The promise of digital libraries in developing countries

Abstract

Digital libraries are a key technology for developing countries. They can assist human development by providing a non‐commercial mechanism for distributing humanitarian information on topics such as health, agriculture, nutrition, hygiene, sanitation and water supply. Many other areas, ranging from disaster relief to medical education, also benefit from new methods of information distribution. Perhaps even more important than disseminating information originating in the developed world is the need to foster the ability for people in developing countries to build information collections locally. Outlines a broad range of issues and then goes on to describe how a freely available digital library system called “Greenstone” provides a flexible tool that helps meet some of these needs. Being “open source” software, Greenstone can be shaped by its users to meet new requirements.

Citation

Witten, I.H., Loots, M., Trujillo, M.F. and Bainbridge, D. (2002), "The promise of digital libraries in developing countries", The Electronic Library, Vol. 20 No. 1, pp. 7-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640470210418218