content. WiderNet is currently manually updating eGranaries twice a year. However, they are experimenting with satellite digital radio services, requiring only a simple $100 portable receivers hooked up directly to their eGranary servers to receive updates, updates the WiderNet Project hopes will be weekly (11).
solutions