AFRO-NETS> Africa needs better information about access deals

[Dieter Neuvians MD <neuvians@mweb.co.za>]

Africa needs better information about access deals
--------------------------------------------------
 
Katie Mantell
5 December 2003
Source: SciDev.Net
http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=1136&language=1
 
 
Many African institutions are not taking full advantage of pro-
grammes that provide free or reduced-price access to scientific 
literature in the developing world, according to new research.
 
A survey by the UK-based International Network for the Availabil-
ity of Scientific Publications (INASP) suggests that several fac-
tors are inhibiting take-up of the schemes. One problem is that 
some schemes overlap with others or are not communicated well, 
while other schemes have not fully taken local needs into ac-
count.
 
Many such programmes have been established in response to a grow-
ing awareness that high subscription rates for scientific jour-
nals are preventing scientists and health workers in poor coun-
tries from accessing vital information. 
 
The Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI), 
for example, provides institutions in some poor countries with 
free or reduced-price online access to more than 2,000 leading 
biomedical journals. Another initiative, the e-Journals Delivery 
Service, distributes scientific articles via email to scientists 
who do not have sufficient bandwidth to quickly download material 
from the Internet or cannot afford the connection.
 
"There is a need for more co-operation between different groups," 
says Sara Gwynn, programme officer at INASP, who presented the 
survey results to African librarians at a workshop in Accra, 
Ghana, last month. "In some areas such as medicine there are 16 
different programmes available, but people don't know about them. 
There is a gap between what is available and what people are 
aware of."
 
Gwynn says that several of the programmes are already considering 
working together to improve their ability to address the needs of 
librarians and scientists in developing countries. "It is a very 
auspicious time, because everyone is talking about collaborat-
ing," she says.
 
For more information and for copies of the survey, contact 
Sara Gwynn 
mailto:sgwynn@inasp.info
 
Link to SciDev.Net's special section on Open Access and Scien-
tific Publishing: http://www.scidev.net/open_access/
 
Related links: 
International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publica-
tions: http://www.inasp.info/
 
Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative:
http://www.healthinternetwork.net/
 
e-Journals Delivery Service: http://www.ejds.org/

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